NZS.com Newsletter June 2009

It may be the middle of winter, but business is still hot for many kiwi entrepreneurs. Having just come back from exhibiting at the Bizzone Business Expo in Auckland at the end of May, the NZS.com team has met a great many enthusiastic business owners who are seeing their companies thrive despite the economic downturn.

We've also had a lot of feedback from small and start-up business owners looking for more ways to promote and enhance their businesses, so this June's newsletter takes a beginner's guide approach to launching and promoting your business.

Contents:

• Top Ten Sites
• Making New Friends At Bizzone
• Do Your Research
• Enhance Your Website's Performance
• Could you be the next Walt or Bill?

Researching how to turn your big idea into a brilliant business plan? Maybe you're looking for a few ideas to keep your business ahead of the competition during the recession? Check out NZS.com's top ten websites last month from our Coaching and Mentoring and Business Development consultants categories:

Rank	Site Name	URL
1.	Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu	www.deloitte.co.nz
2.	Voice and Performance	www.voiceandperformance.co.nz
3.	Homebizz Buzz	www.homebizzbuzz.co.nz
4.	Mark Inglis	www.markinglis.co.nz
5.	Inside Out: Business Consultants	www.inside-out.co.nz
6.	Business.govt.nz	www.business.govt.nz
7.	PriceWater Coopers	www.pwc.com/nz
8.	Blue Chip Coaching	www.bluechipcoaching.co.nz
9.	Soltius	www.soltius.co.nz
10.	Communiqué Consultancy	www.communiqueconsultancy.co.nz

It was great to meet you if you were one of the attendees at the Bizzone Business Expo - the feedback and support we received during the three-day expo in Auckland was overwhelmingly positive.

A large proportion of business owners in attendance were already using NZS.com's directory and search engine on a regular basis - with some saying they went to NZS.com first whenever they were looking for quality Kiwi-centric information and websites. Now, we don't like to toot our own horn, but that is pretty exciting news.

We also had the chance to meet a number of new friends and get their websites into the directory for them. If you haven't already, make sure you take a few minutes out of your day to add your business details through the Website Resources section.

One of the interesting things about the Bizzone Business Expo was the number of attendees exploring booths to research what could help them successfully launch their big idea into a start-up business.

It's great to see that despite the economic gloom New Zealand entrepreneurs are still determined to put their creativity to good use and make their dreams realities. It's even better to see that Kiwis are going about this the right way, by doing some smart research and investigation before jumping in headfirst.

Whether you are about to launch a start up business or you need to inject some new life and energy into an existing business, market research helps businesses analyse and understand why consumers buy certain goods and use certain services.

It is a process of gathering and analysing information about a business's customers, the market in which they are operating, and their competitors to allow them to move onto the next critical stage of getting an edge in that market.

The main function of a market research company is to collect and analyse relevant data to assist a business in their research goals. If you're a business owner about to embark on some market research, it's best to have a defined problem or question in mind before engaging the services of a market research firm. Once this problem is clearly defined, research objectives can be set, and from there the information required to meet these objectives can be sought.

Sound complex? It really isn't.

As yourself a few questions about your own company. Is there demand for a product you are not currently supplying your customers? Are you using the right marketing strategies to best appeal to your target demographic?

Market research companies are basically employed to collect data to help you guide your business objectives. The data they collate may include such things as pricing of goods and services, sales, optimum methods for distribution and marketing, consumer preferences, and analysis of your competitors.

They might acquire this information through surveys and interviews face to face, over the phone, through the post, or via email or website, but ultimately the goal is always the same: to give you as a business owner the information you need to resolve any problems with your company, get ahead of the competition, and optimise your business' success.

To find out more about the role of market research companies and how they could assist you in your business venture check out the latest NZS.com Website Resources article on market research.

Nowadays there is no denying the importance of a great website in enhancing the success of a great business. Websites open you up to a far larger audience of potential clients and customers, and those businesses without websites are often viewed as being left behind.

No matter what level you're playing at, you've got to keep your eye on the ball and continually enhance your website to ensure you're not overrun by your online competitors, and NZS.com director Mark Rocket's The First 15 article is the ultimate guide to improving your website's performance.

Read the First 15 article for yourself here.

Starting with the basics, is your website professional and appealing to the eye? Professional design is important, because if your website looks aesthetically displeasing or amateurish, viewers and potential customers are more likely to leave quickly.

Your website also needs to be easy to read and easy to navigate to increase ease of usability, and you should have compelling text which is well-written with no typing or grammatical errors.

One of the most important things you can do is to invest in some successful search engine optimisation (SEO) to ensure you're not lost out in cyberspace. Most websites get the vast majority of their traffic from search engines, so working with an SEO expert to get to grips with search engine optimisation can really give you an edge over your competitors.

Other topics covered in the First 15 include Relevant Search Engine Submission, Beneficial Web Directory Submission and Quality Link Building plus many more, so be sure to have a thorough read through to get the best results for your website.

To be even more on the ball in making sure your website is all it can be, keep your eye on the NZS.com Website Resources section for the latest tips and tricks of the trade.

You may or may not be surprised about the number of people deciding to finally set up their own businesses during the current financial climate, but many well-known and hugely successful companies began during a recession. Take Disney and Microsoft for example.

Being faced with company cut backs, many people are being forced to consider other options, and a start-up or home business can be an attractive alternative for people with the means and know-how to make it happen.

Kiwi entrepreneurs are not known for sitting idly by, letting their big ideas go un-noticed while being stuck in the same old job. But nor are they unrealistic. Hence many aspiring CEOs are taking some caution during the recession, weighing up the pros and cons while doing their research to ensure they do their grand idea justice when it comes to fruition.

Some economists suggest a recession is a state of mind rather than an economic issue, but is starting a business during a recession a wise move?

There are a number of steps you can take to recession-proof your business idea and give your burgeoning business its best possible start. Obviously one of the most important steps is making sure you have the right idea in the first place. You don't want to spend months planning and remortgaging the house to find there's really no market for your brilliant idea.

One of the positive things about starting a business in a recession is the fact that an economic downturn can force entrepreneurs to take a closer look at their ideas, leaving them with ultimately more solid plans.

Many businesses are also more likely to thrive in tougher financial times, such as companies offering discounted goods and services, and things that people will always be in need of, like food, shelter... and funerals.

Smart and critical business planning will give your business its best chance at success during a recession, so if you think you do have a best-thing-since-sliced-bread idea, all hope is not lost. With careful consideration, a good mentor, and great marketing strategies launching your own recession business could be a positively life-altering event.

If you're looking for further information on business planning you can find New Zealand businesses to help you on the right path in the Business Development category on NZS.com.

We're interested in your opinion, if you have anything you'd like to hear about in the newsletter, let us know.

Images from Flickr: market research, google search, walt disney.