We are often asked if we can sponsor a website or give a free website to people. We do sponsor websites sometimes, but it depends on the site, if its a registered charity or maybe the local lost pet group then yes we might be in a situation to help, but if you are a small club or group then maybe you could look at using on online web site building tool. We have looked at these before but one that we see being used a good bit in Wexford is one called Weebly.com

Built the website yourself.

Website creations tools are not new, they have been around for many years now, but we hear that weebly.com is an easy to use , fast method of creating a website yourself in a few minutes. Allowing you to update it with images, text and videos.

It’s not what we use and I wouldn’t recommend it for any real business as its just a basic web-page builder. Please don’t mistake this for being the “be all and end all” of website development and think that it’s gonna put us out of business. It’s not. This is for building a basic web-page, its not an online marketing strategy to gain you more sales leads and growing your business over the next 5 years and mentoring your businesses digital strategy. It’s a web-page and only that.

Don’t expect to get support or help in it’s creation or promotion.

It is however a good step for struggling businesses who can’t afford any budget on using the net to help their business.

Once you have the site built you can come to use to help promote it and get it listed in search engines and local directories.

We have had a number of anxious calls to the office from around the southeast after hearing a rumor that an Irish Internet business might loose it’s domains names!

Hosting 365 seems to have lost it ICANN registration status as their “account was put on hold”

Well we would just like to let our clients know that we have your domain names secure with another company.

We are not currently using hosting365 services.

Basically as far as we can work out their account with ICANN (the main authority who register International domain) was put on hold, this may have meant that they can not renew domain or register any new ones. Again, we are not using them so I can not confirm.

All our Clients domains are safe.

Maybe it’s a sign that the recession in Ireland is finally hitting the tech sector too, after being able to hold it off for so long its looks like even the big boys are feeling the squeeze. Small tech businesses like ours have smaller overheads and can take a small hit (yes i said small hit!)when one of our clients disappears, but it seems from the ICANN statement that they have been put “on hold”

If you are worried that you might loose your domain name or might not be able to renew your current domain, just give us at a call at Cada Media Ltd and we’ll have a look at how we can help.

Tel: 053 9430748

This is one of those questions that I get asked all the time, usually it’s on a high stool sitting in the Taravie on a Friday night in courtown.! but it’s relevent to everyone in a recession. A website is not the answer to solving a businesses sales, but it will help if it’s used right. Remember a website is a tool, the more you use it the better you get with it and the more benefit you get out of it.

Search Engines are changing the way the index the web every day, they look for different things and its always a case of the goal posts are moving, that’s why I have to remind clients that a website will give you what you put into it.

Let’s look at why we provide our clients with content management systems, we do this because we recommend that in order to be able to update your website, its best to be able to do it yourself. Secondly because we believe this is what search engines like to see. They know that sites have the ability to be updated easily and we believe they now expect it.

If you have a website and you don’t update it, you are effectively telling the search engines that you couldn’t be bothered or you dont care and thus you dont care about the clients of the search engines. So Google for example we believe see’s websites like newspapers with the ability to be published every day.

Do you read the newspaper twice?

No, neither do we and neither does a search engine want to really. Remember search engines read your competitors websites each day too, so do they update their site, if so then a search engine might prefer their site as it’s got the latest information about a product or service it read about on another site somewhere else in the world.

~if this is all a bit too much for you, let Cada Media show you how we can help you keep on top of it all. Call Dave Jordan today on  053 9430748

This is a question that was brought up at a business meeting last week as I was talking to a new business in Wexford and the person involved was newly hired. They were eager to prove their worth in the company. Having listening to his experience and his interest in technology I explained that the Internet is an area that many owners of businesses often don’t understand or have the time too. If he could help them then he would be of move value to the company.

I had my old bosses voice ringing in my ears as I was saying phrases like, “bring me solutions to problems, don’t bring me problems” etc. An old adage but true to every era.

Understanding the Internet.

