Scoot Blog

Send Customers Straight To Your Door

It’s all well and good offering discounts and announcing sales to entice customers to your door, but if your online details are incorrect, just whose door will your customers end up at? The rise of online directories has unsurprisingly coincided with the decline in print directory usage, with more people choosing to hide their bulky paper directories at the back of cupboard in favour of a quick internet search for a local business. One thing that IS surprising is the number of UK businesses that have yet to realise just how important it is to make sure that their details are correct and up-to-date across the web, with a staggering 40% of all online business information either incorrect or incomplete.

Appearing in the local search results is an important goal for any business; however incorrect details could result in a loss of potential business. When listing your business on a directory site it is important to remember that the devil really is in the detail. Whether you have yet to list your business, or you are planning an online spring clean, make sure you follow our top tips.

CHECK YOUR OWN WEBSITE

If you’re about to add your details to a business directory the first thing to do is make a quick pit stop at your own business website. Note down the physical address, phone number, URL and even the full name of the business. Ensuring that all directory listings contain exactly the same data is incredibly important and helps promote a business within the search engines. It is easy to make a simple typo but if that typo leads customers to 10 High Street instead of 100 High Street, it could soon prove costly!

DOUBLE CHECK ALL THE ADVERTS YOU HAVE SET UP

The shift from print to online advertising has brought with it several benefits to business, one of which is the ability to press that all important edit button to rectify a mistake. Spending money on an paper based advert is all well and good but when you realise that your phone number is missing an all important digit there’s nothing that you can do. On the other hand, a mistake made on an online listing can be swiftly rectified as long as you take the time to check and double check your listing once it is live!

KEEP CHECKING BACK

Once your online directory listings are live it is important to keep on top of them, make a note of which directories you have submitted your information to and either check yourself or allocate the responsibility to a member of staff. It is rare that all business information will stay the same forever therefore if you do move premises or switch phone numbers, make sure you make the necessary changes as soon as you can. If you don’t have the time to keep track of all of your directory listings NetTrackz is a fantastic way to view and amend all of your listings in one place.

GET SOCIAL

The rise of social media is also playing an important role in making sure that your online directory presence is as strong as possible. If you spend a lot of time tweeting and sharing information on Facebook make sure you check to see if any of your online directory listings include a space to post your profile URL or username. Scoot offers a handy social tab that provides customers with an up-to-date Twitter feed and a Facebook profile view.

Online directories are already proving to be a valuable starting point for anyone looking to search the web for a local business, and are fast becoming a vital asset for small business owners wishing to increase their web presence. With 96% of business owners agreeing that 2012 will see print directory usage among under 50’s plummet to zero*, what better time to get a head start with its online counterpart?

For more information on how to get the most out of online directories why not follow Scoot on Twitter for daily news, hints and tips?

*Touch Local Business Poll 2011

Get involved now and receive a £50 voucher!

It’s safe to say that paper business directories are still proving their worth across the UK. Can’t reach the tops of those dusty kitchen shelves? Simply stand on top of a directory and hey presto, dust be gone! Can’t bring yourself to pick up that spider that’s been tormenting the household for a week? Your paper directory just became your number one weapon. There are countless other ways for people to really get the most out of these once invaluable marketing sources but unfortunately quickly searching for a local business just isn’t one of them.

The decline of print directory usage is in stark contrast to the rise of online directories. In today’s world people want instant information and with more people finding themselves attached to a monitor or mobile phone screen, the internet is the most popular place to find it. As well as being a quicker and more efficient way of searching for a local product or service, online directories provide businesses themselves with a clearer view of their return on investment. It’s almost impossible for a business to find out just how many people have viewed their advert in a magazine or newspaper however an internet campaign enables advertisers to track and measure the success of their ad.
Time and money aside, think about how many chunky directories you have had squeezed through your letterbox or left behind your plant pot over the years. Here is what the print of 75 million phonebooks in the UK costs:

• 680,000 barrels of oil (not including the wasted petrol used for their delivery)
• 2 billion litres of water
• Enough energy to power 112,000 3 bedroom houses for one year

If you have already spent part of your marketing budget on print media advertising do not despair! We’ve decided to make sure that businesses finally get something out of their print media advertising by holiday our first advert amnesty. Simply find your advert in a paper directory, newspaper or magazine, take a picture of it and send it to us via email, Facebook or Twitter. If you prefer you can even rip out your advert and post it to us! In return we will send you a voucher for £50 worth of Scoot advertising*, as one of the leading UK directories Scoot is the perfect platform to really make sure your business gets the attention it deserves!

