Competitions

If you run a small business a good way to attract customers is to run a competition. People love free things and especially love to win things.

The best place to set up a competition is either on your website or your blog.  Preferably a website as it will drive traffic there but if you don't have one then a blog is a good place as well - just make sure you have plenty of information about your business on the blog.  If you sell items rather than services, make sure you pick a prize that represents your business and not just something you want to get rid of as it is not selling. Many people will be judging your business on what the prize is.

Once you get it set up you need to promote the competition.  Two good ways are via Twitter and Facebook.  Include short details about your competition and links back to your website or blog.  But be warned, do not run your competition directly on Facebook as you run risk of getting your page shut down.  Make sure to promote the competition at varies times during the day / week as people check their accounts at different times.

As mentioned before, competitions are a great way to attract new customers but it also builds your traffic to your site.   For a small investment you could be dramatically increasing your sales and your traffic!  Good luck and make sure to make it a fun experience for all!

Amanda
Green Monkey Websites
b. http://mygreenmonkeys.blogspot.com
w. http://www.greenmonkeywebsites.com.au

WEBSITE DESIGN from $400   :   BLOG DESIGN from $90

Website Layby

Introducing Website Layby!!  We now offer a great new service which allows you to pay off your website rather than having to pay the full amount upfront.

• Deposit of $150.
• Weekly payments of $50 until full amount has been paid off.

Once your deposit has been received we will start working on your site and set it live once completed. As long as we are receiving your weekly payments your site will stay live.

What a great way to get you on the web without breaking your budget!  Contact us today for more information or to take advantage of this great offer.

Amanda
Green Monkey Websites

b. http://mygreenmonkeys.blogspot.com/
w. http://www.greenmonkeywebsites.com.au/

Blogs on the Go

If you catch the bus or train to and from work you might have noticed the amount of people using hand held devices.  It's usually a boring trip to work so it's a good time to check out the web. With that in mind, is your blog set up to be viewed on hand held devices? 

Setting your blog up to be mobile friendly will ensure that the content is viewed easily.  If you use Blogger simply to go Settings/Email & Mobile/Mobile Template. It just a matter of a quick click and hey presto - your blog is mobile!

Amanda
Green Monkey Websites

http://mygreenmonkeys.blogspot.com/
http://www.greenmonkeywebsites.com.au/

Your Online Store

A good online store can help you easily manage your sales and stock. I use VirtueMart. Tried and tested, I use it for my own online store Green Me OZ.

VirtueMart has many features which benefit both you and your customers. Some of my favourite features include:

• Email confirmation sent to your email inbox to notify of a new order.
• Email confirmation sent to your customer to advise receipt of payment, order confirmed and order shipped.
• Payment optionf include PayPal, Direct Deposit and Credit Card (fees do apply for merchant facilities).
• Allows you to setup different postal options ie Express Post, Regular, Registered.

Here are some other great features.....

Product Catalogue Features:

• Powerful Web-Administration Interface (Javascript-powered)
• Manages an unlimited Number of Products and Categories
• Can be used as a Shop or just as an Online-Catalog (you can even turn off Price Display)
• Quick Search for Products, Categories and Manufacturers; filter by features or discounted Products
• Product Ratings & Testimonials (moderated or auto-published)
• Feature specific Products by setting them "on special"
• Product Availability: show how fast a Customer can expect delivery
• Handles downloadable Products (virtual Goods)
• "Product is back in Stock"-Notification for subscribed Customers

Administration Features:

• Multiple Images and Files (like Spec Sheets and Flyers) per Product
• Product Attributes (like Size or Color) can be added to Product
• Product Types for Classification (like "Car", "Motorbike" or "Music Album")
• Shopper Groups for Customers (allows different Price Levels and Payment Options),
• Multiple Prices per Product (Quantity-based and/or Shopper Group-based Prices)
• Flexible Price Display (number & currency formatting; including or excluding tax)
• On-the-Fly Price Conversion between different Currencies using Live Rates from the ECB or other banks
• Shop Statistics / Control Panel with a Summary of new Customers, new Orders....
• Stock Level Control for Products and Item
• Order Management with Order History, Customer Notification and Order Edit Functionality
• Basic Reporting Feature: sold Items, monthly/yearly Revenue
• Order Status Management
• Manage different Currencies, Countries & States

Using VirtueMart together with our product showcase modules will provide your website with a professional, efficient and effective online store.

