18th March 2010

WSI INTERNET MARKETING JOINS CAMPAIGN TO GET BRITISH BUSINESS ONLINE

Initiative designed to help Cheshire’s SMEs create their first websites easily and for free

WSI Internet Marketing, based near Frodsham, has partnered with Google, Enterprise UK, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, BT and e-skills UK to support a joint initiative to get [...]]]> Press Release

18^th March 2010

WSI INTERNET MARKETING JOINS CAMPAIGN TO GET BRITISH BUSINESS ONLINE

Initiative designed to help Cheshire’s SMEs create their first websites easily and for free

WSI Internet Marketing, based near Frodsham, has partnered with Google, Enterprise UK, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, BT and e-skills UK to support a joint initiative to get 100,000 UK businesses online.

Getting British Business Online (GBBO) will target the 1.5 million UK businesses that do not currently have a website, giving them the opportunity to create a free professional website and access to training and support. WSI Internet Marketing is supporting the initiative by providing local SME’s with assistance in generating leads and new business from their free websites.

Commenting on their involvement with Getting British Business Online, Andy Wooles, WSI Internet Marketing Consultant said: “The GBBO initiative can get local businesses online quickly, our role is to help SMEs attract visitors to those new websites. Visitors are essential for the success of any website, whether large or small. Many small businesses assume having a website is sufficient, but it requires the right promotion, otherwise it will remain hidden from online searchers. Our focus is always on getting the web to work hard for a business – it should generate a tangible return, and not be just a cost item.”

Businesses that sign up to Getting British Business Online will be given a free .co.uk web address that will be automatically registered in Google’s search engine, a new ‘wizard’ tool that will help them create a website in 20 minutes businesses and ways to attract new customers online. BT will offer free phone support to participants, PayPal will soon enable businesses with a GBBO-powered website to turn their site into an ecommerce platform in just a few clicks. This means they can begin selling to customers and accepting payments quickly and securely via the web.

Commenting on the launch of Getting British Business Online, Matt Brittin, UK Managing Director, said: “Consumer behaviour is changing rapidly as people increasingly turn to the web to find information about local businesses and services. With over 40 million people in the UK now online there has never been a better time for small businesses to use the Internet, enabling them to reach new customers in new markets. We hope a free, easy-to create website will give small businesses the boost they need to get up and running.”

Business organisations including the IoD and Business Links will run activities throughout the UK, and there will be a week long series of events 12^th – 16^th April around the theme of Getting British Business Online.

Notes to editor:

For press enquiries, please contact: Andy Wooles, WSI, 01928 787026, awooles@wsimarketing.com, www.TopWSIWebMarketing.co.uk
About GBBO

GBBO is a joint initiative by Google, BIS, Enterprise UK, e-skills UK, BT and other business organisations to help SMEs create their first websites and help them understand the opportunities offered by the Internet.  The campaign has set a target of helping 100,000 UK SMEs get their first websites easily and for free by the end of 2010. See gbbo.co.uk for further information.

About WSI Internet Marketing

WSI is an Internet Marketing consultancy based in Cheshire. The WSI worldwide network. Of consultancies has been developing profitable Internet Solutions for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) since the mid 1990s. Its global network of over 1500 certified Internet Consultants in 87 countries is the largest of its kind, giving our clients the benefits of a local presence, backed up with the strength and expertise of a global organisation. See www.TopWSIWebMarketing.co.uk for further information.

Marketing tells a story that spreads. Sales overcomes the natural resistance to say yes.

Seth then posed the interesting question – how do you overcome that resistance where you don’t have a salesforce?

For companies that use their website to generate [...]]]> There’s a great post today from Seth Godin which concisely summarises the difference between marketing and sales. In summary:

Marketing tells a story that spreads.
Sales overcomes the natural resistance to say yes.

Seth then posed the interesting question – how do you overcome that resistance where you don’t have a salesforce?

For companies that use their website to generate leads or direct sales, the answer can be very simple – your website has to do that work. It has to help the site visitor to overcome their natural resistance.

However the ability of a website to persuade a prospect, to convert their interest into action doesn’t happen by accident. It must be designed into the structure and content of the site,  to steer visitors through the sales process and overcome their objections .

A lack of attention to this vital  ’sales role’ is the primary reason why most business websites fail to deliver a real return on investment for their owners.

If you would like a free review of your website and a discussion about improving its performance, please call us today.

We have been hearing a lot about the global economic condition, and how they are affecting local businesses everywhere.  The webinar will focus specifically on what is growing in [...]]]> The WSI head office in Toronto has organised a very special webinar entitled, ‘Get Clients at YOUR Doorstep‘, that is being hosted on Thursday Jan 15^th at 3pm GMT. 

We have been hearing a lot about the global economic condition, and how they are affecting local businesses everywhere.  The webinar will focus specifically on what is growing in this receding economy and more specifically how to ‘Recession Proof’ your business by helping bring clients to your doorstep.

 
Title:  Get Clients at YOUR Doorstep (UK Market)
Date:  Thursday, January 15, 2009
Time:  3:00 PM – 4:00 PM GMT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/639832708

You can click on the link and register with your first and last name and email address.  You are also required to enter my name, ‘Andy Wooles’, to complete the registration.  You will then receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Great Northern Diver (or Loon)

You will find a lot more examples of Borin’s book and comic illustrations on his [...]]]> The graphic used in the blog header is a “Great Northern” Diver, also called a “Loon” in Canada and North America. It is used with the kind permission of its creator, the freelance illustrator - Borin van Loon.

Great Northern Diver (or Loon)

You will find a lot more examples of Borin’s book and comic illustrations on his site : www.bartdickonline.co.uk

Essentially it pointed out that for anyone born after about 1980, then their childhood was affected in some way by the internet (assuming they lived in the [...]]]> I was reviewing some of the blog posting I tagged earlier this year and there was a great post from Rand on the SEOMoz blog about the ‘last pre-internet generation’.

Essentially it pointed out that for anyone born after about 1980, then their childhood was affected in some way by the internet (assuming they lived in the affluent Western world!).

I remember a conference in the mid 90s in the US when the ’show stopper’ was a live demonstration of ordering pizza over the internet, with the pizza actually delivered half and hour later!!!

1995 also saw the birth of eBay and Amazon, and MySpace came along four years later. These three sites are still pushing forward the boundaries of the internet.

Rand’s post highlighted the world before websites, search engines and social networks, such as looking for information in encylopedias, dictionaries and phone books. What about the lost art of using library index card systems?

Before eBay, private goods were sold through the local papers classified ads. Now newspapers are struggling as more and more people read their news online.

All in less than 15 years.

So what will you tell your grandchildren about the time before the Internet?

And then there is the ‘Facebook generation’ and those that came before! But that’s for another post….