I would like to suggest that you put together a suggestion for them along the lines of using the web to increase the profile of the buinsess, reduce running costs and hey why not go for increase sales by selling online or even accepting payments online if you are a service business.

Here is s short list of some suggestions to use in your proposal.

• Use a VOIP phone system, such as Skype or the Irish voip service called MyDivert.com
  • This will give you free skype to skype calls, cheaper call rates especially if you sell internationally and remember with broadband improvement the call quality is perfect and you don’t even need a pc anymore. You can plug a voip phone straight into your broadband.
• Using Emails instead of letters. Sending your correspondence by email with dramatically reduce your turn around in waiting for the post to be delivered and returning answers to you. Example: instead of sending out a printed customer survey, lets say costing €1.50 for letter, envelope and return envelope, stamps, why not set one up on www.surveymonkey.com and the results get emailed to you!
• Using PDF invoice to email invoices. Why not email your invoiced directly to your clients, are you still printing them out and posting them in the hope they get there sometime soon. Email them!
• Cutting down on stamps. We use only 1 box of stamps per month and in the next few weeks we will be cutting that down to 1 box per quarter.
• Using open source such as Open Office instead of Microsoft Office. Open Office will do everthing that MS Office will except it’s free and better!
• Start a company blog. Starting a company blog helps the business get in touch with its clients and potential customers by giving them an easy access, less formal method of asking questions before they buy or hire you. It allows you to explain your products in detail. Its what is expected these day. We dont just sell on price, we sell on quality and expertise, so demonstrate that on your company blog and be able to discuss your products and services
• Use Micro Blogging sites like twitter to get your point across in 160 characters or less!, basically this allow people to be able to follow everything you write including special offers and news.
• Create a business Facebook page where your customers can see more about you and you can push them towards your website.  Example: Berney Saddlery Equestrian Shops in Arklow and Enniscorthy started a fFacebook campaign recently to help promote themselves online and to go to where people are hanging out these day, “Facebook” with nearly 1,000,000 registered users in Ireland, it is the place to be. With in a few months they have over 4,000 fans. That means when they update their profile with news of a clothing line being 25% off till lunchtime and that message get emailed to 4,000 people,  Now are stamps starting to look expensive? They are to me.
• Remember the Internet is not just on computers, with more and more mobile devices now being used to access the Internet such as the Vodafone 360 and iphones it’s becoming the norm to carry the internet around in your pocked disguised as a phone!
• Sell online or if you just want to get paid faster starting accepting payment over the phone via a Virtual Terminal from WorldNET TPS This system can cost from as little as €30 a month and accepts Laser/Visa/Master cards. All you need is a broadband connection and a pc, so it suits companies in offices etc. They even have an App for the iphone!

If you can go to your boss with some of these points in a format of a plan to save the company money and promote them cheaper than they could image. . . they should be impresses or nervious, nervious of their future in business.

Help grow your business in a recession, call Dave Jordan of Cada Media Ltd

Only kids use the Web . . . . . Right?

People ask their friends when they are looking for information.

These were some of the kind of ideas being put about this weeks in meetings regarding websites and getting a website for a business. This is a common statement when in fact the people involved don’t use the Internet themselves.

It is true, many people don’t look up information on the net, but the truth is more and more people and companies use the Internet to research for new suppliers and look for products and services on-line. We often find that sometimes people will tell use they don’t use the internet for business but they will tell me that they do their Christmas shopping on-line.  Maybe not realising that by shopping on-line they were indeed doing business online to the company receiving their on-line payments!

No matter what the topic or subject is using the Internet is taking over from Traditional Advertising and now that Reccession in Ireland is kicking in people are demanding a marketing method that is more accountable and tracable. Companies are questioning their marketing and advertising budget and want to get a good “bang for their buck“.

Your clients look up the Web!

Amarach Research in Dublin tell us in recent stats from February 2009 that 67% of Irish Adults are now on-line and expected to be over 75% by 2010. (that’s in 3months from now)

Don’t let your own non-use or understanding of Internet usage blind you from where your target market are actively looking for your business each day.

