Get a Business OnlineWebinar Series

Online Business – What Works?

How to Participate Today

• Open and close your Panel

• View, Select, and Test your audio

• Submit text questions

• Raise your hand

Organiser: Ann Halloran

Managing Director: In-TuitionEstablished 1989Supporting individuals and business owners though• Digital Marketing Programmes• Mentoring

Resource site:http://www.practical-management-skills.comhttp://www.get-a-business-online.com

Robin BickfordManaging Director

All4Baby

Outline of the Session

• Introduction• Online Business – Our journey• Choosing the best website package• Making the most from Social Media• Ecommerce

Introduction

• Set up in 2010 • Reasons for setting up the business

Online Business – Our Journey

• 1st Website• Problems:– Decision Rushed– Poor knowledge– Chosen for convenience

Biggest Mistake with 1st Website

Online Business – Our Journey

• 2nd Website• Choosing a new website provider• Problems with 2nd website

Biggest Mistake with 2nd Website

Online Business – Our Journey

• 3rd Website– 3 months of reviewing website options– 3 months of extensive testing– Testing of 6 different suppliers– Listed 47 points of what we needed

Why our Websites didn’t work

55% of customers 45% of customers

Why We Chose Volusion

• Express check out• Built in live chat • Built in Facebook Shop• No €5,000 upfront fee!

What Have we learned?

• Don’t pay upfront – pay monthly • Have full time website staff member• Research and testing• Take your time

Expectations from new website!

• Store traffic from website to increase 15%• Within 12 months, online sales to increase to

30% of total sales • Within 3 years, online sales to exceed offline

sales• Within 5 years online sales to double offline

sales

QUESTIONS?

Social Media in All4Baby 1 year ago

Robin – Facebook –What’s that?All4Baby Facebook – 218 likes

Social Media in All4Baby Now

• 9,079 likes and growing

How do you grow Social Media

Does Social Media Work

• Ecommerce sales increase• Increases footfall into the store• Facebook audience of 250,000 when we run a

competition • Gets repeat business

How to use Social Media

• Don’t be pushy• Add links to your website• A funny picture will get more likes than a

boring update• Competitions

QUESTIONS?

How to Handle Ecommerce

• Trust• Customer awareness• HTTPS• Payment options• Information• Quick & Simple

Benefits of Ecommerce?

• Direct Online Sales• Increases footfall• Increases awareness• Widens customer base• No haggling of prices

Negatives of Ecommerce

• Competitive pricing• Hard to compete against the multinationals• Very hard to measure non direct sales

Successes!

• Website sales (direct and indirect) contribute 6 figures to our total sales

• Our website sales have doubled over last years despite difficulties encountered

• New website is almost ready!

Recommendations

• Customise website yourself• Constantly update website• Carefully choose your website• Test drive several websites• Don’t pay in advance• Embrace Social Media • Jobsbridge scheme

And Finally

• Don’t give up on websites and social media• It takes time, patience and money, but does

pay off

QUESTIONS?

www.all4baby.iewww.in-tuition.ie