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What “digital” questions to ask when buying a small company?

What “digital” questions to ask when buying a small company?

When buying another company, it’s important to consider all the digital assets that the company owns. Digital assets can include things like domain names, social media accounts, digital advertising accounts, website hosting, website content, online databases, software, and digital marketing materials.

Here are some things you should know and the questions to ask.

 

Value

Some digital assets can be valuable and can greatly impact the overall value of a company. Therefore, it’s important to assess the value of digital assets to ensure that the purchase price of the company is reasonable.  There’s no point paying over the odds though for an out-of-date website or digital advertising that isn’t actually producing any ROAS (Return on Ad Spend).

Ownership

You will need to determine who owns the digital assets (whether it’s the company itself or a third party) and you will also need to obtain legal documentation, such as contracts, agreements, or licenses, to verify the ownership of these assets.  Check whose name the domain name is in, where it’s registered and how to access it.   Also find out where is the website hosted, who pays for it and what the login details are.

Maintenance and security

Digital assets require maintenance and security to ensure that they remain valuable and secure. What are the established protocols for maintaining and securing these assets, and if they are not in place, what is the cost of doing so?   Now is also the time for a password/login audit of everything.

Social Media

Establish who has access to all the social media accounts and once you have bought the company, remove unnecessary admins but before you do this, ensure that you have two current admins that you trust.

Digital Advertising

Who has access to these accounts?  If using an agency are they using their own ad accounts say for Facebook advertising or do they have admin access to yours?  Do you wish to continue with them and if so, now is the time to audit their results and have an in-depth discussion of their strategies.  Can you access Facebook’s Ad Manager?  How about Google’s Ad Account or the Company’s Google Merchant Account?  Do you have access to any supplementary feeds on your Google Merchant Account?

 

To be honest, even if you’re not buying a new company it should be regular good practice to audit your online presence and passwords, etc to check that everything is in order.

 

What "Digital Asset" questions would you like to ask?

If you’d like to dicuss anything further, then why not get in touch and we can have a chat.

How can I help?

The relationship between a successful business and their website

The relationship between a successful business and their website

A successful business will often have a well-designed website that effectively represents the company and helps it achieve its goals. The website will be regularly updated with fresh content, such as blog posts or product updates, to keep visitors engaged and returning to the site.

Ultimately, the relationship between a successful business and its website is one of mutual support and reinforcement. A “cared for” website helps the business reach and serve more customers, whilst a successful business helps to drive traffic and credibility to the website.

Here’s what to consider when reflecting on your own website and whether it needs some TLC:

 

A Clean and Professional Design

A successful website has a polished, professional look that inspires confidence in the business.

Easy Navigation

A successful website is easy to navigate, with clear headings and links to help visitors find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.

High-Quality Content

A successful website has well-written, informative content that provides value to visitors and showcases the business’s expertise.  The most important message is how to solve your client’s “pain points”.

Responsive Design

A successful website is designed to be responsive, so that it looks and functions well on a variety of devices, including desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Strong Calls to Action

A successful website always includes clear calls to action, such as “Contact Us,” “Sign Up,” or “Buy Now,” to encourage visitors to take the next step and become customers.

What website design questions would you like to ask?

If you’d like to dicuss anything further, then why not get in touch and we can have a chat.

How can I help?

What’s the Difference Between Google Ads & Facebook Ads?

What’s the Difference Between Google Ads & Facebook Ads?

Just as a business shouldn’t be on all available social media platforms, neither should a business be using all advertising platforms just because they can.  With careful consideration and thought you most certainly can use more than one platform – in fact planning, coordinating and re-targeting with Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) and Googles Ads is an excellent strategy as they are both powerful advertising platforms, but they work in different ways. Google Ads uses a pay-per-click model, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Facebook Ads, on the other hand, operates on a bidding system and charges based on impressions.

However, before you do make a decision,  think about what is best for your business, who is your audience, what is your budget and what outcomes are you looking for.

 

Audience

Google Ads are shown to users on Google search (and its partner websites), while Facebook Ads are shown to users on the Facebook & Instagram platforms and its associated apps. This means that the audience you reach with each platform is different.  Think about where your audience hangs out – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube or LinkedIn.

