Case Study: A Driving School Start Up

Recently a friend went solo and started his own driving school. Naturally like all small businesses he had a website done (Pass My Way). I think the logic goes get a web site and let the good times roll. Sadly it’s not like that on the web. Getting good search engine rankings so folks find you requires some time and effort, and not just as a one off but on a regular basis.

What follows are some things that I Stephen can do that will improve the website, how it is found, and hopefully get Stephen more business.

Email Signature

Currently when Stephen sends an email it has no signature on it. The first thing I would recommend is that he add a signature to his emails that has contact details on along with the websites address. It’s an easy thing to do, costs nothing and promotes the website.

Use Facebook Properly

The next recommendation I would make is for Stephen not to friend any of his pupils on Facebook. The personal Facebook account should be for friends and family only. But I’m not saying to ignore Facebook. What Stephen needs to do is set up a Fan Page for his website. Which naturally will point folks back to his website. But it will also allow Stephen to interact with possible customers, and hopefully turn them into a paying customer. But this is something that will require time and effort. I’d also add the Facebook Fan Page URL to the email signature.

Don’t forget business cards and stationery

I’ve mentioned the email signature having his website URL on along with the Facebook Fan Page URL. But this needs to be added to any stationery and business cards that he has as well.

Web2.0 and social media is not always the silver bullet

I’m not going to recommend Twitter or starting a blog. These things take a lot of time and commitment, and let’s face it they are not the answer to everything. And in this instance I don’t think that the time and effort that they would require would give a good ROI.

Contact via website

When you look at the site there is a booking form for prospective customers to book a lesson with. However to send any other query they use a mailto link. I’m not a big fan of mailto links. I much prefer contact forms. To me having both methods does not come across as consistent either. They should stick to one, and that one should be a contact form in my opinion.

While I’m talking about queries from prospective clients, I want to mention about keeping the FAQ on the site updated. Every time a query comes in (via email or the Facebook Fan page) Stephen should be thinking does this need adding to the FAQ? If it does then it should be added to the FAQ. Also the FAQ should be reviewed every so often to make sure that the information is still relevant or needs updating.

Google

Doing a Google search for “driving lessons Farnborough” gives the following at the top of the search results.

The top three are the Sponsored Links, which are paid for links. But then we have the Local business results.

Stephen needs to get his site listed here, luckily this is something that can be done for free. Once again it will require some time and effort, but doesn’t everything?

Which brings us nicely on to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Stephen should look into this. It will enable him to increase the ranking of his website. HOWEVER this is not a do once and forget thing. It will require time and effort on a regular basis. It also includes the next two or three suggestions as well.

Know your enemy

Stephen should be regularly looking at the websites of his rivals. Not just as part of any SEO that he is doing but also from keeping an eye on what they are doing. He can take ideas from their sites that might work for him on his, sites always need improving. It will also allow Stephen to respond to any special offers that rivals introduce, keep an eye on their rates. It’s a dog eat dog world and the last thing you want to do is be caught sleeping.

Google Analytics

Looking at the HTML for the website there is no Google Analytics Tracking Code (GATC).Which unless he is getting some stats from the server hosting the site means Stephen is getting no feedback about his site. So as a matter of priority Stephen needs to get his web developer to add the GATC to his site even if he has server side stats being generated. It doesn’t hurt to have two different opinions, plus the Google Analytics can link in with a Google Adwords campaign.

Google Adwords

Which brings me on to Stephen possibly thinking about running a Google Adwords campaign. Now I can see some of the keywords that Stephen has had put in the sites meta tags being popular and expensive. This means that Stephen will have to look at secondary keywords to advertise against.

Being contactable

One thing I think that Stephen should be while he is out, and between lessons is contactable not just be phone but by email as well. I know that Stephen has a laptop, but that is too big to keep in the car out of eyesight of thievin’ gits. So I would look at maybe getting a smartphone like an iPhone or a Blackberry to pick up emails and respond to them. Another option would be to get a netbook like a Compaq 702 10.2-inch Mini Note with a USB 3G card. There are several deals around on these and one can be found that matches the budget available.

I think that is enough to be getting on with. Stephen has a steep learning curve ahead of him. I haven’t gone into great detail on some of these like the analytics or SEO stuff. These are big subjects and I couldn’t do them justice in this post. With a bit of reading, some time and effort, maybe a little bit of money, he should see an increase in traffic to his website and from there an increase in people booking lessons with him.

