Online strategy

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of enhancing website's listing on search engine results when a search with related key words is performed. This is essential for businesses that sell products or services online.

For example, if you sold tailored shirts online, imagine the benefits of being on the first page of Google for the search "tailored shirts hong kong."

Please note we cannot guarantee rankings as we do not control search engines and how they rank websites, however our solution customized to your business needs will help improve your site traffic, increase online sales and brand awareness. Site statistics will be reviewed and provided to improve the process.

With years of experience developing websites and working closely with Search Engines, Lolli is familiar with how search engines rank websites and will help make our clients site easier to be searched for. Lolli can do this by:

- Designing the site so that the content is easy for the search engine to pickup
- Developing the site so that the code maximizes the coverage for your keywords
- Provide consultation and suggestions for other methods outside of your site to increase your rankings

Pay per click
Pay per click (PPC) or paid search engine advertising is the process of paying for clicks and traffic to your site from ads placed in search engines. These paid ads will list higher and more prominent than natural search results.

- Ideal for quick results and increase in sit traffic
- We specialize in Google Adwords and Yahoo! Search Marketing
- Daily budgets and targeted geographic locations can be set


Paid search engine campaigns can be very competitive as your competitors are probably doing the same thing. Spending more money on clicks does not necessary generate better results, it is more important to reach the right and your targeted audience. Lolli can help you achieve this by:

- Understanding your business and suggesting the correct keywords
- Analyze your keywords with your web statistics and suggest improvements
- Change your keywords according to different festive events or holidays like "Christmas or Valentine's Day"

Social network & media advertising
Social network/media advertising or viral marketing is the process of marketing via social networking platforms and online communities such as facebook, youtube, twitter, blogs, forums, etc... This can be done in many ways from placing an ad to creating a fan page, where the these online communities can share your page amongst their network.

- Cost effective and can spread very quickly
- If setup correctly they can manage themselves
- It is a great way for you to retain and inform your existing members and audiences

Because of the above, more and more sites are incorporating social media functions to their websites. Lolli can help you do this by:

- Adding share/like icons on your site for one or many of the social network sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc...) and link them to your respective pages or feeds
- Customize your social media network page, for example making a custom look for your Facebook group page so that it stand out from the rest and helps you build stronger brand image
- Provide consultation, suggesting the suitable and popular social network sites relevant to your website

Keeping your customers

Keeping your customers

Discover who your most valuable customers are

This interactive tool will help you to analyse the behaviour of customers to identify which are the most valuable to your business

Know your customers' needs

Why understanding your customers' needs is crucial to the success of your business

Manage your customer care

Use customer contact, feedback and loyalty schemes to retain customers and increase your sales

Manage your customer database

How a customer database can enhance your business, what to include and how to maintain it

Reach your customers effectively

How to decide which sales channels to use to reach your customers

Segment your customers

Sorting your customers into groups for B2C, B2B and niche markets - benefits of segmentation

Develop an e-marketing plan

E-marketing means using digital technologies to help sell your goods or services. These technologies are a valuable complement to traditional marketing methods whatever the size of your company or your business model.

The basics of marketing remain the same - creating a strategy to deliver the right messages to the right people. What has changed is the number of options you have. Though businesses will continue to make use of traditional marketing methods, such as advertising, direct mail and PR, e-marketing adds a whole new element to the marketing mix. Many businesses are producing great results with e-marketing and its flexible and cost-effective nature makes it particularly suitable for small businesses.

This guide describes how to develop an e-marketing plan and provides guidance on implementing that plan and monitoring its effectiveness.

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The benefits of e-marketing

E-marketing gives businesses of any size access to the mass market at an affordable price and, unlike TV or print advertising, it allows truly personalised marketing. Specific benefits of e-marketing include:

• Global reach - a website can reach anyone in the world who has internet access. This allows you to find new markets and compete globally for only a small investment.
• Lower cost - a properly planned and effectively targeted e-marketing campaign can reach the right customers at a much lower cost than traditional marketing methods.
• Trackable, measurable results - e-marketing methods make it easier to establish how effective your campaign has been. You can obtain detailed information about customers' responses to your advertising.
• 24-hour marketing - with a website your customers can find out about your products even if your office is closed.
• Personalisation - if your customer database is linked to your website, then whenever someone visits the site, you can greet them with targeted offers. The more they buy from you, the more you can refine your customer profile and market effectively to them.
• One-to-one marketing - e-marketing lets you reach people who want to know about your products and services instantly. For example, many people take mobile phones and PDAs wherever they go. Combine this with the personalised aspect of e-marketing, and you can create very powerful, targeted campaigns.
• More interesting campaigns - e-marketing lets you create interactive campaigns using music, graphics and videos. You could send your customers a game or a quiz - whatever you think will interest them.
• Better conversion rate - if you have a website, then your customers are only ever a few clicks away from completing a purchase. Unlike other media which require people to get up and make a phone call, post a letter or go to a shop, e-marketing is seamless.

Together, all of these aspects of e-marketing have the potential to add up to more sales.

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Stages in developing your e-marketing plan

It is important to recognise that planning for e-marketing does not mean starting from scratch. Any online e-communication must be consistent and work with the overall marketing goals and current marketing efforts of your business.

