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Is Twitter the ‘Marmite’ of Social Media?

February 27, 2010

Twitter appears to be creating a social media storm, but it divides opinion massively; you either love it, or you hate it.

Last week The Telegraph reported that the Social Media platform, Twitter, is growing at an incredible pace; with Twitter users sending 50 millions tweets per day, which averages approximately 600 every second.

In 2009 Twitter had 18 million users, and projected an increase to 26 million users in 2010. Interestingly though, research conducted by Neilson which divided Twitter users in to ‘heavy users’- including those who spent over an hour a month on Twitter- ‘medium users’- those spending between 5 and 60 minutes on the site- and ‘light users’- users who spend up to 5 minutes per month on Twitter- suggests that of this number, only 7% of Twitter users account for 79% of time spent on Twitter.

Neilson’s research concluded that 79% of activities occurring on Twitter could be accounted for by those in the heavy use category, equating to just 7% of Twitter users. Interestingly it has been previously discovered that up to 60% of Twitter users abandon their accounts within a month of signing up.

I was, in fact, one of those 60%. I created a Twitter account, followed a couple of people I knew and could see no point in it at all. My personal Twitter revolution only came once I became a ‘SmartPhone addict’; and since then I have made many useful connections, both personally and professionally.

Which category do you fall in to? It seems not many are sitting on the fence on this one; Twitter appears to be the Marmite of Social Media- you either love it or you hate it- which camp are you in?

How Can Your Small Business Reduce E-Waste?

February 26, 2010

The UN released a report this week that called for urgent action to tackle the amount of e-waste building up in developing nations. Countries such as China, India and many African nations are currently suffering a deluge of old computers and electronic equipment.

This problem is only going to get worse in years to come. India in particular is expected to see a 500% rise in the amount of e-waste by 2020. Developing nations are often happy to accept the waste in order to extract raw materials, but the UN believes that some countries are unable to handle the extraction process safely and efficiently. This can lead to environmental damage or serious health hazards for the local population.

In order to tackle this problem, it will require a change of thinking. We are all going to have to re-evaluate the decisions we make to purchase new electronic items. If you or your business upgrade your technology every six months because you consider it to be obsolete, try to consider the consequences of what you are doing.

If you do need to purchase a new mobile phone or computer, consider donating your old one to organisations that will be able to make use of it. If it no longer works, find a way to recycle it. Many companies will pay for your old phones if they are still worth something, or dispose of it for free in an environmentally friendly way.

At WinWeb, we do our part by reducing the need for you to upgrade your computer as our software is browser based. As long as you can still run a web browser on your PC or Mac then you will be able to use our software. Find out more about our Climatebyte technology here.

The Basics of Making a Sale

February 25, 2010

If your business is currently suffering from a lack of sales, it is often useful to re-examine your current selling techniques and identify what you are missing from your repertoire.

The most important aspect you should remember when selling is to accentuate the uniqueness of your product or service. You must convince potential customers that your offering is superior to the competition in some way.

A very in-depth, almost encyclopedic, knowledge of your product is essential. You should be able to answer any question about it without hesitation because knowledge is the most powerful tool in the world of sales.

Whatever the mood in your personal life, don’t let any negativity cross over into your working day. The last thing potential customers want to hear about is your problems. Instead they should be excited by your enthusiasm, even if it means you have to fake it!

Make sure you listen to what the customer actually wants, before adjusting your sales pitch to better suit their needs. Remember that people always love to buy, but hate to be sold anything. Don’t put your foot in it with an overly aggressive sales pitch.

Finally, always bear in mind that selling is a difficult task. You need to be prepared to hear “no” from a huge number of potential customers and not allow it to affect your emotions. Great salespeople are able to think outside the box and find a way to successfully sell any product or service.

The Future of Business Link Looks Bleak

Earlier this week, in the Business Blog, we reported that the Conservatives’ had revealed that, if they were to come to power, they would scrap the £130 million pound a year Business Link adviser network.

To strengthen the Conservatives’ plans the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) then called for an entirely new model of business support; welcoming proposals to radically reform the support that is currently available for small businesses.