 

Targeting

Both platforms offer a range of targeting options, but Facebook’s options tend to be more comprehensive, allowing you to target users based on factors such as age, location, interests, and behaviours. Google Ads targeting is largely based on keywords, which means you can target users who are searching for specific terms.  You can also exclude certain search terms so that you can be relevant to your audience. Both platforms use remarketing options.

 

Cost

The cost of advertising on Google and Facebook can vary widely, but Google Ads tend to be more expensive due to the higher value of search traffic.  Facebook will spend your daily/lifetime budget but Google will only spend it if someone clicks on a relevant keyword.  However, that keyword may be 60p per click or £3 per click depending on the industry.  So unless you have a healthy budget Google Ads may not be for you.

 

Ad formats

Both platforms offer a variety of ad formats, but Facebook’s ad formats tend to be more visually oriented, while Google’s ad formats are more text-based, apart from Google Shopping Campaigns.

 

Measurement and Reporting

Both platforms provide detailed tracking and reporting tools, but Google Ads tend to offer more comprehensive and granular data, allowing you to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns more accurately. Data is so valuable in determining the direction of your campaigns and what’s working in your business.

 

 

What ad questions would you like to ask?

If you’d like to dicuss anything further, then why not get in touch and we can have a chat.

How can I help?

What does your website really say about you?

What does your website really say about you?

Does your website say more than you actually realise about your company?

Do you always judge a company by its website?

If branding represents a company and its culture, is the neglect of the website and marketing, in general, a good representation of how the company is feeling and operating?

Is a good and constantly updated online presence an indicator of the profitability, confidence and health of a business?

 

These are all valid questions to which I’m not sure I have all the answers but I’d love to hear what you think!

In working my way through these musings and on my continued quest to find the question Google can’t answer, I’ve put together five business characteristics that I often come across.  If there’s a faint inkling that one of these scenarios below may represent your company behind the scenes, then only you will know – but consider this, are you subconsciously sending out the wrong message to your current or potential customers? If you do recognise yourself how are you going to resolve the perceived issues?

The excuse of no time or budget is just that, an excuse.  Is now the moment to have a really good look at your digital budget and re-evaluate what you consider important? What extraneous things are you spending your time and money on and what are you inadvertently saying online that could negatively impact your business?

Start Up Business

You asked a friend, or mate of a friend, to set up your website because they were cheap.  However, the attention to detail isn’t there – perhaps there are different colours in odd areas or strange-sized fonts and there’s no cohesion. The photos aren’t optimised (which makes the site slow) or they’re not uniform in look or shape (some in colour, some in black and white).

What else could you be saying with a site like this?  We’re a start-up that assigned the overseeing of the website to someone whose skills lie elsewhere.  The “designer” just added the content provided and as the person in charge of this wasn’t experienced in marketing it just ended up as a “death by PowerPoint” experience but on the website.  Even worse, everyone involved in the start-up then decided to get involved and with all their differing opinions it’s become a website designed by committee consensus which is never good.   You may not see this from within the business but it is there in the overall impression it gives to those outside the business.

The "No Budget" Business

Are funds so low in the company that you can’t afford to update your site? Is it starting to look like a dusty old shopfront and you just can’t understand why it’s not working as well for you now?  What is this really saying about the state of your business?

Management Mindset

Those in charge can’t see the value in digital and therefore don’t see it as a priority.  The website is starting to look old-fashioned which isn’t a great look. They think that once the site is up and running, then that’s a job to be ticked off the list and forgotten.  They assigned the social media marketing to the junior intern (because naturally, they’re a digital native) rather than an experienced Social Media Manager and then when they don’t get great results, they say social media isn’t working and it’s overrated (exasperating!).

We don't need help, we're just enthusiastic

This site is filled with lots of stock photos (more often than not having nothing to do with their target market),  crazy graphics just because, the navigation is all over the place, the information you’re looking for is difficult to find and there are no calls to action.  They haven’t given much thought to their target market but they’re here and they have boundless energy and enthusiasm so they’ll just give it an optimistic go!

