2. Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Online Selling 3
Ebay 3
Setting Up Your Ebay Account 3
Fees 6
Feedback 6
Returns 6
Refunds 7
Analytics 7
Etsy 8
Setting Up Your Etsy Account 8
Shipping Information 13
Returns 13
Analytics 14
PayPal 15
Setting Up Your PayPal Account 15
PayPal Fees 15
Shipping/Royal Mail 16
Proof of Shipping 16
Compensation of Damage 16
Royal Mail Insurance Policy 17
Additional Tips 17
Chapter 2: Online Marketing 18
Getting Started 18
Facebook 18
Create your Facebook Account 18
Create Your Facebook Page 21
Twitter 27
Create Your Twitter Account 27
Linking Your Twitter to Facebook Page 30
Linking Your Facebook Page to Twitter 32
How to Use Facebook and Twitter 34
1creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
3. This booklet is to serve as a guide for you to set up accounts on various
websites to help you put your business online, brought to you by LSE SU
Enactus. Any information presented here may be subject to change. This was
last edited March 17, 2014. For any comments or queries, please e-mail us at
creativecycle@enactuslse.co.uk or leave us a comment at our website at
creativecyce.enactuslse.co.uk
!
Tips on Posting Updates 34
Importance of Engaging with Others 34
Summary 35
Third Party Tools 36
Logos & Business Cards 36
Online Competitions 36
Third Party Tools to Manage Social Media 36
Analytics 37
Chapter 3: Accounting and Finance 39
Excel/Spreadsheets 39
The Magic of Excel/Spreadsheets 41
Multiplication 42
Sums 43
Glossary 44
Online Security and Privacy 45
What are the Common Risks? 45
Tips on Keeping Safe Online 45
Useful Links 46
My Notes 47
2creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
4. Chapter 1: Online Selling!
!
There are many platforms on which you can sell products online.
Some key sites for selling personal items, crafts, and handmade
products include Etsy and ebay. Other sites, such as Amazon or
ASOS Marketplace, are not as focused on such products, or
require the seller to to show personal information.
!
To get started, you will need:
• A computer
• An internet connection
• An e-mail address
• A bank account or credit card
• A product (with pictures) to sell
Ebay!
Ebay is an online auction and shopping website in which people
and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and
services worldwide. This section has used Christmas baubles for
demonstrative purposes.
!
Setting Up Your Ebay Account
1. Start by clicking the register button on
the top left corner of the homepage.
2. Registration will require few important
details such as your name, e-mail and
a password. Ebay initially assigns you
your own User ID. This is first
automatically done by Ebay, but you
can edit this later from “My Ebay”. Only
the User ID will be shown to your buyer
and therefore privacy is ensured.
!
!
Advantages Disadvantages
Simple to use Fees are relatively high
Huge traffic (over 14 million active users in the UK
alone
Negative feedback destroys reputation
Receive assistance from eBay with regards to
returns/refunds
3creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk Figure 1.1
5. 3. After registering your account, you can
start selling products by hovering over
the Sell button on the top right hand
corner of the screen. To start selling an
item, click Sell an Item. After filling out
an address form, you can create a
category for the product you are selling.
!
4. After clicking Create Your Listing, you can add pictures of your product. To achieve a
professional presence, using high resolution pictures is recommended (Figure 1.3).
4creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.3
Figure 1.2
6. 5. Fill in the details of your product: Give it a title, select a condition of your product
from the available options, and add a small description highlighting the main
features of your product.
6. To set your pricing, you can choose between either a fixed price or an auction. It is
advised that you select a fixed price, as evidence shows that you will be 10% more
likely to sell your product. Enter the price and the sale duration.
!
7. The delivery options provided by Ebay allows you to choose whether you will charge
the customer the delivery fee, or whether you will pay the delivery fee yourself.
Depending on the size of the product, different methods are suggested. For small
products (jewellery, other small hand-crafted goods, etc.) it is recommended to cover
the delivery charge yourself. Specifics regarding delivery fees will be discussed later.
5creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.4
Figure 1.5
7. 8. After completing steps 1-7, your item should be available for preview like show in
Figure 1.6:
Fees
There are three types of fees on eBay:
1. Insertion Fee: These fees are paid whenever an item is listed on eBay,
regardless of whether it sells, and are £0.40 per listing.
2. Final Value Fees: These fees are charged any time an item is
sold, costing 10% of the value of the total transaction.
3. Feature Fees: These fees are only applicable if optional
features are selected. For small start-up businesses, it
is advised that these features are avoided (perhaps
you can consider this after your business has a stable
presence online!).
!
Feedback
Buyers can leave either positive, neutral or negative feedback. This is in addition to the
reviews they can write about your products. Good sellers tend to have over 99% positive
feedback, as it is the norm on eBay to save positive feedback on the vast majority of
cases. Thus, it should not be difficult for you to achieve this.