The main components of an e-marketing plan will typically include the following stages:

• Identify your target audience - if you identify multiple targets, rank them in order of importance so that you can allocate resources accordingly. Profile each target group and understand their requirements, expectations and online behaviour so that you can pitch your costs and benefits at the correct level. Profiling your target audience will also help you design an e-marketing campaign that will persuade the target to engage with your business.
• Set your objectives - possible objectives could include awareness raising (of your business, products or services), entering new markets, launching a new product, focusing on sales (building internet sales or increasing the frequency of sales), or internal efficiency (decreasing marketing costs, reducing order-taking and fulfilment costs, or improving customer retention rates).
• Decide upon the marketing mix - you should choose a mix of e-marketing activities that will help you achieve your objectives and fit with any existing traditional marketing activities you already have planned. For an outline of the range of e-marketing options, see our guide on how to generate business from your e-marketing plan.
• Agree a budget - careful budgeting allows you to prevent costs spiralling out of control. Identify the returns you expect to make from your investment in e-marketing activities and compare these with the costs in order to develop a cost/benefit analysis.
• Action planning - identify the tactics for implementing the selected e-marketing activities. The plan should include other non-internet marketing activities that are being undertaken.
• Measure your success - build in feedback mechanisms and regular reviews to assess the success of your e-marketing activities, particularly as e-commerce is such a dynamic and fast-changing area.

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The importance of brand and image

The brand and image of a business are vital to its success. Strong brands can generate customer trust, which is particularly important in e-commerce where there are often concerns over privacy and security.

There are several branding options. You could use an existing brand name, create a new internet brand name or co-brand with another business. Closely linked to these decisions is the choice of domain name for your website.

Using existing brand names

Using an existing brand name can make sense if the brand is well known and has a strong reputation. However, you risk jeopardising your brand's good name if your new venture is not successful.

Creating a new brand

If you want to create a new e-commerce brand then a good name is extremely important. Some factors to consider when selecting a new brand name are that it should:

• suggest something about the product
• be short and memorable
• be easy to spell
• translate well into other languages
• have an available domain name

Co-branding

Co-branding occurs when two businesses put their brand name on the same product. This practice is quite common on the internet and has proved to be a good way to build brand recognition.

Domain names

Whatever e-commerce brand name you choose, it is essential that the domain name is available to support this. A strong domain name can help customers to find your site. For more information on choosing a domain name, see our guide to website hosting options.

If the domain name you'd like has already been taken you could offer to buy the domain name from the registered user. If this is not possible and the registration appears to be an infringement of your trade mark then you should seek legal advice. Read about domain name dispute resolution on the Nominet website - Opens in a new window or find out about domain name dispute resolution policies on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) website - Opens in a new window.

Businesses based in the European Union can register for .eu domain names. Find out about .eu domain names on the EURid website - Opens in a new window.

For more information, see our guide on designing a successful brand.

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Building relationships with your customers

A website provides an ongoing point of contact with customers and can be a useful way of collecting information for e-marketing purposes and for building successful relationships with them.

Provide engaging content

Make the information you provide about your business as engaging as possible. Think about what you can add to your website that will benefit your customers, eg online discounts or a blog about your business or a downloadable application. Increasing the interest and value of your website will improve your brand and encourage visitors to come back. See our guide Web 2.0: a guide for business.

Answering frequently asked questions

Answering the frequently asked questions customers ask on your website demonstrates you're ready to help. It may also save you time and money by reducing the number of basic phone queries.

Provide an email facility for queries and customer feedback - but ensure someone checks them regularly. Respond to queries promptly and let people know their comments are appreciated.

This process can be automated. Provide full contact details, particularly phone numbers, for people in need of an immediate answer or they may look elsewhere.

Asking visitors to register

Many businesses ask first-time visitors to their site to register. This can be useful for gathering statistics and email addresses for direct mailings.

But asking people to register straight away may put them off. Most people will not sign up unless there is an incentive for doing so, such as an e-newsletter, special offer or access to further information that is not available to non-subscribers. Wait until they are far enough into your site to want to find out more and tell them how they can benefit by registering. Ask for the minimum details possible.

If you intend to collect personal data, there are a number of legal requirements. See the page in this guide on the legal considerations in e-marketing.

Customer relationship management

Many businesses invest in a customer relationship management (CRM) system to improve their customer services. The CRM system brings information like customer data, sales patterns, marketing data and future trends together with the aim of identifying new sales opportunities, delivering improved customer service, or offering personalised services and deals.

A CRM system is also a very effective way of handling customer complaints and can have a tremendous effect on your reputation. For more information on CRM solutions and implementation issues, see our guide on how to manage your customer database.

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Getting the technology right

There are several elements that you could include in your e-marketing mix including email, online advertising (such as display adverts and sponsored links), SMS messaging, setting up a website or web applications. The technology you will require to deliver your e-marketing messages depends on which elements you decide to employ.

If you are planning to use email as part of your e-marketing plan, make sure the technology you choose is right not only for the message but for your customers. When deciding what technology to use you should consider:

• Computer set-up and performance - this can vary widely. For example, some computers don't have soundcards, making music or video files pointless.
• Firewalls - these often limit the size of file that can be received.
• Compatibility - different programs will display emails differently. Be careful in your use of images since these will increase download times and may be blocked by email filters. Create plain text versions as well as HTML versions to ensure cross-platform compatibility.

The solution is to profile your customers and understand the best format for them. Some may like emails with visual features, others might just like a plain text email. See our guide on email marketing.

