Love him or Hate him we’ve got a new PM in the shape of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. What does it mean for us in Darlington & Bishop Auckland? I’d like to think it will mean delivering the wishes of local people who voted as a majority for Brexit back in ’16. But it’s going to be a rocky ride, and a short-lived one possibly, as other’s plot to STOP Brexit and bring down the Government. Another General Election looms, and one thing’s for certain: political turmoil and uncertainty will disrupt local business for MONTHS TO COME. I’ve spoken to several small traders in the million pound + turnover bracket recently and almost all have conceded they’re struggling with between 25 & 30% drop in turnover since the New Year. Bleak times. We’ve yet to hear about these hard working folk in the main stream media of course, as figures from the economists lag behind real time by several months, but in some parts of the country, it’s looking increasingly like we’re in RECESSION. Especially here in the North East.
So guys, What to do? I myself have been through these kinds of scenarios several times over 40 years in business. Formerly, when I’d find all my business from cold, I’d knuckle down & knock more doors, distribute more leaflets, and implement little known ‘guerilla marketing’ techniques to keep going. People say cold calling is dead. They are invariably the people who can’t do it. It’s a tough business yes, and few people have the skills or the resolve to keep going at it. You need to have a mental attitude which remains POSITIVE knowing that its just a case of keeping going ‘UNTIL’. Until there’s a ‘Yes’. And that ‘Yes’ comes, as surely as night follows day, you just gotta be patient and put the work in.
Online is a different matter. You put your hook out there, and hope. Hope some-one’s going to bite. Hope some-one’s going to EVEN SEE YOUR WEBSITE or SOCIAL MEDIA profile, let alone place an order. That’s why it’s SOooo important to choose carefully who you’re going to get to build or re-build that all important web-site and/or web presence. At indemandonline we think of websites first and foremost as ‘lead generators’ working 24/7, and WE KNOW that YOU DON’T WANT to be throwing a ton of money at Google or any other advertising platform for that matter. You need to get your website found as far as possible organically which means building it from scratch upon a foundation of solid competitor and keyword analysis. You also need your web developer to ATTEND TO DETAILS; you’d be surprised at how many websites display page not found notices, or out of date pages, addresses, phone numbers, prices etc etc. I also know there are people out there without websites who think they’re going to drive business just by being on Facebook or Insta…get real guys. Social media helps, but it doesn’t come close to organic or paid SEARCH nor does it (on it’s own) shed your business in a good light. So folks, give us a call or drop in; We’ve now refurbished our new premises which are at 74 Victoria Road, right on the roundabout and opposite the Vue Cinema & Hungry Horse/Woollen Mill DL1. There’s free parking on our land, accessed via the vennel off Feethams South just short of the cricket ground. Call us prior to visiting and we’ll make sure we’re available to listen to you needs.
And finally, we’ve got a neat little deal on offer: Logo Design for £40, any industry, we can turn it round in 24-36 hours, and for that money we’ll give you a full suite of images for web, print AND social media, WOW! 07902-897609 anytime 🙂