Biker News - Regularly updated

Welcome to our News section, where articles are listed below and if relevant within the categories on the right, just to make it easier for you to find what you wish to read...

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Category: THE BIKER GUIDE®

  1. Contact Us Page - Marketing tips fromTHE BIKER GUIDE

    Posted on

    To many of you this may seem like a very straight forward section to have on your web-site, however many websites just get it SO wrong...

    The entire purpose of a Contact Us page is to help people contact your business as easy as possible, in a variety of different ways.  

    One click Wonder...  
     
    There are certain pages that visitors expect to be able to reach in one click from any page of a website, such as the home page. The Contact Us page is one of these kinds of pages.  
     
    It is not user friendly to include this information at the bottom of your website as many visitors are not going to bother scrolling down. People use the internet as they want information quickly, so make it easy to find at close to the top of the website as possible, either in your left-side navigation or across-the-top navigation... or even both!  
     
    Trust  
     
    Despite the fact that many large companies, such as Amazon, make it hard to find their contact information, it is generally true that if you do not make your contact information easy to find, visitors will trust you less. Trust is everything on the Internet, especially when you're trying to run a business. In general, people will not buy from those they do not trust. Your Contact Us page does not need to have a lot of information; indeed, it's likely to be the smallest page on your website. What should it contain? I'm glad you asked...

    The following three are imperative:  
     
    address - with postal code telephone number, including a land line and a mobile e-mail - not just as a contact us form   You can also include on this page information about yourselves and even a photograph - Remember people buy people so why not let your potential customers know who you are!  
     
    Address - with postal code or gps  
     
    Many people will search your address to plan the route, so include your full address, with postcode and if you can include a hype-link from the post-code to a Google map, even better.  
     
    Telephone number, including a land line and a mobile  
     
    Many people prefer to call on a land-line than a mobile, so try and include both. If you do not have a mobile connected to the business then get one. If someone wants to contact you, they usually want it instantly and not wait for a returned call from your answering service.  
     
    e-mail - not just as a contact us form  
     
    Some people do not like to include their actual e-mail address as you can get spam. So what? Do not put potential customers off by making them fill in a lengthy form when all they want to do is ask you a simple question.   And for the love of all things holy, make that e-mail address relevant to your business. If you own the web-site the e-mail should relate to it. Use any of the following before your web-site address and just get it directed to your e-mail or you can set up a new e-mail account for less than £15 per annum, which relates to this address.   info@ sales@, stay@, enquiries@, etc...
     
    Most people use e-mail these days and for some people they simply prefer it as a means of correspondence - yes rather than talking on a telephone!  
     
    It is now expected that people do not have to speak to someone to ask a question and get an answer. Using e-mail means everyone gets a solid record of the communication, too, providing an extra layer of protection in case things go awry. Also it gives your customers an easy way to contact you after hours.  
     
    Available 24/7/365  
     
    Not everyone will be in a position to call you during your normal business hours. That is simply a fact of life, if you are doing business globally – which you are, technically, if you're doing business on the internet.  So by including all of the above you can be contacted, with ease, any time of the day or night.  
     
    Customers you have not met yet!  
     
    By updating your Contact Us page, your potential customers will appreciate it and you should see a marked increase in enquiries.  
     
    As with all marketing suggestion from THE BIKER GUIDE, apologies if you are already doing this.
     
    THE BIKER GUIDE  
     
    Bringing the Biker Community together!  
     
  2. Guest comments on your website

    Posted on

    We just wanted to share with you a very easy marketing tip, which if used will not only increase your SEO* on the internet and visitors to your site, but ultimately should increase the response levels.  
     
    Review websites  
     
    In recent studies of buying habits it has been discovered that users of the world wide web are now more likely to be swayed towards using one business/product than another because of recommendations rather than price. If you look at sites such as Trip Advisor, Review Centre, Holidays Uncovered, Mobile Phone UK and Test Freaks, these are sites which are mainly ran on the contributions from the general public on the reviewing of or simply rating of (usually out of 5 or 10) a business/product.   Recommendations are also used when you buy from e-bay, as the Sellers feedback is paramount to their success. Sellers strive to ensure that they have no negative feedback so as not to deter future customers.   In fact they are all around us, from choosing which movie to watch, what restaurant to eat in and where to holiday and stay.

