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

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/

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?

Blog vs. Website, what do you need?

Are you looking for a way to get yourself on the web but don't have a big budget? You do have a few options. Instead of paying thousands of dollars we can get you up and running with either a basic small business website or a blog.  Whether it's personal or business, we can design a solution to suit your needs.

Blog
Blog's are a great way to start out and offer a flexible solution allowing you to update them whenever you want. Whether it's a personal blog or for your small business, blog's can be the solution for someone on a very tight budget. And they can look fantastic!

Did you know that we can create a blog and point it to your registered domain name ie we create a blog for your business and point it to your web address ie http://www.yourbusiness.com.au/ . Hey presto, you have a website!  If you need help registering a domain name we can help you with that as well.

Website
If you are after a few more features such as a shopping cart, more dynamic imaging, newsletter registration etc, then a website is the way to go.

We can provide you with a professional website, registration of domain name and hosting.