Call Dave Jordan from Cada Media on 053 9430748 to get a website for your business.

Is traditional advertising dying?

This questions was on the table this week on Sunday’s edition of the new business program on tv3. Part of the program talked to traditional Advertising Agencies in Dublin who would see digital advertising as a small part of their business. Overall it was great to see that Yes in fact traditional advertising as we know it, TV, Radio and Print are taking a hit, but that “Digital Media” is holding it’s own in an Ireland gripped in recession.

I must say that I was smiling all the way through the show as our ideas of how to help business grow in a recession were confirmed. It was also mentioned that companies who are involved in the Advertising Game still think of the Internet as some sort of fad, or something their kids do on their laptops. It’ true it won’t make the Advertising Companies the profits they are used to. I thought they were totally missing the numbers who are on-line via all sorts of methods, including free wifi for laptops, net books, mobile devices and the list goes on. Sit on a bus from Gorey to Dublin and see how many people are on-line. Please try it, you will be amazed.

Only two weeks ago their was a supplement in a Sunday paper telling use how broadband and the Internet will help get Ireland out of a recession. Using every element it offers can help companies reduce costs and indeed expand their target market.

One item that did catch my attention too was the talk about diversifying your online advertising into niche areas and going to where people are on-line. A quick version of this is facebook, a client of ours is using FaceBook to attract and retain clients for their on-line shop, with in weeks they have over 2,000 fans and are updating their facebook page daily with special offers and news. It has been a great success for them.

Advertising needs to be more specific and more targeted. If you advertising in a magazine for sports then find an on-line edition and make sure you are listed on that. If you are looking for get clients in a certain town then advertise on a website for that town.

Overall the program is very good, Ivan Yates is at the helm I would recommend to sky+ it if you get a chance.

The Internet has an interesting factor that there are Stats available on each site allowing businesses to see the number of visitors arriving on your site from various search engines and also from direct adverting of the web address. We have site stats going back for various businesses going back to 1999. 

Google Alerts, is another interesting feature allowing you to ask Google to let you know when a search term is requested. Why would this help you… because knowledge is everything, we ar ein the information age, know stats allows you to decide if a product or service is being searched for, maybe even save you the hassle of setting up a business if it’s not or no signs of being something of interest to others.

Beat the recession by arming yourself with the knowledge to be able to plan your business better, plan your services to suit the current market. We are seeing many large businesses fall as they are not able to adjust and are not utilizing the Internet to their advantage.

Online payment systemsare an area that is gaining huge growth in Ireland at the moment, more and more people and businesses are using the Internet to pay bills, send invoices, buy on-line and get money moving faster around the economy. We ourselves are working on a number of new websites with one thing in common, they will all be able to take money directly from the user, safely and securely, there and then. No messing around with cheques and clearing time in bank, no messing around with it’s in the post statements from admin people, No we only issue payment on the first Tuesday of each month.

Real business in real time, money when you need it. Take the time to evaluate your own business and see if ecommerce and the Internet can help your business. Call myself Dave Jordan to see if we can advice you on how to beat the shit out of this recession and grow your business.

Tel: 053 9430748

We have had many hits on our websites by people looking to get through this year and make it to next year in good financial condition. Many are looking at ways of cutting costs in running their businesses. Cost cutting could take many routes including

• Cutting Advertising Costs
• Cutting Marketing Costs
• Cutting Rent Costs
• Cutting Staff Costs
• Cutting Overheads

No matter which method you are deploying the end result will be the same, to same money in their economic climate.  Companies when I am talking to them assume that the Web for instance either costs them about €199 euro for a website or maybe €20,000 as they have heard of websites that only start at around the €15,000 mark ! Most start up business should be spending at least €1,600 as it’s not just about getting “a page” up there, it’s about getting a good website and getting in found in Google ( especially in Ireland).

