Author: Helen

Having a good company website is no longer just an added bonus. It’s now something that is absolutely crucial to the success of your business. Here are some of the reasons why a good website is so important, and could even mean the difference between your success and failure.

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You’re Always Open

Unlike a brick and mortar store, when you have a website online you’re essentially ‘always open.’ Customers can place orders or get the information they need without you physically being there. This is not only cost effective, but convenient for all parties too. It allows you to reach customers from further away, as well as those that just would have never stumbled upon your business any other way. Being accessible is key, and having a website allows you to be exactly that.

People Are Put Off By Slow Websites

According to research, almost half of people will click off a website if it doesn’t load within three seconds. And a slow or badly designed website would be enough to put them off so badly that they’d never return. In the age of instant gratification, your site needs to be fast, intuitive with easy to find information within the click of your fingers. You’ll need a clean, crisp and professional design. It should be aesthetically pleasing, but without putting style over substance. It will contain important features such as a search bar and clear navigation. Hiring a company which offers IT support could be useful, as it gives you peace of mind if anything goes wrong. Even being offline or displaying a broken website for a few hours could cost you valuable customers.

It Makes Your Company Look Trustworthy

Most people take their online safety seriously. People are wary of buying things and putting information into websites that they don’t know or that don’t seem credible (for good reason!) A professional, well thought out website helps to show them that you’re a legitimate business. Your website needs to look smart and professional, you need a web design expert to bring your vision to life and ensure your business presents itself in the best way possible online. People will often buy from places that they know, just because they see this as the safer option. And so to convince them to take the leap and buy from you instead, you need to show them that you are legitimate and trustworthy.

Peace of Mind For Customers

Your website should have clear contact information, such as a support email address, links to well-run social media accounts and a phone number. This gives customers peace of mind. They’re going to want to know that if they make a purchase, that they can get hold of someone if anything goes wrong. Again it just makes your company look more trustworthy and reliable which is something that customers want. You could add a contact form to make sending queries quick and easy. Displaying a support email address too, in case people prefer to email through their regular email account.

They Can Browse ‘On The Go.’

For the first time, more sales are now made through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets than on traditional laptops and computers. To ensure you’re making the most of this, a great company website will be fully optimized for all devices. Again, something as simple as a poorly optimized site could be the difference between success and failure. Having to zoom in on text or scroll sideways may well be enough to put potential customers off.

Comfort might not be the first word that comes to mind when designing an office space. However, comfort can have a big effect on your productivity – by feeling more relaxed and having everything in the right place you’re likely to get things done quicker and more efficiently. Here are some ways that you can up the comfort of your office.

Upgrade your chair

Sitting in an uncomfortable chair could be distracting and could cause serious back problems in the long run. Consider buying an ergonomic chair that can give your back the support it needs. Companies like Posturite specialise in these kind of chairs. You want to have free movement to turn around in the chair so that you’re not always turning your head. The chair should also have an adjustable height setting so that you can adjust it to your leg length and the height of the desk. There are specialist chairs out there for those with back problems.

Control the temperature

An environment that’s too hot or too cold is likely to negatively affect your concentration. Get yourself a good quality HVAC system that can keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. Look for companies that specialise in commercial HVAC systems such as Acclimatise. Remember to have your HVAC system regularly cleaned out.

Have sufficient lighting

Staring at a bright computer screen in dim lighting can cause headaches. In the long run, it can damage our eyes and cause hyperopia. Make sure that the office is well lit, especially during the winter months when it gets darker in the evenings quicker. It’s worth adjusting the brightness of your screen too. An overly bright screen in the evening could be contributing to a lack of sleep by tricking the brain into thinking it’s still daytime and delaying the release of melatonin. Software such as Flux is useful to have on your computer as it dim the screen depending on the time of day so that you’re not staring at a bright screen at night.

Use an ergonomic layout

Make sure that your office is designed around easy movement. Have your phone on the right side of your desk if you’re right-handed. Make sure that you’re not too close to a wall so that your elbow touches it, or that there’s enough room under your desk to stretch out your legs. By allowing freer movement you’ll be able to do jobs more quickly.