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Email: Kathryn@scoot.co.uk

Post:
Scoot Marketing
Scoot House
19 Falcon Court
Preston Farm Industrial Estate
Stockton-On-Tees
Cleveland
TS18 3TU

*Voucher redemption is subject to a minimum spend of £100.

Can your business be found 24/7?

Over the last few weeks it has been hard to ignore the fact that iPhone fever has swept the country. After the sad news of the passing of innovative Apple CEO Steve Jobs, interest in the new Apple release sky rocketed. Apple fans were rewarded for their persistence, with many camping outside of Apple stores across the world to be one of the first to own the brand new iPhone 4s. Here at Scoot we know exactly how hard it is to try and prise an iPhone out of someone’s hand which is why we have developed the Scoot app for the iPhone and iPad, to ensure that your customers can find your business without having to take their eyes of the screen!
There’s an app for that!

Apps are designed to offer users a quick, efficient and useful service and the Scoot app is no exception. Whether on the move or just too far away from a computer, the app allows people to search for local businesses and lists contact details and a link to the business website. The app also provides users with directions to the business, so whether they are looking for a local taxi service, a great place to grab a meal or the nearest car garage, they don’t need to look too far!

With more and more people turning to the internet to search for local products and services, it is important to make sure that your business is always there to be found. Click for more information on the Scoot iPhone app

Effective marketing has always been considered as the growth engine of a business. But do UK SMEs also share the same opinion?

Touch Local carried out a poll amongst a sample of UK small business owners, to find out if they had set a marketing budget for 2011, and what forms of marketing do they consider to be the most effective.

The Survey

Does your business have a set Marketing budget for 2011?

The Results

*Total responses: 852

Summary

More than a third (38%) of business owners who took the survey, confirmed that they have a marketing budget for 2011. Many of them also specified that the budget was limited, due to the fact that they do not have any excess in their capital to dedicate to marketing.
Most of the respondents (62%) stated that they did not have a set marketing budget for 2011.

More information acquired from business owners who have a set marketing budget:

- In the current “challenging” economic climate, it’s not surprising that 65% of UK SMEs have an annual marketing budget of less than £5,000. Only 2% of the respondent stated that they are planning to spend more than £100,000 on marketing activities in 2011.
- Overall, it seems that there is a definite shift towards online advertising:
- 80% of business owners felt that investing in a website had a high priority when allocating their marketing budget
- One in 3 of the respondents placed high importance on advertising in online business directories, versus only 1 in 10 for print directories. What’s more, 60% of small business owners stated that they were not planning to spend any of their marketing budget on print directory advertising
- Nearly half of the survey respondents are placing high priority on search engine marketing and 1 in 3 on email marketing
- When it comes to advertising in newspapers and through leaflets, 23% consider it to be a high priority and 16% are not planning to spend any marketing budget on these in 2011.
- Other type of advertising, such as video, direct mail and telemarketing have predominantly low to medium priority

More information acquired from business owners who do not have a set marketing budget:

- Even though 62% of SMEs have no marketing budget for 2011 most of them could end up squeezing their budgets for marketing or advertising.
- However there is major shift in the approach of advertising with majority of the respondents willing to invest in their company website (61%), followed by SEO (27%), email (23%).
- When it comes to advertising on business directories, 18% of businesses would invest in online business directories compared to only 10% in print directories which is more or less as expected.
- Interestingly, 53% of the respondents will not advertise using Video, reasons being the high production and distribution costs.
- Only 1 in 8 of respondents would advertise through Social Media, citing lack of time and resource as a reason.
- Other types of advertising like direct mail pay per call services and telemarketing was low in priority.

Reviewing the entire survey, we realize that regardless of having a marketing budget or not, SMEs throughout UK share the same outlook and are investing in a more modern channel rather than the traditional method of marketing. They acknowledge that the difficulty to quantify the effectiveness has forced them to the shift away from the more traditional forms of marketing towards web based marketing mediums as it is seen to attain better returns.

Some of the comments from the respondents:

I’m a sole trader and I keep my overheads down to the absolute minimum. Word of mouth has also worked very well for me.

The ‘marketing industry’ has become so large, complex and full of spam that it is now impossible to quantify effects of many of these so-called marketing campaigns.

I have in 40 plus years of running my business & always spent around 3% to 4% of turnover on advertising. I would spend more on good leads that generate profitable business.

SEO has now been made a dominant factor in website success that many of us use our websites to direct our existing customers rather than seek out new ones.

Over the past 5 years of trading we know where we get the better results from our efforts and pursue those. Regular monitoring of incoming trade means we adjust our budgets accordingly.

