Do you freelance or own a small business? Talk to Do More Online and you could win £250. NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills are running the Do More Online campaign, and they'd love to hear from Mumsnetters who freelance or own small businesses and are embracing digital. Do More Online aims to help small businesses improve their digital skills to find more customers, be more efficient, and save money.

Do More Online say: "89% of small businesses agree it’s beneficial to deal with customers online, but 2 million (39%)* don’t have an online presence. We’re keen to hear what was it was that inspired the other 61% to go online and hope that Mumsnetters will share their personal hints and tips with us in this discussion.”

If you own a small business or are a freelancer:

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?
• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?
• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

Everyone who posts their answers to these questions will be entered into a prize draw, where one winner will receive £250.

Thanks,
MNHQ

PS - Do More Online say "Now you’ve followed the discussion, watch for yourself our videos and hear what the experts from Google, Facebook, Etsy, Ebay and Microsoft have to say to help you Do More Online:

How to build a website - with Microsoft
How to increase your online visibility - with Google
How to set up a business page - with Facebook
How to sell online - with eBay
How to set up and online shop - with Etsy "

*The research was undertaken by TNS on behalf of the Do More Online campaign between 2nd February 2015 - 27th February 2015 amongst 545 representative small businesses
** BIS Small Business Survey, 2012

Marking place

If you own a small business or are a freelancer - Yes I'm an accountant:

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing? yes I manage my finances online using a cloud based free accounting system. My business seems to operate on word of mouth so online marketing isn;t really appropriate but I do need to set up a website as the first thing prospective clients do is check out your website and mine is currently just a holding page!

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital? I haven't moved online except for finance

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice? I sought advice on an industry specific website. Got lots of great peer advice on marketing and cloud based software.

I own a small business providing educational services.

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

all of these. I use online banking, encourage customers to pay online, have a website through which half of our enquiries come, and use Facebook and Twitter for advertising. We don't sell online, as we only have a couple of branded products which don't have a high turnover.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

I couldn't imagine not having an online presence - customers rely on it to check details and download forms etc. as well as sharing news

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

I had a self built website for a couple of years which was ok, but took advice from a marketing consultant and as a result had a site custom built which is working really well for us. It's enabling us to compete with the big national companies with a comparatively small outlay. I have also just been on a PR course which advised about more efficient ways to use social media.

If you own a small business or are a freelancer:

• freelancer, recently set up

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?
• I use online banking, and have bought a domain name, but not yet set up a website. I have also set up a linkedin profile but need to do work on it to make it work to my advantage.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

n/a

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?
• advice from friends & family, and googling!

I'm interested to read the links you've posted, as I'm lacking in confidence and digital skills.

Having a web presence is essential for me, I am a technical writer in the IT industry. The company name I chose was influenced by the domains available - I wanted a .com.

Regarding social media, I think LinkedIn is the only site I have a presence on to promote my business. I've yet to be convinced of the usefulness of Twitter, I may be wrong!

What made it possible to embrace digital? I've worked in IT for years and have had websites in some shape or form for over a decade. So I was lucky that I already had the skills to create a website when I started out on my own. Every problem I ever encountered building a website was solved with a bit of googling.

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

I have a website and use various online portals to bid for jobs and maintain profile pages so customers can find me.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

I work for people around the world so the internet is the best tool to stay in contact with my clients and find new clients.

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

My biggest leap into digital was my first Smartphone - it enabled me to 'catch' more business as I could reply to e-mail enquiries within minutes from anywhere rather than only when my computer was on - absolutely invaluable with small children in tow.

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

Finances are managed online. I did have a website but found I get far more work through linkedIn and word of mouth, and it took too much time to keep it updated, so I closed it down. I've hovered on twitter but it was taking too much time so no longer use twitter much.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

My business as such isn't online but I do use a number of online tools such as Trello, dropbox etc.

