Anchor Web Design

Social Media for Business

Anchor Web Design — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:52:29 +0000

Have you ever considered how social media may benefit your business? If not, perhaps you should.

The world as we know it is changing in many ways, one of the things that has changed dramatically in the past couple of years is the social media takeover. Today news is spread to all corners of the world before it ever appears on a single news website, never mind on TV or radio. Facebook and particularly Twitter has become the fastest way to distribute information and developing social networks can help grow your business.

If you’re interested in learning more we’re seeking expressions of interest from those interested in participating in class to help you learn what you need to know to make social media work for you.

Gippsland Business Awards

Anchor Web Design — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:21:17 +0000

After many years of good service with our previous design for the Gippsland Business Awards website it was time for a facelift. In addition to providing a new look we’ve converted the site into a content management system allowing the Gippsland Business Awards committee to make updates to the site themselves. We have also set up an online nomination form for them that automatically emails nominations submitted by the public and sends out the entry form to the nominated business.

www.gba.org.au

Castle TV Site

Anchor Web Design — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:00:50 +0000

This site has been developed over the past 4 years and is the number one site for the hit US based TV Series Castle. The site has developed a great deal over the past four years and incorporates an active community through discussion forums, live chat room and member submitted articles. The site also contains a subscriber section for paying members.

www.castletv.net

Seaspray Caravan Park

Anchor Web Design — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:30:31 +0000

The Seaspray Caravan Park on Gippsland’s famous 90 Mile Beach were not happy with the work that had been done on their website by a previous designer so they approached us desperate for help, they needed the site to be up and running in time for the holiday season. They needed a site that was eye catching and that they could self-update. They are very happy with the results.

www.seaspraycaravanpark.com.au

Our New Logo

Anchor Web Design — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:37:13 +0000

Special Offer: Tax Time

Anchor Web Design — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:10:42 +0000

It’s that time of year again and while we all dread it there are some things you should be thinking about taking advantage of this month.

A website is one of the most effective ways of advertising your business and as a method of advertising it is tax deductible. This means you should be taking advantage this month of our special tax time offer.

Talk to us today about your website needs and if we’re able to begin work on your site before Jun 25th we’ll bill you in advance so you can claim on this year’s tax return. We’ll also offer you a 10% discount so call us today on 0418 596 392 (Australia only) or email us and mention this offer. Conditions apply.

Gippsland Relocation Services

Anchor Web Design — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 11:33:18 +0000

Gippsland Relocations had an existing website that was tired and drab and looked like it was right out of the 90s. They came t us wanting a fresh look that was simple, clean and professional. Based on the theme of their existing logo we built them a new website within a content management system allowing them to make updates to the site as required.

www.movetogippsland.com

Electronics Purchasing Tips

Anchor Web Design — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:56:15 +0000

With the Australian Dollar performing so well (particularly against the US Dollar) at the moment for the first time Australian consumers have a bargaining tool most are not yet taking advantage of.

This applies more so with electronics than other items but the savings you can gain by being prepared will astound you. Electronics and technology are typically much cheaper in the USA and the low value of the Australian dollar pushed up wholesale prices for retailers but now the tables are turned and you should be taking advantage of it while it lasts.

Here are some simple bargaining tips that may help you save when buying your next tech or electronic item:

Search online retailers,
check prices of the items you are interested in both locally and in the USA, make note of the best prices and print out one or two webpages with information showing the item you are interested in and the price the online retailer is offering.
Go in person to stores that have sales people to assist you on the floor ,
(eg, Harvey Norman, Dick Smith, Retravision). These retailers are almost always prepared to drop the price of items, it’s their job to make a sale and work to get your business and they are prepared to negotiate with you, it’s expected. People commonly think that this kind of bargaining only works for “cash” sales but it will work for credit card sales too.
Ask “What is the best price you can give me”,
in order to make a sale you will almost always get a quick response from your sales person who will go and “check to see what they can do” to get you a better price. If an item is on sale, you can still ask for a better price! You may be happy (and surprised) with the first response you get and if you’re ok with that then go ahead and close the sale, if after having done your research online you know that other retailers are selling at a significantly cheaper price, press on.
Let them know what other retailers are charging,
you’ve done your research and now’s the time to put it to use. If the first offer you’ve received isn’t close to the online prices you’ve found then bargain some more. Let the salesperson know that you found the same item online and for what price. If your online price is from an Australian retailer you’re almost guaranteed to get a matched price (If my price is from an online-only retailer I usually offer the same price plus whatever it would have cost me for postage). If the item is from a USA retailer remind them that with the Australian dollar doing so well you think they are in a position to be able to offer you a better deal.
Don’t be afraid to walk away
If you don’t get the kind of offer you’re looking for, don’t feel obligated to buy the item anyway. It’s ok to say “Thank you but I’ll try somewhere else”. Try your luck at some other stores and if you still can’t get a better deal anywhere you can always go back.

As an example of some recent personal situations where I’ve used this approach, I was interested in a computer from Dell and when I pointed out to them that the same model in the US store was half the price of the Australian version they reduced the cost of my new laptop by $500. It wasn’t close to the much cheaper price of the US one but it was a significant saving and all I had to do was ask! (And this was before the Aussie dollar was doing quite so well!). Around Christmas time last year I was looking for an iRobot automatic vacuum cleaner. I’d done my research and in the US the basic model was selling for just under $300 on sale. In Harvey Norman they were $600 for the same model. I brought up the cost of the item in the US and the first offer I was made was $450. I pushed a little further and ended up getting the item for $400, that’s $200 off the store price and all I had to do was ask!

Always remember to be polite. Don’t be afraid to push a little but play it by ear, some smaller retailers are going to have a harder time giving you a decent discount but larger chain stores like Harvey Norman expect you to bargain with them.

Good luck!

If you use this approach to get a good deal we’d love to hear about it, post your comments below.

Gippsland Custom Pools

Anchor Web Design — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:20:46 +0000

It was a pleasure working with Rod and Andrew to bring their new website to life. Gippsland Custom Pools was designed to be eye catching and easy to navigate.

If you’re in the Gippsland area and you’re considering building a new swimming pool, let me recommend the crew at Gippsland Custom Pools.

www.gippslandcustompo ols.com.au

Affordable Small Batch Business Cards

Anchor Web Design — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:18:37 +0000

If you’re a small business like us you’ve no doubt had difficulty sourcing a business to print a small quantity of business cards. We don’t use paper cards a lot because we mostly correspond by email. I used to print my own and did a decent job of it but it can be time consuming cutting them to size when you don’t want to use the cheap and nasty looking punch out inkjet or laser printer templates.

Previously I’ve had cards printed overseas (when I was visiting Canada) for a fraction of the cost I could source them locally but I still needed to buy 1000 cards which was more than I needed.

Recently I discovered an excellent source of business card printing for print runs of just 1oo and up. The more you buy the more you save but my order of 100 cards just cost me $21 USD including postage. They take around 2 weeks to arrive.

You can use pre-made templates or create your own by uploading your logo. There are several card stock options available including plain or textured options in addition to rather fancy silver and gold. The quality of the cards and the printing is exceptional and I’ve found customer service great too.

Simply go to zazzle.com and create your design. If you prefer to shop locally you can go through the Australian store however with the Australian Dollar performing well at the moment if you’re concerned about your budget you may find it’s more affordable using the US store.