Recent Reverb Studios Developments, New Services and News.
I’ve just added a professional Live Chat/Support button to ReverbStudios.ie, (top right, see pic below) so clients, potential clients or website visitors can have a quick chat while on my site if they so desire! If the button says “Online” then I’m available, if it says “Offline” then I’m out but you can still send a message and I’ll see it when I’m back.
It’s 2012 now but there’s still a lot of really crap websites out there that do no favours for their owners businesses. They don’t have to be particularly old to look out of date because fashions and technology come and go pretty quick online but there are some sites out there that obviously havn’t been changed for many years. Accommodation sites all seem poor for some reason for example!?
It’s great that you have a site but a poor one could do more damage than not having one at all. Internet users these days have come to expect a certain standard as more and more people go online.
Some problems I see more regularly than I’d expect:
I’m willing to offer 30% off the cost of a rebuild.
Get in touch now to order.
PS – Your old site will be disposed of humanely.
Leon
There has been a recent reduction in the price of .ie web addresses by the IEDR and domain registrars have been passing this saving on to clients. I use a reseller to provide clients with domains and they’ve reduced the cost to me so I’m now reducing the cost to my clients from €28 per year to €24.95.
.ie addresses remain the best domain extension for your site if you’re an Irish company trading mostly in Ireland and .ie websites continue to perform well in Google Ireland searches.
Please note that some .ie renewals may still be charged at the old rate of €28 depending on when the renewal date falls.
Leon
Just a simple public wish and hint about how I and presumably most people would like to be paid by their customers/clients. I will not take the ‘recession’ as an excuse for problems paying. If you don’t have money don’t hire me:
On Time Please
You may not realise that I, the company whose services you hire consists of real people (me) with real bills (many) that need to be paid. If you agree to hire me for the price I quote then I expect to be paid when I do what you asked. I put my valuable time and private/family life aside to work for you so I expect to receive the agreed fee when I ask for it. I will deeply resent being made to chase money owed as it will take up even more of my afore mentioned valuable time.
Pay Digitally
It’s 2011 and the ability to pay someone without having to move has been around for quite a while. Cheques are an antiquated method of payment. Why would you go to the trouble and expense of writing one, putting in an envelope, buying a stamp and traveling to your nearest post office when you could transfer a payment through online banking or Paypal instantly? You’re also asking me to leave the office and go lodge the cheque when received. For me that’s currently a 10 mile round trip taking at least 30/45 more minutes out of my working day.
Respond to Invoices
I send invoices digitally and very rarely get any response or confirmation of receipt. I consider it good manners to acknowledge an invoice and notify the sender of when they are likely to receive payment. Not acknowledging invoices makes sender nervous.
Alert on Payment
If you do pay by bank transfer, congratulations, I salute you but be aware that most people wont get notified by their bank that a new payment has come in and if I forget to check manually then I’m likely to presume you still havn’t paid. Also, make sure your payment is labelled as coming from you as it’s not always obvious who made the payment. Similarly, if you send a cheque, say you’ve sent it. Things get lost in the post.
Finally, make sure a cheque wont bounce before you send it and if you are in doubt then make an instant/digital or cash payment to make sure. Bounced cheques cause havoc in people’s accounts and invite large bank fees to process.
Leon
Plans are well under way for an exiting new venture for Leitrim Enterprise which will see the construction of new hi-tech office space for businesses in the Creative, Digital or IT sector. The project is supported by Interreg and is a joint effort with Omagh Enterprise. Most of the funding is secured and planning has been approved for a 7/8,000 square foot extension at the front of the existing Leitrim Enterprise offices in Carrick-on-Shannon. Here is an outline, draft list of the proposed features:
The buildings are expected to be completed and ready for occupation within 12 to 14 months from now.
For more information or to register your interest in renting office space, contact Joe at Leitrim Enterprise.
Here’s a little video I put together to properly show off some of my Graphics and Photo Editing skills featuring before and after shots of some jobs and an original soundtrack written and recorded by me. A regular one man band I am! PS – Choose the Full Screen HD version for a better view.
Here’s what’s new in WordPress 3.0. which from now is powering this Blog! The video says it all:
http://v.wordpress.com/wp-content/plugins/video/flvplayer.swf?ver=1.21
Below are some results from a recent study undertaken by Sarah Diffley, Research Masters Student at Letterkenny Institute of Technology:
The total number of respondents who started the survey was 1,145. Of these respondents, 829 completed the survey. This constitutes an overall survey response rate of 72.4%. However, a quota sample of 376 was determined to be sufficient for the research at hand and so this amount was utilised for the research based on the judgement of the researcher as,
In quota sampling researcher judgement is used in establishing the categories and choosing the sample from the categories
(Wrenn et al., 2002, p.167).
Findings from the survey highlight the following key statistics:
Overall:
Product and Marketing Findings:
Many thanks to all those who took part in the survey. It is greatly appreciated and contributed significantly to my research.
Sarah Diffley
If you would like to contact Sarah in relation to these survey results, please leave a comment.
Leon.
Customer Reviews of a companies products or services have become a very big deal online in recent years. Research has shown that if someone reads a positive review of your offering or service online they will be most of the way to buying from you!
On my own blog, the Reviews Category consistently gets more hits than any other and I myself would always look for reviews before buying anything.
I have recently setup a partnership with Ireland’s leading supplier of Review software for websites, LouderVoice. They can supply you with very simple to use plugins for your site that will allow visitors and clients to Rate your service or product and leave comments directly on your site. These reviews can be displayed prominently and should lead to greater sales conversions and excellent customer feedback. Customer reviews can also be routed to Twitter and Facebook for maximum exposure for your site.
Visit www.LouderVoice.com/About for more detailed information or to signup.
Please use the Partner code LV-REVERBSTUDIOS if you decide it’s for you!
Leon.
I’m prompted to write this after a recent experience with a client who ignored my once yearly invoice for Domain and Hosting renewal a little too long (one of many!). If you have a website then you will almost definitely get a yearly or monthly bill from either your hosting company or web designer for 2 things at least: Continue reading Domain and Hosting Renewal Advice
Reverb Studios Design 