From experience printed advertising is a dying medium. Our best returns have come from promoting our own website and SEO work.

Due to the current climate, we do not have any excess capital to spend on advertising of any kind.

Making marketing a priority and putting it on our wish list does not necessarily mean that funding will become available whilst high street sales are still struggling.

Due to very poor levels of business we don’t have much money to spare for this at the moment. The recession is still hitting us hard.

Paper advertising hardly works for me anymore, and is too expensive, our website is Key.

Over the years I have found most advertising to be a waste of money. I have tried everything from cards in supermarkets, directories, charity posters, but none even cover the cost of the advertising. Website and word of mouth are the only functional methods for my business.

I find the cost of advertising very high in most publications with little or no reward. I would welcome information on how to use email marketing.

Networking is another valuable marketing avenue. I am a member of a national networking group and I’m hoping this will be useful in 2011.

For more information about Touch Local, please contact anju.palleeri@touchlocal.com or call 020 7840 4313

Prime Minister David Cameron recently re-launched his vision of a ‘Big Society’. Touch Local carried out a poll amongst a sample of UK SMEs registered on our directory to find out if small business owners understood the concept of Cameron’s ‘Big Society’.

The Survey

David Cameron has a vision of a ‘Big Society’ – do you know what ‘Big Society’ is?

The Results

Yes: 451 (43%)
No: 591 (57%)

Total responses: 1042

Summary

Despite many business respondents (43%) claiming to understand Cameron’s concept of ‘Big Society’, many believed it to be ambiguous and confusing. This notion is supported through some comments which found that many business owners’ understanding of the concept was erroneous.

The majority (57%) who took the survey did not know the Prime Minister’s key mission. These results suggest that the Government need to communicate better with SMEs over key issues if they want to obtain their understanding and buy-in.

Some of the comments from the respondents:

What is the ‘Big Society’ all about and how does it affect me?

Big Society….? No idea!

The Big Society means getting people to work for no pay.

Big Society is merely a front for government cuts and for creating a market for services.

I know what the “Big Society” is, or at least what it should be, but rarely hear it being explained in easily digestible language, which encourages those who don’t want to understand it to resort to ridicule.

It is an utterly meaningless phrase but appears to rely upon volunteers filling the void created by cuts in local authority funding.

It seems to be a way of getting volunteers to perform the services that we already pay for in taxes.

Knowing what it is is one thing. How it will work is another. Not all levels of society can be expected to participate, even if they know what it is in the first place.

Another word for Big Brother.

Issued: 15/02/2011

Do you have a question for UK businesses? Email kris.lea@touchlocal.com to submit your suggestion.

On January 4^th of this year the standard rate of VAT was increased from 17.5% to 20%. Touch Local carried out a poll amongst a sample of UK SMEs registered on our directory to find out the effect the VAT increase has had on their business one month on.

The Survey

In the month since the VAT rate increased to 20%, has it had a detrimental effect on your business?

The Results

Yes: 347 (33%)
No: 547(54%)
Don’t Know: 135 (13%)

Total responses:  1029

Summary:

Over half of small business respondents (54%) who took the survey do not believe the rise in VAT has had a detrimental effect on their business. On the whole, they have not noticed a significant change in output or profit, with a few finding that business has in fact increased in the first month of this year.

A third of respondents (33%) believe that their business has been negatively affected by the increase, with many commenting that they have been forced to increase their prices, which has resulted in customers looking for cheaper alternatives. Other business owners have attempted to absorb the rise to avoid passing the costs on to their customers, but are finding they are forced to make cutbacks to make the move financially viable.

A minority of respondents (13%) believe it is too early to comment on the impact the VAT rise has had on their business.

See below a selection of comments received from respondents:

If you have not been a victim of identity theft yourself, you have probably heard of cases where fraudsters acquire information about another person obtain credit or other services under a falsely assumed identity. But this problem doesn’t apply only to individuals. In recent years, fraudsters have been stealing entire business identities in a scam known as “company hijacking”.

This type of identity theft currently accounts for £50 million of losses for SMEs a year and can have appalling consequences. For example, fraudsters can change the directors of the company and the “new” directors can open bank accounts, have goods delivered to the “new” address, and effectively ruin the credit rating of the business and leave it with large charges.

As in most cases, prevention is better than cure. That’s why NetTrackz has teamed up with leading online business directories, including The Independent, Scoot and AOL, to provide information, that will help UK SMEs protect their identity.

Our first advice to you is to take ownership of the public record of your company by registering it with Companies House… before somebody else does!

