How The Web Can Help Small, Local Communities
How The Web Can Help Small, Local Communities
CREATIVE online business Plus Two Design has, over the last two years, helped promote the Bourne and Holbeach communities by designing and developing two websites for their benefit.The company, based in Frognall, near Market Deeping, identified that self-promotion was slightly lacking and needed a boost.
The world wide web gives us all an opportunity to reach a bigger audience, a worldwide audience. But it is a vast place; a survey in 2008 found there to be more than 100 million websites currently on the web, 74 per cent of them commercial.
It is proven that the web is a wonderful way to market large businesses that can afford the luxury of pay-per-click marketing and search engine optimisation, but what about small businesses and local communities that also need coverage and promotion?
Managing director of Plus Two Design Tony Baskeyfield said: "We decided to design and develop www.thisisholbeach.co.uk which has now been live for more than two years, attracting more than 100 new visitors every week.
"The site provides information about local events, history, things to do, places to eat and stay, and generally promotes the town as a whole. The site also gives the business community a chance to advertise at extremely competitive rates in the form of an in-depth business directory. Business listing pages cost just 40 a year where the business owners have full control of the content via a user-friendly administration area, giving them an opportunity to display limited special offers and emphasising new products and services.
Up to four images can be displayed on each business page and a map showing the exact location of the business premises."
The sites also offers the option for businesses to display web banners that can be incorporated on the page of their choice (costs vary depending on the page.) Plus Two Design can work with customers to design their own personalised banner to suit their corporate image and encompass appropriate marketing terms.
Sales director of Plus Two Design Chris Ashton added: "We identified that, in the present economic climate, many small businesses cannot afford to have their own personal website designed and developed, so we thought we would give them an opportunity to advertise in one common market-place at a vastly reduced rate."
Plus Two Design also likes to look after charitable organisations, offering advertising of fund-raising events on the site, free of charge. The site up to now has been a great success and thus led the firm on to creating a similar site for Bourne, www.thisisbourne.co.uk.
Web developer Matt Venn is responsible for the site and said: "We have actively sourced, researched and written the material for the websites and ensure they are fully maintained. We are currently trying to encourage local businesses and the general public to become more involved with the sites to ensure we can make them even better."
The sites offer a great opportunity for local businesses to advertise on www.thisisholbeach.co.uk or www.thisisbourne.co.uk to promote their businesses to many prospective customers.
If you would like to find out more, visit the sites and if you are interested in utilising them in terms of content, advertising or posting events, call Plus Two Design on 01778 342 842.
Plus Two Design are Graphic Designers and Web Designers, based near Peterborough.Theyoffer services in Web Design, Graphic Design, Photography, SEO, Website Hosting and Printingfrom their offices, near Peterborough. They also have their own Photo Studio for hire in their own purpose built studio. Please visit the company website at www.plustwodesign.com to learn more about the company.
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