If you run a small business and would like some impartial advice at a reasonable price either for your website or company IT drop me a line via the contact form on the right.

Cool XBox360 Announcements From E3

At this years E3 Microsoft made some cool announcements for the XBox360. Here I’m going to look at the three that I think will have the biggest impact on the home.

The first of which was to announce that this Autumn Sky will be coming to the 360. Which is a pretty good move on both parts. It’s not clear at the moment exactly which channels will be available, or what the costs will be. But for Sky this means that they can get into all those homes that have cable and by pass the cable provider. A lot of 360’s are in the bedroom, and this announcement means that there is a way to get Sky into those bedrooms with out having to have a second Sky box, or pay for that second installation. For Microsoft this helps them position the 360 as the only box that you need under your tv in the living room.

But one of the exciting things that you will be able to do with the Live Sky broadcasts like football matches is the live chat. So if you and your mates are all watching the match on your 360’s you will be able to use the headsets and have all the banter while the game is on. Just like you do while playing Call Of Duty 4 or Halo 3 at the moment.

Over the last couple of years you can’t escape the impact that social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are having. So the next announcement from Microsoft for the 360 will come as no surprise either. This Autumn Microsoft will be adding the ability for you to access your Facebook and Twitter accounts via Xbox Live. For this to be of real use to people they will need to get the messenger kit. This adds a little keyboard to the 360 controller that makes typing easier. So I expect to see sales of this messenger kit increase once this is available to use.

The final announcement that will be of interest to folks is Project Natal. So what is Project Natal? Well it’s a controller free controller! At a basic level think of the Wii sensor bar on steroids, but you don’t need the Wii remotes, or the need for a WiiFit board. It is easier to show what it does than write about it. So watch this video showing what Project Natal can do.

But the most impressive and incredible use for Project Natal was shown by Lionhead with their Milo demo. Just watch the following clip, it’s breath taking.

So can Project Natal be a Wii beater? If it works as well as the demos then I think it can and will be a game changer for the Game Industry. I’m so looking forward to when we can get this technology in our living room.

WWDC Next week

Next week is WWDC. Which is an Apple event for developers. There are many expectations for next week about what Apple will be announcing.

There is probably going to be something about Snow Leopard announced at the show. This is the next release of OS X that will be released to the world.

The other no brainer is that the next release of the iPhone firmware will be made available to the general public. But along side this there is the expectation that a new iPhone will be announced as well. The rumour mills are already in over drive with the expected new features to be seen.

But the rumour mill has also been saying that we may see a new Apple device/computer as well. Whether that is in the form of a netbook some sort or even the fabled tablet mac who knows.

Finally it is expected we will see Steve Jobs return back to the helm of Apple. But do we really think that in his time off that he has not been involved with the company in some form or other? But it will be good to see him back anyway.

So until the keynote has been delivered, and we know for sure what we will be getting. We can only dream of what could be.

iPhone Project

Well it’s been a while since I posted on here. Readers of my other blog (whitepsider1066.com) will know that I have completed my second TGO Challenge ( a west coast to east coast crossing of Scotland). Which has taken up a lot of my time in getting ready for that and then actually doing it.

Now that it is over I am now looking for work in the I.T. sector again. But with the current “economic downturn” that may be harder than I think.

But while walking the dogs round the local nature reserve on Thursday I did have an idea for an iPhone app. Well there were a couple of ideas. The first idea was for an iPhone tv guide app, that would have alerts (set up by the user). These alerts would pop up when programs you are following or maybe actors or whatever appeared in the schedule letting you know that you may want to watch or record the program.

The other iPhone app I thought of I’m not going to mention on here. At the moment I’m trying to get some backing to develop it into a commercial product. So you will understand why I’m not giving out specifics. I do have one possible interested party in the idea but it is early days still at the moment.

What I will do though is talk iPhone apps and their development in the coming weeks. You have been warned.

Audio Books

Over on my other blog I from time to time sing the praises of audio books. Particularly the ones from Audible.co.uk.

On my drive back from the South I was listening to some episodes of TWiT. One of the sponsors/advertisers on TWiT is Audible. Each episode the TWiT crew make suggestions for books you might like to listen to from the Audible catelog.

These weekly picks are a great way of finding a way to spend your monthly credit that you get with the subscription. Sadly sometimes the recommendation is only available in the US version of the site. I think this is down to licensing issues.

As I listened to the discussion I thought about what was it that made me like listening to audio books.