!
Returns
Most items on eBay are sold easily. However, sometimes if a buyer is unhappy with an
item, the seller may be required to accept a returned item and refund the buyer. If you
have decided to make returns an option for the buyer, there are different steps and
6creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.6
8. timeframes for returning and refunding an item. If you have decided not to include this
service in your shop, then you may disregard the following steps.
!
If the buyer is unhappy with their purchase, the buyer will first have to ask eBay to review
the case (whether the bought item did or did not match the description of the item
provided on the website). If eBay determines that the buyer should receive a refund, they
will put the case on hold and give the buyer 8 days to return the item.
The buyer will be requested by eBay to use a tracking or a delivery
confirmation number so that they can confirm when the seller
(you) has received it.
Once this confirmation reaches eBay, eBay provides the buyer the
refund within three days that covers the cost of the item and the
original postage and packaging This refund will be taken from
your PayPal account (or other reimbursement payment method, if
available).
!
Refunds
If you have agreed provide refunds for items, you must do so within
three days of promising the refund or within three days of receiving
the returned item. If the seller does not provide the refund directly,
the buyer can go through eBay for help: eBay will refund the buyer
by deducting the amount from the your PayPal account. It is
important that your credit card details are added to your PayPal
account to use this reimbursement payment method. If there are
insufficient funds in your PayPal account, then eBay will look for alternative
reimbursement methods. eBay will always let you know when they are seeking
reimbursements.
Failure to cover the refund will lead to a limited or suspended use of eBay until the
payment is made.
!
Analytics
To access data on your online shop, using analytics enables you to track your sales and
fees on a monthly basis. After going on the homepage of eBay, follow these steps to get
access to this data:
1. My eBay
2. Account (hover over)
3. Subscriptions
4. Sales Reports
5. Subscribe
!
7creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
9. Etsy!
Etsy is an e-commerce website focused on handmade or
vintage items.
For this section, we have demonstrated the set-up process
using Christmas baubles.
!
Setting Up Your Etsy Account
1. Register an account by clicking
Registry on the top left hand corner
of the page.
2. After registering, click Sell on the
top left hand corner of the page.
!
3. Localise your shop by choosing your language, currency and shop country (Figure
1.8).
4. Next, you can start setting up your shop. Complete the tabs displayed on the website
and your shop is ready to sell. This includes choosing a shop name, listing items,
providing payment methods and the different fees of using Etsy (Figure 1.9).
Advantages Disadvantages
Cheaper fees than eBay Strict guidelines: must be vintage or hand-made to
be sold on Etsy
More specific to the type of product (hand-made
crafts, jewellery, etc)
More complicated to set up
No risk of not receiving the money as you can post
the item out after receiving payment
8creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.8
Figure 1.9
Figure 1.7
10. 5. Your shop name online is the same as any other shop name offline: H&M, Tesco,
Boots. Etsy will also allow you to edit and change this anytime (Figure 1.10).
6. As you create your own shop, you can also create your own look and branding of it.
This means that you can design a banner (760 x 100 pixel image at the top of your
shop page), a shop title (description of the shop and the types of things you offer)
and a shop announcement (This is often used to welcome buyers or to promote
sales). Figure 1.11 shows you an example.
7. The next step includes listing your items for sale. Etsy provides you with a series of
drop-down menus where you can describe who made it, what kind of an item it is,
and when you made it, and whether it is a physical item (or a digital file). If you are
producing personalised item, you can choose “Made to Order”. If you aren’t sure of
how to classify your products, just describe it to your best abilities with the available
options.
9creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.10
Figure 1.11
Figure 1.12
11. 8. Continue this process by categorising your item and selecting variations. More drop-
down menus should be made available to you (Figure 1.13 and Figure 1.14)
!
9. By adding images you can provide the buyers with a feel of the item. Images should
be between 800-100pixels wide, but the height can vary. Try to use natural light and
include a great close up to provide a professional look (Figure 1.15).
!
10creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.13
Figure 1.14
Figure 1.15
12. 10. You can then add more information about the item you are selling. Add a descriptive
title to your product, and remember to include important details such as size,
materials used, how it was made and any other unique features (Figure 1.16).
!
!
!
11.Continue adding more information about your product by providing additional
attributes: who it is for, if it is for any specific event, or what kind of style it is (Figure
1.17).
!
!
!
!
!
11creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.16
Figure 1.17
13. !
!
12. Finally, you can tag your products. Like titles, tags will help aid search results when
buyers are looking for your item. Tags can be described as “words you would use to
search for an item”. For the Christmas baubles, we used tags such as “christmas” and
“balls” (Figure 1.18)
13.Selling Information: You can decide the price of your own item, but remember that
this does not include the delivery fees. The listing fee on Etsy is £0.12 and this price
does not change, regardless of how many items you list. There is an additional
transaction fee, which is 3.5% of the transaction fee.
