Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Is your Web site DOA?
It doesn't have to be, according to StartUpNation, which shares nine tips for bringing new, successful Web sites to life, and reviving old ones.
Effective Web site development is a problem faced by many small biz owners. It happened all the time with my own clients at Element Web Solutions. Many of them really didn't grasp the Internet or its capabilities. They thought slapping together a site and throwing it online would have thousands of visitors knocking down their doors within the hour.
I, of course, preached otherwise with one consistent message: Simply building the Web site is the smallest part of what a business can do to harness the power of the Internet, and grow their business.
It's a gospel I still believe today, which is why I was so jazzed by StartUpNation's pointers, particularly:
Do your research. See what's happening online within your industry. You will see what the competition is doing, be inspired with fresh ideas, and better position yourself to stand out. Also, gathering information from experts and peer groups is beneficial for any business owner daunted by online development.
Involve others. Nobody benefits from a static Web site, least of all your business.
Seek and respond to feedback from your customers. Take advantage of Web. 2.0 tools that are now available to facilitate building a social network.
If you sell it in a store, sell it online. E-commerce is the icing on any merchant's cake. In olden times, you relied on brick-and-mortar storefronts and local support. But now you can offer your goods to the world with a simple shopping cart and payment system.
Check out the whole list, and try out a few steps if your site is in need of CPR. Then write back to us, and let us know how the resuscitation went. We hope you get well soon!
Effective Web site development is a problem faced by many small biz owners. It happened all the time with my own clients at Element Web Solutions. Many of them really didn't grasp the Internet or its capabilities. They thought slapping together a site and throwing it online would have thousands of visitors knocking down their doors within the hour.
I, of course, preached otherwise with one consistent message: Simply building the Web site is the smallest part of what a business can do to harness the power of the Internet, and grow their business.
It's a gospel I still believe today, which is why I was so jazzed by StartUpNation's pointers, particularly:
Do your research. See what's happening online within your industry. You will see what the competition is doing, be inspired with fresh ideas, and better position yourself to stand out. Also, gathering information from experts and peer groups is beneficial for any business owner daunted by online development.
Involve others. Nobody benefits from a static Web site, least of all your business.
Seek and respond to feedback from your customers. Take advantage of Web. 2.0 tools that are now available to facilitate building a social network.
If you sell it in a store, sell it online. E-commerce is the icing on any merchant's cake. In olden times, you relied on brick-and-mortar storefronts and local support. But now you can offer your goods to the world with a simple shopping cart and payment system.
Check out the whole list, and try out a few steps if your site is in need of CPR. Then write back to us, and let us know how the resuscitation went. We hope you get well soon!
Labels: Small business, StartUpNation, Web development, Web site
Monday, March 5, 2007
Philadelphia: A city's state
Last week, Team IncPlace went native.
That is, we attended Philadelphia’s Fifth Annual State of the City, hosted by the Center City Proprietors Association (CCPA). This event brings together local business and civic leaders to discuss achievements and failures of the past year, and set goals for the coming one.
This year, it also brought me and Seun, who live and work in Philadelphia, putting us in the unique position to comment as citizens and businessmen. Here are our observations.
Philly's Top Challenges
Some of the speakers talked about making the city friendlier to venture capitalists and financial institutions to attract new business, and help the city incubate strong business ideas. Easier said than done in our fair city, thanks to several significant roadblocks.
One, nobody wants to pay Philly’s high business privilege tax. Apparently, no one on the panel wanted to discuss it either, and never explained why the business tax hasn't been lowered yet, or removed entirely.
One panelist even went so far as to defend the tax structure, saying Europeans find us a bargain, thanks to the exchange rate. This is more than a non-sequitur, it’s total crap. How many mega European conglomerate companies do you see investing in downtown Philadelphia?
Point is, favorable tax structures encourage business development. You can’t have one without the other. Philly has neither.
Two, Philly is not generally viewed as a progressive city. Other cities have boasted skyscraper-rich skylines and strong business communities for years. But the new office towers in Philly's skyline are recent, and old ones are mostly vacant.
Moreover, only two of those new towers are successful right now: the Cira Centre and the Comcast Center, which is under construction. And the reason for their leasing success? The offer of 10-year tax abatements. (See point number one.)
Finally, Philadelphia lacks the Internet infrastructure to tap into the global economy. To its credit, the city has several WiFi programs in the works. When completed, these will help local business access new opportunities online, reach new audiences, and participate fully in the global exchange.
Until then, however, businesses are under economic house arrest, confined to the national marketplace.
