There is never a better time to establish a business online than now. The downturn in the economy is forcing many people to look at business in a new light. Whatever your reason is don’t let the shift to the online world intimidate you.
There are many things to consider & I briefly addressed the big picture yesterday. Today I’m excited to share an example of someone who not only transitioned successfully, but is very enthusiastic about the potential of doing business online!
I met Keith Bloemendaal because he linked to my blog. He sells fences in the Raleigh, NC area. That’s totally related to what I write about, right? (Bloggers have egos & whoever lists me with the likes of Chris Brogan & ProBlogger gets my attention!) The evil part of me left a comment with the first sentence as, “My husband would love a rail fence!”. So when Keith followed up on the lead – his first statement was,
I think you should find a local contractor to put up your fence.
But I did compliment Keith on his site & asked to interview him. (There was a reason that he linked to my blog!).
One look at Keith’s site & I was totally impressed because it’s totally sleek & gorgeous. In fact it motivates me to get the new theme up on my blog (soon!).
Here is Keith’s story & I hope that you find it motivating! Three weeks ago Keith chose to not only launch a traditional business online, but he also launched himself into the social media scene. He’s been researching & learning as much as he can.
Keith’s new vocabulary includes words like Google AdSense, SEO, Twitter, content management site, Digg, etc. We had a spirited discussion & he’s quite familiar with Technorati already, so he’s well on his way. He even explained the advantage to hosting images on Flickr so that they can be tagged & Google will see them. (I’m presently embedding my images but it’s always good to consider new ideas!)
Before going online Keith did some research & there’s not many people blogging in the fence industry (and he’s hoping that no one else catches on to it!). He wants to increase his SEO as fast as possible. It sounds like he’s been having a great time learning the in’s & out’s! His organic search rankings have doubled & he’s looking forward to continued success in that area.
The fence industry in Raleigh, NC where Keith is at is fairly competitive. There are 35-40 others offering similar services. But some are going out of business. He’s had a tremendous response to his site. All of his leads are from his website. He has one ad in a traditional mailer. He’s primarily using location targeted AdSense & building his network. Craigslist sends him a number of people each day too. He also realizes that a small business owner is a community manager (and I’m glad that he finds my blog helpful!).
On that note the local social media people in the Raleigh area are lending him a hand. I’ve said many times here on my blog how amazingly helpful bloggers are. Keith mentioned that Wayne Sutton has been a great help. (I’m connected with Wayne on both Twitter & Plurk – it’s a small world!).
I asked Keith what the pro’s & con’s have been. He said that the networking is hugely time consuming. On the flip side he loves the research & growing his network. I think he used the word addiction! :) He said,
Honestly, this is the way of the future – to take your business to the next level. Whether you’re a small sign contractor or in construction you have to stand out (especially in this economy).
Keith said that he’s gotten customers because they said that he knew what he was doing after reading his blog. So if you want inspiration check out Keith’s new business. I look forward to hearing how it grows!
Connie, thanks for an interesting story, and Keith, congratulations on your business model!
What I liked in this example was that social media were used with a specific purpose of improving the SEO. This is a much more mature approach than that of many large companies investing in social technologies without a specific or achievable objective in mind (see the WSJ article on ‘Why Most Online Communities Fail’).
Connie,
Thank you for the kind words. Just to clarify a few things (maybe was my fault from our phone conversation) I actually had started blogging and using other social networking tools about 4 months ago, and was doing it promoting the company I was working for (at no extra pay for me!) and then a few weeks ago (almost a month now) I found myself in the position of looking for work and trying to make the right decisions for me and my family.
I truly enjoyed our conversation and look forward to reading more on this and the other blog you write on!
Keith
Great case study, Connie. Thanks so much for bringing it to our attention. And I’m sure Keith isn’t the only one who includes you in The Pantheon of Bloggers. ;)
I was especially pleased to see the thoughtful approach he’s taking in his online marketing and social media activities. I agree with the previous comment that a specific goal (like improving SEO) is crucial when embarking on a social media campaign. It’s great to see how successful small businesses can be when they utilize these new tools thoughtfully.
Hi Connie,
Thanks for the compliments on Keith’s Blog – RaleighFenceContractors.com.
I appreciate your comments on the design because we are the company that helped Keith get his thoughts and ideas transformed into a WordPress blog theme.
Keith has been an incredible student and has surprised me at every turn with the speed in which he has adapted to the whole “blogging thing”.
We feel that blogs used as content management system websites for small businesses, like Keith’s, are absolutely the right way to go. Not only because WordPress blogs are incredibly effective, but because they are much easier for new users to understand and maintain. When the business is involved with the website, like Keith is at RaleighFenceContractors.com it shows. New visitors may choose Keith as a contractor over the competition simply because he has a well organized and informative website.
New business comes from dedication, work ethic and pride in ones brand or image. I feel that Keith, with our help, has embodied all of these attributes and more. I think he will be a great success with this new website and in his new business.
Thanks so much for following Keith’s link and recognizing his dedication (And for giving us some kind words on the design).
Respectfully,
Scott Pooler
CEO iBusinessLogic.com
Publisher
Trading Assistant Journal
I found your post via one of Keiths Plurk comments. Keith is positioning himself infront of a nice niche, and will surely be able to make himself an authority in the fencing market.
I agree Darek that it’s a great business model (and it’s nice to see a twist on taking a niche that is so unique & making the most of it!)
Keith – I clarified that – sorry about that. it was my pleasure to meet you too!
Scott – thanks for adding your contact info – maybe others would like to engage your services. I agree that WP is awesome.
Thanks Mykl & Adam!
Connie
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Connie, reading this story brings back so great memories, it has been almost 2 years since I started in social media and blogging. So much has happened!
I don’t own that fence company anymore (sold out to my competition because they wanted my site gone! LOL) but I am still blogging and have developed some other sites too.
Would really like to talk/email with you on some ideas I have involving community management. Was reading an email I get from Ad Age and it mentioned you, I immediately remembered out conversation that day!
Hope things are going well for you…
Keith Bloemendaal