70% of Small Business B2B Websites Lack A Call to Action

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• 70% of Small Business B2B Websites Lack A Call to Action
• Self-Funded Insurance Models Provide New Options for Small Businesses
• YouTube Expands Streaming, Drives Traffic for Sales
• What You Need to Know About Business Licenses and Permits
• Plastic Preferred: Cash To Decline to Just 23% of Purchases
• 6 Ways to Grab Your Share of Back to School Shoppers

70% of Small Business B2B Websites Lack A Call to Action Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 AM PDT   Does your home page on your website have a call to action?  In other words, does your website home page attempt to get the visitor to do something — besides simply read and leave? Examples of a call to action might be: subscribe to an email newsletter view a product demo request a consultation, estimate or quote download a white paper, or take advantage of a special offer If your website has such a call to action, give yourself and your marketing team a pat on the back.  You are doing better than 70% of B2B (business to business) websites. A new study reviewed 200 websites of small businesses.  The businesses all had under 100 employees.  For this particular study, all were B2B, i.e., businesses that sell to other businesses, not to consumers. And the results are surprising — surprising in how much money small businesses are probably leaving on the table. Why B2B Sites Need A Call To Action A “call to action” is just what the words suggest.  It’s something designed to get a website visitor to take action. The reason you need one is simple.  After spending a lot of money and effort putting up a website and promoting it and getting visitors to it — the last thing you want is for that visitor to leave without establishing some connection with him or her. Today there are billions of Web pages.  Will that visitor ever find your website again?  Have you given that visitor some means to remember your business?   Have you taken a step — even a small one like a newsletter signup — to stay in contact with that visitor? While some B2B websites have direct commerce on them, more than likely a B2B website doesn’t expect visitors to buy something online on the first visit.  Rather, the goal is to establish a connection with interested Web visitors. Later on you try to turn those visitors into customers. That usually means getting visitors to voluntarily give you their email address — hence, a call to action. By giving you their email address, visitors are giving you permission to communicate with them.  From there you can begin to develop a relationship. Other Website Failings But it takes more than a call to action to make an effective B2B website. Your website needs to be readily found in search engines. If someone goes to Google to search for the kind of product or service you offer, you certainly want them to see YOUR website.  That person already looking for whatever you sell has far more potential to become a sales prospect, than Joe Schmoe you bumped into on the street. Your site needs to be visible enough in the search engines to get people like that to click over to your website. Once on your website, if visitors like what they see, they may want to pick up the phone to call you. For that, your contact information needs to be easy to locate. It’s good to have a blog on a B2B site — and that blog also needs to be easily findable. The same goes for social media profiles. If you’re spending time connecting with people on social platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter, then you certainly want people to be able to figure out how to follow you on social accounts, by looking quickly at your website. Resources and tools that peak visitors’ interest are also helpful.  Here again, they need to be easy to locate on your website. And the list goes on. Yet, according to this study, the vast majority of B2B small businesses do not make it easy for their sites to be found in the first place, or for visitors to contact them or stay in touch: 56% of B2B small business websites don’t use meta descriptions that show up in search results and could help draw visitors into the website 70% don’t list a phone number prominently — it’s buried somewhere and hard to find 87% don’t do anything to make their “contact us” option stand out 82% don’t bother to even list their social media profiles Just think of the missed opportunities!  The items above are relatively simple and inexpensive changes to make — possibly just a few hours of work by the company webmaster or tech team. It’s no wonder that some small businesses say they don’t get good ROI from their websites.  Their websites aren’t pulling their own weight. If these things seem so obvious, and are relatively simple changes to make, then why aren’t more small businesses doing them? It’s a combination of things.  