Archive for February, 2012

30. How e-mail auto-reponders and e-mail forwarding will help your small business

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

One of the great advantages of having a website for your business or organisation is that it provides a virtual employee working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and no need for holiday cover.

The problem

The disadvantage is that it is highly unlikely that a small business can afford a 24 hour human workforce to respond to clients who engage with the website.  This creates the risk that by the time you respond to an e-mail, a competitor has already beaten you and won the business.

The solution

A smart way to address this problem is through the use of e-mail auto-responders and e-mail forwarding.

E-mail Auto-responder

An auto-responder allows for an automated e-mail response to be sent to the potential customer when an e-mail is sent to a defined e-mail address.

For example, you could set up a page on your website that gives the option to ask for more information by sending a mail or form to info@<Your e-mail address>.  You then can create a rule within your web hosting Control Panel that will automatically send a predefined e-mail as a response.

he response can thank the person for the enquiry stating you will respond in xxx hours / days.  It should also include additional information that is relevant to the enquiry and not available on the website.  If possible include links to additional resources and ask questions you would normally ask as part of the process.  This will continue the engagement and hopefully prompt a response.  This will then mean that you are better placed to respond when you are back in the office.

There are dedicated services like Mailchimp that allow you to set up a sequence of auto responses, set at defined time intervals if you require a more sophisticated solution.

E-mail Forwarding

This allows rules to be set in the Control Panel to automatically forward an e-mail sent to a specific address to a different address.  You may want to do this so that e-mails are sent to a general address and then automatically forwarded to a personal address.  This will ensure that you personal address is not bombarded with enquiries.

It also means that you can pick up enquiries when you are out of the office and then decide if they need to be responded to.

Free Auto-Responders and E-mail Forwarding

The great news about these services is that the functionality is usually provided free by most reputable web hosting services through a Control Panel.

If the web host also provides a large amount of e-mail addresses, you can set up different e-mail addresses with different responses tailored to the nature of the enquiry.  The options are endless and can really help engage potential clients.

I am pleased to advise that Digital Ark provide this functionality as standard with all web hosting packages.  Even our Web Starter web hosting package provides 1000 e-mail addresses which should be more than enough for your needs.

Easy autoresponder and forwarding set-up

Screen shot of the Control Panel showing e-mail options

If you would like more information or assistance, please e-mail info@digitalark.co.uk.

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29. Local search tips for your business online

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

In post number 28, I talked about how Google Places could help your business in respect of local search.  There are a number of other very useful resources that should also be considered to support a small businesses website and online marketing campaign.

Four Square

If you run a location based business such as a bar, coffee shop, hairdressers, beauty salon, restaurant, etc, you definitely should consider registering with Four Square.

Four Square allows you to register your business / premises on their social network.  This is done by registering an account and claiming your business.  You then will need to wait for a confirmation code to be mailed to you through the post (to make sure you actual are registered at the address).  This code is then entered and your business is live on the network.

Four Square business verification card

Card that you should receive to verify your business / organisation on Four Square

 

You can then set up details about your business, products, opening times and even special offers.  This information is then available within the Four Square social network.

Like other social networks it allows people to add reviews.  This is very powerful as there is an increasing trend for people to use ‘crowd sourcing’ (seeking the opinions of others) before visiting or buying.

Mobile Search 

The real power in Four Square is mobile search.  You can download a free app to your smartphone (i.e. iPhone).  This then allows users to search for venues that are near to their location.

So imagine you are in a new town, you want somewhere to eat but have no recommendations.  Launch Four Square, it will use the location services in your phone to advise you of the locations nearby, with reviews and if the owners have any offers for users of Four Square.

Checking-in and Offers

An important feature that sets Four Square apart from other social networks is the ability to check-in to a location.  This is achieved by clicking the check-in button when you are in or near to a location on your smart phone.

Points and badges are awarded for every check-in and you can compete on leader boards with your friends.

However, some clever businesses have also been smart and made use of the offers feature.  This allows a business to set up offers that are available to Four Square users who check in i.e. 10% off the price of a meal.

Become the Mayor

Another interesting feature is that you can become a mayor of a location.  This is achieved by having the highest number of check-ins over a period of time.  If you continue to visit and check-in you remain as the mayor.  If someone else achieves more check-ins, you get ‘ousted’.

Now being the mayor of a location can be rewarding.  For example, a number of Dominoes Pizza offer a free small margarita pizza to the current mayor of the location on a Wednesday.  There are many others who have offers, you just need to find them.

So as a small business, why not offer a special offer for the mayor.   This will encourage people to come and check-in, hopefully bringing more trade.

Let People Know

Four Square is becoming widely known so let people know you can be found on Four Square.  Add it to your promotional details, website, display on menus, etc.

When you register you may even receive a window sticker to use at your location like the one below.

 

Four Square window sticker

Four Square window sticker

Conclusion

Used correctly Google Places and Four Square can help expand the reach of your online marketing.

Remember, Digital Ark will set up Google Places free of charge for all clients who have our pay monthly website service.

If you would like more information or would like to discus the options for your business or organisation, please contact me simon@digitalark.co.uk.

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