Why Your Business Needs a Website

March 7, 2011 By
Window of antique store in Rye, England

As the trend becomes reality, most people are eliminating their home phone service for cell phones.  And since cell phone numbers are not published, the need for a telephone book is diminishing.  So think about it, without the local “yellow pages”, how are people going to find out about your business?  And how much is the advertising in the phone book?

A website is the most important tool you will purchase for your small business.   Your online presence is affordable and cost effective for your business.  It is also one of the first things you will see a measured ROI (return on investment) from.  And as your business grows, so will traffic to your website, so you want to make sure that your website can be easily upgraded and modified as the needs of your business change.

 

Competition

Even in a small town, there is competition for your business.  Think about restaurants.  Do they have a website?  Is their current menu on the site?  Do they offer catering?  Are there pictures?  When you design your website, check out the competition.  Is their site easy to navigate?  What would you do differently?

 

Open For Business

Brick & mortar locations are destinations.  And being able to “shop” or browse your websites before they visit is a great benefit.  You can be open for business every day around-the-clock.  And if you offer services, then include a form on your website for people to fill out and you can get back to them even after store/business hours.  The form comes right to the e-mail you designate.

 

Sales

Your website is an extension of your store location.  You can offer products for sale through your website, especially if you sell items that are not available elsewhere.  You can work with a packaging company to help you box up your merchandise and ship it as you sell it.  And this is an added plus when tourists visit your store, because now you can let them know that items are available online also, creating repeat sales and increased volume for your business.

 

Search Engines

As your business continues to grow, so will your online presence.  And by using the right keywords, you can gain great positions on the internet above your competition!

 

Contact and email

A contact page and email address makes it easy for potential customers to get in touch with you.  As your business and services change, the contact page should be updated to include all of this information.

 

Social Media

Use social media to increase your business exposure even more.  Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are the three largest sites that can help you with your business.

This is the beginning of a series on using WordPress as your business website platform.  Keep posted.

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Friends

December 10, 2009 By
woman with @

Giving thanks …
friendsOver this past year I made the decision to embrace social media. And with the help of Twitter and WordPress, I have been able to build a community of new friends and acquaintances. I want to thank them for their participation and comments on my blog. They are always challenging me to think bigger and better.
My community has helped me with humor. And as I have needed it, they have been there with guidance and encouragement. They have introduced me to more people and helped my community grow. So I want to make sure that they know how much they are appreciated, and I am sure that they know who they are.
In 2010, I want to continue to grow my community and the relationships I have already established. I also hope to help others the way people have helped me.

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Money Well Spent

December 4, 2009 By

Another thing I am thankful for…
I continued to learn more about WordPress, and one of the things I learned about was premium themes. Yes, the best thing about WordPress is that it is free! But there are limitations to free. First of all, there’s absolutely free, which is launching your blog on http://www.wordpress.com. You can host your blog on the WordPress site, but your url will include wordpress in it,not a very good decision for a business. After all, if you can’t afford the hosting service, should you really be in business? That said, you are also limited in the themes as well as the options available within those themes. There are currently 60 themes available on wordpress.com.
Once you choose to host your own blog, you can upgrade to http://www.wordpress.org. And there the options become endless! You can choose from the many themes offered by WordPress, or you can venture onto other sites that offer free WordPress themes. And these sites allow you to install plugins and personalize them for your needs. But, and yes, there is always a but, most of these free themes don’t come with support. And when you are a novice like me, that can be very frustrating. Around the time I was ready to give up, I found out about premium themes. Yes, premium means you have to pay for them. The benefit is that you get a support plan when you purchase the theme.
I have purchased themes from Studio Press (Streamline) and DIYThemes (Thesis) for a minimal investment. And both are amazing! They are very different, but filled with more options than I can use. And when I have needed help, I have received it, quickly. So, while I also host WordPress free themes, I am oh so thankful for my premium themes. It was money well spent!