!
14.Shipping Information: To ensure a good transaction, you will need to provide your
seller the information about shipping. First, describe the processing time (the length
of time between when your item is ordered and when it will be shipped). Second,
decide which countries you will be shipping to. If you are starting new, it is
recommended that you stick to the country of origin. Shipping to different countries
would mean different
shipping costs for each
country, though you can also
decide how much to charge
for such fees. Figure 1.19
shows the different fields Etsy
requires you to fill in (Price,
Quantity and Shipping).
!
!
!
!
!
12creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.18
Figure 1.19
14. 15.Every individual has to sign up with tax authorities within the
first 3 months after opening an Etsy account. You can register
online if you go to this web address:
http://online.hmrc.gov.uk/shortforms/form/CWF1ST?dept-
name=CWF1&sub-dept-n
Make sure you also complete the Class 2 NI exemption form if
you don’t expect to make more than about £5000 in the tax year
through Etsy. You can include tax in your price. You can find
more information on www.hmrc.gov.uk/working/intro/class2.htm.
Otherwise, consult someone (Alexa at Eaves) for more help.
16. You are now reaching the final steps of setting up your Etsy: Etsy provides you the
opportunity to make any changes to your listings. This includes the adjustment of
photo (you may want to emphasise a certain part of the item - see Figure 1.20)
You can continue to make changes by clicking the grey Edit button. To save your
listing without publishing it, click the Save As Draft button. You can go back to your
shop, listings and drafts at anytime. Once you are satisfied with it and you click on
Publish, you will be charged the £0.12 listing fee.
!
Shipping Information
Shipping and fulfilment are handled by you as sellers individually, giving the sellers a lot
of flexibility and also decision making power about how much to charge, where to send
to, etc.
!
Etsy has a feature called the Shipping Profile which allows the seller to group similar
items that ship for the same costs. In other words, the sellers can determine the shipping
costs for an item of a specific size, weight, and shipping method to a Shipping Profile.
!
Returns
Like shipping costs, return policies are up to the seller. It is really important for the seller
to fill out your policies in order to be covered under seller protection. If you are
wondering what kind of policies to implement, it is advised for you to look around
similar shops and read their policies and let that inspire you. Click on Your Shop at the
13creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.20
15. upper right side, then look at the left side, click on information and appearance, then
policies.
!
Analytics
Etsy’s Shop statistics provide you as sellers the volume of the traffic in your shop as well
as the traffic sources. Traffic is the number of views your shop gets. This is available
under Your Shop ➡ Shop Statistics. You can additionally use Google Analytics by linking
your Etsy account to Google, but this will not be covered in this handbook.
14creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
16. PayPal!
PayPal is an online intermediary banking service that
makes transferring of money of sales more safe
online. Various websites use it mostly to protect user
identity. To create a PayPal account, you will need a
bank account/credit car details.
!
Setting Up Your PayPal Account
1. Go on the PayPal website, www.paypal.com
2. Click on Sign up on the right top corner.
3. You will be provided with two options in creating your PayPal account: Personal and
Business. For small scale businesses, it is recommended that you pursue the
Business account (this is required to sell).
4. As with setting up your eBay and Etsy accounts, complete your personal information
and enter bank account/credit card details. No details are showed to buyers of your
product. As you are an small independent business, choose individual from the
drop-down menu under business type. Click Continue when you’re done.
5. Next you will have to fill in your account information. These steps are similar to other
accounts you will create online. Security Questions may be new to you: they are
simple security measures if ever you get locked out of your account (forgotten your
username/password) and PayPal wants to confirm that you are the true owner of the
account.
6. Click confirm, and you will be redirected to the homepage.
7. To finalise your account, you must confirm your e-mail address. You should have
received an e-mail from PayPal that has instructions on how to confirm your e-mail.
!
PayPal has only recently changed its system policies and so the information here is
limited. If you have any questions, please contact us on our website or get in touch with
the Education Training and Employment Officer at Eaves.
!
PayPal Fees
For sellers, PayPal takes a fee of £0.20 for every transaction you make. In addition to this,
PayPal takes between 1.4% - 3.4% of the transaction fee depending on the number of
monthly sales. A full breakdown is shown in Figure 1.21.
15creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.21
17. Shipping/Royal Mail!
To ship your products to your customers, you will need to calculate rates by weighing
and measuring the dimensions of your products. You will then need to choose from a
host of various mail services, for example Royal Mail (follow this web address for the
prices Royal Mail charges: http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder).
Royal Mail’s 2nd class stamps would be the cheapest based on items weighing less than
1kg and classifying as small parcels. Royal Mail covers compensation but does not
provide tracking services. You can instead pursue Royal Mail Signed for 2nd class stamps
to get a proof of delivery. Royal Mail’s charges are depicted in Figure 1.22.