Philly's Best Opportunities
Lest readers outside the area think Philly is a business development backwater, here are a few ways Philly is poised to fully earn the title ‘next great city.’
I was intrigued by the use of new media at Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. President and CEO Meryl Levitz spoke about her organization’s efforts to embrace new social media as a way to spread their messages. They’ve even hired a social media director to spearhead the changes.
No time like the present! The current Web 2.0 landscape is the perfect breeding ground for such expansion. Communities and businesses have tremendous opportunity to promote themselves over many different channels, and reach a large, diverse audience quickly and inexpensively.
Social media can also support Thomas Morr’s call at Select Greater Philadelphia for outreach programs that educate organizations about doing business in Philadelphia. The right promotional materials, applied appropriately, can be a great complement to the city’s revamped image, and help reinforce positive positioning.
The most telling moment of the evening came at its very end. Krista Bard, CCPA’s president, directly expressed her concerns to me about how businesses must get online in order to succeed.
She’s heard countless stories of business owners frustrated with getting online these days. Yet why is this even an issue, she asked, considering all the new Web 2.0 community building tools available, and the supposed ease of e-commerce?
Sad, but true, Krista. There’s a business side to the digital divide that few discuss, but many experience. And it’s preventing small businesses from capturing e-commerce profits, and large and mid-sized business from capturing new customers and vendors.
Herein lies Philly’s biggest opportunity. The city can deliver a one-two punch to the competition by attracting new businesses, and then helping them all get online, too. This will put the City of Brotherly Love on the map, online and offline, and turn the Sixth Annual State of the City into a celebration.
That is, we attended Philadelphia’s Fifth Annual State of the City, hosted by the Center City Proprietors Association (CCPA). This event brings together local business and civic leaders to discuss achievements and failures of the past year, and set goals for the coming one.
This year, it also brought me and Seun, who live and work in Philadelphia, putting us in the unique position to comment as citizens and businessmen. Here are our observations.
Philly's Top Challenges
Some of the speakers talked about making the city friendlier to venture capitalists and financial institutions to attract new business, and help the city incubate strong business ideas. Easier said than done in our fair city, thanks to several significant roadblocks.
One, nobody wants to pay Philly’s high business privilege tax. Apparently, no one on the panel wanted to discuss it either, and never explained why the business tax hasn't been lowered yet, or removed entirely.
One panelist even went so far as to defend the tax structure, saying Europeans find us a bargain, thanks to the exchange rate. This is more than a non-sequitur, it’s total crap. How many mega European conglomerate companies do you see investing in downtown Philadelphia?
Point is, favorable tax structures encourage business development. You can’t have one without the other. Philly has neither.
Two, Philly is not generally viewed as a progressive city. Other cities have boasted skyscraper-rich skylines and strong business communities for years. But the new office towers in Philly's skyline are recent, and old ones are mostly vacant.
Moreover, only two of those new towers are successful right now: the Cira Centre and the Comcast Center, which is under construction. And the reason for their leasing success? The offer of 10-year tax abatements. (See point number one.)
Finally, Philadelphia lacks the Internet infrastructure to tap into the global economy. To its credit, the city has several WiFi programs in the works. When completed, these will help local business access new opportunities online, reach new audiences, and participate fully in the global exchange.
Until then, however, businesses are under economic house arrest, confined to the national marketplace.
Philly's Best Opportunities
Lest readers outside the area think Philly is a business development backwater, here are a few ways Philly is poised to fully earn the title ‘next great city.’
I was intrigued by the use of new media at Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. President and CEO Meryl Levitz spoke about her organization’s efforts to embrace new social media as a way to spread their messages. They’ve even hired a social media director to spearhead the changes.
No time like the present! The current Web 2.0 landscape is the perfect breeding ground for such expansion. Communities and businesses have tremendous opportunity to promote themselves over many different channels, and reach a large, diverse audience quickly and inexpensively.
Social media can also support Thomas Morr’s call at Select Greater Philadelphia for outreach programs that educate organizations about doing business in Philadelphia. The right promotional materials, applied appropriately, can be a great complement to the city’s revamped image, and help reinforce positive positioning.
The most telling moment of the evening came at its very end. Krista Bard, CCPA’s president, directly expressed her concerns to me about how businesses must get online in order to succeed.
She’s heard countless stories of business owners frustrated with getting online these days. Yet why is this even an issue, she asked, considering all the new Web 2.0 community building tools available, and the supposed ease of e-commerce?
