Archive for the Guest Post Category

Guest post: Having a website designed and getting it out there

By on June 16, 2010


This guest post was written by Jason Roberts. He is an artist that has made a progression into designing websites. He specializes in the design and layout aspects of websites using rich colours to produce dynamic designs. He also creates Facebook business pages and Twitter accounts, for more details visit his website.

For anyone out there thinking about having a website designed here are just a few key things you should prepare and consider. These are just some of the things I as a designer require from a client to help me produce a good and functional site. Before you go hunting for a designer firstly make sure you have thought of the name for your site, create a list of all the sites that you have found that you like. Save the links and write what you like about each site as this will give your designer some idea of what you want.

Make sure you have an idea of how many pages you would like and prepare in advance all the text that will be need. If you have photographs prepared make sure they are full size and have not been compressed. Most designers will have state of the art software to do this which will produce better results.
Keep it simple! You can do great things with designs and have a multitude of flash components within your design. Now my advice is keep sites simple and clean, the less complicated a site, the easier the user will find it. The more hi-tech you want a site the more money it will cost as not all designers create databases and such like. Some designers will out source work that requires coding and solely look after the design aspects. Larger design companies will probably cover all aspects in house but larger design companies can be more expensive than some of us freelance designers.

Getting your site seen:

Do not forget about such online resources as Facebook and Twitter, I as a designer make sure I tell my clients about getting a presence on both these sites. I also create and set up Facebook business pages and Twitter for my clients so that it matches their website design. Then once the design phase is finished the client has a good presence online and does not have to worry about trying to set it up after.

Google: Now please remember to allow up to four weeks for Google to index your new site. This means basically that if someone types in the name of your site in the Google search bar they will find you. For example just typing “profizik” in the search bar no http or www bit.

Keywords:

Now when you write your front page make sure you think about keywords. More does not mean better results. If you are writing about say a B&B business that offers the best cycling holidays for beginners in France. Now some of the keywords here are B&B, bed and breakfast, holidays, France, cycling, cycling for beginners, etc …

Your email signature:

This is one of the most powerful marketing tools that cost you nothing. Make sure you have a link inside your email signature. Everyone you ever contact then can see this and you just never know who they might pass it onto.

Friends and Family:

Make sure your friends and family get to see your new site and ask them to pass it onto their friends for feedback.

Hosting of your site:

Now if you live in France one thing you might want to consider is what type of hosting company the designer uses if he or she hosts websites. If you wish to access statistics about your site how many visits you have had or other information. Then if you are not fluent in French make sure the designer hosts with a company that has English control panels. I for example rent sever space from a UK company to host the sites for my clients that way they have access to Cpanel in English and also support.

Remember that once you have your site is online the work does not finish there, you cannot rely solely on the internet to bring in business. You will need to be clever and market your site via every means possible thus directing people to your website.

This entry is filed under Guest Post, Marketing, websites and tagged , , .

Guest Post: Facebook Pages Are Fast Becoming Essential for Business

By on April 15, 2010


This guest post was written by Lorraine Robertson of Kinder Music France, here she discusses the benefits and success she has had with Facebook fan pages.

Do you have a Facebook Page for your business? I’ve got one up and running just recently and it’s really taking off. With 400 million users, it’s a force that cannot be ignored. That’s where people are hanging out — even in the demographic you serve.

Kindermusik is the world leader in music and movement programs in English for children of 0-7 years old. The method is new to France and allows non-English speaking children to learn English through music. Demand for lessons and teachers is high and we are expanding daily on a national basis.

Facebook gives me the opportunity to reach a large audience on a national level. I can reach music groups, educational groups, English speaking groups, ex-pat groups, children’s groups, and mums groups etc – all the audiences Kindermusik appeals to. I have daily contact via Facebook from people interested in knowing more, wanting to join the page, wanting to become Kindermusik Educators or looking for lessons in their area. Facebook will not sell your goods for you but it can become part of your “shop window” and have people attracted to popping in to see and appreciate you. Then it’s up to you to sell your product.

I read an article on Web Pro News that supports why you must have a page – Google Makes Facebook Pages a Priority for Businesses.

Google announced via Twitter this week, that public status updates from Facebook are now included in the search engine’s real-time search feature. That means the largest social network in the world is getting play in Google’s real-time search alongside Twitter, MySpace, and others, and these real-time results are often featured prominently on the first page of search results for the hottest queries.

Content in Page updates is indexed by Google. Content on Profiles is not. It’s another opportunity for you to be found via search by your ideal client.

Keep in mind that some people prefer to hang out on Facebook; some prefer twitter; and some will subscribe to your blog. There will be some overlap, yet with the pace of information flowing by, having your content show up on multiple platforms increases the odds that the right person will see it at the right time to help them or remind them they want to business with you.

Good luck to your business’s!

This entry is filed under Business ideas, Guest Post, Marketing, Social Networking, websites.