!
Proof of Shipping
You can ask for a proof of shipping at the post office. This is important, as it allows you to
protect yourself against a buyer who claimed he had not received your item. This will be
further explored in Compensation of Damage.
!
Compensation of Damage
Royal Mail may pay for compensation if an item in a postal packet has been damaged to
an extent that the material function or contents has been reasonably impaired. Damage
may be compensated for when it is the result of the delivery process, and excludes
liability for any pre-existing damage.
Royal Mail will expect its customers who are posting items that have an intrinsic value to
take them to a post office that can provide the suggested and appropriate evidence
(proof of shipping/certificate of posting). This will help you protect your item while it is
being posted, and protect you as sellers to your customers.
!
16creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 1.22
18. Royal Mail Insurance Policy
Figure 1.23 covers Royal Mail’s Retail Compensation Policy for Loss policy:
!
!
Claims for loss must be made within 80 calendar days of the date of posting, or no claim
will be compensated or considered by Royal Mail. Royal Mail also advises customers to
claim as soon as possible after an event has occurred, to enable enquiries to be made as
soon as possible. This is your chance to use your Proof of Delivery as evidence as well to
make your case.
!
Additional Tips
Packaging: Use proper packaging when your packing your product! Consider different
types of material to pack your products, such as newspaper, bubble wrap, cardboard,
etc. This is important as you would not want to deal with the hassles of a damaged
product.
!
Reviews and Feedback: Reviews and feedback are especially important in online to
promote a reliable shop presence. They are one of the main reasons a buyer will choose
your product over someone else’s. It is important for you to maintain a certain standard
which will encourage positive reviews and help you develop a reputation as a great seller
with promising products.
!
!
!
!
!
17creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
A. 1st class stamped, metered and VAT exempt account mail,
including items sent using SmartStamp® and online postage
B. 2nd class stamped, metered and VAT exempt account mail,
including items sent using SmartStamp® and online postage
C. 1st and 2nd class Royal Mail Signed for™ mail when used in
conjunction with stamped,metered and VAT exempt account
products above
Figure 1.23
19. Chapter 2: Online Marketing!
Getting Started!
In this section, you will learn to create an online presence for your
businesses on various social media platforms. There are two main social
media platforms you can use to promote your business, and you will
probably have heard of these already: Facebook and Twitter. At the end
of this section, you will have:
1. Created an account on both of these websites,
2. Posted your first status update/tweet,
3. Learned to engage your audience
4. Learned to recognise the various tools and resources available
to improve your online presence.
Facebook!
Facebook is the most popular, full-fledged social network. There are over half a billion
people registered with Facebook, and is therefore a great resource to tap into. On it, you
can use various media (including images and videos), status updates, sharing, and have
friends and followers.
There are two prerequisites for creating a Facebook page for your shop: an e-mail
address and an authenticated Facebook account. Here we will explain how to create a
Facebook Account and Page, assuming you already have an e-mail address.
!
Create your Facebook Account
Before you start creating a Facebook account, you will need a valid e-mail address to sign
up with. You can choose between either your personal one or you can use a separate one
for your business if you have one.
1. Enter the web address
www.facebook.com.
This will take you to the
Facebook homepage.
The Sign up starts right
there: fill in your details
as provided in the
spaces. These details
can be fake and can also
be edited later on
(Figure 2.1).
18creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.1
20. If you decide to enter a fake name, make sure it sounds a real one: using a name that
has a “branding sound” to it will be recognised (like Laura’s Cool Shop). Remember
to make a not of all the details you enter as it will be helpful if you were to forget your
password. Click Sign Up when you have filled in all your details.
!
2. Find your friends: Facebook gives you the option to add your friends that are already
on Facebook to your new account. As you will want to make this your professional
business account, you may want to click skip this step at the bottom right corner.
You can always return to add friends later (Figure 2.2).
3. Fill Out Info: This steps allow you to fill out more personal information about your
education and career. As this is not your personal account, but your business
account, you may want to skip this step (bottom right corner). You may return to edit
these details later if you so choose.
You will also notice the many Earth symbols with a downward facing arrow on the
right of the blank spaces. The Earth symbolises that the information provided will be
made public to
everyone, regardless
of whether they are
your friends on
Facebook or not.
Clicking the
downward arrow will
provide you with
additional security
options to protect this
data.
!
!
19creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.2
Figure 2.3
21. 4. Add a Profile Pic: Facebook gives you the option of adding a Profile Picture onto your
profile. This will help others recognise who you are. As you will be using this account
for company purposes, you may choose your brand logo. You can also click Skip if
you are not ready to upload one yet, and you can always add a picture later. (Figure
2.4)
5. After completing these steps, you will be taken to the Facebook Welcome Page, which
comes with a brief introduction on the basic features.
