Do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?

What a great question that is!  Often I hear people say that they’re not sure if they really need a website because they already have a Facebook page.  While Facebook will help you establish an online presence, it may not do the best job at establishing your brand.  Here are some things to think about when asking yourself this question.

Facebook:

• Pros:
  • Great for interacting with your customers and gaining “fans.”
  • Viral – someone likes you – they let all their friends know.
  • Current info goes out to your customers instead of them having to come to you.  (If you’re not “hidden”)
  • Pretty easy to set-up an account.
  • Easy way to offer regular specials.
  • Easy upload of photos, videos, etc.
  • Easy to shoot out messages that appear on your fans’ newsfeed.
• Cons:
  • May cause some confusion when separating your personal Facebook page with your business Facebook page. Do you really want your customers seeing your beach vacation photos?
  • Viral – someone doesn’t like you – they let all their friends know.
  • Other than adding a picture of your logo or learning FBML (FBML is Facebook’s own little coding language.  I haven’t even jumped into that yet!), there’s no way to change the design of your page.  Even the colors are all the same for everyone – blah blue.
  • You don’t know if your messages are appearing on your fans’ newsfeed, because they may have “liked” you to get that coupon, but not enough to keep from “hiding” you in their feed. (Guilty )

• Not necessarily cons – but other things to keep in mind:
  • You need to be sensitive to your fans and use proper Facebook etiquette.  Keep your messages short, professional and reasonably spaced apart – one to two posts per week.
  • You may need to spend time monitoring the comments on your site.
  • You need to be checking it daily and interacting!!!

Website:

• Pros:
  • You are not limited to custom design of your site.
  • Each page can have specific information relating to your business or product.
  • Your brand is all over it! (Keeping the rule of “Less-is-More,” of course).
  • More opportunity to be found by search engines.
  • There are many website options now that make it super-easy to update your content, add images, videos and more.
  • Extra features like shopping carts, forums, blogs can all be found in one place.

• Cons (sort of):
  • Cost.  If you think you have to spend thousands on a professional website, you’re wrong!  With Small Business Design Solutions, we only charge $500 for a 5-page website.  We keep it simple, attractive, professional and functional. And, people say we’re fun to work with too!
  • Not knowing how to get started.  It can be a very overwhelming process to get started with your website. We help keep things in focus by gaining a full understanding of your needs, having questionnaires available to help you think about what you need and delivering a product that fully meets your needs.  We will “hold your hand” through the process.
  • Takes time. All GOOD things do take some time – and it’s worth it in the end. We can usually design a site and have it online in about three weeks. You can always set-up a Facebook page to let people know your awesome new website is coming soon and they won’t want to miss it!

My final answer…

Yes – you should have a website and a Facebook page!  Facebook is a great compliment to your website, but should not replace it.  A well designed and easy to navigate website will give you a competitive edge, keep your image professional and help build credibility.  Are you ready to get started?  We can help!

Intuit (Homestead) Review

I’ve been seeing more advertising lately (especially on tv) for Intuit’s do-it-yourself website design.  Intuit and Homestead are the same company.  You may have heard of Homestead – especially if you’ve done any kind of internet search on building your own website, Homestead ranks right at the top.

I’ve used Homestead, in fact I like their product.  As with all do-it-yourself sitebuilders however, there is a bit of a learning curve and things can get overwhelming.  So if you haven’t read my article  DIY Website Warning, you may want to check it out.  It contains some great things to think about before you jump in to one of these anyone-can-do-it sitebuilders.

Here are a few tips for using Homestead, if you decide to go that route…

• Have a basic knowledge of desktop publishing. Working in programs such as MS Publisher will be a great help when using their interface.
• Their templates are not bad, but many are not the most modern looking.  The good news is you do have complete control in jazzing one up!  Make sure not to just use their standard template. Customize one to your specific branding.  You can also design your site from a blank page.  Just don’t go crazy – remember Less is More!
• Once you’ve customized your template, you can’t just change it and keep all your content like some other sitebuilders.  So make sure your design is finalized first (and utilize the master page!) and then plug in your content.
• Download their sitebuilder software to your computer for major edits.  It works much better than their online editor which is more geared for minor edits.
• To have a 5-page site, it will cost you about $120 a year.  The $4.99/month advertised rate is just for the first three months, then it goes up to $9.95 per month.  And, they require you prepay for the year.  (Note:  We can offer similar options that average $50/year, have unlimited pages, and are easier to use.)

If you are sold on using Homestead/Intuit, great!  But, if you find out it takes more time than you have to learn and implement, give Small Business Design Solutions a shout!  We know the Homestead interface and how to build your site to get noticed using their product. Our prices are extremely affordable and just may be worth the investment to save you time and give your website a professional, pleasing and targeted look.