Whilst the ACCA supports the Conservatives’ plans for the Business Link overhaul, they disagree with their approach for dealing with the macro economic conditions rather than the micro-interventions with small businesses. The ACCA maintain that although macro-economic conditions are fundamentally important to enable small businesses to thrive, that when the macro-economic conditions are not favorable to success that micro-intervention is necessary, by governments, to prevent small businesses failing.

The ACCA has stressed that the Conservatives’ preferred approach of dealing with the macro economic conditions will not suffice when it comes to business support. Moreover, they promote the government intervening through acknowledged, valued, private sector advisers.

In fact, the ACCA considers the Government’s online business information portal, www.businesslink.gov.uk to be a valuable tool for small businesses; but that the association with the ailing bricks and mortar service needs to be cut in order to save its reputation.

Small businesses need help, advice and support. It is only by creating a sufficient network to support small and medium sized enterprises that the Government will truly help small businesses to reach their full potential.

A Home Office With A Business Address

February 24, 2010

As a small home based business working from home has many advantages; you are able to be with your family, spend time with your friends, use local facilities in your lunch hour and work hours that suit you. But how do you maintain a private home address when work correspondence needs to be delivered somewhere?

Having a business address, where all your business contacts can send mail, not only allows your home address to remain private, by using a business address your company can also create a prestigious image to potential clients. We all know that you can successfully run a business from a home office, but some potential clients may see a home address as a disadvantage compared to competitors that have a business address.

Finding a business address that allows mail for your small business to be redirected to your home address needn’t be stressful or expensive. By using the Business Services that WinWeb offers your home business can have a business address from only £30/month.

By choosing a professional business address you not only receive a business address that you can confidently give to your clients, you also have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we will deal with all your mail, and forward it to your home address.

Take a look at this, and other Business Services offered by WinWeb, on our website.

Could Mobile Broadband Boost Your Productivity?

February 23, 2010

There has been a lot of talk recently in the media about mobile broadband, but many people are still unaware of what it actually is and how simple and inexpensive it is to set up.

Mobile broadband allows you to do everything that you currently use your home broadband for, without needing a fixed telephone line. This allows you to access the internet while you are travelling (e.g. public transport) or away from home on holiday or a business trip.

The most common way of accessing a mobile broadband network is via a special USB stick (often called a ‘dongle’). An increasing number of new laptops and netbooks now have a built-in device that makes it possible to connect without needing a dongle. Both these devices connect to the internet using the same signal as mobile phones – meaning that you can receive internet access wherever you get reception on your phone.

There are a few downsides to mobile broadband which also should be pointed out. The coverage does not currently extend across the whole of the UK and connection stability can be an issue, even in those areas that have reception. The speed is great for most tasks, but it will struggle to handle streaming video or online gaming. You will also have to pay an ongoing subscription fee to whichever provider you sign up with.

However, this technology has great benefits for businesses. It gives small business owners the opportunity to run their company remotely from anywhere in the world. Combining mobile broadband with WinWeb’s online software suite makes it even more invaluable as a tool for small businesses.

How Can The UK Government Best Help Small Businesses?

February 22, 2010

Business Link is a Government agency that offers advice and guidance to small businesses in England. Business Link offers support to small businesses through two main avenues: an online portal and through local advisors that are supported by a national helpline.

Michael Heseltine devised the concept for Business Link in 1992 as the then President of the Board of Trade. The aim of Business Link was to offer a one-stop shop for help, services and guidance for small businesses; with the aim of reducing the mortality rate of business start-ups.

It emerged last week, however, that the same party who began Business Link, are now looking at scrapping the service should they come in to power.

Last week, Mark Prisk, Shadow Minister for Business and Enterprise, revealed that, should the Conservatives win the forthcoming election, they will look at stopping the £190m a year Business Link service.

Prisk maintains that the money currently spent on Business Link would be better spent in other ways to help small businesses. He goes on to argue that should the Conservatives come to power, rather than telling small business owners how to run their firms, they should instead focus on creating the right environment for small businesses to flourish.