6. To complete the sign up process, you will need to validate your account. Validating
your account will give you access to all the Facebook functions. To validate, you will
need to check the e-mail inbox you used to sign up.
A. If you haven’t received any e-mail from Facebook with further validation
instructions, click Re-send e-mail on the top of your window (Figure 2.5).
B. In your e-mail inbox, you should have received an e-mail that looks like Figure 2.6.
Click on Confirm Your Account to
validate your account.
C. Alternatively, you can use the
confirmation code under the
Confirm Your Account button and
enter that on the website.
20creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.5
Figure 2.4
Figure 2.6
22. 7. After you have confirmed your account, check your e-mail inbox for another Welcome
E-mail from Facebook. Congratulations! You have now created your own Facebook
account!
Create Your Facebook Page
A Facebook Page is different from a Facebook Profile as it is used to promote companies,
products, events, etc. It is usually strictly professional, and acts as the platform for the
promotion of goods on Facebook (in contrast, a Facebook Profile is usually used for one’s
personal life, friends, photos, etc.) Other Facebook users will be able to “like” your page
and receive updates on their newsfeed. It is, in a way, a smaller account for your product
and therefore has a similar setting-up process.
!
1. On the Facebook homepage, click Like Pages under the Pages on the column to the
left of the window. This will take you to the Pages section of Facebook (Figure 2.7)
2. Once you are in the Pages section, you will be invited to “like” other products - your
page will become “like”-able too! Click on Create Page on the upper right hand
corner to create your company’s page (Figure 2.8).
21creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.7
Figure 2.8
23. 3. You will then be led to the Create a Page section. Here you can choose what kind of
Page you wish you create. If you are setting up a Company page to promote your
products, choose Brand or Product (Figure 2.9).
You will be led to a pull-down list where you can
choose a category for your product (Figure 2.10).
If you can’t find the category for your product,
choose the closest one. You can then enter the
name of you brand or product (Laura’s Cool Shop
as an example of a brand name).
You will then be asked to agree with the Facebook
Pages Terms and Conditions - click the accept
box. If you wish to read the full terms and
conditions, you can click on the link.
Finally, click Get Started to get started!
!
!
!
!
!
22creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.10
Figure 2.9
24. 4. About: Just like when you created your Facebook Account, Pages gives you the
option to fill out details about your Company. Remember to tick the box to confirm
that your brand is real (Figure 2.11).
5. Profile Picture: You can next
add a profile picture on to your
Facebook page. As this is your
Company’s page, you may
choose to add your brand logo.
You can also skip and return to
edit the details later (Figure
2.12).
!
!
6. Add to Favourites: Facebook gives you the option of adding your company’s page to
your Favourites bar. Your favourites bar is on your main newsfeed page, and so you
can easily go to your
page and manage it
from your homepage.
You can also skip and
return to include this in
your favourites bar later
(Figure 2.13).
!
!
!
23creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.12
Figure 2.11
Figure 2.13
25. !
7. Reach More People: Your Page can reach more people by using the various Facebook
services to advertise your page to the public. However, this is a fee-paying service. If
you wish to pay for these services, click on Add Payment Method and follow their
steps. If you are just starting up, you may want to skip and consider this option later
when your Page is better established (Figure 2.14).
!
8. Congratulations! You have now created your company’s Facebook Page. You can now
quickly access and edit your page from the homepage (Figure 2.15).
!
24creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.14
Figure 2.15
26. !
If you choose to go back and edit any of the previous mentioned details, you can do this
by going to your Page on the left side of the homepage, Edit Page, and then Update Page
Info (Figures 2.16 and Figure 2.17). You will then be led to a page where you can edit and
update various aspects of your company page (Figure 2.18). Switch between the various
tabs (General, Page Info, Admin Roles, More…) to explore how you can customise your
company’s Page.
25creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.17
Figure 2.16
Figure 2.18
27. The Admin Panel (Figure 2.17) gives you oversight of recent activity on your Facebook
page, including notifications, new likes, insights, etc. Facebook also offers a guided tour
on the different features of Facebook Pages (Figure 2.19).
Having a Page is very similar to having an actual account. You can change your profile
picture, cover and can even like other pages as a company. Make sure that you
differentiate between using your personal account and your Facebook page - you
wouldn’t accidentally want to post a private update from your company’s page! (Figure
2.20)
!
!
26creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.20
Figure 2.19
28. Twitter!
Twitter is another social media network that works through posting updates called
tweets that are under 140 characters. It’s a great platform for sharing (retweets allow
you to re-post another person’s tweet) and getting in touch with your customers (using
hashtags or the @ mark to tweet at somebody). There are over 500 million registered
users on Twitter, and is often used with conjunction to Facebook.
!
