Case Study - Village Websmith in Tintern

The Village Websmith helps small businesses to promote themselves, primarily on the internet, but also through printed matter, helping them with sales campaigns and organising business networking groups. The differentiator is our use of language and images that sell, then placing information where it will be seen and understanding markets and search engines.

Details

The Village Websmith helps small businesses to promote themselves, primarily on the internet, but also through printed matter, helping them with sales campaigns and organising business networking groups.  The differentiator is our use of language and images that sell, then placing information where it will be seen and understanding markets and search engines.

 

Trading in Wales since 2003, the brand is now franchised to Village Websmiths in other parts of the UK, creating web presences for their customers using Webinthebox®, our registered trademark CMS.  This allows franchisees to concentrate on the content and promotion rather than the technology.  Llandegley was the birthplace of our business and our products, but we are now based in Tintern.

 

Our success comes mostly through word of mouth recommendations from the many small businesses that we have helped to gain customers in a highly competitive market place.  Doing a great job is only the beginning and referrals must be actively sought, then acted upon.  We are currently preparing tender responses to opportunities found through Sell2Wales, which could increase our annual turnover by some 30% in the coming year.

 

To help small businesses like our own, we would recommend networking on every level and every platform available, scouring opportunities like those advertised on Sell2Wales.  When I see an opportunity listed there that isn't appropriate to what we do, I invite a customer who is in that industry to register and pursue it.  In this way, we help the people who have bought from us and encourage them to do the same for us.

 

Having a strong local focus is also a huge help.  We are members of the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association and I have booked on a training course to become an Ambassador for Monmouthshire, both of these associations should help strengthen relationships with local customers.