Do you have a 1900’s website?

Do you have a 1900’s website?

Website’s weren’t around in the 1900’s, they came much later!

Think about this, films today are so different to those made years ago. Films have continued to develop in the way they are made and produced. If you can understand that then think of your business as a film. Just as films have and continue to develop and adapt, so must you and your business.

One focus could be your website. Paying for a website might be difficult at the start, however, your website is the window by which you showcase you and your business and so investing in it is important.

All those wanting to work with you, connect with you, buy from you or support you need to feel they know you. Business and charity are more to do with people than what the business or charity actually does. You can put your products and services on your website but to those visiting it’s so what? Its the why should they buy from you, who are you, why this business and why this product?

8 Tips for your website:

* Spend what money you can on the best website you can
* Engage a copywriter and/or PR expert to help write the content and try not to use jargon – try using plain
English
* Make your website uncluttered – Home, About, Product and/or services, contact
* Have a video – a silent website is like a silent movie, not interesting and out of date. Make your video
effective or different and make sure that a video is on the correct website page and make the video relevant to
the audience
* Keep your landing page simple and concise – remember the 8 second rule? Visitors have just 8 seconds to decide
about looking further
* Include your branding throughout
* Follow up all messages – as time goes on and you become busier you may engage a virtual assistant or an associate
* Review your website, does it still represent your business/charity and you?

Do you have a 1900’s website? Only you have the answer.

Alison Cross-Jones

Have you heard of the 8 second test?

Have you heard of the 8 second test?

I came across this concept quite a few years ago, although along the way its been referred to as the 5 second test, instant recognition test, amongst others. No matter what it’s called research over the years has shown that you have around 8 seconds (possibly a few seconds longer) to grab the interest of others. This could be those visiting your website – after all, they don’t call it surfing the web for nothing. The same rule applies to those you meet and talk to you at networking events, if they’re not interested in you they will switch off and go on to the next person.

How do you avoid this?

On a website make the first page short, snappy and relevant. It should be clear to the visitor who you are and what you do. Why should those visiting choose to support you, buy from you or connect with you? Tell them what makes you unique!

Recently at an event there were a number of people selling products, some similar, what would make each one different? The person behind the business. As individuals we’re different and so once we realise that, we realise that our businesses and the stories behind those businesses will be too! Have confidence in yourself, be yourself and others will see that you are unique and they’ll be interested.

The ‘8 second test’ also applies to charities who are also businesses. A number of charities helping animals, those with cancer, helping children, etc are all different. They may be helping the same need but the way they achieve their goals and the teams behind the scenes are different.

Your website home page needs a clear layout with just a few pages, a headline that grabs attention that gives the visitor a reason to stay and look at more. Try adding good quality images, video, music, etc

When networking or meeting people be clear about you do and why, give examples of success or if a new starter say something successful about yourself. Conversations between interesting people interested in one another are much better and more productive.

Have you heard of the 8 second test? If you don’t grab attention, then those visiting your website will hit your site, stay for a few seconds… and then they’ll be gone. Usually forever! When you meet people grab their attention by knowing your business and be able to answer any questions. Remember in an ever competitive world you have a small amount of time to gain interest in what you do and why.

Alison Cross-Jones

Business & Charity Consultant

PR – What’s it all about to you?

PR – What’s it all about to you?

Is PR paid advertising? Is PR social media e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instragram, etc? Is PR being in the press, on the TV and/or radio? Is PR marketing? Is PR your website? Is PR about images or photos?

The truth is PR is ALL of the above and much more!

Think of PR as your personal business/charity book because its your story and each of the above are parts of that book like chapters. Good PR is about providing interesting stories, building interest in you, your brand and what makes you unique. Just as each person is different so is each business and charity, even those doing similar things.

Do you need to pay for good PR? That’s a question I often get asked as a consultant. My response is that some of your PR you can do yourself at no cost but for some having professional PR support is vital. So if you need advice and support go to an expert in that field. However, remember that excellence in one field does not equate to excellence in all fields of PR. Do your research, ask for recommendations and listen, value the support being provided.

I always suggest an annual PR review with an expert. This is a one off session where you and a PR expert can plan for the coming year, where the expert can provide tips for the PR you plan on doing yourself and to plan the PR the expert will do. This gives a complete balance to what you’re doing.

PR – What’s it all about to you? Its about a lot of different aspects all working together for success.

