A Simple Idea For A New Business
A blog post!
I dare not look at the date on my last post, I know it’s been a long time but the truth is that I’m starting to find it incredibly difficult to find subjects to write about. If you look back over the archives, you’ll see that I’ve covered just about everything to do with marketing over the past 3 years.
But luckily I’ve stumbled across a new subject for a post, and i think it’s going to be a good one.
As with most of my ideas, I came across it entirely by accident.
A couple of years ago I was browsing the Internet, as you do, and I came across something that made me do a little vomit in my mouth, take a look:
I’ve blurred out some of the information to protect the person that designed the site (I said SITE), but as you can see from the picture, it’s like we’ve gone back in time to 1997, there are primary colours, animated GIF’s, annoying Javascript plugins, and most importantly, the site looks a mess.
That’s just one example, I’m sure you’ll have come across many similar sites on your travels. Here’s another example that I stumbled across:
Not quite as bad as the first site, but still a very basic site, with pixelated images and general “cheap” feel to it.
So, what does all this have to do with Internet Marketing?
Quite a lot actually, I’m sure you all have your own sites, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that all of your sites will look better than those in my examples.
That’s because, in general, the vast majority of Internet Marketers know just how easy it is to create a site that oozes sex appeal in no time at all, I’ve got 1 word for you – WordPress!
A lot of you will be familiar with using WordPress as a blogging platform, but it can be even more lucrative if you take it “offline” and use it as a CMS (Content Management System).
This allows you to create a top quality website, that people with no web design knowledge will be able to operate, all you need to do is set up the site and host it for them.
Sound simple enough? – It Is!
Just imagine how pleased the client would be if you were able to transform their drab site into something that looks like this:
So here it is, my business idea (it’s not a new idea, I’ve been doing this for ages!) laid out step by step:
1. Search on google for *name of service* *name of your town*, Eg:
Plumbers Halifax
2. Go through the results until you find a really bad website
3. Contact owner of bad website, either by phone, or go see them if they have a shop
4. Offer to create them a brand new website that they can update themselves, and will look the bees knees
5. Get a reseller hosting account
6. Set up a wordpress blog and use a professional theme (See StudioPress themes)
7. Present site to client and watch as his/her face beams with pride at the sterling job you’ve done for them
8. Collect a nice yearly payment for the site
That’s it, a nice simple business idea that anyone can do, and trust me, it works!
I use the above method all the time for local businesses, clubs, holiday cottages, village halls, community groups, the list is endless. It’s all about using the skills you’ve already attained from your time as a marketer, and then taking them offline.
With a simple tool like WordPress and a professional theme, you can blow the offline designers out of the water on both price and quality, and the clients will love you for it. They’ll then refer you to their friends and before you know if you’ll be the “go to guy” for web design in your area 🙂
And if anyone reading doesn’t like the technical side of things but has a few clients in mind, I’d be happy to work with you on a split commission basis, so you’d liaise with the customer and I’d do the design/hosting part – get in touch for details.
And that brings to an end the blog post, what do you think, have I managed to turn on that light bulb in your head or am I talking nonsense? As always leave a comment and let me know!
Regards,
Dan
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Hi Dan,
Your article could not be more timely! 🙂 I was just reading about a local woman who is doing exactly that for clients and I was wondering how she was doing it. Your article just answered my question! WordPress and a Reseller account! Bingo!
Excellent business idea and a brilliant suggestion for people to grow offline and online businesses.
Thank you for sharing.
Kind Regards
Jacinta 😀
(An Aussie mum trying to create a business online while her 2 year old sleeps! 😯 )
No problem Jacinta, glad you like it!
Hi Dan
This is a great idea, and simple to implement.
If you’re improving on poor quality sites, does this mean that they give you the content as well?
Regards
Sean
Hi Sean,
If they already have an existing site, I’ll ask them if they want to keep the existing content or start from scratch. If they want to keep the content then I’ll just copy/paste it over into the new site.
Do you negotiate a price before you do the site or after?
How much would you charge for a basic site?
Who puts the content in?
Hi Alex,
Always agree the price before you start, that way both parties know where they are with everything.
For a basic site I’d normally charge between £100 and £200 per year, or they’d be able to reduce the yearly cost by paying a larger fee upfront.
I always add the initial content as part of the set up process, and then show them how they can update the site in future from within the WP admin area.
Just recently watched a webinar concerning the business model that you suggest it’s a good opportunity and worth looking in to.
Thank Dan, great idea.
Hi Dan
Like all great ideas, once revealed it’s blindingly obvious. Well worth waiting for.
Hi Dan
Dan im real interested in partnering up with you.
I clicked on your ‘Contact Me’ tab but nothing came up.
Could you please provide me a email addy to get a hold of you on or mine is raynemarino (at) gmail.com
Cheers Dan, great post!
Hi Rayne,
Sure, you can get me on:
dan *big curly at symbol* d9hosting.co.uk
Thanks, Dan — great idea. Maybe my mind is rather muddled today, but what would I be charging them for per year if they were updating it themselves? Do I pay for the hosting, and charge them a bit extra per year?
Cheers, Donnie
Hi Donnie,
Yes, you’d be charging them for the hosting, domain name and any technical support they require. I find they’ll ask you a few questions over the year so if you charge a yearly fee it covers the cost of your time.
An excellent idea, Dan, just what I’ve come to expect from you!
If you have an Aweber account you can add an opt-in box to your clients site and charge a monthly fee to manage their email marketing for them.
And how about offering an SEO service (I can feel another monthly fee coming on!!) getting to the top of Google for a local search term (plumbers Halifax) is not that difficult, in fact you can raise your client’s profile just by adding their business to Google Maps (costs nothing)
Stuart
Good idea Stuart. I was actually playing with the Google business listing thing the other day and ended up listing our farm as “Livestock Traders” and we’ve actually had a few phone calls from it :-0
Great idea. How do you ‘tactfully’ approach your prospects about their ‘crappy’ site?
It’s amazing what some people are extremely proud of!
haha, yes, very true Stan. They may have designed the site themselves so don’t go in all guns blazing telling them their site is crap 🙂
It might be a good idea to show them a couple of demos to them, and how you thought their shop/service would benefit from a revamp and how it would improve their web presence, etc, etc, etc.
Great post, this an early start to the new year. Thanks!
Hi Dan thats a fantastic idea! some of the other ideas from Stuart brilliant!!
cheers
Rob
Nice simple concept. The work itself I could do standing on my head with my eyes closed. Cold calling potential clients? Way to scary! Any ideas as to how I can get them to contact me? Leaflets?
Phill
Hi Phil,
Yeah, you could put together some leaflets and post them out, but leaflets are a lot easier for them to ignore 😉
Hi there Dan, what a great idea. Do you use a contract with your clients and if so did you put it together yourself or get a solicitor to do it for you?
Did you set up your own website to offer this service – if so can you tell me your domain so I could look at it to get ideas, or is that something you wouldn’t want to share?
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
I don’t have any contracts with the clients, I’ve never really considered it to be honest.
If you want to drop me an email I’ll send over a link to you. (Contact form link at top of page)
Dan
OMG I had the same idea a few days ago while looking at a website for my hometown. I was trying to think about what to charge for such a service. And I’m catching up on my email and found a lot of the answers I needed right here. How bout that?
Hi do you have any easier ways of making a living on the internet, something an old timer can do? regards Bill
Hi Bill,
To be honest I don’t think it can get much easier than the idea in the post 🙂