Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Web Design in Kettering

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

When is the Best Time to Get My Business ‘Activ’ Online…? By Naomi Osborn, Activ Web Design in Kettering

It’s a question that Activ Web Design in Kettering is often asked, and it is most effective to draw on a few specific examples and case studies in order to provide an answer.

The ‘Murder Mystery’ Start Up

After a career in management consultancy the client was looking to ‘go it alone’ and start to earn a revenue stream from the ‘Murder Mystery’ evenings he had been writing and successfully producing for many years as a hobby.  However, the commercial realisation of his vision needed refining. He approached Activ Web Design in Kettering and through collaborative and consultative dialogue this vision was translated into an ‘online’ shop with downloadable plots.  An e-commerce offering fitted perfectly with the strategy for a fledging business of this nature as it would ultimately minimise the need for a full time hands-on approach and allow the client to focus on his ‘day job’ as his new venture grew!

Dance School Expansion

An established and successful local Dance School was moving to new premises, which would allow the business to grow.  This was a time of considerable upheaval, effort and not to mention expense for the school.  However, they had identified that to maximise the value of their building investment it was essential, as part of this modernisation, to have a website for the first time.  To achieve this they chose to work with Activ Web Design in Kettering to create a stylish brochure website to coincide with the grand opening, with the peace of mind that the fixed price offering ensured that this additional expense was not going to escalate at such a ‘budget sensitive’ time for the school.

Whilst the grand opening is still a few days away, the website is already live and working hard to ensure that the new studio’s are filled with the next generation of “High School Musical” devotees!

Playground Equipment Supplies Company Diversification

In any commercial environment things change and Activ Web Design in Kettering can help you and your business change with it and respond to trends in a timely and effective fashion.  After 35 years of supplying and installing playground equipment nationwide the client was seeing the market change around him – and his business! To counter this, diversification was required, as well as a change to how the business operated.  Previously all business had come through his existing website and direct contact with local authorities, for design and installation services.  The diversification in this case was to move to an ‘e-commerce’ site directed at the smaller scale commercial market (campsites, pubs and nurseries etc) to enable an online transaction and direct shipping of the product for the customers to install themselves. An easy and cost effective way of adding clear and distinct offerings to a new market, without changing the business’ ‘raison d’etre’!

Having considered each of these scenarios, it is worth re-considering the original premise of this article:

When is the best time to get my Business ‘Activ’ On line…?

The simply answer is NOW!

Whatever the life cycle of your business, even if you have a web site already, Activ Web Design in Kettering and Corby will work with you to create an effective on line presence that suits the needs of your business all at a fixed and affordable price.

Web Design in Nantwich – Get “Activ” Online Now

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

OK, so you have decided your business, or your club, will benefit from having your own web page. So how do you decide, from all the dozens of web designers out there, who will deliver you what you need?

Maybe a budget price is important, or possibly someone who will take an interest in your business and work with you to help develop an effective and productive online presence. You will want to work with someone local who can react quickly to new opportunities for your business, but above all someone you can trust who has the backing of one of the largest web design companies in the world.

Well now you can have all of these and more. Web Design in Nantwich, part of the award-winning, global Activ web design family can give you an online presence that will work for your business from day one, at price within your budget, without compromising on the professional image your business deserves. And it won’t end there; using industry analytics we will meet regularly and monitor your website through the year, fine-tuning the content as your business develops

Here at Web Design in Nantwich, we are marketing people first and web designers second, so we promise not to bombard you with geek speak, just plain simple English

And what’s more, because we are local, your web page will be up and running and working for you in a matter of days, not weeks or months

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The Internet – Where Would We Be Without It?!

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

The Internet – Where Would We Be Without It?!

By Naomi Osborn, Activ Web Design in Kettering & Activ Web Design in Corby

You can probably trace the start of it all back to J.C.R. Licklider who, as early as January 1960, wrote a paper on Man-Computer Symbiosis in which he foresaw what he described as:

“A network of computers, connected to one another by wide-band communication lines”

Leap forward 35 years, numerous protocols and developments by educational institutes, the US military and not surpsingly NASA, and in 1995 the final commercial restrictions were lifted and ‘The Internet’, a phrase first used in 1974, was open for business.  The next key date in the history of the Internet is quite possibly October 2010 when Activ Web Design in Kettering and Activ Web Design in Corby went live!

