Go and Grow with Enterprise Nation....

I went to another great Enterprise Nation, Go and Grow event.   The focus of the evening was about growing your business globally online.

 

The Panel

All the speakers were great and I made lots of notes from each one, but there were two particular speakers that stood out, Rob and Andrew.  They have successful businesses and I found it inspiring to hear about their experiences....

First up was Rob, one half of Gandys Flip Flops.  If you haven't heard of them, check out their story of how two brothers help other orphans. It's so inspiring how they came up with the idea after suffering tragedy to do something that would honour the spirit of their parents and give back to those less fortunate.

Rob's top tips for success:

1. Make it easy to for customers to refer you to their friends and family.
2. Use social media to get everyone talking.  Everything they do has a story which encourages conversations on social media.
3. Find relevant ambassadors to make noise about your product and brand. They have collaborated with the likes of Richard Branson.
4. Be persistent!

You can read their top tips for success on their website

Andrew from Coconut Grass was another success story, after 3 years he has 27,000 customers! I can only hope!

Andrew started selling through the marketplaces and now has his own website.  Andrew's top tips are from his experiences and if you sell through your own website or, you are thinking of doing so read on:

• You need a full range to give customers a reason to visit your website. Focus on product development, you are only as good as your next idea! Also applicable if you sell on a marketplace.
• When choosing a website builder, choose one which is right for your business
• Websites should be designed to solve a customer's problem. Customers want or need information / to make a purchase / to be entertained / to be part of a community.
• The 4 second rule ~ Can your customers understand what your website and your brand is about in less than 4 seconds
• Don't get in the way of a sale with barriers such as pop up ads
• Think about the customer experience ~ is your website easy to navigate and does it offer an easy and reliable checkout service?
• Photography is important, use detailed and lifestyle shots.
• Keep your website updated and fresh so customers have a reason to come back.

Andrew had the best strapline for any small business about customer service....

Don't behave like a small business, be John Lewis!

It's always reassuring to hear success stories, it makes me feel inspired and think, "I CAN do it!"

Also on the panel were two experts....

Remy Jansons from Ve Interactive gave his top tips on converting online visitors into retail customers. This was focused on those who already have a website but if like me, you are thinking of selling through your own webpage the following tips are useful to know:

1. Replicate offline, online.

Make customers feel welcome, think about exceptional customer service.

 

2. Responsive design.

Content shifts when it is resized from PC to mobile platforms

 

3. Compare other e-commerce technology

If you visit Ghostery.com you can see the apps that websites use.  If you know what your competitors and your favourite online retailers use you can replicate.

 

4. Re-engage with abandoned customers

Utilise online tools to encourage a purchase.  For example, offer free shipping or a discount.

And last but not least....

UPS are one of the sponsors of the event and they had their Director of Marketing, Matt Guffey, to give us his five tips to introduce products to global markets:

1. Do your research. 
Don't let preconceptions hold you back
The global marketplace is smaller than ever.

2. Understand the needs of your customer

3. Get organised
Get a system in place to streamline paperwork.
Ensure the right tracking systems are in place to address any problems before they escalate.

4. Get to grips with the paperwork for the regulatory bodies.
You can visit UPS' website for helpful resources.

5. Be able to send your product to customers, wherever they are.
Make sure logistics are fool proof. Obviously this was an opportunity for UPS to plug their services but using the services of a logistics company may be of value to you.

Final words of wisdom ~ Start slow, get smart and make sure that you take on each market one at a time

This was the last of the Go and Grow series. However due to its success there are more planned, yay! There will be a campaign launch on 31st July with more inspiring speakers, to find out more click here . 

I'll definitely be there, I have found them very useful and I have enjoyed meeting with other small business owners.  They are free events so it seems silly not to take advantage of the opportunity to hear from e-commerce entrepreneurs willing to share their top tips for success, and have I mentioned there is wine and beer available after!

fizzi~jayne x

Enterprise Nation ~ Go and Grow Online....

I went to a free event hosted by Enterprise Nation at the end of May. If you don't know anything about them they are a business that "help people turn their passion into great businesses".  I reviewed a book by the owner last week you can check it out here.

The event was one in a series about growing a business online.  The talk I attended was about Social Media which is a huge topic to squeeze into an hour, but they managed to cover the key points and I got some helpful hints.

They had Communications and Social Media experts from Microsoft (where the event was held), UPS as well as freelance consultants.

Here are some of the top tips from the experts:

• Don't post the same thing, at the same time across all platforms.  Be more targeted on each platform.
• Use a consistent tone of voice across all platforms.  Not sure what that is? Ask yourself this question, if your brand was a person how would you describe it?
• Consider what you want to be known for.
• Most people follow or like a page because of an incentive or a promotion.
• Which platform and at what time to post depends on your customers and their lifestyle.  If you are not sure ask your customers what they use and try posting at various times to see what gets the most comments/ retweets/ Likes etc.

I found the Twitter tips from @AlisonBattisby (Social Media Consultant) most useful. Her top 3 tips plus a bonus one are:

#1 Be interesting

• There are three types of posts ~ fun, informative and helpful.  Use a mix of all three.
• Generally people are looking for entertainment on social media.
• Make your audience feel special by posting news about offers, new products/services.
• Use images at least once a week.  This will also make your post stand out on your followers timeline.

#2 Speak to influential people

• Use #journorequest to see the stories and features that journalists are looking for.
• Twitter advance search ~ this is great for finding specific tweets. For example if you are a social media consultant you may want to search for people asking for help with social media and using this tool may help you find your next project.

#3 Use Twitter advertising

• Be targeted, specific and always add a link to your website.
• You can pay for different types of advertising but the recommended one by Alison is a promoted tweet. Always include an image and your web link.
• Use advertising for key events such as launching a website, hosting an event or launching new products, to get the most return on your spend. 

The Bonus : Make sure your twitter account looks professional.

Quote of the evening was by @StevenWoodgate #JFDI & be awesome, I think this will be my daily mantra!

There was also an opportunity to network.  It was a pleasure to meet others who own a small business and are at various stages in their journey.  You get to meet people who have gone through the process of starting a business or who are at the early stages and it's a great opportunity to share experiences and get support. You can guarantee whatever you are struggling with someone else will have gone through exactly the same at some point.

I am going to another event about Going Global. I had my first order from the USA last week so this may be quite apt!

If you are interested in these events there are two left in the Go and Grow Online series and you can get more info here (one of them is tomorrow night so be quick!). They are being held at Microsoft's offices in London, near Victoria Station (not as easy to find as you would expect!).

I don't have any pictures of the event as I didn't pick the best seat in the house, I had a pillar blocking some of my view! So I thought I would end with this....



Source

fizzi~jayne x