Cut down on clutter

Clutter isn’t good for our concentration and can physically get in the way in many cases. Make sure that your office isn’t full of clutter that’s causing you to work more slowly. Keep the surface of your desk as clutter-free as possible – ideally you want a desk with drawers for keeping all this equipment. Find a home for everything so that you’re not just piling up documents randomly on your desk.

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You’ve got to spend money to make money is an old cliche but it’s stuck around for so long for a reason. It’s actually really good advice for businesses and if you aren’t investing in yourself, you’ll never grow. That doesn’t mean you should start spending money on anything and everything until your bank account is empty, then sit back and wait for the profits to start rolling in. It means you need to spend money in the right areas and you’ll see a measurable return on it. But that’s easier said than done and working out where to put your investments can be a struggle. There’s no right answer and it depends entirely on what your business is and where it’s at right now. Having said that, most businesses would benefit from spending a bit more money in these areas.

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Design

A good product is obviously the key to a successful business. Beyond that, you should market it well etc. But most people often overlook the importance of design. According to research, the main thing that draws customers to a product is the logo and the packaging. The same concept is transferred to the online sphere in the form of the website. The design and branding of a company tells you something about their personality and if a customer engages with the design, they’re likely to engage with the product itself. That’s why it’s important to invest in a good web design agency and work with them to come up with a design that tells people who you really are as a company. If you get that message wrong, you aren’t going to attract the right customers. It’s also important that all of the branding is coherent throughout the website and any other marketing materials.

Legal Advice

Keeping a legal professional on call at all times is pretty costly and lots of business neglect it because they think it’s wasting money. The thing is, getting into legal trouble is going to be way more costly. Often, in situations where somebody might be trying to sue your company, you can make the situation a lot worse by reacting to it in the wrong way. Having immediate access to a legal professional can help you to avoid making any of those silly mistakes that will cost you more money in the long run.

Insurance

If you do end up getting sued, or somebody robs the office, or an employee gets injured at work, you’re going to need insurance. Just like a legal professional, companies often think they don’t need to be paying for insurance because they don’t need it right that second. But when something does happen and you don’t have it, you’ll kick yourself and wish that you’d taken some out from the beginning. It’s not that expensive most of the time and you can easily factor it in if you just move some things around a little.

It’s important to spend good money on product development and marketing, but don’t neglect these important expenses.

Accidents are prone to happen in any environment. In fact, you’d be surprised to know that most common accidental injuries occur at home, especially in the kitchen around the festive season. Not that this article is designed to scare you about your Christmas celebrations, but it’s there to show that accidental mistakes happen anywhere and to anybody. The workplace is, of course, not an exception. Whether it’s someone sending the wrong email or an employee tripping over an uneven carpet, smooth and uneventful days can be rare at work. Some pessimistic minds would argue that something is always bound to happen as you can’t avoid human error. While there is some truth in the statement, here is not the place to judge whether errors are making us more human and less reliable. Instead, here’s the place to consider a different kind of accidents and mistakes that can take place in the workplace – whether it’s an office or a factory – and to help you deal with them as effectively as possible.

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Health & Safety: how to avoid accidents and how to act

Health and Safety regulations are essential for every physical business, from the warehouse to the office. Surprisingly, they are becoming more and more an issue to introduce in startups and new businesses, as a lot of them have started their existence as a remote digital entity. The introduction of new rules is a novelty for these. As a rule of the thumb, H&S regulations are designed to protect the health of your employees and your customers and to make the workplace environment safer for all. It’s not only a nice thing to have, but it’s also a responsibility of every business owner, as you could encounter legal pursuits if you fail to train your staff to H&S standards in your industry. Consequently, you need to run a risk assessment audit with a specialist in order to define the best regulations for your company. You will then be able to assess the training requirements and necessary equipment for your situation. Failure to do so will always result in legal complications, especially in the case where people get injured on your premises.

The safety of the public

The problem with H&S regulations is that they apply primarily to your safety and the one of everybody on your premises. But at the end of the day, it’s about the safety of your team and customers. What about the safety of those who don’t work with you? That’s precisely where the need for a public liability cover arises, as a way to ensure that people outside of your premises can be protected – and more importantly that your business is covered against their claims. Imagine working on a construction site with your team, and suddenly a gulf of wind throws heavy bricks onto the cars parked in the street. The right cover can ensure that you’re protected from legal actions. It also covers damages on the belongings of others, as well as their health recovery costs.