Learn more about Small Business Design Solutions at our website.

New Year… New Image?

It’s a new year – time for new beginnings and fresh starts.  Are you starting an exciting new business venture? Or maybe you’re  ready to take your existing business to the next level?  Either way, you need to make sure that what people are seeing outside the walls of your business, truly reflects the quality you offer within.

Can a well-designed business card, brochure and website really do that? Yes!  And the cool thing is you can be assured that Small Business Design Solutions will get to know you and  your business well enough to communicate your vision clearly.  For an extremely affordable cost, you can have a coordinated look that is professional and inviting to your potential customers.

Most small business owners keep quite busy putting their efforts into sales, customers, products, paperwork, employees, etc. – all very important things.  However when it comes to marketing materials, do-it-yourself becomes the method of choice because professional design “costs too much.”

Maybe you’ve thrown your name, phone number and email address on a pre-designed business card template and knocked them out on a personal printer.  BUT…

• ooops – your competitor used the same design
• card quality is flimsy
• printing is crooked
• logo (if you have one)  is not unique

Maybe you’ve set up your own website, or had your kid do it for you.  Found cheap hosting, got a domain name.  Everyone should find you now. BUT…

• wow, you spent a lot more time trying to figure it out than you thought you would, and you probably paid for more than you really need
• you Google yourself and you’re not listed
• huh, what’s an A Record and an IP address?
• the content is there, but you didn’t know how to resize the pictures so you scrapped them
• you aren’t too thrilled with the overall look – but that’s okay, at least you have a website.

Noooooo – these things are important!  When people are deciding within five seconds if they’re going to stay or leave your site, make sure they want to stay!

Not everyone is a computer pro with an eye for design, and that’s okay – because we are!  And most of all we are passionate about helping the small business owner get the look you deserve, at a cost that you can afford!  You can get absolutely everything you need for your business for under $1,000.  Individual items cost even less.  Check out our website for package pricing, samples of our work and testimonials from happy clients.  Then give us a shout to start transforming your image today!

“Do-it-Yourself” Websites

Maybe you’ve thought about building your own website, after all, many sitebuilder applications boast that “anyone can do it” and “you don’t have to know any coding.”  Sure, you can click on a template, move some pages around and type in some content, but here are some other important things to know.

You need to know how to:

• set-up well thought out and organized navigation
• create links – internal, external, email and file links
• upload pictures and resize for proper screen resolution
• customize and upload header images (if your sitebuilder allows that)
• use keywords, meta tags, alt tags, etc., and understand how they affect your search engine ranking
• submit your site to search engines and local online listings
• Point or redirect your domain name (if you already own one)
• Make the site visually appealing (follow the rules of this article).

It would also be helpful to know how to:

• set-up an email account or an email forward
• set-up photo galleries
• set-up blogs
• integrate your site with social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more
• understand hosting “language” so you’re not paying too much for hosting or getting a whole lot more than you really need.

Additionally, for eCommerce sites you’ll need to know how to:

• offer and set-up shopping carts
• accept PayPal and/or other forms of payment
• display your products with pictures that capture the true essence of the product.

Many times, what starts out as something “fun and simple”, can become overwhelming and time consuming.  We can’t stress enough how important it is that your website make a favorable impression within the first 10 seconds.  The reality is people do “judge a book by its cover”, the only difference is when they’re online, they’re just one click and a few seconds away from your competitor’s website.

So make sure you have the time and the know-how to make your site a success.  And remember, customized websites from Small Business Design Solutions start at only $250 for a professional one page brochure site, or $500 for 5 beautiful pages!

If you understand most of the above and feel confident to tackle a website yourself, let us know.  We are constantly researching the best site builders and keeping up on their improvements and upgrades.  We would be happy to recommend the best one for your needs!

Consistency Rules

Following is an excerpt from an excellent article by Dr. Wes Martz.   Though the main theme of the article is building your brand through establishing trusting relationships with your customers, the “design” side of things should not be ignored.

Remember that consistency rules. From fax forms to letterhead, envelopes to business cards, the same colors, logos, typeface and fonts should be used. The same critical eye of consistency should be applied to integrating your communications. Whether it is personal selling, print ads in a trade magazine, or your web site, the same message should come through each medium. The targeted audience should be exposed to the same message and get the same feeling of confidence through all communication vehicles. This integration and consistency is where you will find the biggest returns from your marketing investments.

Excerpt from Getting Past Third Base: The Small Business Branding Challenge, by Dr. Wes Martz.