Alison Cross-Jones

When business goes from 0 to 100 and they wonder when it goes wrong?

When business goes from 0 to 100 and they wonder when it goes wrong?

Lots of people have a business idea! What they do next will determine whether they are successful!

There are lots of people who talk about the importance of marketing, networking, putting the wow into your business, etc and while all of that is relevant, all of it has its place and time because there is a time and place for everything.

Imagine you want to build a house? Remember the story of the three little pigs? We all know that the house of straw and the house of sticks fell down and that the house of bricks remained firm. Why is it then that so many people build a business or start a charitable endeavour without a firm foundation? It’s madness!

When you have a business or charity idea, do your research, get the name and the branding but then stop and plan!

Planning is the key to a successful business.

The first year should be about:registering the business, getting the name and brand right, getting expert PR advice and plan the first year’s PR and build your website. Finally, write your business plan. Before you write this you’ll need your income plan (fundraising/income for charities) this might include sales, bookings, etc. Next comes the PR plan which will include, social media, blogs, stories, marketing, etc. Once these are in place, the business plan will follow.

When all this is in place you can concentrate of the ‘frills’ the networking, joining business meetings, booking onto learning workshops, etc because now you’re in a position to know where you are going and how you’re going to get there.

It’s so important to plan without one then you could find that your business will go from 0 to 100 and you could be left wondering when it goes wrong.

The myth about fundraising!

The myth about fundraising!

Charities and good causes rely on fundraising, especially today when grants that were available are no longer there and what is available is being sought after by a much bigger audience!

So what’s this myth? What’s it all about?

You’ve decided to fund-raise for a cause you care about. The obvious choice is a raffle! Most people will go out and collect prizes ranging from big items to smaller items. They’ll advertise the prizes they have, sell tickets on the day or if they have a licence sell them over a longer period. People will win and the money raised will be counted. The announcement will be money raised for charity. All this is great, so what’s the myth?

Whenever you fund-raise especially with raffles, auctions, etc you should always consider the value of the donations you have. We think that because something has been given at no cost that it has no value. Why? Have we become an easy come easy go society? Of course we thank the person/business/organisation donating because that’s the right thing to do. However, if we place no value on their donation, then we’re not valuing their contribution!

So if someone gives you a voucher for a meal for two worth £25 the value is £25. If you get a holiday worth £400 the value is £400 and so on.

An example, Mrs Smith and her friends want to raise money for a local children’s charity and as part of their efforts they hold a raffle. The prizes donated add up to a value of £1500. After their event they find the raffle has raised £500. Has it raised £500 or has it lost £1000? An accountant would tell you the latter is true! Of course the good cause has an extra £500 it wouldn’t have had without their efforts but how much more could be done if Mrs Smith and her friends had broken even with their fundraising, i.e. raised £1500? If they had placed a value on their donations they could have!

The myth about fundraising is a lack of understanding and a lack of placing a value on the donations given.

If you don’t plan properly you are planning to fail!!!

If you don’t plan properly you are planning to fail!

Even worse is, if those who should be supporting you don’t and ignore to plan or ignore the plan you’ve put in place!

The lessons I’ve learned myself and through observing others within the business world is, those who work hard and plan, seem to succeed in what they do. Those who support those who plan, succeed too!

Promoting your business and getting it recognised is about more than putting up social media posts! Its about planning! Planning a strategy, designing your own business road map that will get you from A to B with realistic targets and tangible outcomes!

In your plan will be your brand and strategies about web presence – including social media, on the ground presence, marketing and PR – including press, TV, etc, income, and networking and of course who can I work with!

All these individual strategies will converge into your plan, the bigger picture! Without all this you might have a business that trades for a short while or even for longer but think how much more successful you’d have been with a plan? Every plan needs a risk assessment, a plan B or even plans C & D if things potentially don’t go the way you’d originally planned. It sets out how likely the risk is and says what you plan to do about it!

So the plan is the most important part of your business success and should be the thing you take the most time to work on.

I’ve seen so many great people get a good business idea, rush into their business thinking they know it all and are soon left realising that things are not going the way they wanted so they give up and try something else, they repeat the process and then give up and move on! Years down the line they are left wondering why others have had the success they’ve not! Its simple, those who are successful, planned and in doing so achieved their goal.

For myself I’m looking at options and am busy creating personal plans. I’m not sure where the road will take me but one things for sure, I’m going to make sure that I plan!

Remember, if you don’t plan properly you are planning to fail!