Sometimes we can’t “see” what is obvious to others.  Since we know that phone number is there — somewhere — it never occurs to us that it’s hard for an outsider to find.  Or we may just not have an organized list of what a good website should contain.  A lot of small businesses don’t have full-time marketing staff, or the staff could be small and overloaded.  A best practices list falls to the wayside when you are short on resources. The “Small Business B2B Call to Action Study” was sponsored by our company, Small Business Trends.  It was conducted by Online Marketing Coach, and its CEO Mike Murray. It’s based on an in-depth review of websites of 200 small businesses chosen randomly from the ReferenceUSA database. The 30-page study is full of examples of best practices, as well as examples of what not to do.  It’s accompanied by a spreadsheet you can download with a 30-point checklist of elements a good B2B website should have.  We hope you’ll find it as interesting — and valuable — as we’ve found it.  Download the B2B Call to Action Study and Checklist here. The post 70% of Small Business B2B Websites Lack A Call to Action appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Self-Funded Insurance Models Provide New Options for Small Businesses Posted: 07 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Many small businesses find themselves paying increased health insurance premiums year after year, eventually prompting them to consider dropping health benefits altogether. According to the 2013 Aflac WorkForces Report, 47 percent of businesses with fewer than 100 employees say offering robust benefits while staying within budget is a top challenge. Although it could be tempting to send employees to state or federal health insurance exchanges, the fact is small businesses need to offer those benefits to help attract and retain top talent. The study found that 61 percent of workers would be at least somewhat likely to accept a job with a more robust benefits package, but lower compensation. In addition, 84 percent of workers say their overall benefits package has at least some influence over their job satisfaction. Predictably, many businesses are looking for a way to maintain health insurance for their employees while cutting costs and increasingly expensive benefits. Enter the self-funded insurance model. Self-Funded Insurance What is the self-funded insurance model? In a self-funded insurance model, a business has the option of providing health benefits directly to employees. That means the employer, instead of the insurance companies, collects the premiums, assumes the risk and pays employee claims. However, insurance companies can still be used to execute the administrative aspects. How can a small business implement the self-funded model? Employers calculate the total anticipated claims their employees will make over the course of the coming year. Businesses can then use that figure to establish the maximum risk they are willing to assume, effectively capping the annual amount they plan to spend on benefits. What if the company can't afford to pay its employees' claims? It is possible for employers to underestimate their annual health care expenditure. To prevent these situations from sapping additional resources, companies can purchase stop-loss insurance. Stop-loss insurance kicks in when claims exceed the employer's set maximum value to cover the remaining costs and can come in different forms. With specific stop-loss insurance, any single employee's claims that exceed a set amount will be covered by the insurer. With aggregate stop-loss insurance, coverage begins once total costs for all employees exceed the maximum claims projected by the self-funding plan. Employers can purchase both types of coverage. Does the self-funded model hurt small businesses that can't afford to offer as many benefits as exchanges? Business owners who cannot afford the level of coverage comparable to the benefits options that are available on exchanges or what they were offering previously should consider looking to voluntary insurance to help round out existing major medical plans. The benefit to voluntary is two-fold: It doesn't add to an employer's benefits costs because it is paid for by the employee. It satisfies employee demand. (60 percent of workers say they would purchase voluntary products if offered by their employer.) What's the advantage for businesses? Although adopting the self-funded model and assuming more risk might sound overwhelming, it has proven to be an effective method for businesses to get their costs under control while still attracting and retaining top talent through health benefits. Health Insurance Photo via Shutterstock The post Self-Funded Insurance Models Provide New Options for Small Businesses appeared first on Small Business Trends.