Create Your Twitter Account
To create a twitter account, you will need an e-mail address. The following steps on the
next page will guide you through it. Twitter also provides a basic tour of its features as
you create the account, which will be covered in step 3.
!
1. Enter the web address www.twitter.com and enter your name, e-mail, and
password. Then, click Sign Up for Twitter (Figure 2.20).
2. Enter the details provided in the
blanks. You can input a fake
name for your security if you
wish. As you are creating an
account for your business, it is
recommended that your
company name is reflected in
the name or the username (or
both). This will be the name that
will follow the @ symbol when
others may tag you. Click Create
My Account (Figure 2.21).
!
!
27creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.20
!
!
Figure 2.21
29. 3. This is where the basic tour provided by Twitter starts. You will first see your twitter
dashboard (Figure 2.22). After clicking next, you will be invited to build your timeline
by finding people or companies that you want (Figure 2.23). When you find another
twitter account, you can click follow to get their posts will on the dashboard. Twitter
will ask you to follow 5 people before the next step.
!
!
!
!
!
!
4. The next step is similar to
what you just covered.
Twitter will try to connect
you with more relevant
twitter accounts by
allowing you to choose
categories similar to your
interests (Figure 2.24).
Again, you are encouraged
to follow 5 people (a
minimum of 2 before you
can skip this step).
!
28creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
!
Figure 2.22
Figure 2.23
!
Figure 2.24
30. 5. You can find people
you know by adding
contacts from other e-
mail accounts you have
online. Click on Search
contacts if you wish to
find your friends, or
skip at the bottom left
if you decide not to
(Figure 2.25).
!
!
6. Finally, you can personalise your account by uploading a
profile picture. Click on Upload Image to select a picture you
want to use. As with your Facebook page, you may want to
choose your logo, designs or a product. Write a short
summary of your shop in the Bio box as well, and then click
Done! You can also skip, or come back to edit these details
later as well.
!
!
!
7. You will be lead to your new dashboard. Here you can posts
tweets and see what the accounts you followed post. Try posting a tweet! Keep it
short and simple and use relevant #hashtags. You can also use the search bar at the
top right to
search words
and hashtags.
This might give
you insight on
how other
companies use
their twitter to
promote their
products.
!
!
!
29creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
!
Figure 2.25
Figure 2.26
!
!
Figure 2.27
31. Linking Your Twitter to Facebook Page!
You may choose to link your twitter to your Facebook to be more efficient in staying in
touch! This requires you to have a twitter, Facebook account and a Facebook Page.
Linking them together will allow any tweets from your twitter to appear as status
updates on your Facebook page, and vice versa!
!
1. Click the little cog at the top right of your screen to get to Settings (as you get more
familiar with the internet, you will recognise that cogs often symbolise setting)
(Figure 2.28).
2. Next, go under
Profile.
3. Toward the
bottom of your
the page, there
should be an
option to connect
to Login to
Facebook. (Figure
2.29)
!
!
!
!
!
!
30creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
!
!
Figure 2.28
Figure 2.29
32. 4. You will need to authorise twitter to connect with your Facebook and then post on
behalf of Facebook by clicking Ok. (Figure 2.30 and Figure 2.31)
!
5. Having completed those steps allows you to post updates directly to your Facebook
account. However, as this is your company’s twitter, you will want to post your tweets
to your company’s Facebook page (instead of your account, which would be
personal). Click on the blue Allow button to connect your twitter to your Facebook
page (Figure 2.32). You will have to then allow Twitter to manage your pages again.
Click Ok (Figure 2.32).
!
!
6. You will then get a drop-down menu to choose which Page you want to connect your
twitter account to. After you choose, it will automatically link them together. Try
posting a tweet! It should appear on your Facebook page.
!
!
!
!
!
!
31creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.30 Figure 2.31
Figure 2.31 Figure 2.32
33. Linking Your Facebook Page to Twitter!
Previously you learned how to connect your twitter to your Facebook, sending tweets
directly to your Facebook Page as status updates. This section will help you do the
opposite: sending Facebook status updates as tweets.
!
1. Enter the web address www.facebook.com/twitter. This should take you to a page
that looks like Figure 2.33. To link your Facebook page to your twitter, make sure to
click Link a page to Twitter. If you click Link my Profile to Twitter, it will link your
personal account, instead of your company’s page, to Twitter.
!
2. The next step gives you the choice again to choose between your Profile and your
Page to link to Twitter. Choose the bottom option under Link Pages to Twitter, and
click on Link to Twitter (Figure 2.34).
!
!
!
32creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.33
Figure 2.34
34. 3. Now that you have chosen to link your Facebook Page to your Twitter, you will have
to authorise Facebook to use your Twitter’s account on your behalf. Click on
Authorize App. (Figure 2.35) You will be redirected to a new page, and then you’re
done!
!
!
!
!
!
33creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 2.35
35. How to Use Facebook and Twitter!
This section will help you use Facebook and Twitter efficiently. Though these websites
features are different, there are some online etiquettes that apply to all websites,
especially when promoting.
!
Tips on Posting Updates
Whether you are posting Facebook to a tweet on Twitter, remember the following points.
• KISS: Keep It Short, Sweetheart! The more short, simple and engaging, the
better. This is because people’s attentions spans are quite short on social
media!
• Use media wherever possible! Post pictures, videos, songs, etc. when you can
to promote your products.
• Create your own #hashtag or engage with others using other hashtags.
• Consider timing your posts e.g. not posting at sleeping hours. The reach on
these posts will be very low, especially if most of your target consumers are
within one timezone. This is especially important for Facebook.
!
Importance of Engaging with Others
There are many ways you can engage with others on social media - it is social after all!
Below are some of the ways you can get engaged:
• Sharing updates on Facebook or Re-Tweeting on Twitter: by promoting other
companies, you are creating a strong relation as everyone wants to get
promoted as much as possible. This may even allow for reciprocity, and
increase your reach!
• Comment on posts directly (on Facebook) or reply to tweets to ensure your
customers that you are paying attention to their input.
• One way to build an audience includes managing a Giveaway: this generates
an awareness for your products
• Reward people who are connected to your Page and show loyalty and online
sales by providing them with exclusive information (product news, contests,
events, give-aways)
• Stay updated with current trends, like current events or holidays. These
topics can allow for discussion among your audience, and an opportunity for
you to connect with them.
• Create deadlines for offers to create a sense of urgency. People are more
inclined to buy something when they know it’s only available for a limited
time.
!
!
!
!
!
34creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
36. Summary
The more engaged you are with your social media, the larger your audience is. The larger
your audience is, the more people are aware of your product and therefore your sales
can increase.
The ways you can use your social media can be overwhelming at times, so here are two
ways that can help you remember the different aspects of proper social media use:
!
!
Remember: the more you use social media, the more you will realise it's actually all
around us. Next time when you enter a shop or pick up a newspaper, see how many
#hashtags or @handles you can find!
!
A ttention/awareness P roduct/Service
I nterest P lace
D esire P rice
A ction P romotion
35creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
37. Third Party Tools!
Besides Facebook and Twitter, there are lots of other ways to promote your company
online and offline. Here we will list some ways you can increase your company’s
exposure. These tools may require you to create more accounts.Remember there's a
longer list on our website.
!
Logos & Business Cards
There are some tools online that can help you design your own logos and business cards.
For logos, we recommend visiting the website SquareSpace.
Their web address is http://squarespace.com/logo.
!
For business cards, there are even more companies online
that help you design business cards. Most of these come with
templates from which you choose from, and charge at
different prices. You may also want to include your logo on
your business card. We recommend these two companies:
!
Of course you can look around in your neighbourhood printing shops and keep an eye
out on their deals on business cards. It can be cheaper if you go into a printing shop, as
some delivery fees don't apply.
!
Online Competitions
If you decide to engage with your audience through online competitions, you may need
to draw names from your Twitter or Facebook feed. There are three tools we recommend
you:
• Twitterdraw: http://www.twitterdraw.com/
• ContestCapture: http://contestcapture.com/
• Competwition: http://competwition.com/
!
Third Party Tools to Manage Social Media
If you think you're overwhelmed with all of social media’s features, you're not alone! This
is why there are tools to manage your social media. It allows you to manage multiple
accounts, understand your audience better through rich analytics and provides another
tool that will bring you real-time notifications.
!
Name Moo Vistaprint
Web Address www.uk.moo.com www.vistaprint.co.uk
Price 50 cards for £17 minimum 250 cards for £8
Others Allows you to print different
designs in a batch of cards
36creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
38. We suggest two tools:
Hootsuite: this tool brings together Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and more social media networks.
https://hootsuite.com/
!
Tweetdeck: this application is a comprehensive dashboard where you can merge several
twitter accounts together to keep track of different feeds, mentions, and direct
messages. https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/
!
MailChimp: this tool creates beautiful newsletters if you want to e-mail your audience
with updates on your company.
Asana/Trello: these tools are task/project managers, keeping you
in track with all your business details for teamwork.
https://asana.com/ and https://trello.com/
!
Analytics
Analytics allow you to study your market through social media. There are other lots of
tools online which can help you understand your market. Some are listed below.
!
Analytics are important because it will tell you how effective your use of social media is.
Monitoring what types of posts are getting good responses is key. On Facebook, using
Page Insights will help you determine what types of content - videos, posts, questions,
etc. - are getting good engagement, compared to what types aren’t. This is located at the
top of Facebook Page.
!
Facebook has a feature called reach, which is defined as the
number of unique Facebook users who see your updates. It is
generally influenced by one or more of the following actions
• Your posted content on your Facebook Page.