Sad, but true, Krista. There’s a business side to the digital divide that few discuss, but many experience. And it’s preventing small businesses from capturing e-commerce profits, and large and mid-sized business from capturing new customers and vendors.
Herein lies Philly’s biggest opportunity. The city can deliver a one-two punch to the competition by attracting new businesses, and then helping them all get online, too. This will put the City of Brotherly Love on the map, online and offline, and turn the Sixth Annual State of the City into a celebration.
Labels: Business Development, Philadelphia, Tax structure, Web development, WiFi
Sunday, January 14, 2007
E-commerce goes up in '06, grows up in '07
Great news for small businesses everywhere: 2006 featured double digit growth in the e-commerce field -- over $102 billion for the year.
Can't get better than that, right? Oh wait. It can. Analysts are projecting an additional 20 percent increase in '07.
Key reasons for this growth:
* increasing adoption of broadband
* lower prices in online channels
* increased convenience of online shopping
This makes it the perfect time for businesses to get online and get connected to one another -- and to advertisers -- before they miss the bus on an incredibly lucrative market opportunity. Yet not enough businesses are there, deterred by the perception that e-commerce infrastructure is expensive, or that identity thieves will ravage their customer base.
Both excuses are ungrounded. Yes, it can be expensive to get online, especially for a smaller business. Web-site setup alone can cost thousands of dollars. But look at the ultimate purpose: to source new business. This makes a $2,000 investment upfront well worth it down the road, especially if the business focuses on search engine optimization, networking, and community contacts.
And don't get me started on credit cards. I blame media hype for the cloud of fear over identity theft and fraud. When people go into a clothing store at the mall and steal a jacket, do you hear about that? No. Why? Because someone stealing a jacket does not sell newspapers, magazines, or prime-time news coverage on network TV. Online crime does.
As a result, business owners' perception of identity theft is relative -- not absolute -- and should not deter online business. Besides, new stringent security protocols in place at many e-commerce and advertising sites make shopping there safer than handing your credit card to the cashier at 7-11.
If you want your business to grow, take the 'new school' approach: technology. Doing it 'old school' -- brick and mortar stores, cash-only transactions, etc. -- will help your competition.
It's easy to implement, too. Call your local Chamber of Commerce, and ask if they offer any Internet service provider deals. Check with the Better Business Bureau to find a reputable Web developer who fits your budget. And keep an eye on local initiatives: Many cities, Philadelphia among them, are announcing municipal Wi-Fi initiatives that extend free and reduced prices for community-wide Internet.
Sooner or later, everyone will join the 21st-century party. Don't let your business arrive fashionably late -- especially when it doesn't have to.
Can't get better than that, right? Oh wait. It can. Analysts are projecting an additional 20 percent increase in '07.
Key reasons for this growth:
* increasing adoption of broadband
* lower prices in online channels
* increased convenience of online shopping
This makes it the perfect time for businesses to get online and get connected to one another -- and to advertisers -- before they miss the bus on an incredibly lucrative market opportunity. Yet not enough businesses are there, deterred by the perception that e-commerce infrastructure is expensive, or that identity thieves will ravage their customer base.
Both excuses are ungrounded. Yes, it can be expensive to get online, especially for a smaller business. Web-site setup alone can cost thousands of dollars. But look at the ultimate purpose: to source new business. This makes a $2,000 investment upfront well worth it down the road, especially if the business focuses on search engine optimization, networking, and community contacts.
And don't get me started on credit cards. I blame media hype for the cloud of fear over identity theft and fraud. When people go into a clothing store at the mall and steal a jacket, do you hear about that? No. Why? Because someone stealing a jacket does not sell newspapers, magazines, or prime-time news coverage on network TV. Online crime does.
As a result, business owners' perception of identity theft is relative -- not absolute -- and should not deter online business. Besides, new stringent security protocols in place at many e-commerce and advertising sites make shopping there safer than handing your credit card to the cashier at 7-11.
If you want your business to grow, take the 'new school' approach: technology. Doing it 'old school' -- brick and mortar stores, cash-only transactions, etc. -- will help your competition.
It's easy to implement, too. Call your local Chamber of Commerce, and ask if they offer any Internet service provider deals. Check with the Better Business Bureau to find a reputable Web developer who fits your budget. And keep an eye on local initiatives: Many cities, Philadelphia among them, are announcing municipal Wi-Fi initiatives that extend free and reduced prices for community-wide Internet.
Sooner or later, everyone will join the 21st-century party. Don't let your business arrive fashionably late -- especially when it doesn't have to.
Labels: E-commerce, Small business, Web development, WiFi