• Using the Internet to cut the costs of running a business can take the following forms
• Using IP Telephones
• Using Direct Inward Dialing
• Using Emails instead of letters
• Using PDF document
• Using Open Office instead of Microsoft Office

For more about how to save money and yes, let me say it grow Sales in a recession call us today on 053 9430748

The Web Is Everywhere, Be Part of It!

We had a meeting today with a great client of ours who operates one of Ireland’s best on-line Wedding Gifts Websites All About Weddings was set up a few years ago when two like minded sisters who love weddings decided to set up an online shop for wedding gifts.

Now a well established, successful business All About Wedding came into us to talk about expansion and growing the website further, by making new changes and additions to the website.

Recession me arse !

Without giving too many details away the girls sales will continue to grow at a sharp incline in 2009 and 2010.  Sales are on a daily basis and they are one of the many successful online business in Ireland that will be helping the online sales figures keep growing

Irish Online Transactions at €14,000,000 per day !

Different bodies publish figures each month, but it is estimated that online transactions in Ireland are now over the 14 million per day mark, thus the scramble to the market of companies wanting to get a piece of that every growing pie. New transaction companies such as WorldNet TPS in Dun Laoghaire and SagePay are a few who are trying to get into the market that Realex Payments have dominated in for so long.

Our favourites would be John in WorldNet TPS.

For all your weddings favours and wedding gifts check out http://shop.allaboutweddings.ie/

This is one of those new fashionable questions that gets whispered in business meeting all over Wexford at the moment, No one wanting to say the “R” word for fear of letting others know that they are in trouble and in fact up the creek and even the paddle is for sale on eBay!

Well, being a business that is used to change, the Internet has taught us a few good lessons.

• Be flexible
• Be willing to change
• Be positive
• Be realistic
• Be prepared

Many businesses that do not allow for the above so they should look at downsizing or even selling. A business that does not adapt or change will not survive. Business is all about change and moving with the times. Ok, now the times are moving fast and so you should be too.  Be a leader in your field of expertise, Strive to move your industry forward.

Not able to Change?

In some circumstances we see businesses unwilling to adapt or change and so their sales are decreasing no matter how many flyer drops they do to houses. Businesses have to examine their products and services and ask why sales are down. Don’t just say “Ah, things are bad at the moment”. Look at your products and services and see what unique factor that you have that makes you stand out from the others in your area. Enhance them and grow these to give you an edge in the market.

The Internet brings this out to a great extent. It move fast and you have to be dynamic and change. We get inquiries all the time asking to build websites and mainly asking to be No 1 in google too. So my questions usually point the customer to giving us a unique selling point for their service. If we don’t then we are simply adding to the clutter ( 4 Trillion plus pages) already on-line.

Unique

This is a keyword on-line, many websites that sell or offer a unique service profit more. Being plain Jane on-line get you little reward. People expect more these days, they are used to browsing sites that are plain brochure ware. My two nieces were visiting last week and I watched as they sat on the stairs, started up their Nintendo DS’s and then proceeded to network the two devices and play a shared game. They are 5 and 6 years old. Image their expectations of technology in 10 years time. The Internet will be a very different place for them. We must plan for future proofing our businesses.

How can a website help my Business?

The use of the Internet as a marketing tool can deliver your message cheaper, fast, further than other Media ever dreamed of. Just because you don’t know the in’s and out’s of Websites, Web Servers, Web Hosting, Emails, Newsletters and Video doesn’t mean that your audience who wants your products or services doesn’t . I am guessing they do and how do i know.

Stats, website stats and web trends tell us what people are looking for on-line. We have watched over the past ten years how businesses who adapted the technology early on are reaping the rewards, whilst other are only now thinking  . . hmm maybe a website might help sales.

If that is you, then the good news is . . . . It’s not too late,  the Web Train hasn’t left town yet. Jump on-board now and starting allowing customers come to you via a website. Many business in Wexford still have no website or even can be found on-line so your not the last. I’d say only about 18% or less have a website.

So invest in your business today and call Dave Jordan and Team at Cada Media Ltd and see how we can help pull you out of the gloom and doom of “R” word.

Tel: 053- 9430748