How to enter:

Follow us at twitter or like us on Facebook and you will automatically enter the sweepstake.

Already a follower?  You can still enter. Ask a friend to follow us/like us and send us a twitter message or email with your friend's twitter or facebook  name. You both will be eligible for the prizes.

Contest runs from today (Monday, January 24^th ) until  Monday, February 28^th 4pm. US Eastern Time.

Drawing and Awarding of Prizes:

Winners will be determined by a random drawing from all eligible entries received, per the drawing schedule outlined below.

Each prize winner will be notified via twitter, facebook or email.

Weekly prize: $50 gift card valid for any service provided by RedPoint Design Studio.  (That means if you win this prize you can have for example a web banner, single side flyer or custom twitter background designed for free, or use the gift card on any service and only pay the difference).

Final Prize: A free Website Design and Development. It can be a personal blog, a website for your pet, church, reading club, small business, etc.   Winner will be randomly picked Monday, February 28^th.

DISCLAIMERS:

* Website design/development prize is for a regular website design  (regular content pages, including a contact form and optionally blog feature). It does NOT include anything outside a basic website such as  e-commerce capabilities (shopping cart, e-store, secure pages)  social network community, portal, etc.

*Redpoint will not develop or host any website whose content is unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene or any content  that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law.  This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, trademark, intellectual property, material we judge to be threatening or obscene, pornography and sex-related websites.

A lot of business owners still feel a website is something they can do without... oh dear

1. Low Capital / Start Up Costs

You can get yourself online for pennies these days. With low-cost professional hosting available in 3 clicks and the advent of open source web content management systems such as WordPress you can be up and running in a relatively short period of time.

2. Increase your brand awareness and company profile

Creating an online presence is a relatively quick method that can be used to increase your companies visibility. By having a look at basic seo you can increase the amount of people who know about you in a very short period of time. Achieving the same scope of engagement through traditional ‘offline methods' would cost the best part of a fortune.

3. You can be open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year!

The internet never stops, it doesn't get tired - it doesn't need to take 5 and rest. Thus, you can have the online portion of your site up and running all the time. A consistent source / portal for all potential leads to find you.

4. Stay local or take over the WORLD!!

The internet knows no boundaries. Your site once up is accessible by anybody around the entire planet. The internet can be a good way to strategically begin moving your business from local to nationwide to global in incremental steps.

5. Become an expert in your niche

Through writing articles, expressing your opinion online, in your industry community you can establish yourself and your company as an expert in its field. This can open up a new flux of lead generation and create many new networks and business relationships for your company.

6. Expand your Market

As you become more efficient and learned in online marketing and the intricate ways of the web, you will not only strengthen and improve the quality of your current base and share, but you will also discover new opportunities to move into new markets for growth and expansion.

7. Improved Customer Experience

By using the foray of online tools , software and applications in your website - you can strive to offer your customers an improved level of service. Helping to add a new facet to your company and their overall feeling about your business.

8. People Expect You To Have A Website

These days customers are more savvy than ever and many whether individuals or companies will often want to look at your website to see whether your a company that they should do business with. Not having a website is denying them a port of information. The same way you know you need business cards, letterheads, a bank account - you as a business also do require a website.

9. Competing with competition.

Being online - gives you opportunity to keep tabs on your competition. No more covert break ins into offices dressed in black! Visit their websites, see how they structure their business and what they are getting up to.. Take all that and then improve upon it and integrate it into what you are offering.

10. Foster customer loyalty

With a website, after a sale you can remain closer to your customers. Gather their email addresses and issue monthly newsletters, updates and discounts. Reap the rewards of building brand and customer loyalty. Use the opportunity to cross-promote and gather vital information about your market.

Article author:

Mel - I am a 23 year old dude, that's an avid entrepreneur / designer / scientist - living in London, UK. I blog about design HERE and rant about everything HERE.

If  you have any kind of business -doesn't matter if you sell products or services-, at least some of the tips in this ebook will prove helpful for you.

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