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

I self-built my website with advice from friends and family, but no longer find it useful. I do find at the moment I could use a one-stop shop to go online training on packages such as excel/powerpoint etc which have moved on from when I had access to in-house training.

Marketing freelancer:

Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

I receive payment online via my bank. I invoice using my time tracking online platform (Paymo). I use Twitter and LinkedIn. I used social media management tools like Buffer and Hootsuite. I send a monthly enews using Mailchimp. I have a Wordpress website. I have a Pay Per Click (Google ad words) campaign set up

If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

The first thing I did when setting up was to create a website. I feel it is very important to have an online business card. And I know that people visit my website from analytics and potential clients mention my blog articles.

What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

As a marketing professional I had some exposure and experience of using digital tools, but learning Wordpress (for my website) was a learning curve. I searched online for any answers I didn't know. Youtube is good for finding easy to follow instructional type videos. I also paid a web freelancer to help me with some technical stuff on the website. I was already using social media before I set up my consultancy, but following leaders (consultants) in my field helped me to understand how to make the most of it as a consultant

Marking place

We run an online niche retail business.
The only way to reach our fairly large but niche market was to go online.
We do the odd pop up shop here and there for related events but the majority of the business is online through a website and shop that we built ourselves.

It's a very fashion forward product so we have curate our online presence carefully and ensure that our brand comes across well.

We mostly use our shop, integrated blog, Instagram, twitter and Facebook to connect with our audience.

We are both quite tech savvy so found it relatively easy. We now run a couple of websites for other people who don't have the same skills or understanding.

The only thing worse than not having a web presence is having a rubbish web presence! It's so important to get it right because it can devalue your brand hugely.

i'm a freelancer

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

I manage my banking online, I'm working on my website and hope to go live with it soon.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

N/A

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

Advice and practical help from other self-employed friends and business contacts.

I'm a storyteller, and my business model incorporated digital from the start. I set up my own social media, designed a website, made an account spreadsheet and keep track of my book sales and stock levels via excel too.
I set up PayPal buttons on my site to sell bespoke stories, and sell books through KDP and Smashwords.
I get a large proportion of my work via the website and LinkedIn, especially schools work.
What I like best about digital media is that once it's set up, maintaining an online presence isn't onerous, and I can reach a large audience for free.
It helps that I'm tech-savvy and not afraid to try new things. There are usually walk-throughs on YouTube etc. if I'm stuck on something, and I know enough to ask intelligent questions to the right geeks people.

Im a freelancer with a website built around a wordpress blog and I tweet.
I know I. My business I would always Google somebody for their portfolio so I needed to have an online portfolio. When I had fewer projects the blog was a good way to disguise that. Now it's a good excuse to bump my site and draw visitors to it. I try to post helpful or thoughtful blog posts.
I use wordpress and Twitter online tutorials and have used twitter online webinars. All very useful.
what was very important before I started was a graphic identity which I got from a small local designer who also wanted to expand their portfolio.

I run my own business , I have a holiday cottage , a B & B and a cafe

- Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?
Yes, we do online banking , we have a website and a Facebook page , the cottage is booked with an agency , although we will be going away from that next year

- If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?
It seems everything is done online these days , people don't write letters to book holidays anymore , they may phone but are more likely to look online at a website , then check up on trip advisor !
- What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?
I think getting an iPad ! It just made everything so much easier
I want to write a blog , so just need a push in the right direction

I'm a ltd company contractor. I've found it so much easier to have an online accountant that it linked to my business bank account. I can see everything updated daily immediately without needing to schedule appointments with a "Real" accountant.

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

I have a website - that's crucial, as I am a freelancer working from home offering what is essentially an online service. If I couldn't attract clients from around the UK and further afield, I wouldn't get any work. I have tried running a Facebook page for my business as well, but found it to be too much hassle and ultimately not necessary.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

See above. It's the only way I can attract clients.