What happens when you get something wrong at work?

What if you’ve noticed that you’ve made a mistake? The best approach is to own it as soon as possible, as the longer, you wait, the longer it will take to fix. There is a variety of strategies you can deploy to ensure that the mistake doesn’t affect a lot of people. You could offer a solution as you bring the issue to awareness. It will not only help move further towards a resolution, but it also shows you in a better light.

What if someone from your team makes a mistake?

When your employees make mistakes, it’s crucial that you remember that punishing is not always the best approach. In fact, a lot of leaders recommend expressing disappointment and assisting employees in ensuring that the mistake isn’t repeated. However, leadership strategies differ when it comes to interacting with your employees after a mistake. Some like to remain distant to emphasize their displeasure. Others are quick to forgive accidental errors, as they consider people should learn from their mistakes without fear. Accepting that mistakes will occur is essential to keep your team united.

What if your supplier messed up?

What if your supplier messed up and customers complain to you? You need to own the mistake in front of them, as their sole point of contact. Blaming it on someone else doesn’t look very professional. Then you can sort out the problem privately with the supplier.

Mistakes happen. It’s not always about avoiding them, but it’s about dealing with them in the most effective and professional manner.

Establishing a brand for your business is important. It immediately tells your customers who you are, what you do and will be on of the primary ways they will remember you. That is why it is important to create a strong brand that is consistent throughout all of your businesses practices.

Social Media

In this day and age, social media is one of your best tools for establishing and growing your brand. You should set up business accounts for all the major social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. You should the use this to inform people about your business; who you are and what you do. However, it is important that you don’t just use it to try and sell things. This won’t work. You need to strike a balance between that and also sending messages about other things that are tangentially related to your business. This will show people what is important to you and make you feel less like a corporate entity and more relatable. Images work great on all of the platforms (especially Instagram), and LinkedIn is great for networking and linking with peers in your industry.

Website

You will need a website. On your website, you will also need a blog. Your website might have an online store or other ways for people to contact you so that you can get work, but it also needs to have a blog. You can use your blog posts to tweet on Twitter or send messages on other social media platforms, too. The reason why you need to have a blog and regularly update is that it will help to establish your brand. Through blogging about your industry and things that are important to your company, customers will learn who you are and what you are about. Blog posts are also excellent for getting clicks on your website which could turn into business for your company. If you don’t want to do the blogging yourself, then you might consider hiring a freelancer to produce and article on a regular schedule. Your website itself needs to speak to your brand and be consistent with how you have presented yourself on social media. This means using the same color scheme, type of writing and, most important of all, your logo.

Logo

Your logo is what people are going to remember the most from your business. From Pepsi to McDonald’s, the logo is at the forefront of their businesses. It is from the logo that all other design and marketing decisions grow. You need to have a professionally designed logo that can represent your business. You will want something that means that customers can at a glance see and it will instantly remind them of your business and what it is that you do. Once you have a logo, you will want to begin to put it everywhere. It will want to be on everything from your business cards and stationery to social media and your website. If you produce t-shirt, then it should be on the labels. You can get all of these made for you including the business cards, and the consistency is the key part of growing your brand. Sites like GB labels can make labels with your logo on, and Vistaprint can create your business cards. You will feel far more professional with branded items rather than just plain white or only your company name on them.

Packaging

This one might not apply to everyone as not every business will sell products, but if you do, then you should try to put your branding on your packaging. This might make the costs increase slightly, but it will be worth it. The packing is the first thing a person sees when they get on of your products, so showcasing your brand and forcing them to recognize and associate it will go a long way to them remembering you in the future. It doesn’t need to be a lot; just your color scheme and logo will do. These two things are the core of your branding, but including links to your website and social media accounts will also be beneficial as it will encourage them to engage with you after they have made their purchase. This could be as simple as using colored packets to send your items and then having your logo made into a sticker with a business card with your website and social media accounts on. It doesn’t need to be layers of branded packaging and can be just as effective with a more minimalist design – plus this way it will be cheaper, too.

Image: DomJ