    So as the general public are now putting trust in the views of someone that they do not even know, I suppose this only emphasizes how important word-of-mouth is. It has always been one of the most credible forms of advertising because a person puts their reputation on the line every time they make a recommendation and that person has nothing to gain, but the appreciation of those who are listening.  
     
    So, what can you do to make sure your potential ambassadors of your business recommend it to others?   Simple...Guest comments on your website!  
     
    Many of you will have accumulated books of guest comments over the years and some of you already have included these on your web-sites, however it is imperative that they are included on a specific page which can easily be found, i.e.: In the top bar, named simply Guest Comments. These comments should be typed out and displayed in a easy to read manner. It is also possible for a page to be included onto your web-site where guests can leave there own comments, so freeing your time on this project.  
     
    Not only will new visitors to your web-site read these comments and make decisions from what they read, but by including such information it helps with search engines finding your web-site and so increasing your SEO, naturally and at no cost other than your time.  
     
    For example...   If you included the following statement onto your site:  
     
    'I recently stayed at a wonderful place in the Yorkshire Dales; The Rose of Sharon B&B. It was close to the local village of Hawkes where there is a great Biker cafe, which we visited on the Sunday and found Motorcycles from all over the UK, including some great guys from the local Motorcycle club, Bikers are Great MCC. The owners, Sandra and John (Bikers themselves) were on hand to help us with information about the local area, where to visit and which routes to use. A fantastic breakfast was served, which we only just made as our bed was so comfortable we did not want to get out!  A drying room and secure parking only help to make this a very Biker Friendly place. Highly recommended'   From the above, in time search engine will pick up on the words used and when someone searches for the following the web-site should be found;
    • Yorkshire Dales B&B
    • Hawkes Biker cafe
    • Yorkshire Dales Biker cafe
    • Bikers are Great MCC
    • Biker Friendly place
    • Biker Friendly Yorkshire B&B
    • Motorcycle UK Friendly
    • Secure parking Hawkes
      If you would like an example of a web-site who has done this well sent over to you just let me know.   
     
    THE BIKER GUIDE   Bringing the Biker Community together!  
     
     
    * SEO: Search engine Optimisation
  3. Affiliated Supporter of the NABD

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    THE BIKER GUIDE are delighted to announce they have become a silver Affiliated Supporter of the NABD - National Association for Bikers with a disability.

    It is very important to THE BIKER GUIDE that they forge links and support the Motorcycle community and this is an important step.

    THE BIKER CALENDAR 2010 in assoccaition with the website, has donated £1 from every calendar sold to NABD.

    The full donation will be handed over at the NABD19 Rally at Astley Park in May 2010.

    NABD Business Affiliation National Society of Bikers with a Disability

  4. The perfect Christmas Gift for the 'Biker' in your life!

    Posted on

    The widely anticipated Calendar, produced by THE BIKER GUIDE is now available for sale through the website.

    It features certain Motorcycle events for 2010, along with 121 Bikers in various forms of undress, all tastefully taken and artfully produced...

    Those who dared to bare (all 121 of them) include members of:

    NABD
    Northern Harley Club
    Jesters MCC
    FELP
    The Wrecking Crew
    Unwanted MCC
    Royal Oak Rejects
    Salutation MCC
    Bristol & Avon Roadrunners MCC
    The Royal British Legion Riders Branch

    ... and a few other familiar Bikers from the UK scene including 4 lovely ladies on the front cover!

    "I think it's a fantastic piece of future 'bikers memorabelia' and should be extremely popular amongst bikers, particularly the fun-loving bikers from the UK rally scene."

    Quote from Rick Hulse, NABD Chairman
     
    Other information

    £1 of every Calendar sold will be donated to NABD

    * Please note there is a limited print run of THE BIKER CALENDAR for the 2010 issue.

    The Calendar is already selling like pints at a Biker Rally, so to avoid disappointment get one now...

    See here:

    _________________
    THE BIKER GUIDE
    Bringing the Biker Community together!

    www.thebikerguide.co.uk

    www.thebikerguide.co.uk