If you decide to establish a web presence there are several options you can consider:

• e-commerce website
• online advertising - including pay per click, sponsored links and display adverts
• brochureware website

To establish a website you will need fast internet access, a server to host your website or an internet service provider to host the site for you. You will also need an e-commerce software package if you want e-commerce capabilities. You are also likely to require a website designer if you don't have the expertise in-house. See our guide on how to create an online shop.

There are a number of techniques you can use to help potential customers find your site, eg search engine optimisation (SEO). Most people using search engines will not go beyond the first page of results. If you are expecting your website to generate significant commercial returns, it is important to ensure that your website performs well with search engines. For more information, see our guides on how to generate business from your e-marketing plan and search engine optimisation.

Data privacy

Technology gives you the opportunity to collect lots of information on your customers. You must ensure that any data you collect about your customers is handled carefully, and in line with the principles of the Data Protection Act. You must also keep it up to date and not needlessly reveal information about customers. See our guide on privacy and data protection in direct marketing.
See information on the Data Protection Act on the Information Commissioner's Office website - Opens in a new window.

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Implementing e-marketing

There are three stages to implementing an e-marketing campaign.

Evaluate the marketing options

• Email - great for building relationships and keeping your customers up to date with offers, and is less intrusive than telephone marketing. However, avoid sending spam and make sure you adhere to regulations. For more information, see the page in this guide on legal considerations in e-marketing.
• SMS (short messaging service) and mobile advertising - almost everyone has a mobile phone, so marketing via mobile phone is a viable option. However, marketing needs to be carefully considered because people are often wary of unsolicited mobile phone messages.
• Websites - a hugely flexible option to meet any marketing need. However, with so many other websites, you need a strategy for getting yours noticed and used.
  

Plan the rollout phase

• Look at training implications, especially of building and running a website and think about the costs involved.
• Decide which staff will require training and allow time for them to adjust to the new system.
• Do you need to review your customer contacts database? Before beginning a new marketing campaign you may want to reorganise your data.
• If you're building a website, how will you promote it? Will you submit it to search engines? Which directories should you promote it in? Are you using social media, blogs and online PR? Is it worth paying an agency to boost your rating? Consider starting with a soft launch - perhaps just to existing customers to allow the website to bed down before you give it stronger marketing support.

Implement e-marketing

• Roll out any necessary training.
• Encourage staff involvement and feedback. This will help to smooth implementation, as staff buy-in can make or break a technology project.
• Consider setting up a cross-departmental taskforce to manage the implementation - it will help with business-wide staff buy-in.
• Continually review your practices against e-marketing regulations.

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Monitoring the effectiveness of your e-marketing campaign

Unless you can find out why people visit your website, you won't know which marketing campaigns have been successful or where to invest more money.

Tracking and site analysis tools

A number of suppliers sell tracking tools that can tell you where visitors come from, what they do while on your site and where they go when they leave.

You might come across a free trial on the internet - but bear in mind that you'll need a large amount of data for the results to be significant.

You - or your website host - will also be able to access a log file - a record of the time and source of all page requests on your site.

The problem with monitoring a log file is it grows so quickly you need software to glean anything useful from it. You can use website analysis software to measure the usage patterns of your site. It uses statistics such as visitor numbers, the number of new and returning visitors, which search engines they are finding the site through, and which parts of the site they use.

Some website analysis tools, such as Analog, are available free online. Other popular packages include Wusage and WebTrends. Google Analytics is a free tool that provides a detailed view of how visitors have found your site and what they do on it. You can also use webmaster tools provided by search engines to gain a better understanding of how search engines rank your website.

User surveys and usability testing

The only other way of checking how visitors reach you and whether you're providing what they want is to ask them.

Ideally, you need to know how they found the site, whether it is their first visit and why they're visiting. Pop-up surveys are a good way of gathering this type of information - but users may ignore them if you ask too many questions.

Usability testing is another way to collect feedback from users. This involves getting a group of customers and non-customers together to review your website and provide feedback on how easy it is to use and how effective it is at promoting your business or selling your products. You can do this by yourself or you can use a specialist agency.

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Legal considerations in e-marketing

There are a number of regulations that relate specifically to e-marketing. You need to keep abreast of developments in this area to ensure that you are complying with the various rules.

Email and SMS marketing - regulations

There are rules covering marketing emails and SMS messages to individuals.
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations introduced an opt-in consent procedure for commercial emails - which means you can only target people who have agreed to be contacted.

The rules only apply to new customers. You can continue marketing to existing customers provided they can opt-out of future messages and the marketing messages cover similar products and services.

You must also clearly mark your emails with your contact details and include a valid return email address.

For more information, see our guide on e-commerce and the law.

Your website

All websites should carry your company's registered address and company (or charity) registration number.

Using cookies

Cookies are small pieces of software that websites store on users' computers. They have a wide variety of uses, but an important one is to track the movements of visitors to websites, counting clicks, establishing how people arrived at the site and how they navigate around it. In short, cookies can be a very useful marketing tool.

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, businesses have to inform visitors to their website that they use cookies, and provide an opt-out facility for those who do not wish to accept them. In practice this will mean providing the user with a 'privacy' or 'cookies' statement that explains how they are being used and how they can be switched off. Users' rights will be reinforced by a revised e-privacy directive which is due into force in May 2011. Under the new directive users should be offered clearer information on how cookies are used and simpler ways to control whether cookies can be placed on their equipment.

