Web Essentials 4 Business

New media isn’t just for entertainment companies.

As the new State Director of the New Media & Entertainment Initiative for the California Community Colleges – after a twenty year business career – part of my mission is to find ways to help people become trained and employed in new media and entertainment technologies.

Digital arts and information communication technologies have become much more accessible to small business and private consumers. What could once only be done at a Hollywood studio can now be done in a modestly equipped home office.  This ‘democratization of technology’ is driving the monumental changes in today’s media world.

Combine the power of rapidly emerging applications such as social media, GPS, remote-wireless devices with personal preferences and the intelligence based functionality of our interactive internet and we have entered into a new dimension of work and play.

For everyday business, this means more cost-effective and revenue-generating ways to market products, provide customer service, collaborate with other businesses and be productive. 
These technology trends suggest that small businesses would be eager to get the necessary training in new media to compete.

However, as I talk with small business owners I find a sense of caution and confusion.  I think of a patient contemplating surgery, calculating the impact of downtime, questioning the risk of failure, suspecting the Doctor’s true motives and ultimately being tempted to do nothing.

But by choosing to do nothing, small businesses are taking themselves out of the competition.

Large companies, when contemplating a major new media plan, hire a consultant, release a Request for Proposal (RFP) and distribute it to top vendors requesting ideas, responses and service level assurances for every aspect of a proposed project.  These proposals, once received, are then scored and legally reviewed before negotiations begin.  Micro- small- medium-sized businesses cannot mirror this process.

With WEB4 we plan to zero in on the need for a decision matrix that would help micro, small and medium businesses select the best new media solutions for them and how to negotiate for that solution.

This need when filled will result in increased jobs, training and business growth. By helping micro- small- and medium-sized business decide what is right and profitable for them and show how to get it; i.e., how to source it, hire for it or train their own people to do it that need will be met.

Once that need is addressed small business will do what it always does…lead the way for others to follow.

Three months ago I was on the phone with my friend, Mark, who has a successful custom kitchen and bathroom remodeling business north of Malibu, CA that serves upscale clientele and celebrities.

“I just laid off 30% of my workforce!” Mark revealed.

His intense personal drive, staff of 50 and advanced CAD integrated design and equipment production systems had placed him technologically ahead of his competition for over 15 years. His remodel business has always been advertised word of mouth within a 50 mile radius of customers who may use him once in a ten-year period.  However, like many, his business is down 40% during these challenging times.

I asked him what he was doing in the way of marketing, and he said, “Only 1% of the market is buying,…if I send out a piece [direct mailer] it is a waste of money.”

I suggested that he conduct a little experiment and try to find his company by using an internet search engine. When Mark could not easily find his website utilizing a customer type of on-line search, i.e ‘kitchen remodel Malibu’ I asked a question. “What if I could put someone in front of you who could improve the visibility of your website for searches, add some  links to all those Architectural Digest articles that have featured your work, include some You Tube customer testimonials and write a blog about  kitchen and bath remodel trends”

“I’d hire them in a minute,” he said.

But the big question is ‘Who should he hire?’ Mark gets 10 to 15 e-mail or direct mail offers a week to upgrade his on-line presence, and he knows he needs to take action. However, he is uncertain of the credibility and the value of the offers.  He believes his existing 12-year-old website is not outdated, although he has no idea where it is hosted, or how to change even a phone number on it.  We discussed how emerging technologies and customer demands have  revamped the marketplace on the internet, replacing yellow pages, direct mailers and simple websites like Mark’s with rich interactive user-friendly information sources that no only talk about Mark’s company but also share customer opinions, exceed expectations and close sales on-line.

As the owner of a small business, Mark’s responsibilities don’t allow for enough time to take a course in New Media.  Even if he did, he would not have the time required to enact or teach what he had learned to someone else. Should he look to contract or hire a company to do this for him, he has no idea what to ask for, how much it should cost or how to get guaranteed results and measure the value of his investment.  Mark risks becoming a dinosaur or perhaps losing money and time simply by making one poor choice to upgrade his internet presence. For small businesses, this is a challenge. Minutes are as precious as dollars.  Investments need a visible and tactile reward in a short period or they are rejected.

If business owners like Mark could be assisted in the basic decision-making process to learn where and how to source, hire or internally train resources, there is a potential for increased revenue and increased employment for California businesses.   This Web Essentials 4 Business (WEB4) blog and the interactive WEB4 website in development, will probe and discuss the needs  of micro-, small- and medium-size businesses throughout the state of California.   We will start by talking to small business owners and learning about their needs.  This effort and blog is a program of the New Media & Entertainment Initiative, Economic & Workforce Development program, California Community Colleges, and we welcome an open dialogue for all interested participants.