With local Enterprise Agencies in line to replace the current Business Link service, Prisk endeavours to make it easier for people to work for themselves by, for example, providing a weekly allowance for would be entrepreneurs to help get their business off the ground, simplifying the tax system and abolishing the clauses in housing association tenancy agreements that prevent tenants from starting their own business.

Whether these measures are there to deter from the cost-cutting measure of scrapping the Business Link service remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that small businesses need more support- there may be very exciting times ahead.

Let us know your views, leave a comment, contact us via Twitter (@winweb) or on Facebook.

It’s Browsing… But Not As You Know It.

February 20, 2010

Microsoft recently announced that they had formed an agreement with Europe’s Competition Commission that will give millions of European Internet Explorer users the opportunity to switch to an alternative browser.

On March 1st millions of XP, Vista and Windows 7 users will automatically receive the update and be asked whether they wish to stick with Internet Explorer. They will be able to choose from Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera.

Figures show that over half of the world’s internet users currently use Internet Explorer. For many people, the patch next month will be the first time they have even considered using an alternative browser.

If you are a Internet Explorer user of our online software suite and wish to switch to a different browser on March 1st you will be able to do so easily without any compatibility issues and log in to your account as normal. Our software is tested and supported on all the major browsers, so you can use whichever one is your favourite.

Finding Alternative Sources of Finance

February 19, 2010

This week’s survey from the Institute of Directors (IOD) suggests that nearly 60% of UK businesses were refused credit from their bank in 2009. Despite the Government having spent billions of pounds on quantitative easing in the past year, it seems that not much of it is actually making its way to small businesses in need. If your business has been refused credit recently, there are a number of alternative sources of finance that are worth investigating.

The most likely source of additional finance for your business is family and friends. Although many small business owners are reluctant to ask for financial help from loved ones, it often ultimately makes the difference between business survival or failure. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a loan either – instead you could offer them equity and they would then own part of the business.

A slightly riskier option to overcome a short-term financial crisis is by using your business credit cards to cover expenses. According to the IOD, 20% of UK businesses were forced to do this in 2009. Don’t forget that you will be hit by high interest charges if you are unable to pay these off promptly.

Your business may be entitled to various Government grants that you are not aware of. Financially sound businesses that have been refused bank loans but want to expand are those most likely to benefit from these schemes. Do some research on the Enterprise Finance Scheme to see if your business qualifies.

For small investments, it is often worthwhile to search for an ‘Angel Investor’. These are individuals that will offer you money in exchange for a share in your business. They will only invest if they believe strongly in your future plans, because they will lose their investment if your business fails.

To get a grip of your businesses finances, and plan for the best and worse case scenarios, use the accounting module available from WinWeb. You can even try it free for 30 days!

Keep The Money Coming In

February 18, 2010

Despite the encouraging news last month that the UK economy has now emerged from recession, the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) released some statistics this week that paint a slightly less positive picture for Britain’s workforce.

The CIPD quarterly survey has revealed that 2010 is likely to be even worse than the previous year in terms of unemployment. Big public sector cutbacks will have the knock-on effect of major job losses, with almost a third of employers in the public sector expecting to shed jobs in the coming year. This will only add to the current unemployment figures, which currently stands at 2.46 million.

Unfortunately, if you have recently been made redundant or think you might be in the near future, with the current state of the job market it could be some months before you are able to find another. In the meantime, you should consider some of the following ideas in order to make some money while you are between full-time jobs.

Look for freelance work on the Internet or in your local area. You should be able to find data entry or perhaps translation piecework that would earn you some cash. If you were in a respected position within your industry before you were made redundant, try to do some freelance consultancy work or perhaps lecturing at your local University. Both of those could lead to full-time jobs eventually.

Having a big clear-out of your unwanted stuff could generate a surprising amount of money. Garage sales or online auction websites may help you realise that what you believe to be mere junk is actually valuable to someone.

If you need to pay the bills and don’t mind doing overnights, there is probably part-time work available right now in your local supermarket. Alternatively you could try temping, but at the moment you may not be able to get regular work this way.

Of course, the best course of action for anyone unemployed in this recession is to start up their own business. For hundreds of business idea videos that may inspire you, take a look at WinWeb TV.