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Here's how I developed and implemented an e-marketing plan

Daniel Ox

Fruit For The Office - Opens in a new window

Daniel's top tips:

• "Devote time and resources to the planning process."
• "Build search engine optimisation into the website design from day one."
• "Don't de-value your brand by e-marketing to absolutely everyone - segment and target instead."

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Operating directly out of London's Covent Garden Market, Fruit For The Office provides daily fresh fruit deliveries and gifts to offices, households, schools, shops, hotels and restaurants. Founder Daniel Ox describes how his e-marketing plan played an important role in turning the market-stall based company into a thriving nationwide delivery business.

What I did

Get the branding right

"Four years ago, our family business of fruit stalls in prime London locations was suffering from changing consumer shopping habits and the rise of the supermarkets. However, I had noticed that more and more companies were sending staff out to purchase quantities of fruit for general consumption in the office. I did some market research and financial forecasts to quantify the market potential and refine the target audience and became convinced that we could re-focus the business on this area, offering quality produce and an efficient delivery service direct to the customer's premises.

"I realised that e-marketing was going to play a key role, simply because of the huge growth in internet commerce. I also felt that there was no point in jumping hastily on the bandwagon. I wanted to start with a great brand around which the marketing could be built and which would immediately inspire customer confidence. Branding was particularly important because we were the first company to specifically target fruit for offices and because the product itself is quite hard to differentiate from what future competitors could offer.

"Utilising my research and comparisons with other successful food brands, I worked on the brand image with a trusted design company to formulate a company name and logo, an overall design blueprint and key marketing messages."

Put the online infrastructure in place

"E-marketing has to start with a good website. We already had a static one-page site to publicise the fruit stalls, but it wasn't up to the mark. Working with our design agency, we started again from scratch, planning in meticulous detail, testing pages for usability and search engine optimisation and ensuring we would be able to easily add content in future.

"Data capture and building customer relationships are essential. We encourage visitors to sign up for our regular email newsletters, by including special offers, details of food festivals and other information that's of interest to our target market. We're careful to abide by Data Protection laws when collecting customer details and always gain opt-in rather than automatically adding someone to our list.

"The website also includes a blog with feedback facilities, which reflects the brand personality and includes fun and informative fruit-related features plus company news such as our regular charity fund-raising efforts. We invested a lot of money in the website and a launch campaign, but it paid for itself within weeks of going live."

Monitor, review and update

"I use the Google Analytics tool every day to help monitor our e-marketing. It gives crucial information about how people are using the website and responding to our marketing messages, so that we can refine and develop them and segment the e-marketing further to reach specific customer groups. I also use the tool to analyse the performance of our competitors. In addition, we conduct an annual e-mail survey to gain customer feedback, the results of which are fed back to all staff.

"We're constantly reviewing and updating our e-marketing plan to keep us ahead of the competition. For example, we're about to implement a huge data capture exercise using a bought-in database and offering fruit-related prizes as incentives to register with us. This should provide a major expansion of our own database for future e-marketing campaigns."

What I'd do differently

Build in more landing pages

"The website has proved a highly successful e-marketing tool from day one. However I wish we'd originally built in more "landing pages" - the pages that potential customers are directed to when they type a particular keyword into a search engine."

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Related guides on businesslink.gov.uk

Manage your personal list of starting-up tasks with our Business start-up organiser
Planning for e-commerce
Generate business from your e-marketing plan
Branding: the basics
Website hosting options
Choose the right internet service provider
Designing a successful brand
Manage your customer database
Customer relationship management
Best practice in web design
Web 2.0: a guide for business
Use our interactive tool to find out whether you need to notify the Information Commissioner about the data your business holds
Common e-commerce pitfalls
Search engine optimisation
Privacy and data protection in direct marketing
E-commerce and the law
Here's how Web 2.0 technology benefited my business (Flash video)
Here's how I marketed my products and services on the web
Here's how I used email marketing effectively

Related web sites you might find useful

Online advertising information on the Internet Advertising Bureau website
http://www.iabuk.net/
Dispute resolution service information on the Nominet website
http://www.nominet.org.uk/disputes/drs/faq/
Domain name dispute resolution guidance on the ICANN website
http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp.htm
.eu domain names overview on the EURid website
http://www.eurid.eu/
Domain name scams information on the Office of Fair Trading website
http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/small_businesses/scams/types/domain
CRM articles and papers on the Destination CRM website
http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=48293
Online service provider directory on the IAB website
http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/iabmembershipdirectory.html
e-marketing glossary on the Marketing Online website
http://www.marketing-online.co.uk/glossind.htm
E-commerce regulations guidance on the Office of Fair Trading website
http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/resource_base/legal/distance-selling-regulations/
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations guidance on the Information Commissioners Office website
http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electronic_communications.aspx

Web 2.0: a guide for business

The internet is a vital tool for any modern business. Customers today search online for everything from their local plumber to a global brand. New technology and faster connection speeds mean more customers and businesses are connected than ever before.

Web 2.0 is the term used to describe internet content that is richer and more collaborative than traditional, static, information-only websites. Dynamic, user-generated content or 'social media', is changing the way that businesses now build customer relationships online - creating new opportunities but also potential risks for your business.

This guide will give you a better understanding of how the web is changing and advice on how to build your web presence using the technology and tools available. It also has advice on the legal issues you will need to consider and the techniques that you can use to help protect your brand online.

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How the web is changing

The internet of the 1990s mainly consisted of static, information-based content, with a clear separation between the content provider and end user. Although exact definitions vary, the term Web 2.0 generally refers to providing richer content based on collaboration and information sharing. Newer websites often encourage their end users to interact with the content they access and produce their own web content in response.