Murphy’s Law could rob you when you exchange your money… but it is the one law you can break.

By on March 12, 2010


I am not a financial expert, not my speciality. Matt from Halo is an expert and some of you may of met him at the Angel Traders Business Fairs. His guest article is about dealing with the exchange rate.

Disclaimer, I do have an affiliate status with Halo but this is good information that should be shared anyway.

I am sure you have come across Murphy’s Law. It’s that immutable rule that says if something can go wrong it will. Perhaps you encountered it the time you drove for two hours to that little restaurant in the middle of nowhere only to find it closed for refurbishment. Or maybe it was the time you courteously allowed someone to go ahead of you at the bank only to watch them pay in a month’s worth of takings from the coin arcade.

Or maybe it was the time you saw the Pound rise to €1.18 back in August 2009 but couldn’t get the funds free to buy; only to watch it tumble by 12 cents in October 2009 before the house sale went through.

We at Halo Financial hear about this last scenario time and time again. Most of you will be generally aware of the Sterling to Euro exchange rate and I would hazard a guess that some remember the €1.18 spike I mentioned above but how many of you have seen the best exchange rate come and go before you have had a chance to  capture some of your funds at that positive level. For that is another Murphy’s Law scenario; you see the exchange rate has risen when you watch the evening news but by the time  your bank is open for business the next morning, the market has moved back again and the opportunity is lost.

So what can you do? You could shrug it off as the ‘Way of the world’, put it down to experience or take action. I would recommend that action starts with establishing a relationship with Halo Financial because they will show you how to break the law (Murphy’s Law only you’ll be relieved to hear) and get away with it.

As an example, Murphy’s Law says the exchange rate will drop just when you thought it would rise. Halo Financial’s law says this doesn’t have to cost you money. By placing what is known as a ‘Stop Loss’ order, you can make sure you grab your currency at a great exchange rate even if the exchange rate collapses. A stop loss order does exactly what it says on the tin. It will fix your currency exchange at a pre-agreed minimum level, ensuring you can cost your property purchase or guarantee the investment return isn’t diminished through exchange rate losses.

Murphy’s Law says the best exchange rate is going to be available while you are away from your desk, while you are tied up in a meeting or when you are fast asleep. The currency market operates around the clock, so this last example is the most likely. Halo Financial says, place a limit order to buy the currency you need at an exchange rate that is more attractive than that currently available and that order will be monitored 24 hours a day until it is either triggered or removed. You sleep while the market does the work for you and you never miss a spike.

Murphy’s Law says the exchange rate will spike to fantastic levels a week or so before you are ready to exchange your money and then fall back again on the day you are ready to go. Halo Financial says you can buy your currency anything up to two years ahead through the payment of a 10% deposit and capture that spike rather than growling and muttering as the currency market movement erodes the value of your funds.

These are just three examples of the major advantage that a specialist broker has over the traditional high street bank when it comes to foreign exchange. It places you in charge of the exchange rate you get and the manner in which you achieve that but makes sure you don’t have to be a screen slave, watching exchange rates throughout the day. Because Murphy’s Law also says that while you toil away in your study watching exchange rates that are abiding by that other law of the inevitable (a watched kettle never boils), something excellent is happening outside.

So break the rules, enjoy life and let us do the graft.

For a free, non-obligation assessment of your foreign exchange needs and an explanation of the best way to manage your currency transactions, please contact Halo Financial’s experts on +44 (0)20 7350 5474 quoting 83626 or click here to email us.

A quick recap:

Limit Order: An order to buy or sell a specified amount of currency at a pre-determined exchange rate that is better than where the prevailing spot rate. A limit order is a 24-hour automated order which is intended to allow buyers of currency to purchase at or near the top of a currency range or allow sellers of currency to sell at or near the bottom of a currency range. It is a popular market tool as it allows companies or individuals to trade currency at the best possible price without the need to constantly monitor exchange rates.

Stop Loss Order: An order to buy or sell a specified amount of currency at a pre-determined exchange rate that is either above or below the rate that prevailed when the order was given. A stop loss order is a 24-hour automated order that is intended to protect the purchase or sale of a currency from adverse movements in the exchange rate. It is a popular market tool as it allows companies or individuals to firstly protect their profits and bottom line positions and secondly, enhance the value of their currency if the exchange rate rallies in their favour. Of course, as with limit orders, this can all be achieved without the need to constantly monitor exchange rates.

Forward contract: (trade now, pay later) enables you to immediately agree a fixed exchange rate to buy or sell currency for settlement on or before an agreed date up to 2 years in the future.  By securing an exchange rate you are protecting yourself against the possible risk of a worsening exchange rate giving you peace of mind and allowing to cost your purchase or investment without risk. In order to benefit from a forward contract, you would only need to pay a 10% deposit to secure the trade. You will need to pay the remaining 90% balance 2 days before the maturity of the contract.



This entry is filed under Business ideas, Guest Post, Money.

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