The Internet has revolutionised almost all aspects of life. Even if you have never actually been online, it’s impossible to ignore its influence in the media and the technology we use. Billions of people use it each day to communicate, buy products and find out what’s happening in the world. It’s so integral to modern life that many countries now recognise Internet access as a fundamental human right.

So it begs the question, why are some businesses so reticent about marketing themselves online?

There’s a world of opportunity out there and yet some still don’t even want to test the water. Of course there is no guarantee of success, nor can you be assured of getting a full return on any investment; but a fear of the unknown shouldn’t hold you back. As long as you have the resources, a little expertise and plenty of enthusiasm, you’re already half way there.

Let’s look at a few of the possible reasons for why businesses may hold off from launching online:

We’re doing fine already, why do I need a website? 

If you’re receiving regular custom and making healthy products without any form of online presence, a certain amount of reluctance towards investment in an unproven environment is understandable. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is justifiable.

Sure, you genuinely may not want to rock the boat or perhaps you feel comfortable with the size of your business as it is; that is completely understandable. Not everybody wants to grow ad infinitum and it would be wrong to assume that everybody is chasing untold riches. However, if you are in the process of expanding your company or are looking at ways in which you can grow your audience, the Internet ought to be right at the top of your agenda.

Even if you’re a local business offering goods or services to your surrounding community, there is always room for more exposure. Who knows where it might lead? Tiny start-ups have blossomed into major global enterprises having taken their ideas online. Sure, sending products to North America, Asia or Australia might seem alien at first, but as your orders swell, your business – including stock, staff and suppliers – can grow accordingly.

Of course that’s all extremely hypothetical, only a select few will ever manage to achieve global success; however, there are many degrees of success that come between abject failure and the next big thing. Even if you only ever achieve a modest level of exposure and income to support your offline efforts, then it will pay for itself. If you’re fully online of course, then you will be looking for more in the way of returns and probably investing a little extra too. Essentially, it’s an economy of scale.

But I don’t know anything about the Internet, what can I possibly do?

Learning is rarely easy, but it is almost always rewarding. This is certainly no different when it comes to online marketing for businesses.

The beauty of the Internet is that it is still a relatively new medium. As a result, everybody is constantly adapting and learning to keep up with the latest techniques. Therefore, no matter when you decide to take the plunge, you are never going to be too far behind. Sure, there are some basics that you’ll need to pick up and a few mistakes that will be made, but it’s impossible to know everything about something that is in a constant state of evolution.

The sooner you start to learn, the quicker you can progress. While you may choose to outsource certain elements, such as copywriting or SEO, increasing your own knowledge is still hugely important – if only for your own peace of mind.

It’s really expensive, isn’t it? 

While there will always be costs involved in marketing your business online, the level of investment is entirely your choice. So while some pay thousands to have the full package, including a professionally built and designed site with branding thrown into the mix, others prefer to start small.

While a website should always be functional and professional in its appearance, there are cheaper freelancers available and even free templates if you should so wish. It should always give visitors a good first impression, but that doesn’t always require a massive outlay.

In terms of marketing; well, that’s also your call. As mentioned earlier, it’s possible to set up profiles on business directories and social sites freely and easily. You don’t need to be an expert to fill in a few basic details, just as long as you get listed in the right places. Equally, if you’re looking to optimise your site, there’s nothing to stop you doing this yourself. Again, it’s all about economy of scale.

For instance, if you’re in an extremely competitive sector and want to make some early headway, you’re going to have to push resources towards achieving the desired results. Whether that’s online training for your team or outsourcing to an agency, it’s going to cost money. However, if you’re happy to build at a more organic pace and maintain control, then it’s certainly possible to do it all yourself.  Whatever happens, time, money and, in most cases, both will be needed to get your online marketing off the ground. How that is split though is entirely up to you.

I’ll be open to criticism and legal complications, won’t I?

The Internet can be an unforgiving place. If you make a big enough slip up, somebody is likely to pounce. Equally, there are hackers and snake oil salesmen who are out to make money and do damage. However, this shouldn’t put you off. With security in place and a customer-focused approach to business, you can fend off most potential issues.

All websites, particularly those that take payments or store customer data, will need to comply with various forms of legislation. You may require expert assistance to ensure that the wording in your Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy are accurate, as well as taking into account the new Cookie rules too. So there is a bit of fuss and hassle to overcome, but nothing overly prohibitive and certainly nothing compared with the legal complications of creating an offline business.

The good thing about being online is that you can respond to criticism if it should arise. While you don’t want to pre-empt difficulties, there’s certainly no harm in safeguarding against future issues. For instance, if someone were to take to Twitter to complain about the service they received, rather than contacting you directly, it can quickly gain traction and others may contribute to the conversation. If you already have an established profile on the social platform, then you can quickly identify these messages and contact them directly – taking the conversation away from the public pages.

You don’t need to be online to face criticism on the Internet, nor is legal red tape and bureaucracy the sole reserve of online legislation. The environment may be different, but the same fundamental rules of good honest service and upholding quality standards still remain.