Web 2.0 could mean new opportunities for your business. Users can easily access the web at home, in the office or on their phone. Faster connections, new devices and new online applications have all helped to change the way people work, socialise and shop.

It is now easier than ever for you to directly target customers with viral marketing campaigns, offer new online services or build brand awareness through the use of blogs, forums or social networking sites. Web 2.0 is far more about creating a community around your brand and conversing online with your customers - a 'web culture' that means greater interaction between you and your customer.

See our guide on how to identify and sell more to your most valuable customers.

How customers' online expectations are changing

Because of this growing web culture, customers are increasingly looking to engage with a business or brand online in multiple ways. They expect richer content - and a greater variety - including audio and video, blogs, online forums and social networking. Increasingly, customers want to build a relationship with the brand. This requires a two-way dialogue between the customer and the business.

Although this new web culture provides a richer customer experience, it also raises issues of how businesses use and manage these new technologies - see the page in this guide on legal implications and best practice when using social media.

Web 2.0 and social media should be incorporated into your public relations (PR) strategy. PR means getting people to talk and think about your business in a positive way. Social media provides an accessible platform for your customers to talk with each other. How you manage that platform and engage with what your customers are saying is an important part of your PR strategy. For more information, see our guide on PR: the basics.

This new web culture has also raised customer expectations. They now expect immediacy in their online interactions - where content is regularly updated and any comments they make are quickly replied to. This places new demands on how you manage your website. For more information see our guide on maintaining your web content and technology.

There are more choices than ever before for customers online, so websites need to balance accessibility with richer and more engaging customer experiences using the variety of tools that are available.

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What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 does not refer to a particular technology but to a general trend. There is no checklist to decide what Web 2.0 is and whether you can apply it to your business, but there are several features that tend to distinguish it.

It may be helpful to consider integrating some of the following into your website:

• User-generated content - this is the ability for your customers to interact with your business online, eg by posting information, comments, or product ratings and reviews to your website. This adds real value for other customers and provides you with customer insight and content that is unique to your website. Business blogs are another example of how you can communicate directly with your customers, canvass opinion, and advertise new products or services - see the page in this guide on Web 2.0 tools.
• Collaboration - nearly all Web 2.0 applications centre around some community aspect where users can share experiences and knowledge. Increasingly the web is being used for 'open innovation' or e-collaboration, where organisations are opening up areas of their business to the online community. In doing so, business is using the online resources and expertise available to solve problems or create innovative products or services. Find out about e-collaboration on the open innovation website - Opens in a new window.
• Online networking and social media - the ability for people to find others with similar interests and express themselves to a community of like-minded people - eg social sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Business networking sites such as LinkedIn can also be used to develop professional networks, to enhance career or recruitment options or simply to keep in touch with former colleagues and contacts. See our guide on online networking.
• Personalisation - the facility to customise the way you view or interact with websites. For example, the ability to set your local area so you get information based on your location such as the news or weather. Web applications or 'web apps' are also growing in popularity, giving users applications they can add to websites or mobile devices like a smart phone - providing personalised web experiences.

Common to all of these is the ability for users to add and edit content - contributing online using different types of technology and interactive media, and creating more personalised web experiences.

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Web 2.0 tools

The fast rate of new developments online has become part of what customers expect from the internet. If your business website is static and not keeping up, customers may look elsewhere. But making a successful site doesn't need huge investment.
You need to think about what your customers want:

• Would Web 2.0 tools add value to the user experience and enhance your online brand?
• What are the technical, legal, financial and business implications of adding these tools to your website?

Listed below are just some of the technologies you can use and how they can help your business. In some cases you can find free or inexpensive ways to add these to your site, which can change the way your customers view your brand.

Blogs

These are websites where individuals and businesses can post opinions or news about themselves. Many businesses now use these to connect more informally with their customers - letting them know about changes in the business and promoting new products or services. Blogs are also a good way of gathering informal feedback from your customers, adding to your market awareness.

You can use your blog to create links back to your business' website. Since blogs are updated regularly, creating new content, these back links are well received by search engines and will help improve your page ranking. Also think about contributing to other, well-respected, high traffic blogs - providing links back to your site where appropriate. Either approach could help your website appear more prominently in search results, encouraging visitors to your site. See our guide on search engine optimisation.

When allowing users to contribute to your blog there are also legal and best practice issues to consider - see the page in this guide on legal implications and best practice when using social media.

Find blogging news, updates and figures on the Technorati website - Opens in a new window.

RSS feeds

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds are an automated way of sending updates to your customers. If a visitor to your website subscribes to your RSS feed, they will automatically receive notifications whenever that particular content is updated. This feed, along with any others subscribed to, is read using an RSS reader - software that will aggregate multiple web feeds. This software can be web-based or installed directly onto a PC or other hardware device, eg a smart phone.

RSS feeds let your customers stay up to date with relevant content without needing to revisit the website. If adding an RSS feed to your site, remember that these work most effectively with content that changes regularly, eg a blog. Your customers could also feature syndicated feeds on their own websites, helping to generate even more traffic and potential customers to your site.

Photo and video sharing

Personal photos and videos can be a great way to engage people - as demonstrated by the popularity of websites like Flickr and YouTube. Instead of putting up generic images, you could encourage your customers to tell their own stories by posting to your site. But remember, there are issues to consider when allowing users to post content to your website. See the page in this guide on the legal implications and best practice when using social media.