Get your online store working for you. Contact me at greenmonkeywebsites@gmail.com to find out how.

Amanda
http://mygreenmonkeys.blogspot.com

So, what do I get?

Wondering what you get for your money? With any website built by Green Monkey Websites you get the following:

·         Customised Joomla! website with a 'Home' page, 'Contact Us' page and other pages of your choice i.e. Boys Clothing, Girls Accessories etc.

·         Domain name registration for two years.

·         Joomla! website hosting for one year.

·         Flash image gallery - use your images or we can supply professional stock photographs.

·         News bar  that you can update yourself.

·         Search button.

·         Simple menu which can be displayed either vertical or horizontal.

·         Shopping cart facilities. It will be set up with PayPal and Direct Deposit options.

·         Member’s login.

·         Two email addresses i.e. Amanda@yourbusiness.com.au

·         Links to social media pages i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Blog etc. 

Other great extensions also available and free membership with all new website and blog purchases.  Check out Green Monkey Websites for the details.



Amanda
Green Monkey Websites
http://mygreenmonkeys.blogspot.com/

Why I use Joomla!

I love to create websites and use Joomla! content management systems to build professional websites at a low cost.  Why do I use Joomla! and why are my prices so low?

When starting up my other green business, Green Me OZ, I didn't have the funds to pay a professional website developer thousands of dollars for a site. So I started to research ways to do it myself and finally a family friend introduced me to Joomla!  Over the next six months I mastered the art of building websites using Joomla! and now I just love it. 

Joomla! provides professional website templates and extensions that allow me to customise sites to my clients needs.  It also allows me to keep costs down and therefore not charge you a fortune.

My aim is to help small business people get themselves on the web so they can actively promote their business. I understand how hard it can be financially to set yourself up so I therefore keep the costs as low as I can.   I can create an information site ie showcasing your services, for just $400.  If you want to add shopping cart facilities the price will be from $500, depending on how many products you want to load on.

Another great thing about the websites I build is that once completed, will allow you as the small business owner, to easily maintain and edit your website.

Whether it is a website to showcase your services, a site with shopping cart facilities,  or a site with both services, shopping cart and blog facilities, I can provide a dynamic solution for you.

If you would like to see some examples of how it could work for you please email me at greenmonkeywebsites@gmail.com

Amanda
Green Monkey Websites

http://mygreenmonkeys.blogspot.com

Getting the most out of free social media

Are you a new business or perhaps a small business working from home with little or no budget for marketing?  Fear not, there are ways to get the most out of free social media. 

I am at WAHM with two small children and started my other business Green Me OZ as a small business working from home with no budget for marketing so had to find a way to promote that was free.  As I networked I found that there are a lot of people in the same boat so I decided to set up Green Monkey Websites and offer a service specifically for small business, sporting clubs & groups and people who can't afford to spend a lot of money on promoting their business.

To get started you really need to do the following:

• Start a blog
• Set up a Facebook business page
• Set up a Twitter page

Once you get your blog going you can showcase your business on the blog and have it linked to your Facebook and Twitter pages.What exposure you get from it all is up to you.  The more you blog and the more you post to Facebook and Twitter will increase your search results and get it out there in the crazy world of social media which everyone is jumping on to.

Green Monkey Websites can set up a blog for you for $150.  We will also link your Facebook and Twitter pages to this blog. If you need help setting those up we can help you do that as well. Sign up to this blog and you will also receive regular tips on how to get the most out of your social media.

So what are you waiting for?