It's all about me

Your website should show potential customers how you can help them and solve their problems but many websites just scream – look at what we do, look at what we do.  If a visitor to the site can be bothered to dig through how marvellous you are they may find the answers to their questions or they may just move on to a site that resonates more with them.

So how can you fix any of the above?  Firstly, take a deep breath and put a chunk of time aside in your diary to have a really honest look at your site from your customers’ point of view – what’s the experience like for them as they move through your site?  Can they find what they’re looking for – do you know what they’re looking for?  It’s difficult when you live within the nuts and bolts of your business but give yourself the space to change your perspective and have a good honest look at what potential customers are seeing. When was the last time you looked at your Google Analytics to see how visitors are using your site?  Should you be having a regular catch-up with your website designer and see what ideas they have?

Then evaluate how much time and money you are actually spending on your digital presence and ask yourself how much you actually value it?  Could your website be doing more to drive more business? Do you now need to start building an email list?  Do you need to really get your social media up and running and how do you go about this?  Have you asked your staff what they think about your website and social media?

There’s always lots to think about but one of the things I have learned about websites over the years is that technology and styles move on and what worked and looked great in say, 2012, doesn’t now!  Keep moving onwards …

 

What digital questions would you like to ask?

If you’d like to dicuss anything further, then why not get in touch and we can have a chat.

How can I help?

Why do some businesses not update their websites regularly?

Why do some businesses not update their websites regularly?

Many businesses have been up and running for a while now but one question that often crosses my mind is “Why don’t businesses update their websites regularly?  Why does their website feel ignored and forgotten?”  I am frequently reminded of this when faced with old, outdated sites that are filled with out-of-date content and broken links or are not mobile-friendly.

So putting pen to paper, I wrote a long list of reasons why I considered people may hate updating their sites (and by default neglecting the rest of their online presence).  I have gathered together what I hope are some interesting thoughts to give you a bit of a nudge in the right (or even different) direction if you know you are procrastinating on this very subject.

All businesses are having to make changes at the moment so this is absolutely the right time for you to have a look at your online presence and see what it says about your company.  This is also a perfect opportunity to review your general digital admin and ensure that all essential information is kept in one place.

Why do businesses not regularly update their websites? What are the Solutions?

Problem: No one in the business looks after the website – no one is interested, it’s not one person’s responsibility, it’s an addon to a job description, not integral.  No one has the inclination or technical know-how to update it. Out of sight, out of mind?

Solution: Is it time to nominate someone and make it their responsibility?  If you are a small business and, by default, this person is you, why not block out a regular period in their diary to review everything?

Problem: In a small business you are trying to do it all and the website updates get pushed to the bottom of the pile.  If you ignore it, you hope that it might go away.

Solution: Could this be outsourced or could you co-ordinate regularly with your designer?

Problem: Businesses don’t think of a website as an ongoing cost.  They think that once they’ve paid to create it, that’s it. They have not allowed an expense contingency in their budgeting to update the site regularly and they find it difficult to reconcile the value of doing this. They can’t see the harm an outdated site is doing to their business and how it makes them look.

Solution: Time to add a website update and maintenance to your company’s budgeting?

Problem: Not seeing the value in updating their website.  All that a business sees is an invoice, not the fact that their website content is current and reflects their business.  As they don’t regularly update their site, they don’t see the value of a good website and then don’t see the damage of a bad website.

Solution: Time to change their mindset and also spend some time studying Google Analytics?

Problem: Not looking at the longer-term picture. Why not? Because updating your website costs money and it’s easy to take the short-term gains and kick the website updates down the road even if this will affect business later on.  Time to rethink priorities?

Solution: Are you as a business focussing on short-term income rather than long-term investment?

Website Check List - Is your Information Up to Date?

To start your review, I’d first of all check the following:

Domain Name – who owns your domain name and where is it registered?  What are the login details and password? When is it renewed and how is it paid for?

Hosting Company – this is where your website is hosted (on their servers). What are the login details and who has access to this?