Different types of content, like photos and video, can also contribute positively to your search marketing strategy. Popular search engines now blend their results, returning different types of content including news, video, images, blogs, product listings etc. Optimising for universal search will help you 'own' your position in the search engines results page. For more information see our guide on search engine optimisation.

Think about ways you can incorporate video content on your website. For example, if your website includes case studies on satisfied customers, perhaps this would be more engaging if it was presented as a video clip rather than text.

Read about how you can use YouTube as part of your e-marketing strategy on the National B2B Centre website - Opens in a new window.

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How Web 2.0 can be used for business

Customers have never had so many choices to buy online. So, to help ensure your customers keep coming back, you should try to generate an online buzz about your brand and products or services. Engaging directly with your target audience will help you do this.

Think about what your customers are looking for when they visit your website. Could they benefit from product reviews or advice from previous customers? What can you offer beyond simply selling products or providing information?

Build an online community

Think about how you can use Web 2.0 tools to enhance your relationship with your customers and build a community around your brand. For example, if your business sells tools and hardware, you might consider posting video tutorials showing how to carry out common DIY jobs. You could also have an online forum to let other users of your site share their own advice and tips.

This would encourage people to return to your site after making a purchase and should also attract new visitors. The more visitors you have, the more likely you are to sell. So, even if you can't see an immediate benefit, improving your customers' web experience will help your business in the long term.

Improve your brand's image

Is your business or industry relevant only to the local area you operate in? Perhaps you already have a good local reputation and don't see the need to build a website. However, there are always potential new customers in your marketplace and a good website can be an effective way to minimise your advertising spend and extend your reach.

User-generated content can put your business on display for a worldwide audience. For example, if you run a local bakery, you may not deliver worldwide, but if you add your recipes to your website and let people from New York to New Delhi post comments on them, this will improve perception of your brand. With a website that acts as a permanent online advert, you may not need to use other marketing methods to attract customers.

Many Web 2.0 tools can be added to your site at little or no cost. But you will need to allocate time and resources to monitor user content, to reply to customers and to keep your website up to date.

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Legal implications and best practice when using social media

Before you launch any new features on your website, make sure you have thought about the legal aspects. For example, while many social media tools are useful, they often require users to post personal details. Managing these details can be straightforward, but you must make it clear to your users what you are and are not responsible for.

Make sure you have the following on your site:

• a privacy policy - letting users know how their personal details will be used
• a disclaimer - setting out the limits of your legal liability
• terms and conditions - letting users know what they can expect from the site

Depending on the type of user-generated content you are allowing, it would be wise to have robust text and image filtering or approval processes. This will reduce the risk of inappropriate or offensive material being put onto your site.

See our guide on e-commerce and the law.

Protect your brand

It's important to consider monitoring user comments. Depending on your business, you may find that some users post inappropriate comments. This could include:

• Inappropriate language - if your customers are likely to be sensitive to certain language, make sure you have a system for monitoring all new posts before they go live.
• Libellous material - you may be held responsible for any user comments on your site that insult or libel someone. Make sure you monitor what users are saying.
• Damaging comments - while customer opinion can be useful, you don't want to have too many negative comments about your business. If you find this is the case, look into the reasons behind the comments and try to put things right.

While you should try to protect your brand and your site from potential threats, this should be balanced with maintaining brand honesty. Site users should feel that there's an open and honest, two-way exchange of ideas and opinions. This will build trust between you and your customers and encourage loyalty.

If you do receive negative comments, respond in a professional and positive way and address the issues raised. It is also important to monitor the social buzz or chatter around your brand to see how your business is being talked about on other websites, so that you can respond accordingly.

There are a range of paid for and free services that will help you monitor what people are saying about your brand online. For example, you can set up Google alerts to notify you by email of mentions of your brand across the web and different types of social media. These tools can also be used to keep up-to-date with what is being said about your competitors - helping you understand your market better. Think also about how you can secure your brand identity across different social platforms - avoiding misrepresentation by third parties.

You should position your marketing strategy on the social web very carefully. Any campaigns should be designed with the social web in mind. Avoid simply placing the same messages you use in other marketing channels into a social web context. Instead, tailor your campaign so that it will sit comfortably with both the site and its users.

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code

From 1 March 2011, the CAP Code's remit is being extended to include any online advertisement or statement that's intended to sell products or services. This includes non-paid-for space under your control on social media sites, as well as marketing material on your own website.

You can find out more in the page on the Advertising Codes in our guide on how to comply with advertising standards.

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The future of the web and how it may affect your business

How will the internet change in the future and how will these changes affect business? Definitions of the third generation of the internet - or 'Web 3.0' - are already proving just as controversial as the earlier versions. Below we outline three technologies that may help shape the internet of the future.

The mobile web

Mobile web access has existed for some time, but has recently become much more popular. This is mainly due to cheap, powerful and user-friendly mobile devices - eg smart phones, netbooks and tablet computers - becoming more widely available.

Mobile content has also improved, with web applications or 'web apps' providing richer, more targeted and location dependent services. This gives businesses greater opportunities to connect with their customers - anytime and anywhere.

Depending on your type of business, it may be worth considering creating a mobile version of your website. This would be a simpler version of your main website - designed to be quick-loading and easy to navigate on a small screen. Other, more traditional, mobile marketing techniques include sending promotional texts and multimedia messages to your customers.