It’s very difficult for Companies House to verify if people who want to change information about a company are actually who they say they are. Therefore, it’s crucial that you are the first person to register your own company. After you’ve done that, any applications from fraudsters will be forwarded to you.

To register your business you can use the Companies House free scheme called PROtected Online Filing (PROOF). Please find more information on the Companies House website:

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/infoAndGuide/proof.shtml

Important: Your business could also be in danger of your competitors taking control of how it is represented online. Click here to run a free report that can show you how your business details appear on up to 26 online business directories.

The Team at NetTrackz

In association with Scoot and TouchLocal

The Government has recently passed a new proposal under which Mothers and Fathers will have the opportunity to change the way they take parental leave. TouchLocal carried out a poll amongst a sample of UK SMEs registered on our directory to find out if they support this change in legislation.

The Survey

As a small business owner, do you support the new Government legislation (to be introduced in April) that will allow Mothers and Fathers more flexibility in how they take parental leave?

The Results

Yes:                 400 (34%)
No:                  673 (57%)
Don’t Know:    102 (9%)

*Total responses: 1175

It has recently been revealed that Britain’s largest firms are more confident on spending now than at any point since the start of the credit crunch. TouchLocal carried out a poll amongst a sample of UK SMEs registered on our directory to find out if this sentiment is shared by small to medium sized businesses.

The Survey

Apparently, Britain’s largest firms are more confident now about spending and taking on staff than at any time since the start of the credit crunch. As a small business owner, do you share this outlook?

The Results

Yes: 296 (25%)
No: 781 (66%)
Don’t Know: 121 (9%)

*Total responses: 1198

The businesses who took the survey are all listed on http://touchlocal.com

Summary

Nearly two-thirds of small business respondents (66%) who took the survey do not share the same optimism as their large firm counterparts. Many give a contradictory outlook and are less confident than ever about spending, envisaging that this year will in fact be the hardest since the start of the credit crunch. A quarter of respondents (25%) share this positive outlook, with some businesses experiencing an upturn in revenue or deeming optimism a necessary trait in the business environment. Others however, are positive only due the belief that things cannot get any worse. 9% of respondents believe that the future is too uncertain to establish any upturn in confidence at this moment in time.
See below a selection of comments received from respondents:

• It’s too early to tell. Government policy looks like focusing on large business or encouraging business start ups, but doing nothing or even abandoning existing SME’s
• No Chance, we are at our lowest turnover now.
• Business has improved over the last six months so it feels right to invest in new products and to support that new staff
• Things can only improve
• I think things are still tight as the uncertain future of the ever arising costs
• Business up by 25% since Nov 10 not taking on staff at this point but trade far better
• I certainly hope that this is the case but as with many things of this nature only time will tell. We need to stay positive however, and remember that things never stay the same for long – better times will soon emerge again.
• This year will be more challenging than the last.
• I feel that things could change at a moment’s notice, and I want to keep things tight to weather any storm. I don’t want to be caught out again.
• Too early to say. We’re not out of the woods yet.
• We are small service company working to small businesses. Cash flow very bad, clients cutting back. Considering staff hour’s reductions.
• I feel it is a bit too early to say for my business. Most people I know are still cautious.
• Too early to say how can absorb VAT rise NI rise fuel rises
• With vat at 20% and the Governments major cut backs this is not the time to try and expand.
• There is absolutely no money out there, people were cutting back in November I can see it continue The VAT increase will have little effect on our business and consumer confidence has grown in our sector. Since the election our sales are 14% up and our bank is fully supporting us, a huge difference on the previous year.
• this is the worst it has been
• And I am seeing a more confident outlook from my clients too.
• We’ve already hired 1 new marketer, and are looking to take on 1 web designer and 1 graphic designer later this year!
• As a freight forwarding company we are finding the export market has certainly picked up, we had a great December, and January has started the same way.
• As a business you can’t put things on hold indefinitely, you still need to work and spending is a part of that
• It is still uncertain times for small business. Outlook is good, but cash flow is difficult
• The only way forward is to be positive and it’s working!!!

Issued: 11am – 11/01/2011
Do you have a question for UK businesses? Email kris.lea@touchlocal.com to submit your suggestion.

Whilst drink driving is an issue throughout the year, during the festive period it is regularly in the headlines as it is one of the most common causes of accidents across the UK. Scotland have proposed measures to lower the drink drive limit at the earliest opportunity, with provisions in the Scotland Bill allowing the Scottish Parliament to change the limit north of the border (without involving Westminster). Given the proposals in Scotland, it will be interesting to see if the rest of the UK follows their lead and proposes similar measures moving forward.