So if you’re still undecided about going online, now may be the time to put those doubts to one side. There are risks and costs can mount up, but it’s still one of the most versatile and effective marketing platforms around.

With a good strategy, a little hard work and some skills training, you should have more than enough to get started on the road to online success. Don’t run before you can walk though, and be careful on whose advice you take. Following leading online marketing and SEO blogs should keep you up-to-date with the latest news, while professional training courses will help to ensure you have a comprehensive understanding of the environment, as well as the unique challenges and rewards it has to offer.

This Guest Post has been provided by, GBO Training, a website dedicated to helping businesses expand and grow online.

Back in December fellow guest poster Helen L explained exactly why small businesses should exhibit at trade shows. With the initial cost of setting up an exhibition so high there is little room for mistake on the trade show floor. As with any enterprise good preparation can make all the difference between making a profit or throwing away money and time, the difference is that there is less room for exhibitors.

The list below will cover some essential points of preparation. Some of these might be a bit basic but I’m sure you will all have seen what happens when these points are missed.

Objectives:

What do you want to achieve from the event? Make sure you and your staff know and plan accordingly. Decide your key metric, whether its number of leads obtained, press coverage or ROI and make sure you have a way to track it.

Training:

Staff don’t need to be trained to talk to people surely? Well yes, actually they do. Good exhibition communication is an odd mixture of counselling and acting. Your exhibitors need to be able to listen to the problems that visitors bring them and offer them solutions, not products. They also need to be able to do this while hiding the fact they are tired from standing on their feet all day, and stay on message. There also details such as ensuring your staff take down enough information on leads that you can follow them up properly.

Training your staff will help to keep them enthusiastic and on message. Depending upon your budget can you can hire outside experts to coach staff through the finer points of exhibiting but for small business a more affordable approach would be to set aside an afternoon before the event too brief your staff. The briefing should include products they need to be aware off, along with proper data capture methods and some practice of talking to visitors.

Consistent messaging:

As I’m sure all the readers are aware, consistent messaging is a vital part of any marketing and branding. The trick with exhibiting is to make sure that your efforts fit in with your other marketing attempts. So using your brand colours and logo’s on marketing literature, exhibition stands and even clothing is vital.

As far as clothes are concerned think about the message you want your brand to convey. A professional consulting company will probably want to wear suits, whereas as a tech start up might prefer a more relaxed approach such as adopting branded polo shirts. Similarly any promotional gifts need to be well thought through. For example If you are proud of your green credentials a pile of plastic tat looks hypocritical at best; a report that can be downloaded from your website with a code only available at your stand will look more professional and far more green.

Pre-event Marketing:

So you have well trained staff, branded material and a great looking stand. How do you get people to your stand? That’s what the pre-event marketing is about. Are you going to be revealing a new product? Do you have a report or a whitepaper out? Try to construct a mailing list of people attending the event, clients and contacts and let them know about any special offers, competitions or gifts available at your stand. You should make sure that any promotional copy you can give to the show organiser states exactly what you do and where to find you.

Eating and Sleeping:

You cannot afford to leave your booth unmanned, but at the same time you can’t expect your staff to spend all day on it. Ensure that you arrange a schedule beforehand so that everyone has a chance to sit down and eat some food. This will also mean that you won’t have anyone eating at the stand itself. A problem that always looks unprofessional. If at all possible you should also ensure that there are at least two people on the stand at all times. This will stop anyone being caught short and help prevent visitors overwhelming your staff.

Similarly book hotels and transport as far in advance as possible. Not only will this save you money, it will also mean you can get as close as possible to the exhibition centre. If you have a five minute walk to work in the morning it will mean you can be better rested than your poor competitors.

Hopefully this guide should help make any exhibits a success and ensure that you come out of the event with lots of great leads.

Written by Daniel Frank on behalf of Nimlok Exhibition Stands

You know a bad leaflet when you see one – and you’ll have seen plenty. But how do you go about creating a marketing leaflet that beats the competition?

Nowadays it’s so easy to have a run of marketing leaflets produced that everyone is doing it. This effectively means that the market is awash with them – typically short adverts that come with professional print quality but mediocre design and content. The average customer will spend only a few seconds looking at one before they decide to hold onto it or throw it away. Yours needs to be one of the minority that are retained for future use. In a very competitive field, there are a few ways to raise your chances against the others.

Target your audience

It doesn’t matter how good your leaflet is if you send it to the wrong audience. Whilst some wastage is inevitable, this represents inefficient use of your marketing budget. Do your research, and make sure your leaflets go to the right kind of people and places. Think of local areas – streets and neighbourhoods of houses as well as public spaces – specific venues and publications that represent the demographic you want to attract. That way, your take-up rate is going to be far higher than a scattergun approach.

Put the customer first

The only reason your leaflet’s readers are going to become customers is because you offer something they want. Resist the urge to tell them anything they don’t need to know. You need to make reading your leaflet as fast and easy as possible – don’t give them a reason to pass on your pitch in favour of someone else’s. Present your business in terms that resonate with them and speak to their needs.

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