It is amazing to think that for something that is less than 30 years old it is such an integral part of the fabric of society.  It has penetrated every part of our daily lives in such a way that we rarely think about.  Websites are now a ‘must have’ for all walks of life, particularly businesses. Only today it was reported that one quarter of marketing spend is now on internet based advertising. Activ Web Design in Kettering can help to get you or your business online to ensure that you are doing your best to be proactive in your chosen market.

So what are people using the internet for?

There are Personal sites for ‘bloggers’ who use their own sites to share their thoughts, wisdom and insights.

Forums and chat rooms provide a virtual location for like minded individuals to ‘gather’ and also an opportunity to ‘ask an expert’.

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Activ Web Design Customer Wins Media Today Business Achievement Award

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

CAMBRIDGE PRESTIGE WEDDING CARS ticks all the right boxes for couples looking for vintage luxury transport on their Big Day, as owner of the company, Paul Rider explained in a recent interview: “Offering a matching pair of Daimler DS420 Limousines and a 1949 Silver Wraith Rolls Royce to choose from, Cambridge Prestige Wedding Cars guarantees you a touch of class on your wedding day.”

All our cars have been painted in the same traditional cream and black to ensure they match each other and will co-ordinate with any colour scheme for your wedding,” he continued, “So, whether you wish to hire one, two or all of our cars, you can relax in the knowledge that you have chosen a beautiful car that complements your wedding theme. We pride ourselves on our personal service and attention to detail and will match the silk ribbons to your exact colour choice.”

As you would expect, the company’s vintage cars are all maintained to the highest standards both inside and out, with the engines being regularly serviced by the company’s highly experienced staff. “Every vintage car has its own romantic history and ours are no exception. The Silver Wraith Rolls Royce motorcar has a distinguished film career, being best remembered in The Return of the Pink Panther in 1975, this model of car also appeared in James Dean, Batman and Arthur among others; with our own stunning 1949 Silver Wraith Rolls Royce having once been owned by Joan Collins. Our Daimler DS420 Limousine has a history of being used to transport important passengers, having previously been part of the fleet at Buckingham Palace, and with the vehicle still bearing the flagpole for the Royal Standard, just imagine how impressed your family and friends would be to see ribbons in your own colours with your names fluttering on that same flagpole.”

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Web Design in Kettering and Corby

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Be Careful what you tweet…ASA Changes That Every Website Owner Should Know About

An article by Naomi Osborn, Activ Web Design Kettering & Corby

Your website is completely within your control and an essential marketing tool to showcase your products, whether it is a simple brochure or an on-line shop.  Combined with the use of targeted email and social media tools it is a powerful and cost effective mechanism to target your existing and potential customer base.

However, the increasing use of social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc) as a direct marketing tool and on-line promotion of products, including your own website, has come under closer scrutiny from the advertising authorities.  The primary driver for this is the unsupervised direct access to, and potential influence on, children and young people that these formats allow.

On the 1st of March 2011 The ASA extended the Committee of Advertising Practices (CAP) code to incorporate digital media.  This was a reaction to the increasing levels of complaints that were made to the CAP relating to content on websites and other ‘non-paid for’ online space.  The fundamental impact of this is that statements made about a product or service on a company’s own website or social media stream must comply with the same marketing and advertising standards required for all other advertising avenues.

The key message of “The Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008” is objectivity, and to ensure that your message can be substantiated.  Broadcast and non-broadcast media alike undergo considerable scrutiny to ensure that the products are not misrepresented to the consumer.  However the meteoric ascension of social media, and its increased use by large as well as small businesses to promote directly to its consumers, has until now operated through a loop hole that allowed unregulated and subjective promotion of products through avenues completely controlled and generated by the advertiser.

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