Survey Overview
With Scotland planning to reduce the drink driving limit, TouchLocal conducted a poll amongst a sample of UK businesses to see if SMEs would support a complete ban on drink driving in the UK.

The Survey
Following the recent talk of reducing the drink drive limit in Scotland, do you think that drink driving should be banned altogether on UK roads?

The Results

Yes: 621 (58%)
No: 448 (42%)
*Total responses: 1069

The businesses who took the survey are all listed on Touchlocal.com

Summary
Over half of the respondents (58%) feel that drink driving should be banned altogether on UK roads, with feedback including that we should follow other countries by having a zero tolerance policy. 42% felt that there should not be a complete ban, however many commented on how a lower limit (like the proposal in Scotland) would be welcome. Interestingly, respondents from those for and against a complete ban commented on other factors that they felt were equally (or more) dangerous when behind the wheel, such as driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

Selection of comments and suggestions from respondents
• A reduction would be good, but it wouldn’t need to be banned. Drinking while under the influence of drugs should receive higher sentences than they do
• It’s too confusing saying you can drink X amount, just make it illegal from drinking at all then driving
• I don’t think you should drink anything if you intend on driving
• Current limits serve the purpose
• That would be completely impractical
• It will save many lives
• The present law seems to work fine
• This would criminalize the sensible driver who has limited themselves to a glass of wine with their dinner whilst doing nothing to curb the habitual drunk who risks lives by driving when well over the limit
• People have different tolerance levels. However, limits should be lowered and more random stop checks and call lines should be set up
• As long as there are safeguards for people with small amounts of alcohol in their blood the following morning
• Could cause issues for persons on medication that may have alcohol in it
• It would finish off many rural pubs
• I do think something should be done, but a complete ban would kill the country pub!
• More often than not that it is innocent victims that suffer most from drunken drivers so the limit should be lowered nationwide
• Should this become law there would be no margin for error, so perhaps it would cut down on the people who seldom drink and may save them making an irrational judgment
• I believe that more could be done to educate drivers on drink/driving as I firmly believe that at least half of the drivers prosecuted honestly think that they are under the limit. Breathalyzers in Pubs and Clubs would reduce the numbers of drink/driving offences
• We are too strict on this. More people die from falling off a ladder than drink driving FACT keep it as it is and raise drinking age to 22
• If someone has had any alcohol in previous 24 hours, it will show up on a test. Sensible people stick to below the limit and most will not drink if they are driving. However to deny a person one glass of wine with a meal seems ridiculous, considering that the majority of people are killed in accidents that do not involve alcohol and some of the alcohol related accidents are drunk pedestrians as well. Those who drink and drive will probably not be deterred from doing so, as they already flout the law. Of course Scotland has its own problem with drink which is very severe. They should concentrate more on prosecuting landlords who serve people who are intoxicated and this may well save more lives and prolong others rather than denying the vast majority of responsible citizens who might like to enjoy a glass of wine with a meal
• I think it’s hard to determine when you have had your quota and therefore it would be much simpler just to ban drinking totally
• It is unworkable and immoral to catch people the morning after. However the existing limit should be enforced more rigorously
• We have a respected law in this country, respected by the huge majority who see drink driving as a serious, anti-social crime. There is no need for a lower limit but it is now time to give the police the ability to carry out random tests and more of them. In France 64% of all motorists have been tested for alcohol in the last 3 years, in Holland it is 63%. In the UK it is 9%. Just not good enough
• Other countries, especially those with dark winters (Scandinavia) have lower limits. The UK has a drink problem and making drinking and driving even more difficult may help reduce the problem. Losing your driving license is career threatening
• As a trainer to those who have lost their driving license due to drink & the state I see them in, I am in support of this! Attitudes of drink drivers are dreadful & they seem to take it quite lightly (an excuse to drink themselves stupid once they have lost their license) unless they have killed someone in the process. I have worked in Sweden & everyone is much more thoughtful!
• Having a low sensible limit is manageable. Having a zero limit will encourage people who have only one drink to continue as they will already be over the limit. It will also decimate rural/country pubs where they are reliant on car driving customers
• Rural pubs will go out of business
• Too many people drive after ’1 or 2′ not realizing that they reaction times and ability to drive can still be impaired especially if they are tired or haven’t eaten well. Save lives and stop anyone drinking while driving – there is no need to drink then drive and it might encourage people to help the environment and their local community by taking public transport
• Other countries have a zero tolerance on drink driving so should UK
• Empower people so they can think for themselves

Issued by TouchLocal 14:19 – 08/12/10