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Before the website - preparing to get your business online

Posted 04/June/2015 by vicky

 We are often talking about the website, the process for design and development, the costs and what features you can have but I often find the biggest hurdles are all the other elements clients need to succeed online. The approach to funding your project, the business plan, the long term marketing plan, legal documentation and more so in this post we look at everything but the website

Firstly, the business plan. This is especially crucial for larger business projects. Developing a business plan allows you to set out clear goals and a vision for your business but to also make sure you have a clear direction for the business, it will help you to track your progress and see where things are working or not working and when you seek finance from banks or investors they will require a business plan from you also.

Your business plan should include information of course about your business which includes the company structure, the products or services being offered/sold, information about staff and location etc. In addition to this the business plan should include goals, milestones, mission statements, financial information around where you will get your funding, marketing strategy.

You can use the Australian Government business plan templates to get started: https://www.business.gov.au/business-topics/templates-and-downloads/business-plan-template-and-guide/Pages/default.aspx

Funding. There are a few options to obtain funding your project and if you have a big idea then the likelihood is you will need some financial assistance.

Of course you can try to obtain funding from your bank via a business loan or other types of finance, possibly look to family however another option is Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a way of financing your business idea through money from the public. This is done through crowdfunding websites.

There are many crowdfunding websites as per below and the way it works commonly is that you post your business idea on the website describing your project. If people think you have a great idea and want to support you then they can opt to donate to your cause. Generally you set a timeframe for the project and you offer something in return by the way of incentives of your choice.

Angel Investors are another option. Angel investors need to have a net worth of at least $1 million and make $200,000 a year (or $300,000 a year jointly with a spouse).  Angel investors give you the money you need and you sell them equity in your company, generally  investments involve multiple investors.

Legals. Yes the legals, we all know we need them yet many people fail to get professional advice and customised legals prepared. One main reason for this is the fear of costs. At Neubreed we have established a solid partnership with LegalVision who offer a fixed price quote for all our clients with the majority of clients falling within the $1500 - $3000.00 price range - a small fee for piece of mind.

Integrations. When you are getting a bespoke website designed you want to make sure you can automate as many systems as possible. When you developer is building your project you will have the ability to integrate acconting systems, CRM's and payment systems with your website so it's important to have investigated all your processes prior to developing the site. For example you may want to integrate your site with Xero or MYOB, Paypal, Stripe or connect with your bank via payment gateway, perhaps you need your site to integrate with Salesforce. Research all your systems and what you plan on implementing so this can all be accounted for when you get your website developed.

Marketing. The way we think of marketing has clearly changed over the last few years and especially for marketing your website. Working out the best marketing plan for your business is a process that needs to be tailored for each individual business and many facets need to be considered including but not limited to;

- Social signals - creating your profile on social media platforms, integrating those with your website and managing your social content. Consideration for content scheduling using tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer

- Content - content creation and strategy is key to marketing your business online, you need a strategy for your website content and making sure that your copy is optimised for search engines but also for your users.

- SEO and PPC - On site SEO, reviewing site structure and content, Off site SEO, professional campaigns with a short and long term strategy, PPC Google, Bing, Facebook ads

If you are looking to get your business idea online and want to chat through your plans, give us a call today on 1300 858 495 for a free consultation!