Go Dog Go Gets a New Website

Officially launched this morning, Go Dog Go Mobile Dog Grooming, has a new website. A small local mobile dog grooming business in Erie, PA, Go Dog Go didn't  need a complicated site with all the bells and whistles. What they needed was an updated look and informative, targeted content.

Websites are never "finished."  Each site needs a careful plan for the future and developers must be aware of changes in technologies and search engine algorithms in order to keep pace. For Go Dog Go, the plan is to eventually add before and after pictures to highlight Nancy Carroll-Hunt's extraordinary dog grooming talents. A personal service business, particularly one like Go Dog Go that is geared toward a beloved pet, requires a website that makes potential clients comfortable with the provider.

Go Dog Go of Erie PA

A Little Courtesy is All I Ask

Email, text messages, social media, blogs and chats - all are relatively new ways for businesses to advertise and communicate with customers, potential customers and colleagues. In the old days, there were strict rules about communication. Letters required a certain format and employees were trained in phone etiquette. With the newer forms of communications, however, we seem to have forgotten how to treat people. Instead, we often appear cold and unresponsive. Not a good thing, either in business or personal life.

Why is Courtesy Important?

Depersonalization is a huge obstacle when it comes to doing business online. Many potential customers comparison shop on the web, but run to their local store, to that familiar face, when it comes time to buy. Shopping carts are abandoned for a number of reasons, but one of those reasons is that people do not feel special when shopping online. They want do deal with someone who knows their name. They want to deal with someone who treats them with respect. Obviously, it is more difficult to do that online, but there are ways to improve the courtesy factor. Here's how:

1. Answer emails and answer them promptly. Whether it is a customer, potential customer, employee or colleague, answer those emails, preferably within one business day.

2. Personalize the experience. In emails, return phone calls, on Facebook or wherever, use the person's name if you have it. If you don't have it, get it.

3. Do not blow people off. Don't say, "I'll get back to you on Tuesday" and then forget about them.

4. Answer back immediately, even if you don't know the answer yet. If someone sends you an email or communicates with you in some way, let them know you heard them. Email or call them back. Let them know that you are working on getting the information they need. There is nothing worse than sending an email and getting absolutely no response.

5. Be polite and respectful. Every day business requires that we deal with all kinds of people from every age group. Some may be older. Others may be from a different culture. Treating everyone with respect and common courtesy is not only good business sense, it's the right thing to do.









 

Is Small Business Social Networking Important?

With all the things small business owners have to worry about, the question of using Facebook as a marketing tool begs the question - do I really have to? Is it worth the time and effort? What possible benefit would using Facebook bring a small business?

In truth, it's unclear whether or not using Facebook as a  marketing tool increases business or not. As part of a marketing campaign, however, it is difficult to ignore the possibilities. Facebook keeps growing. It's easy and free to use. Lots of businesses are using it. The question now becomes "why not use Facebook?"

Facebook offers some real advantages over, for example, maintaining a blog. In an instant, a small business owner can post sales and other types of customer information on the company Facebook page. Interaction with customers or potential customers is fast and straightforward. Facebook is easily accessed via computer, tablet or smart phone, making it just about as convenient as it gets.

Perhaps the real reason to use Facebook, however, is that customers expect it. A business that does not use the latest marketing tools seems out-of-touch. Even though there is no research that indicates using Facebook increases revenue, it is without a doubt a marketing tool that should be utilized.

Just a quick note hoping everyone is enjoying the season and is not inundated with end of the year woes. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Security Refresher

After a long hiatus, I am back. Let's just say that life has a way of throwing things at you, sometimes all at the same time. That said, let's get back to business.

It seems like a good time to remind ourselves about internet security. No one expects to be a victim of a computer virus or identity theft. The perpetrators are unseen, they don't jump at you from behind a building. Their crimes can be as devastating, however.

A quick refresher on best practices when using your home or business computer:

1. Use a firewall: Most Windows systems come with a firewall. Make sure it is set to "on" unless your security software has one of its own that conflicts with the Windows firewall.

2. Use anti-virus software: With the availability of free anti-virus packages, no one should be without protection. Business owners should invest in anti-virus software because most free packages are for personal computer users only. They are not designed for business use.

3. Be smart about email attachments: If you receive an attachment, do not open it unless you were expecting it. This type of trick is innocent looking because typically it appears to come from a friend or business associate. In fact, it may have. That's how many viruses work - they send themselves to email addresses in an address book. Before opening an attachment, contact the person who sent it and find out what it is.

4. Email is not private: Never send any confidential or private information in an email. Email is not a secure medium.

5. Create strong passwords: Tempting as it is, don't use the dog's name. Use a combination of letters, both lower and upper case, numbers, and, if permitted by the web site host, use a special character or two.

 These are just a few of the security measures that help to keep your home and business systems safe and secure. Security requires a many faceted approach, but with the right tools you can lessen the possibilities of becoming a victim.

Part 2 - Do I Still Need a Business Web Site?

As we saw in Part 1, in spite of the popularity of social networking sites, a business still needs a web site to survive online. That's just the beginning, though.

Fresh content is essential for web site success. New content keeps visitors coming back and is important in search engine rankings. Below are some ways to keep your web site from becoming dead weight:

* Change the content on your home page periodically
* Keep operation hours and addresses updated
* Add a blog to your site and add new posts at least twice a week
* Add informational content for customers that is related to your product or service

Never, never, never load your site with key word repetition and fluffy content. Google has recently implemented an upgrade that is, at the time of this writing, severely penalizing sites that use such practices. Be smart, write for your audience, and update your content often.

Why It Matters

Some business owners lead double lives. They have a separate set of "business" ethics, apart from their personal lives. For some, anything goes when trying to make a buck. It's okay as long as they go to church on Sunday.

Small business owners sometimes engage in activities that harm or deceive customers. Stretching the truth about products, pushing the envelope when it comes to truth in advertising, and making promises that cannot be kept all seem like standard business practices. The problem is that running your business in the "standard" way is not good enough, not for you and not for your business.

There are fundamental ways of treating people, whether it is during the course of business or in our personal lives. Telling the truth, showing respect, making things right, and caring are as important in business as they are anywhere else.