Website or facebook

**ians** · 06-Jun-13, 09:29 AM

I have to make a decision in the next day or 2 about which method I will use to promote my business.

Do I really need a website as an electrical contractor or do you think face book and forums will do, I know I have to change my approach to replies and new threads.

Like Neville has proved on this forum, be a nice guy who helps people and post the best pics on a forum and you will get a good response or do I get Mark to spice up my really 2 bob website, which by the way only gets responses from people looking for work at this point in time, in the 2 years I have had it up and running I can honestly say there hasn't even been one work related lead.

So any ideas or I suppose could start a south African forum like Dave has done and promote my business, NOT, too much hard work, I will leave it up to Dave.

Lets hear what you have to say, any idea or other options?

**Richard S** · 06-Jun-13, 09:57 AM

Good morning Ian,

I may have just been lucky, but what has worked for me was to spice up my website (I think virtually every business needs one, at least to refer your prospective clients to) and then advertise that site. Put it onto your vehicles, flyers, magazines, business cards, letterheads, etc. Take any opportunity to list it on any free sites you may find. People love to browse on the net and the more that you can get them to click on your domain, the higher Google will rate it. Adwords and SEO do cost money, but they will both bring visitors to your site. I have had both done, for about six months at a time , and they both work.

I am not on Facebook and have no knowledge of how it works, but my impression is that it is a very busy/noisy time-waster, and I am yet to come across anyone that can convince me otherwise. But of course I could be completely wrong on this.

So, I think you need a website, but you need to promote it at every opportunity.

**Blurock** · 09-Jun-13, 11:08 AM

Call me old fashioned, but I still believe that business is built on service and relationships. If you are a shopkeeper, you need to get your customers to visit you as often as possible. If you are a service provider, you will have to follow up on your customers.

Visit your customers, talk to them directly, or by phone or e-mail if they are out of reach. Long term relationships are the result of interaction between people and is essential for repeat business.

**pmbguy** · 05-Jul-13, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Blurock

Visit your customers, talk to them directly, or by phone or e-mail if they are out of reach. Long term relationships are the result of interaction between people and is essential for repeat business.

I can't agree more

When I have some time on my hands after driving around to calls, I pop in by a client that is on the way to the office. I greet everybody, shake the bosses hand, find out how thing are going and see if they need anything, ask them if their machines are running as they should. This actually brings me lots of business and I retain clients.

In my humble opinion I don’t think that such questions are either or, its everything and a balance in-between. So think not of the question: Website OR face Book, think rather website and face book, and everything related, including face to face. If one method does not outweigh its effort in profit then drop it for now.
I have found that pushing all the buttons works well.

**workshop** · 05-Jul-13, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by pmbguy

In my humble opinion I don’t think that such questions are either or, its everything and a balance in-between. So think not of the question: Website OR face Book, think rather website and face book, and everything related, including face to face. If one method does not outweigh its effort in profit then drop it for now.
I have found that pushing all the buttons works well.

Drives me nuts every time someone trots out the "we taking our business online" excuse. The biggest problem one has trying to get the web to work is the perception people have of what it can do for them. It is just another tool. One of many we have to use.

**Blurock** · 26-Jul-13, 09:25 AM

Does facebook really sell your products, or is it a place where grumpies and people with nothing better to do hang out to complain and talk s#!t?

FB may create an awareness. Such as a retail store announcing a new special or product to which customers reply and comment. I doubt however that even one sale is made because of FB.

Social media is social, it solicits attention and comments, but it is not business.

**HR Solutions** · 26-Jul-13, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by Blurock

Does facebook really sell your products, or is it a place where grumpies and people with nothing better to do hang out to complain and talk s#!t?

FB may create an awareness. Such as a retail store announcing a new special or product to which customers reply and comment. I doubt however that even one sale is made because of FB.

Social media is social, it solicits attention and comments, but it is not business.

It does work for specific applications. As I said before, we are affiliated to a Market Research Company that also does Secret shopping. They are extremely busy and their biggest problem is finding people to do the "shopping" . They find them quickly and easy on FB, therefore for them it is working. All they need for example is any Joe Soap to walk into a bank for example and apply for a loan, monitor and record the service they get and report back. For that you get paid up to R700 for 20 minutes work !

**Dave A** · 06-Jun-13, 01:09 PM

If you don't like your current website, at least do a Wordpress site - you just have to follow Workshop's guide in the 30 day challenge thread and you'll have something reasonable in no time.

**ians** · 06-Jun-13, 01:21 PM

Cant believe I missed that thread completely, as soon as I get a moment I will read the complete thread.

Got a message from hetzner informing me about some changes, I just haven't had time to read the email.

Just got a million and 2 other things I am trying to get up and running at the moment, biggest challenge this week, trying to get all the outstanding money customers owe me, so that I can close that chapter, and move forward.

**ians** · 06-Jun-13, 01:24 PM

you gotta love Telkom, I sign a 24 month contract last month at R1.50 per minute call rate, I go back to sort out some issues with the iphone and I read the rates have dropped to .95c but I don't qualify for them until my 24 month contract is up.