Find out about mobile marketing on the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) website - Opens in a new window.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing gives businesses a way of managing data, hardware and software requirements using resources supplied via the internet. Documents, emails, customer information, business applications and other assets can all be stored online - 'in the cloud'. This makes them accessible from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection and a web browser.

Business benefits can include:

• reduced IT costs
• greater flexibility in your IT planning
• access to the latest technology
• more flexible working practices
• professionally managed 'back up' for your data

But, there are risks involved including data protection issues, business continuity concerns and issues around service 'lock-in' by providers.
For more information see our guide on cloud computing.

Virtual worlds

The idea of virtual reality online has been around for a long time, but has seen limited success to date. However, virtual worlds look set to increase overall, building on social and collaborative opportunities. Expect to see social networking sites allowing even greater customisation, with increased opportunities to connect with your customers in a virtual world. While this is far removed from the virtual reality seen in films, it can still provide opportunities for your business to build relationships with customers using shared three-dimensional spaces.

Another emerging technology is augmented reality (AR). This is where real-world video displays have graphics laid over the top to create a semi-virtual world which users can then interact with. Early examples of this include smart phone applications that also use global positioning technology to direct users to nearby places of interest when they use their phone's camera viewfinder.

Read an explanation of AR on the HowStuffWorks website - Opens in a new window.

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Here's how Web 2.0 technology benefited my business (Flash video)

Lucy and Kurt Jewson
Frugi - Opens in a new window 

Lucy and Kurt's top tips:

• "Create a website that expresses 'who you are as a business', using Web 2.0 technology to open up a two-way dialogue with your customers."
• "Start a blog to communicate with your customers. Be honest in your conversations and react positively to any negative feedback you receive."
• "Use search engine optimisation to improve your page ranking on the natural listings of search engines and help drive customers to your website."

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Frugi has been producing its range of organic clothes for mothers, children and babies since 2004. Owners Lucy and Kurt Jewson have had an e-commerce website since the start. More recently they have begun using Web 2.0 technology to build brand awareness and create an online community around their products. Here Lucy and Kurt explain how they have set about doing this and the benefits and risks involved.

• Read transcript - Opens in a new window
• Listen to audio only (mp3, 12MB)
• Help

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Related guides on businesslink.gov.uk

Planning for e-commerce
Know your customers' needs
Benefits of email and the internet
Develop an e-marketing plan
Generate business from your e-marketing plan
Online networking
Learning through networking with others
Search engine optimisation
Branding: the basics
Best practice in web design
Comply with advertising standards
Comply with data protection legislation
Sample internet policies and notices
E-commerce and the law
Cloud computing

Related web sites you might find useful

Web 2.0 guidance on the O'Reilly website
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
Social media information on the Internet Advertising Bureau website
http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/socialmedialanding.html
Blog news, updates and figures on the Technorati website
http://www.technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
E-marketing using YouTube guidance on the National B2B Centre website
http://www.nb2bc.co.uk/articles/?id=109
UK small business podcasts on the SmallBizPod website
http://www.smallbizpod.co.uk/category/online-business/
Internet marketing regulations guidance on the Internet Advertising Bureau website
http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/guidetoregulations.html
Download CAP Code remit extension guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority website (PDF, 131K)
http://asa.org.uk/Media-Centre/2010/%7E/media/Files/CAP/Codes/CAP%20Digital%20Remit%20Extension.ashx
Mobile marketing information on the MMA website
http://mmaglobal.com/main
Cloud computing guidance for business on the computing.co.uk website
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/video/2226260/definitive-guide-cloud
AR explained on the HowStuffWorks website
http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm

最後的忠告

最後的忠告：

一、不要因為手上有錢而投資。

二、只有基礎分析及技術分析都告訴你可以投資時才投資，同時確認大趨勢向上。

三、不要做犯法的事。

四、隨 時準備接受失敗的投資（一如郵輪上應準備足夠的救生艇，而非一旦出事陪同郵輪沉入海底）。

五、不要同別人鬥身家，以免做出非理性決定，各有前因莫羨人。投 資賺到錢是因為你有智慧、蝕本是因為你無知，同你是大戶、散戶無關（財這個字，「才」較「貝」重要。）有錢而無才的人叫二世祖。大笨象是無法隱藏自己的足 迹，如果大趨勢出現改變一定很明顯，不要擔心錯過（除非你唔上心。）

何謂文化上的貧窮？1960年代Rosenhan教授找出部分家庭雖然貧窮，但父母都是「利他主義」，即十分願意幫助其他較自己更窮的人。他們的行 為令自己的孩子從小便養成對金錢正確價值觀；十分歡喜幫助別人可惜自己又沒有能力，漸漸變成努力學習本領以便日後能賺多一點錢，到時自己便有能力幫助別 人；亦因此養成「承擔責任」的性格及有影響其他小孩子的能力（因他十分願意幫助別人）。

上述性格到他進入社會做事之時便變成喜歡交朋結友及願承擔責任，照顧能力不及自己的人，最後令自己事業成功。同樣是貧窮卻產生兩種不同結果，前者令孩子變成短視及不信任別人而繼續貧窮下去，後者令孩子養成關心別人，肯負責任的性格而成功，中國人叫做「積福」。

