Welcome to the Aspects of Design monthly newsletter. Distribution is on the first Tuesday of
each month.
This newsletter may be distributed freely, so long as the entire issue is included.
The Publisher's Desk
I hope you're keeping warm. I know I am, since I'm one of the lucky ones in California. Bit of rain here lately, but nothing compared to many other parts of the country.
If you have any
questions, comments or contributions, please send them to newsletter@aspectsofdesign.com
Feature Article
Choosing a host for your small business
by Stephanie Foster
You've decided to do it - start your own business, and you're going to be online. It's quite a step, and one to be proud of. But how do you choose who is going to host your site?
Now, if you have a website designer who also provides hosting, that is one easy option. It may not be the best one, however, so take a good look at your options before committing to anything.
First, you want to assess your needs. Will you be a plain HTML site, or will you include features such as ecommerce, database or discussion boards? You want your hosting company to support the features you need at a cost you can afford. Some hosts will not let you have Flash or music running on your site, as they take up bandwidth. Be realistic, and don't worry if the host offers more than you need if the price is right. Make sure you are given enough bandwidth, web space, email addresses and so forth. Will you be using autoresponders? It's nice to have your own rather that using a free or paid one elsewhere. Popular features you may not know you need support for yet from your host include PHP, MySQL and CGI scripts (they should at least allow you to have forms on your site, if not add your own).
Next, consider whether you are going to be doing your own design and promotion or hiring someone to do that. Some hosting companies offer an incredible value in that area. If you want to build your own site, it may pay to spend some extra money on the hosting, and save on the promotion by getting a host with tools to help you. There is only one site I know of which has proof of how well their tools work. Take a look here to see what I mean.
Also consider whether or not the hosting company includes a domain name for you in the price. This is a relatively minor cost these days, often under $8 per year, but it's nice to have the savings.
You may also want to consider how long the company has been around. If they're a new reseller, do you know if they're going to be in business a year or even a month from now? You are generally better off going with a company that is well established. They should guarantee at least 99.9% uptime and have a reimbursement plan if they fail to achieve that. Small companies also may not offer 24/7 support, which can be disastrous if there is a problem. Make sure they will register your domain name in your name, not theirs, or you may be dealing with a lot of trouble later.
Finally, take into consideration how much you can afford to spend on hosting for your site. Do you want to have your hosting month-to-month, or can you afford an annual plan. Companies which offer the month-to-month option often offer a discount for annual contracts, and since your domain name is annual, this may make the most sense for you. Watch out for high setup costs. It doesn't take much effort for the hosting company to set up a site, so this fee should be under $10, or even nonexistent.
Stephanie Foster
is the owner of Aspects of Design, where she offers website design,
marketing and writing services at affordable prices. She also publishes
the Aspects of Design Newsletter for small businesses or people just
thinking about starting a business. For more information, visit http://www.aspectsofdesign.com/.
Featured Website
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Resources
Free Utililies from Priority Digital - Do you need a disclaimer, privacy policy or script for your website? You can probably find it here.
Guest Article
7 Bits Of Critical Information You Can't Afford NOT To Know About Your Customers
by Lora Adrianse
If you think customer relationship management is just a piece of software, you're dead wrong. Customer relationship management is about understanding your customers. It's about really knowing them as individuals, knowing what they mean to your business, and most of all, knowing what you need to do to keep their business.
Ideally, you need a profile for each of your customers. Most customers will gladly give you the information you need especially if there is a small incentive. Offer them a coupon, a special discount, a gift certificate or even movie passes.
What do you need to include in the profile? Other than personal information, data you track can be as detailed or as simple as you can manage. The key point is to use a process or system. Here are some basic categories of things you want to know for sure:
Customer Value - How much do they spend with you in a month or a year?
Top 10 or 20 Percent - Who are the top 10 or 20 percent of your most valuable customers? These are your "gold" customers. Know who they are and treat them accordingly!
Why They Choose You - Why do they keep doing business with you? If you're not sure about what you're doing right, how will you know what to keep doing? Ask them!
Where They Came From - How did they find you? If you know where they came from you can go back for more customers just like them!
Who They Brought With Them - What new business have they brought you? Who have they referred you to? Referrals are like automatic deposits in your bank account. Find out who is making the deposits!
How You Thanked Them - If you don't currently use a simple system to thank your customers, start now! Customers who feel appreciated are easier to retain, and better yet they will reciprocate with referrals.
Deal Breakers - This is the most overlooked bit of critical data. If you've lost customers or just haven't seen them in a while (and it happens to all of us), find out what's going on. Most customers will welcome the opportunity to tell you, especially if something went wrong. What you don't know can hurt you!
Now, compile the information, keep it up to date, review it regularly, and use it to manage your customer relationships. A simple spreadsheet, database may work just fine for a smaller business. The objective is to collect enough information and data that you can use to understand how they are important to your business. It's the same concept retailers and buying clubs use in issuing customer cards. They use the information to track customer value, buying habits, etc.
Too busy to spend your time collecting information about your customers? Think again!
If you're serious about competing in today's business climate, it's time to start strategically managing your customer relationships. After all, your relationships with your customers are your business.
Lora Adrianse is passionate about inspiring the enrichment of growth and development in others. During her 28-year corporate career her most gratifying accomplishments included leadership development, customer/vendor relationship management, mentoring and training. Today, as the owner of Essential Connections, she is a catalyst for clients who aspire to achieve extraordinary results. She is the coach of choice for people who desire to unleash their potential and maximize their personal and professional development. She can be reached through her website www.connectionscoach.com
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