Tom's Tips

There is an old adage that says, "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst." In business, being prepared can be the difference between a major inconvenience and going under. Preparing for disasters is as essential to business continuity as having good insurance.

Disasters can take on many forms. We typically insure against the major ones, fire, flood, damaging winds, and theft. Lesser ones can have a major impact as well. Extended power outages, disgruntled employees, hardware failure, and careless mistakes can all adversely impact your bottom line.

For IT systems, having a good automated backup system with off site storage is a must. In recent years, costs of storage has dropped drastically. Backing up your business's financial records, customer lists, correspondence, and other vital information can be done at a very affordable price.

Local backup systems are good in the event of a computer hardware failure or in case of accidental or malicious deletion of records. However, a local backup is of little use when the building is reduced to ash or rubble. Securely storing your data off site is absolutely necessary. With good backups, data can be restored and your business back up and fully functional in a matter of hours.

Another potential area for disaster preparedness is extended power outages. Backup power generations systems are an expensive option, but depending on the business, can still be a wise investment. Systems can vary based on power requirements. Companies with large inventory of refrigerated items can prevent considerable loss by insuring that the refrigeration systems stay up and running. A more powerful unit that can provide all your buildings power requirements may also be an option and one many businesses should consider. Restaurants and convenience stores with backup systems can see business increase four fold during an outage if the competition is shut down. When you're the only lights in town, people come from miles around. At very least, IT systems should have sufficient battery backup to allow controlled shutdown of systems to prevent file corruption.

Companies without sufficient disaster recovery plans should make formulating a plan and putting systems in place a top priority. Most would not consider operating their business without insurance. Sometimes staying afloat in time of disaster takes more than financial security. Delaying implementation of a disaster recover plan can be a costly mistake.

Many small businesses lack the resources for adequate employee training. The end result is lost productivity for their business and thus higher overhead. Time truly is money. Performing a task as efficiently as possible lowers labor costs and increases customer satisfaction.

In an office setting, one of your employees primary tools is there desktop computer and the software installed on it. Having software well suited to the task at hand is a necessity, but does little good if the user isn't well trained in the features and how best to do tasks. I have seen cases where common, repetitive tasks that should have been done in 10 minutes took well over an hour. If this happens several times a week, the end result is not getting good return on your investment of payroll dollars. It isn't enough for someone to stay busy. They must stay productive.

Companies often invest thousands of dollars in software to run their business and have no one who understands how to leverage the investment by using the full feature set. Paying for a feature that is never used is money down the drain. Users must know how to access the information and put it to good use to get an adequate return on investment.

The same training rules apply to other workers as well. Proper training increases productivity and customer satisfaction regardless of the job. Professional, competent employees reflect well on your business. Regardless of the job title, technology offers many options for reducing training costs. Computer based training videos are inexpensive to build and provide excellent opportunities for training. Handbooks, policies and procedure information, and instruction manuals can be setup at significant savings over printed materials and have a greater impact.

Providing cost effective employee training is an absolute must. It pays off in showing your customers that your employees know your products or can deliver your services promptly and professionally. Setting aside time for training and building a training program that makes the most of that time can have a positive impact on your bottom line.

Simply having a website for your business is not sufficient. Your business website will convey a lasting impression of your business, just as your storefront, signage, and interior does. A poorly designed site can detract from you business and do more harm than good. There are essential elements that make for a good website. Whether you already have a site or are considering building one, you should seriously consider and evaluate these elements for your particular application.