YouTube Expands Streaming, Drives Traffic for Sales Posted: 07 Aug 2013 01:30 PM PDT Businesses are learning the importance of using video for marketing and communications. And the Web’s largest and most popular video site is changing it’s features to make it easier. YouTube announced numerous updates to its video site recently with a few that will directly benefit small business users. YouTube Live Video Streaming Expands The first change is an expansion of the YouTube Live video streaming feature. The site first rolled out the feature in beta in 2011 to a limited group of users. But the YouTube team announced it will now expand the feature to include all accounts with 100 plus subscribers. Users should check their account features page in the coming weeks for an “Enable” button and push it if interested. The feature could enable webcast live events, live interviews or live seminars. Tool Drives Traffic to E-Stores You may also be using YouTube to create interest for your product or service. A new annotation feature will make this easier. On YouTube’s official partners and creators blog, members of the YouTube Team explained: Want viewers to buy that new t-shirt you're wearing in your video? You can now use annotations to link externally to various online stores and your associated websites. Finally, YouTube will introduce a custom thumbnail feature allowing you to choose the frame that represents your video. And a video playlist feature will help you group a video series together making it easier to locate. How will these features change the way you use YouTube for business? The post YouTube Expands Streaming, Drives Traffic for Sales appeared first on Small Business Trends.

What You Need to Know About Business Licenses and Permits Posted: 07 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT If you're launching a business, you've probably already looked into the option of incorporating or forming an LLC for your new company. This act registers your business with the state, and you should be all set to legally operate your business, right? Not so fast. Incorporating or forming an LLC creates a legal entity for your business, but there are most likely other permits and licenses that you'll need to obtain. These permits are given out by state and local (county/town) governments. As such, specific licensing requirements vary by state, as well as by business. For example, a tattoo artist, daycare center or restaurant will be more tightly regulated than a copywriting business. Failing to obtain the right permits and licenses can carry some pretty hefty consequences. In some cases, you'll be required to pay fines and penalties. Worst case scenarios can involve criminal penalties, seizure of assets, and shutting down your business altogether. Obtaining a permit is relatively easy to do once you know what you need. Navigating local licensing requirements and bureaucracies isn't always straightforward. There's no single website you can visit to give you all the answers. To that end, below are a couple of tips to help you. Determine What Type of Business Licenses and Permits You May Need 1. Start with your state and work down to the local level. Your first step is to make sure you are compliant with the state where you'll be operating your business. You can start your research at the SBA website where you can see which licenses and permits might apply to your business type and state. In addition, visit your state's website as many do publish a licensing/permit guide for starting a business. 2. At the local level, you'll need to work with your town and/or county government to determine what you'll need. Some of the more common local permits include: Local business licenses or tax permits (from your city/county clerk or revenue department). Building permit (from your city/county planning department). You'll most likely need this type of permit if you'll be building or modifying a location for your business. Zoning permit (from your city/county planning department). This permit is often needed when developing land for commercial use. Health permit (from your city or county health department). Businesses that usually need a health permit include: restaurants, street vendors, catering trucks, beauty salons, tattoo parlors, nail salons, etc. Home occupational permit (from your city/county planning department). In some jurisdictions, you'll need a permit for a home-based business. Signage permit (from your city/county zoning department). Some places require a permit (and compliance with zoning laws) before you can erect a sign for your business. Fire permit (city/county fire department). You'll most likely need to get a permit from the fire department if your premises will be open to the public or if you're going to be using any flammable materials. Alarm permit (city/county police or fire department). Your business will probably need to get an alarm permit if you install a burglar or fire alarm. Most importantly, once you've obtained all the proper licenses and permits, your work is not over. You've got to make sure these licenses and permits stay in compliance and up to date. And that means two things: First, you'll need to renew each permit on time. Keep a master list of all your permits and their respective renewal dates. Second, you'll need to update any permits if you make any major changes to your business. For example, if you incorporate a sole proprietorship or change your business name. Bottom line: Take some time to research your local licensing requirements and get the required paperwork in before you open your doors (or, as quickly as possible if your business is already in existence). Getting your permits in order is a relatively easy in task and the fees are far less painful than having to fork over penalties or deal with more severe consequences. Building Permit Concept Photo via Shutterstock The post What You Need to Know About Business Licenses and Permits appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Plastic Preferred: Cash To Decline to Just 23% of Purchases Posted: 07 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT Sponsored Post You know the old saying: "Cash is king." But with cash transactions in decline, "Plastic is preferred" would be a more accurate adage these days. In 2011, cash transactions made up 27 percent of point of sale purchases. By 2017, that number is expected to plunge to 23 percent. Credit card purchases, on the other hand, are expected to increase from 29 percent in 2011 to 33 percent of purchases by 2017. If your business doesn't already accept credit cards, chances are your customers are asking you to. According to a survey conducted by WePay, 58 percent of small businesses are regularly asked by their customers to accept credit cards. Customers increasingly expect to be able to pay with plastic, especially among the younger crowd. Sixty-nine percent of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 will only shop at businesses that accept multiple forms of payment. It's not that hard to imagine a time in the not-so-distant future where saying "cash is king" will just show your age. This infographic, by the Community Merchants USA site, gives the details on the changing payment trends and how they impact merchants. Click below for a full size version of the infographic on the Community Merchants USA site. [Click for full size version] The post Plastic Preferred: Cash To Decline to Just 23% of Purchases appeared first on Small Business Trends.

