We start by asking, what do you need?
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 He believes his existing 12-year-old website is not outdated, although he has no idea where it is hosted, or how to change even a phone number on it.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.
