August 2009

Have you looked into the Australian Government 50% small business investment rebate? Small businesses can access a 50% rebate on investment in their business until the end of 2009. Now is a perfect time to spend money on your business. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity! Go to the ATO website to get the full details.

Once again a very busy month at Neotechnology with the sales and marketing team spending the first week of August travelling across Queensland to meet potential Authorised Amicus Partners. The trip took the team from Brisbane and surrounds to Cairns, with stops in Rockhampton and Mackay. If you live in any of these areas and are looking for a new POS system, contact us and we’ll put you in touch with your local Amicus Authorised Partner.

The team also spent a week in Melbourne with more potential partners visited.

To continue with our focus of providing useful information this month’s newsletter focuses on the web, including basic website tips and increasing your Google ranking.

If you have anything of particular interest you would like to see in our newsletter please email: marketing@neotechnology.com.au

A few basic tips to improve the usability and readability of your website:

• Most people only scan the content on websites – so put the most important information first, use headings, bullet points and bold text to get your message across.
• Don't include too many links in a paragraph, it detracts from the content.
• Try to put any links you do use at the end of a paragraph encouraging visitors to read the content first before clicking through.
• Make your links meaningful not ‘click here’ write ‘Amicus POS website’ instead.
• Web copy should be half the length of any printed material conveying the same message.
• Label all downloadable files with the file type and size.
• Remember not everyone has high speed internet, especially in regional Australia, so make sure images sizes are not too large and that you website caters to those with a low speed connection.
• And last but certainly not least, measure your website's effectiveness through the collection of statistics – Google Analytics is free and easy to set up and a user feedback form is also helpful.

This is some basic information to get you started. Always make sure that your website is tailored to your audience and conveys your key messages.

There are so many businesses that now have an online presence, getting to the number one spot on Google can be tough. How important this is for your business depends on a number of factors, however more and more people are looking online for products these days. Here are a few basic steps you can take to help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation):

• Determine which search terms people use to look for your type of business, these are known as keywords – search for ‘Google keyword tool’ to help.
• Choose the keywords you want to focus on and include these keywords in your website content without decreasing readability.
• Put new content up on your website regularly – have a news section for example and try to include keywords in your copy.
• Use reciprocal linking:
• Include a links section on your website and link to your partners, suppliers and other contacts and businesses (always ask first).
• Get other reputable businesses to link to your website.
• Get your site listed on online directories – there are many businesses which offer this service or you can do it yourself – start with Google maps, Hot Frog, etc. and industry directories.
• Make your meta data meaningful and include your chosen keywords.

If you want your content rewritten to be keyword rich but do not have the time to do it yourself, why not get an external person to rewrite your content. Not only do you get a fresh pair of eyes looking at what has been written but it can be very cost effective. There are many resources online where you can hire freelancers from around the world that work for competitive rates.

The above tips are meant to be a starting point, there is more you can do yourself or get done cheaply. Then there are the more expensive options such a Google Adwords and getting a SEO company to help increase your ranking. The option you choose to go with will depend on your objectives and of course your budget. There is plenty of information to help you online...just Google ‘increase SEO’ or similar.

Check out the following website as a great starting point:

www.salsainternet.com.au

Do you have a POS system? Are you getting the most out of your system? A POS system should be making your life easier, not create work for you. To get the most out of your point of sale system it needs to be set up properly with good data. As with most systems, bad data in = bad data out.

Of course this is going to take some time to set up but think of all the time you will save later on down the track when it just works! Some basic things you should set up include:

• User permissions (admin, sales stuff etc) for security and tracking purposes
• Product database so your stock is in the correct departments with the right codes
• Pricing rules, specials and other offers
• Customer and supplier database
• The sales screen for any different areas such as bar, front of house, back office etc

This is not an exhaustive list; you should talk to your local POS provider to find out the best way to set up the system for your business model. This will get you started on getting the best out of your POS system.

Are you currently an Amicus POS user? Have you been raving to other businesses about how good the system is for your business?

Well how about turning this into some money for you!!

If you refer a business to us, hospitality, retail, supermarkets or fuel, and this turns into a sale you will receive a percentage of the software licence sales. We are there to provide any support you need to refer Amicus POS to your business colleagues, be it promotional material, assistance answering technical questions or general sales advice.

Contact us for the full details of the Amicus POS referral program