I thought back to my formative years, and the great program that the BBC used to have on for children called Jackanory. This was a book broken up in to several parts and read by a presenter. In some ways audio books remind me of this program but with out the visual element.

But I thought it can’t be just that. Does it at some level take me back to those times when a parent would read to me in bed at bedtime? I think to some extent yes it does invoke those memories. I do remember my dad reading to me as a kid at bedtime, particularly Robin Hood.

There is another benefit about audio books, you can have rather a lot of them on your ipod and they don’t take up any extra space or add any extra weight to the ipod.

But whatever your reason for listening to them, you can’t escape the fact that the Audible.co.uk is a good deal.

Remaining In Contact Update 1

Thought I would write an update on my initial experiences of using social media and technology to keep in contact with Nathan after I moved up North.

Before I left on Nathan’s pc I installed Skype, bought him a web cam and installed, then set up a short cut up on his desktop to my blog.

Nath and I both have Xbox Live Gold accounts for our Xbox360’s. So we are able to send messages to each other via Xbox Live. Xbox Live is great for keeping in touch. Nath can send me a text or voice message. To aid in the sending of text messages Nath and I both have the messenger kit. This is a small QWERTY keyboard that plugs into the 360 controller. We both use this when sending text messages to each other via Xbox Live.

But Xbox Live comes into it’s own with games. Nath and I can and have games evenings playing games online with each other. It’s good fun playing Texas Hold ‘Em or Uno while chatting away using the headset. Sound quality isn’t amazing but it’s good enough (just).

Another great feature is private chat, so Nath and I can chat away with each other while playing different games. We spent two hours doing this one Sunday afternoon. I was playing Doom and I think Nath was playing Saints Row 2.

Nath and I have also been using Skype with video to chat with each other as well. Skype is great, easy to use and Nath can call me whenever he likes. The video side I think adds more to the call for Nath.

When Nath came to visit I was impressed and touched to find out that Nath actually visited my blog regularly to see what I was up to. So that seems to be working ok at the moment.

So far the use of social media and other tech seems to be working. It’s enabling the both of us to stay in contact easily with the minimum of effort. The proof  is the fact that Nath is using it himself without me prompting him. Several times now Nath has been the one to make the Skype call. So all in all a very positive experience so far.

What Does A Blogger Take To Cover A Show?

We all see and follow the tech blogs that cover industry events and live blog Apple Announcements. But what tech do they take with them to do all this? Very rarely do we get to peak behind the curtains to see what they are using.

So I thought I would write about what tech I take with me to cover outdoors events like The Outdoors Show at the NEC. This kit has grown and changed since I started blogging. By that I mean I didn't start out with all this stuff, IIRC my first show I live blogged I used only an MDA Pro (it's a PDA/Smartphone).

Phone: iPhone 3G

I love my iPhone, it is a dream blogging device. Mainly due to the apps you can put on it. Using the free Wordpress app I am able to write a blog post and attach a photo without having to rely on a third party (as I did previously) to post a photo from the show floor. But I can also update social media sites as well such as Facebook and Twitter if I want with the appropriate app. I also have a voice note app on there that I can record notes on or do an audio interview with. Oh and it makes phone calls apparently as well ;-)

But all the above on the iPhone takes power, and eats up the battery. So to increase the battery life so I can get through the day I have just got a mophie juice pack.

Camera: Olympus SP-565UZ

I don't have an DSLR at the moment (that is planned, but way off in the future). But as folks have seen I have been getting some pretty decent photos with this camera on my walks (see whitespider1066.com for examples). So this is the camera I will be using at the moment.

Video Camera: Flip Mino

What a great little video camera. Not much I can say about this really. It showed it's worth last year at a trade show I went to when I was able to capture demos on the stands. If it arrives in time there maybe a second video camera going along as well which will allow me to record in HD!

Laptop/Netbook: Compaq 702 10.2-inch Mini Note

Last year I took a eee pc with me. It is a nice little netbook (it has a new home to go to), so I have replaced it with this XP based netbook from Compaq. Built in webcam, able to use Windows Live Writer, if need be I can do a quick video edit, or crop a photo. The netbook allows me to write longer better posts, and get them up. Last year the eee pc was used in the evening to write up that days blog entry ready to go up when I got home or net access (I spent two days at the show last year, and screwed up with no net access at the hotel).

Notepad and pen

Well you still can't beat the old pen and paper. It's the format I have been making my pre-show notes on ready for the day.

Well I hope that has given folks found that brief list helpful and informative.