曹仁超投資成功十法：

投資成功十法：

一、趨勢是你的朋友，上升趨勢才是你最好的朋友。一旦上升趨勢完畢，甚至最好朋友亦要分手。

二、做人要勤力但非蠻幹；既要低頭拉車、亦要抬頭看路。

三、牛市中有下跌股份，熊市中有上升股份。

四、不要感情用事，應該理性分析。

五、Keep it Simple，不要將事情複雜化。

六、投資之前先做好功課。如事前不做足功課是最危險的行為。

七、投資你懂的項目，不投資自己不懂的東西。

八、人總要活下去。失敗乃成功之母，成功之後下一步可能就是失敗。因此成功不驕傲、失敗不氣餒。

九、每個投資項目應獨立處理。

十、遠離群眾，不要活在群眾的歡呼聲中。

你的投資回報來自事前研究工夫、事後嚴守紀律而非聽信所謂專家之言。

今天香港投資市場已有太多專家，因此經常產生「羊群心理」；在投資市場贏家卻是餓狼不是羔羊。

不要投資熱門行業中的熱門股，這類股份通常距離見頂日子不遠；只買那些開始上升行業中的非熱爆股。

沒有純利增長支持的企業有如長不大的孩子，只是浪費心機。投資有如養孩子不是愈多愈好，好的孩子一個已經夠晒數。

不要投資純利走下坡的行業，除非你肯定只是周期性低潮。

投資除了需要智慧外更加需要勇氣。

投資者應如僱傭兵──是為錢打仗及永遠站在「戰勝」那方。

「財」字由兩字組成──即「資金」（貝）及「腦袋」（才）。後者往往較前者重要。

投資不是低買高賣而是買入強勢股、拋棄弱勢股。

分析之時着重基礎，買賣之時利用走勢。

了解市場心理，往往較了解經濟更重要。

股價上升之時需耐心，一旦虧損便應速速行動。

聖誕節送禮。曹仁超送給大家的格言

一、找尋形成上升軌的股份去投資，明白一浪高於一浪的道理，be a momentum trader。

二、行業的成長為企業成長帶來機會，因此在二線股叢中找尋增長股而非把注意力放在大藍籌股身上。

三、價值投資法不是沒用，問題是當整個股市進入偏高時，你是否有慧眼找到值得投資的股份？只有熊市將盡或牛市剛開始之時，價值投資法才有用。

四、你不用成為分析員才有資格分析大市。只要明白投資之道例如「追漲殺跌、止損不止賺」等已足夠；追隨趨勢而非睇走勢；明白賺錢者永遠是少數已足夠。

Principles behind the Agile Manifesto

We follow these principles:

 

Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer
through early and continuous delivery
of valuable software. 

Welcome changing requirements, even late in
development. Agile processes harness change for
the customer's competitive advantage. 

Deliver working software frequently, from a
couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a
preference to the shorter timescale. 

Business people and developers must work
together daily throughout the project. 

Build projects around motivated individuals.
Give them the environment and support they need,
and trust them to get the job done. 

The most efficient and effective method of
conveying information to and within a development
team is face-to-face conversation. 

Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Agile processes promote sustainable development. 

The sponsors, developers, and users should be able
to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. 

Continuous attention to technical excellence
and good design enhances agility. 

Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount
of work not done--is essential. 

The best architectures, requirements, and designs
emerge from self-organizing teams. 

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how
to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts
its behavior accordingly.

Manifesto for Agile Software Development

We are uncovering better ways of developing
software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more.

Agile Software Development: Wiki

Agile methods break tasks into small increments with minimal planning, and do not directly involve long-term planning. Iterations are short time frames (timeboxes) that typically last from one to four weeks. Each iteration involves a team working through a full software development cycle including planning, requirements analysis, design, coding, unit testing, and acceptance testing when a working product is demonstrated to stakeholders. This minimizes overall risk and allows the project to adapt to changes quickly. Stakeholders produce documentation as required. An iteration may not add enough functionality to warrant a market release, but the goal is to have an available release (with minimal bugs) at the end of each iteration.^[8] Multiple iterations may be required to release a product or new features.

Team composition in an agile project is usually cross-functional and self-organizing without consideration for any existing corporate hierarchy or the corporate roles of team members. Team members normally take responsibility for tasks that deliver the functionality an iteration requires. They decide individually how to meet an iteration's requirements.

Agile methods emphasize face-to-face communication over written documents when the team is all in the same location. Most agile teams work in a single open office (called a bullpen), which facilitates such communication. Team size is typically small (5-9 people) to simplify team communication and team collaboration. Larger development efforts may be delivered by multiple teams working toward a common goal or on different parts of an effort. This may require a coordination of priorities across teams. When a team works in different locations, they maintain daily contact through videoconferencing, voice, e-mail, etc.

No matter what development disciplines are required, each agile team will contain a customer representative. This person is appointed by stakeholders to act on their behalf and makes a personal commitment to being available for developers to answer mid-iteration problem-domain questions. At the end of each iteration, stakeholders and the customer representative review progress and re-evaluate priorities with a view to optimizing the return on investment (ROI) and ensuring alignment with customer needs and company goals.

Most agile implementations use a routine and formal daily face-to-face communication among team members. This specifically includes the customer representative and any interested stakeholders as observers. In a brief session, team members report to each other what they did the previous day, what they intend to do today, and what their roadblocks are. This face-to-face communication exposes problems as they arise.

Agile development emphasizes working software as the primary measure of progress. This, combined with the preference for face-to-face communication, produces less written documentation than other methods. The agile method encourages stakeholders to prioritize wants with other iteration outcomes based exclusively on business value perceived at the beginning of the iteration.