Almost all of us have some sort of social media presence, this may be a profile on Facebook or an account on Twitter or simply access to Instagram. Social media is not only popular for individuals but also can work very well for many businesses.

As a business owner you may worry about which social media sites you should use to advertise your business through. Often it depends on which type of industry you are in and the time and budget you have to spend.

If you are thinking of doing paid for advertising and have a business that sells direct to the public then Facebook can work really well.

When creating a profile on a social media site such as Facebook, be sure to add as much as possible in terms of detail to your profile. You can add your logo, your address and contact details, photos and also a detailed description of your business and what you sell. You want to give your readers important information about your company that they will find useful and examples of the products or service you sell.

When it comes to creating posts, be sure to make them relevant and interesting. Giving your flowers a reason to share your posts can also work well, such as through competitions.

The way you design your website is vital and can make a huge difference to the number of visitors and importantly returning visitors you get. A website that is too complex, too busy or hard to navigate will instantly put people off and may lose you a sale or enquiry.

You may not know exactly what will and what won’t work on your website until it is all up and running and you can track the progress. Analytics are vitally important to the success of your website and you should find a reliable statistics package to allow you to get the most from the results.

Google offer a great free analytics program called Google Analytics which will allow you to track a a number of different stats such as number of visitors to your site, how they found your site (e.g. Google, referral from another site or social media sites etc.). Having this information is very important and you can then analyse it full to understand what your visitors behaviour is. If for example a huge number of your customers are leaving at the checkout process then it could mean that it is too complicated.

Web design companies are becoming increasing popular as more and more businesses are realising the importance of having and maintaining a website as part of their marketing strategy.

There are many web design companies out there, so to be able to compete and stand up against the competition you need to be offering a high level of service. When it comes to web design and programming, client reviews and testimonials are very important. Potential customers want to know that you have an array of clients that are happy with the work you have done for them and may want to see working examples of websites you have created. Adding an area to your website showcasing previous works and results you have got should be a high priority.

Many web developers often struggle to really sell their services because they do not explain the product/service to the client correctly, so making sure that you know how to speak to clients in a language they understand is vital. If you struggle to do this then you may need to think about hiring someone who will manage the sales side of the business for you.  When quoting work, don’t be too greedy, if you can undercut competitors you may get the contract and possibly future work or recommendations.

A website can be a great selling platform for your business as it can help to reach people that you may not have been able to do through leaflet dropping or footfall through to your business. It can be a way to sell products or service or as a brochure to attract people to make an enquiry or visit your business. Call to actions can be a simple “Buy Now” link or a graphic containing images and text with a “Click Here” or “Find Out More” button on.

If you want to create really good call to action banners that fit in with the rest of your site and look professional then you should use a designer to create the graphic for you. The designer should be able to create a few different call to action banners that you may want to use throughout the site or on rotation. A designer will have the expertise to know what wording and graphics to use to entice people to complete the action you want them to do.

Google analytics allows you to set up goals to see how many people have clicked on to your banner and gone through to a specific page. You can then analyse this data to see which banners are working most effectively.

If you have an ecommerce website then you should try and ensure your site is set up in such a way that you can easy advertise additional products. If for example you are selling electronic equipment then you should have an area come up that shows other products that they may be interested in. This may be batteries or cables etc. You may be surprised by how many additional products you cans ell in this way. Even if a customer knows that they can get the add-on item slightly cheaper elsewhere, they may just buy it from you because you have made it more convenient to do so.

Another way to upsell is by offering free delivery when you spend over a certain amount. You may want to add banners to your site that state free delivery when you spend x amount but also adding a message to the checkout page telling customers if they spend x amount more they qualify for free delivery. All these subtle little messages and ways of displaying additional products can make a huge difference in your overall sales and profitability.

Some sites show an area which displays other products people bought when purchasing that one. These products may or may not be linked to the purchase, but this is just another way of showcasing products.