Free offer to British Destinations members and your business communities

I have been working with Web.com a major international webservice provider (and owner of most of the UK’s major business directory services) to develop and promote a free online presence health check service for, in this instance, tourism businesses in member destinations. I don’t necessarily believe that there is anything particularly unique about what they are offering, although having used their services myself, I can personally testify to the quality and, in particular, the usefulness of the FREE advice they offer. It comes with no obligation to act on it; the written reports and consultation can be used to make improvement yourself, used by your own service providers or you can take up as few or as many of web.’s services as you feel are needed. Their offer to us includes a £50 discount on any service purchased with a cost of over £100.

I know from conversations with different members that the quality of websites, social media and general online presence, including basics like claiming and managing your own google entry for example, varies significantly, with particularly problems around many micro and SME’s, together with some issues among some of the long established larger, more traditional businesses. I am also told that there is often resistance to and/or suspicion of various locally driven initiatives to improve the quality of presence through low or no cost inhouse or, outsourced local commercial solutions. My firm belief is that as we transition out of the pandemic to a new and almost certainly changed business environment, now is not the time to ignore any ingrained but completely unnecessarily, flawed online presence among a proportion of your already potentially struggling businesses.

I am hoping to help break the existing barrier to take up of health checks and other free or paid for improvement by acting as an honest broker, partnering with any willing destination members to introduce Web.’s free and paid for services. British Destinations can if you wish front the local offer and by doing so take any reputational risk, not that I believe that there is any. Or it can be done as an “in association with” or whatever arrangement suits your own circumstances. I don’t necessarily expect an immediate large uptake now but by demonstrating that this is something that other peer and competitor destinations are doing jointly through a national tourism trade body, it may help to start chivvy along the more enlightened but nervous or uncertain members in your business communities. The more that take part successfully over the coming months the more we can encourage others to take part and improve in the future.

If you wish to offer the entirely free online health check and entirely free 1 hour consultation to your businesses (or indeed have your own sites assessed as a testbed) let me know and I will arrange for Web. to set up an individual to each destination businesses, sign up page and arrange for bespoke to your requirement promotional materials. The offer can be tailored to go to as many or as few local businesses and business types as you see fit, as you will retain control over both distribution and content of any promotional materials.

The following is an example of the offer, but in this instance uses my contact detail not web.’s. The link to the sign up page is there as both an example of what business would need to do to participate but it is also a live link should any of you wish to test the offer yourselves before considering committing to trying out a joint partnership with web. and British Destinations.

FREE MEMBER OFFER

“Dear Members

As you know, with the world emerging from the pandemic, online health as well as personal health has never been more important, and we are pleased to announce that we have negotiated a special deal for British Destinations members, and their members, to participate in a free Digital Health check with Web.com, and a free consultation from their digital experts.

The Digital Healthcheck will involve running your website through a simple reporting tool that will identify areas of improvement and give you insights to use yourself, for your digital agency, or if you want help from Web.com they are also happy to offer £50 off any of their services if you spend over £100. There is NO obligation to use Web.com for any services, and the Healthcheck report and the consultation is completely FREE.

If you would like to take up this offer, just go to https://webreport.web.com/?campaignid=PZDBNF and if you would like to extend this offer to your own members, please contact Peter Hampson on 07714341379 peter.hampson@btconnect.com

For further information about Web.com and their services, please download this brochure, or visit humanfaceof.digital.”