• Graphics and layout: Any site should have good graphics components and proper layout. This is important for that initial first impression, before the viewer begins reading your content. A good layout will use graphic elements and position to first attract interest and then to draw a viewer's attention to what you want them to see. Your site should be visually appealing enough to make the user want to investigate what you have to say. A disorganized, cluttered look will project this image of your business. A visitor who must jump from one area to another and back to find your message, probably won't stay that long. Non optimized, slow loading graphics that serve no purpose can also be detrimental. Users will often move on without viewing your content if the page takes to long to load and render.
• Home Page Impression: The first thing most visitors will see is your home page. A good home page design will be brief and to the point. It will state what you do. It should state this in a way that entices users to delve further into your site if the goods or services you offer are what they are looking for. Different types of people may respond to different approaches to sales. Knowing basic personality types and providing a home page that offers links to content for different types of personalities can greatly enhance your site's value. You need not tell the visitor everything on the home page, just enough to pique their interest and make the want to investigate other offerings.
• Site Navigation: Site organization and navigation is also essential to building a successful site. First time visitors should be able to look at navigation menus and immediately discern what information they are likely to find there. Repeat visitors that are already familiar with your goods or services should be able to quickly locate the particular item they are looking for. A visitor should not have to hit the back button several times to get to another area of your site. Creating well organized navigational links increases ease of use and thus promotes usage.
• Content: Your site's content should be clear, concise, and well worded to convey a positive image of your business and it's products and service offerings. Words can be a very powerful tool. Words can carry both meaning and connotation. Content should be carefully constructed and geared toward your target market. It should project an image of quality, care, and competence.
• Be Dynamic: Your site should be updated regularly. It should provide information that your visitors find useful. Periodic updates on specials, how to tips, reminders, and other dynamic content can create return and even regular visitors. This keeps your business at the forefront of users thoughts and makes you a consideration when they are making a purchase.

These guidelines apply broadly to all business website. No one formula will work for every site. A customized approach that adapts these elements to your particular application and market will make for a more successful site with a higher return on investment. And a well designed site can be one of the best investments you can make.

In today's world, a website is an essential part of your overall business marketing strategy. More and more, people are turning to the web for information on businesses. You're website can be there 24/7 taking customer inquiries, informing customers about your products and services, and even selling your items. A customer who can't find you on the web, may not find you at all.

Simply having a website is not enough. A site that is poorly designed or non functional can leave your customers with a bad impression of your business and actually do more harm than good. Slow loading can often make customers go to the next link before your message is ever displayed. An attractive design, easy navigation, and good functionality are essential elements in your business website.

That being said, even the best site won't draw in more business if no one is viewing it. Once you have a website up, there is more to be done. You must promote your website, so that your website can promote your business. Much can be done to make sure customers find and make full use of your website.

During construction, a properly designed site will have some search engine optimization build in. This allows people using the most popular search engines to find your website. The site can also be listed in various online directories.. This is particularly important if you are serving a primarily local market. For example, hotel guests will often check online mapping services, such as Google Maps, to find restaurants or other businesses near the hotel. Having your business listed with these services so that they can access your site and get more information can bring in business you might otherwise miss.

It is also essential that you let existing customers know you are there. Letterhead, business cards, menus, and even shopping bags should have your site address printed, as well as your business email address. Even Yellow Pages ads should include your web address. Someone who finds your business after hours will often go to your site for more info and may fill out a contact form there.

In addition to getting new business, your site can serve to bring in repeat business. A static site that never changes gives customers little reason to return. Dynamic content and useful features can make customer return often and keep your business at the forefront. Depending on the type business, this content may vary widely. For some, blogging about current events or posting tips and tricks for clients can be a huge draw. For others, having an area where customers can check account balances and pay bills online is a huge plus. Listing current retail specials or new seasonal items can also be a major draw.

Whenever applicable, your visitors should be given the opportunity to sign up for updates via email. This must be done in conjunction with applicable federal laws, such as the CanSpam Act. Email newsletters cost next to nothing to produce and deliver to your customers. These can contain specials, new product or service listings, or reminders for seasonal maintenance.

A business website should be considered an integral part of your overall marketing strategy. Designing and building a site that is well suited to your business is essential, but only the first step. Once it is in place, you have to learn to "work the web" to achieve the results you want. If used properly, as part of an overall marketing system, a business website can provide one of the best rates of return for your marketing dollar. For more information, contact TruDelta Designs.