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

I started my website and tried to optimise it for search engines, which didn't get me very far as I'm not willing to pay to improve my Google ranking, and I'm never going to get many clicks. I worked through trial and error really, and found out by accident that I can usually get new business if I advertise my service on Gumtree. Not sure why that is, but hey, why complain? :)

software freelancer & small-time ebay seller

• Do you do any of the following for your business online –

manage your finances online, - I suppose so, I've invoiced through paypal. use social media - not for business have a website - I use my linkedin profile in lieu of a website & joined & commented in relevant groups to make business contacts sell through your own or a third party website, - ebay or use online marketing?

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital? - the internet creates a level playing field. It is just as easy for a company to outsource to your living room as it is for them to offshore the work elsewhere. Location and other differentials (i.e. gender, age) are no longer relevant.
• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? - broadband, and previous experience on ebay. It's a learning curve, you've got to be willing to try new things.

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing? I use a facebook page which I set up and advertise through other sites.
• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital? To reach more people, everyone is online and I direct people to my facebook page.
• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice? I looked at other facebook pages and what content people used.

If you own a small business or are a freelancer:

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing? I recently started my own business online. I use social media, Etsy and will soon set up my own website.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital? I started out online because there's a far better reach.

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice? Not really. I'm a bit of a computer geek so for me it was the obvious place to start.

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing? ......I do all my banking on-line and ask my customers to pay this way too, it makes accounts simpler, I use both Facebook & Twitter (the majority of my customers have come through Facebook), I have a website, it keeps customers up to date with offers, vacancies & all new services we offer, all my marketing is done on-line through social media

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital? .....N/A

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice? .........It's available 24/7 at a time that suits me. I got advice from my family & friends and went to free training & workshops provided by my local Business Gateway

I am a self-employed musician and teacher. I manage my finances online and market myself through my own website, a third party website and social media.

I first started in the 1990s, so everything came through word of mouth. I probably still get half of my work that way. I started advertising online in about 2004, when I moved to a new city and needed to find new customers.

Other musicians recommended the third party website (musicteachers.co.uk). It comes pretty high up in searches and is really easy to use (both for teachers and students).

I only moved my finances from paper to online about 18 months ago. I have a bit of fear about losing everything, but it saves a huge amount of time.

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

I have Twitter, FB and Instagram accounts, and I manage the finances online. I am considering using a third party website to sell.

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

Using social media has helped me get a lot of new interest and exposure, and helped me connect to other local businesses. I find it really convenient, especially as I can maintain the accounts on the move using my smartphone. Doing finances online makes things much easier to be able to analyse my accounts and keep track of costs.

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

I just used the social media sites help pages to work out how to set myself up, and whenever I have problems I just use Google and work it out myself.

Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

Online banking and have a website (though not really used), others aren't relevant to business type (business services to large organisations)

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

I do banking and tax online because it's much more convenient. I also use some collaborative web-based software with clients at their instigation

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

Being confident with computers/IT

I'm just setting myself up in private practice alongside my normal job. I'm currently debating whether to set up my own website from the start or to just start off by advertising on industry-specific directories. The cost of web development and ongoing costs puts me off but I know that it would most likely pay for itself very quickly. I'm also on LinkedIn but I'm not sure if that'll generate any clients for me. I am quite computer literate but a bit daunted by website development. I'm off to view some of those Do More Online links now as I need the help!

If you own a small business or are a freelancer:
[B]I own my own Photography Business.[B]

• Do you do any of the following for your business online – manage your finances online, use social media, have a website, sell through your own or a third party website, or use online marketing?

[B]I have my own self built website, which is working brilliantly for me. I also use Social media, Twitter & Facebook for marketing too.[B]

• If you’ve started a business and moved it online, or even started the business online, what was it that made you go digital?

[B]I have always supported being digital, as I feel its the best and easiest way to promote my business.[B]

• What was it that made it possible to embrace digital? Were there positive influences or places where you sought advice?

[B]I took a business management course and also have a diploma, as well as other business management skills, including advanced communication skills, so I kind of knew that digital was the only way forward to keep up with other businesses.[B]