SSL – Does your website have an SSL certificate?  If you haven’t looked at your site for a while, it may be that you haven’t added one.  You can tell if you do have one by looking at your domain name in your browser and if there’s a locked padlock icon next to it, you do.  If you don’t it says “not secure”.  This is very prominent when someone is looking at your website on a mobile – probably not the message you want to send!

User-Experience – take some time to have a look at your website through the eyes of a new customer.  Can you find easily what you’re looking for and can you find the answers to those frequently asked questions?  Is your site too wordy, are there too many boring stock photos that haven’t been optimised ie, they are slowing the site down?

Up to Date – Is your site mobile-friendly as well?  Is the content up to date or is it starting to look like a forgotten, dusty old showroom?

A New Way of Working with your Website Designer?

Problem: When they designed the original site the Designer didn’t try to understand the business and this made it a painful process.  The resultant website didn’t then reflect the business and wasn’t fit for purpose.  The business is reluctant to spend further money and repeat this process.

Solution: It’s going to take a leap of faith to try again but before you engage a new designer, try and really get to know them – do they “get” your business, where you’re going and what you’re trying to achieve?  Are you on the same wavelength? Do they listen to you patiently and explain without jargon?

Problem: In website design, there can sometimes be too much jargon, it’s not easy to understand and can sometimes be difficult to make updates to the website which is why this is ignored.

Solution: Could you ask your designer for a couple of hours of tuition or some short Loom videos to explain how things work?

Problem: Sometimes designers finish the project and then “disappear”. 

Solution: You never know if this is going to happen but good practice is to get all the login and relevant information at the end of the project.

Problem:  As a designer is often freelance, they are often not viewed as integral to or part of the business.  Once the site has been designed and signed off, that is the end of the relationship. Why’s this and how can this be resolved in the future?  Has the time come to review how you work with your web designer? 

Solution: Would you have a better online presence if your web designer had more of a collaborative presence within your business?  How about both of you keeping in touch, regularly meeting (by Zoom at the moment) to update them on what’s happening?  You can discuss together how this can be reflected online and they can, for example, show you insights into how visitors are using your site which may differ from how you think people are viewing it!

Online & Digital Platforms - What Should You Know?

Whilst we are on the subject of updating your website, I though it would be a good idea to expand to your other digital platforms – it’s definitely worth doing an admin audit of them too!

Logins – Now is a good time to audit who has login access to your social media accounts, Facebook Business Manager and Google Ads Account.  How many ex-employees are still on that list or more alarmingly do you only have one person able to login to your various social media platforms and digital advertising? What would happen if you were logged out and do you have accessible recovery emails on your accounts?

Online Platforms – which social media platforms are you on?  Do you need to be on all of them or should you concentrate on the one where the majority of your customers are (and manage that one really well) and deactivate the others?

Google My Business – is this up to date.  Are your opening times correct?  Who has access to this? How often do they check it’s accurate and do they reply to reviews that you receive?

Biographies and Company Information –  are these current on your social media platforms?

Opening Times – are these correct on your social media and Google My Business?

And Finally ... A Photographic Review - Have an honest look!

Images – why not have a review of the images you’re posted and those on your website.  Are they in focus, straight and cropped nicely? Are they all the same size and shape?

Social Media Feeds – still photograph related …  are images or graphics being repeated on your grid or feed. Are they the correct size/ratio? What does your Instagram grid look like?  Try and aim to post something different each time otherwise it can quickly look spammy and messy.

Graphics – if you have some time, why not try out something like Canva.  They offer a basic free version so you can have a go making something more interesting for your social media feeds.

Linkedin – how’s your header image looking like on your LinkedIn profile.  If you’re still using the generic one and don’t know how to add a new header, then drop me a line and I can create something simple for you to add to your page!

Phone Camera – now’s the time to really try out the phone on your camera and see just how creative you can be.  Trying editing, cropping and filtering your photos and see how you can grow your portfolio.  Go and take photos and enjoy what you usually rush by!

Is there anything digital you'd like to talk about?

If you’d like to dicuss anything further, then why not get in touch and we can have a chat.

How can I help?