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Opening a Window

December 3, 2009 By
window

windowAnd so my season of being thankful continues…
Last fall as I finished writing my book EVENTually Perfect, I researched how to get it published. After several weeks, I decided to self-publish. If you haven’t realized it by now, I am all about getting things done. And while I could have pursued the traditional publishing routes, this would have taken a long time, and I wasn’t willing to wait. So, now that I made the decision to self-publish, I had to figure out how to do that. And I also wanted to make my book an e-book. That’s when I found out about WordPress.
I wanted to get involved in new things, and found a WordPress group onhttp://meetup.com. I attended my first meeting and was amazed. Jack Kennard (@javajoba), who headed up the group in Atlanta, worked with me on launching my site and showed me how to use some plugins. And over the next month, I took the time to learn more. I also found another meetup group for Atlanta Web Entrepreneurs (@AWE), led by Mike Schinkel (@mikeschinkel), that was hosting a WordPress workshop, so I registered to attend that.
In the four hour workshop, I would learn:
o how to install and configure WordPress
o configuring settings
o creating posts, pages, links and media
o installing MailChimp plugin (a sponsor and a email program I still use)
o installing & configuring other plugins
The amazing part of this workshop, was that I did indeed learn all of those things! I also got the opportunity to meet and learn from others at different stages in the WordPress world. I was able to see what others were doing with WordPress and how they were doing it, which is an invaluable lesson. Unlike most classroom situations, the meetup workshop forged relationships that became the beginning of my “technical” community. I was able to learn of other networking and learning opportunities that would continue to build.
What I quickly learned was that I was learning new things that would open many more windows. And I couldn’t wait to learn more. But mostly I want to thank Jack and Mike for their willingness to share their expertise and pay it forward by helping me and others to open windows to new adventure.

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The Season of Giving

December 2, 2009 By
christmas tree

christmas treeTis the season. The season of giving. The season to be thankful. So I have decided to spend the next 25 days thinking about all of the things I am thankful for this year and how I can pay this forward. A year ago, I barely knew what a blog was, let alone all of the amazing things that I could accomplish with my blog. A year ago I didn’t understand Twitter or the many ways it could enrich my life. My interest in blogging and social media was a result of writing my first book, EVENTually Perfect. And while I never thought about writing a book, it opened a whole new world for me. And these are the things I am thankful for.
I think about what I have learned this past year. The learning curve was amazing! And while I could have sat back and continued on the path I was on, I realized that I was at a fork in the road. I chose to embrace the new technologies and all that it had to offer. And along the way, I made new friends and acquaintances. I forged new alliances. And I even wrote two more books, The Small Business That CouldTM and The Small Business That Could For Women.
I am currently working on a membership website, and that was what sparked my desire to write this post. After several months of searching for the right tools to create this website, I sought the advice of a friend and mentor, Jen Bonnett (@jen_bonnett) of Startup Chicks (@startupchicks). She shared her insight with me and motivated me to move forward with this project. And while I spent a significant amount of time and frustration, not to mention excuses on why I couldn’t do this, I also knew how important this project was to me. So today I started. I knew WordPress. I knew membership site plugins were available. I just had to find a plugin that could offer the database function I needed. And I had a friend who was helping me with the theme.
So over the next 25 days, I will take a few minutes off from this project to share what I have learned about these new technologies and how they can build a community, a business and most of all a circle of friends. And at the end of the 25 days, I will launch my new website. It is my present to myself. The best gift I can give myself, the gift of satisfaction and accomplishment.

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Is Blogging Necessary

September 20, 2009 By

Once upon a time, we all worked together. We sat in cubicles or offices, and periodically came up for air and shared our ideas with each other. As years passed, some of us moved on to consulting and contract jobs, where we worked from home. Our days of sharing ideas lessened. The ideas didn’t go away, we just didn’t share them as much.
Fast forward to today. Many of us now work from home, or due to circumstances beyond our control, don’t work at all. But, we still have ideas. And now more than ever, we need to explore new ways to share these ideas with others. Enter the blogosphere. Even if you don’t have a business, you need a blog. Think of it like a diary, but throw away the key. Write your thoughts down and share them with the world (or whoever wants to read it).
Unlike a paper journal, the internet offers you open source programs like WordPress, Joomla, Blogger and more that enable you to write your ideas down and share them. You can enter the blogosphere slowly and at no expense, by using programs like blogger and wordpress.com. A blog post allows you to write down your thoughts and share information. You can even attach a photo, video, etc., or a link to another site. As you become more proficient at putting your thoughts into writing, you can expand your technical expertise with your blog as well. Your blog can even help you monetize your business.
So, the answer to the original question is yes, blogging is necessary. As you start a new business, write about what you have to offer. What is your business about. The evolution of your business through your blog. Build relationships. Keep in touch.
Anyone can blog. Amazing things happen to people who blog. Some get published. Some get discovered. Some just find out things about themselves that even amaze them.