6 Ways to Grab Your Share of Back to School Shoppers Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:00 AM PDT Back-to-school season is on the horizon—or already here, depending on what part of the country you're in. How can your retail store or eCommerce business target back-to-school shoppers? Shop.org's Back to School 2013 Online Consumer Shopping Outlook has some insights. Overall, parents with school-age children will spend a projected $26.7 billion on back-to-school this year—down slightly from 2012. Online shoppers will spend more; an average of $896 on clothing, shoes, school supplies, and electronics or computer-related goods. That's a whopping 41 percent more than the average amount all shoppers will spend. Grab Your Share of Back to School Shoppers Get Online Shoppers In-Store More than half of parents say they will do more comparison shopping online this year. That means even if your business doesn't sell online, you have a chance to grab online shoppers' attention. Place Google Ads that get served up when shoppers search for what you sell. Get your SEO up to par so your site comes up high in search results. Make sure your store is listed on local search directories like Local.com. Emphasize the "get it now!" factor and that if customers shop in your store, they can have the item in hand immediately without waiting for shipping. Start Early Twenty-three percent of all back-to-school shoppers start shopping two months before school starts and over one-third of online back-to-school shoppers do so. That means they're shopping now—so get your marketing messages out there, especially online. Go Late A parallel trend to the early shopping: More kids are waiting until after school starts to buy school supplies, clothing and accessories. For kids, the goal is to see what other kids are actually wearing (and what supplies teachers require) before they buy. For parents, the goal is to nab those last-minute markdowns. Keep up on what products are hot sellers in your area and make sure you're stocked up until, and even after, school starts. Plan to keep your back-to-school marketing messages going until mid-September or even later. Keep it Simple If you sell online, make sure your search, comparison and checkout processes are as streamlined as possible. Parents are busy, so they want to get in, find what they need and get out. Create quick links to back-to-school items and spotlight popular products. The same principle applies offline, so make sure your store is adequately staffed and stocked. Set up prominent back-to-school displays and create "packages," such as discounts on a week's worth of uniform shirts, to speed shopping and encourage more spending. Help Them Out Online, make information like shipping charges, return policies and sales tax easy to find so parents know what to expect at checkout. Provide a variety of ways for parents to get help fast, such as a toll-free phone number, email and online chat. Display them prominently on every page of your website. Make a Deal A survey by BIGinsight found almost 77 percent of parents of school-aged children say the economy is affecting their back-to-school purchasing plans. More than one-third say they'll use coupons and more than one-fourth will ask children to re-use items from last school year to save money. Whether you're selling online or off, discounts, deals and special offers are the way to a parent's heart at back-to-school time. Back to School Photo via Shutterstock The post 6 Ways to Grab Your Share of Back to School Shoppers appeared first on Small Business Trends.

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