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Learning Studio to Launch

September 6, 2009 By
Logo

image3991

Atlanta Floods 1 The Learning Studio 0
Due to the recent flooding in Atlanta, The Learning Studio has postponed workshops until the end of October. We are currently finalizing the calendar and will announce the new dates ASAP.

The Learning Studio will provide an ongoing series of workshops to help small business owners learn new skills to help them move forward and increase productivity. You can help us by keeping us informed so that we can adapt our training program to your needs.

learningstudio@smallbusinessthatcould.com

Our first workshop will be held on September 26th at ROAM in Alpharetta, GA

September 26, 2009
Launching a Blog 11am-3pm $50 (lunch incl)
Thinking about blogging? Have a blog, but need some help with plugins and widgets? This workshop will help you launch your blog online. You will leave this workshop with a site ready for blogging and/or customization. The workshop is structured so that you will learn how to select, install and configure themes and plugins, place widgets, and post to your blog. If time permits, individual questions will be addressed at the end of the workshop. A domain name and hosting service is required for Launching a Blog.

Prerequisite: laptops and some computer/internet proficiency are required for these classes. A domain name and hosting service is required for Launching a Blog. Seating is limited, so please respond early. You seat is not reserved until you receive a paid confirmation.
Place: ROAM Atlanta, Windward Parkway, Alpharetta

UPDATED INFO:
September 24, 2009
Blogging 101 10:00 am—4:00 pm $50.00
Thinking about a blog? Have a blog, but want to learn more? This hands-on workshop will help you launch your blog online. You will leave this workshop with a site ready for blogging and/or customization. The workshop is structured so that you will learn how to select, install and configure themes and plugins, place widgets, and post to your blog. If time permits, individual questions will be addressed at the end of the workshop. A domain name and hosting service is required for Blogging 101.

Prerequisite: laptops and some computer/internet proficiency are required for these classes. A domain name and hosting service is required for Launching a Blog. Seating is limited, so please respond early. Your seat is not reserved until you receive a paid confirmation.
Place: Starbucks
Highway 54 and Broken Bow Ct
130 Peachtree East
Peachtree City, GA 30269
770-486-5447

Lunch and a manual is included.

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Plug In and Go

July 1, 2009 By
WP Logo

WP LogoI went to a WordPress Users Group meeting last where we focused on plugins. Between the vast amount plugins and widgets, it is often hard to choose. Our discussions became intense at time, and often very informative.  It is helpful to hear other people’s opinions before embarking on a journey of trial and error.  I walked away with what we all know to be true:  each of us wants our blog to perform different functions, so creating a generic list is out of the question. But some of the plugins are generic to all blogs, they just make good sense. Here is my generic list of plugins and why I think they are so great:

  • Ozh’ Admin Drop Down Menu: anything that makes life easier goes to the of  the list
  • WordPress Database Backup: OK, learned this the hard way. Backup your site often.
  • Google Analytics for WordPress:  it’s Google, it’s analytical.

Some of the other recommendations last night included:

  • Revision Control:  allows you to control the number of revisions to posts/pages
  • G-Lock Double Opt-in Manager: mailing list management
  • Google XML Sitemap:  creates sitemap to be updated to Google, YAHOO, and others

It’s also nice to check out http://www.wordpress.org/showcase to see what has been done, and what can be done with WordPress.

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Atlanta WordPress Users Group

June 14, 2009 By

Title: Atlanta WordPress Users Group
Location: Not chosen yet

Description: See website for information about the group and specifics about the event.
Start Time: 7p
Date: 2009-06-30
End Time: 9p

Atlanta WordPress Meetup


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