Most of your fans probably won’t it, but it still
generates reach. This is called organic reach by
Facebook.
• Facebook users taking action on that update
(like, comment, share) which shows up as a story
in their friends’ news feeds. This is called viral reach by Facebook.
• You sending visitors to that update using your own marketing channels (e.g.
Twitter). Another example of this would be linking a specific Facebook update
in your e-mail marketing newsletter. This would also be called organic reach.
• You buying reach with Facebook ads. Facebook offers a variety of ad options,
including boosts and targeting custom audiences. This is called paid reach by
Facebook.
37creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
39. !
Another factor you will have to consider is audience optimisation. Ask yourself this:
when is it the best time to post on Facebook? Obviously when most of your fans are
actually using Facebook!
Posting an update at 2AM will have a relatively unsuccessful reach because most of your
users probably won’t be online. By the time they wake up, that post will not be the most
recent update anymore. The same applies for tweets on Twitter. Facebook provides you
with graphs on when your fans are online.
!
Facebook also provides Performance Indicators to help you analyse how well your posts
are doing. This will in turn help you identity the best tactics.
!
Facebook provides a good tour of its features on its Insights page. If you have any more
questions, ask them on our website.
38creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
40. Chapter 3: Accounting and Finance!
Having the proper accounting skills will help you keep track of the finances of your
business. This section will teach you the basic Excel skills, help you understand how
accounting works and the key terms used in spreadsheets, and ultimately help you make
more informed business decisions using your data. You may even apply some of the skills
you learn in this section.
Excel/Spreadsheets!
Excel is a programme used to organise and manipulate data. It is part of a series of
products released under Microsoft Office, which you have to purchase. However, as these
products are expensive, you can also choose Open Office which provides you with
similar basic functions if you don’t already have Microsoft Office.
You can download Open Office on https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html
and click Download Apache OpenOffice 4.0.1. Follow the installation process to get
access to the series of programmes (Figure 3.1).
!
!
Under Microsoft Office, you will choose Excel (Figure 3.2), and under Open Office, you
will choose Spreadsheets (Figure 3.3) for this section.
!
!
!
!
!
39creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 3.1
Look how OpenOffice
advertises their Twitter
account! This is one way to
increase your audience.
Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3
41. There are various ways in which you can learn to manipulate data on Excel/
Spreadsheets. We have provided templates that include some of the basic data you may
need to record the financial data of your business. You can download this from our
website, www.creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk. On our website, go to resources and
under Supplementary Files, you should be able to find a Template that allows you to
download the file.
!
Download and open the file Accounting Template.
!
It should look something like Figure 3.4:
!
!
That’s a lot of information! But don't be overwhelmed!
!
Notice at the bottom of Figure 3.4 are small tabs called IS,BS, Sales, Purchases,
Expenses and +. These are different sheets within this Excel file. You can switch between
these tabs as you would switch between chapters of a book to find the section you are
looking for. The + tab allows you to make more sheets.
!
!
!
40creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 3.4
42. Definitions of the Sheets:
IS,BS: this is the basic summary page of your entire business. The Income
Statement includes data in the short term (within one year) whereas the
Statement of Financial Position is data from the long term (over the past
few years)
Sales: your income from your products
Purchases: things that you bought that will directly affect your business (raw materials,
machines, etc.)
Expenses: things that you bought that will indirectly affect your business (transport,
catering fees if you have, etc.)
!
You can manually enter any data you have in the according cells. If you are unsure of
what some terms are, refer to the glossary.
Figure 3.5 shows an example of what a Sales page can look like.
!
!
The Magic of Excel/Spreadsheets!
For the previous part, you will have noticed that all you had to do was key in the numbers
in the cells, and that the total was calculated automatically for you. This section will
explain the formulas you can learn to manipulate similar data.
This section will use the examples on the Purchases sheet to exemplify the use of
formulas for a case study of jeweller (Figure 3.6).
See how they have listed 5 different purchases under Column A, the respective price per
units under Column C, the respective quantities under Column E, and the total spent
under total spent in Column G.
41creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 3.5
Figure 3.6
43. Multiplication
The first formula you will come across comes under Column G. Click on any cell in
Column G, and you will find a formula appear in the formula line fx (Figure 3.7).
!
Figure 3.8 shows you a breakdown of the different things inside this formula. Formulas
are signalled by entering an equals sign, =. This means that the cell will calculate a value
instead of merely stating a value.
!
It’s a simple multiplication formula, where the quantity (Column E) of an item is
multiplied by its price per unit (Column C) are multiplied. In numbers, it would look like
Figure 3.9.
The answer is then represented in the cell in
which the formula is written (G3 has 12,
because 4 x 3 = 12).
!
!
Column G, or Total Spent, therefore calculates how much you have spent on an item of
the same row in column A. In this case, the jeweller spent £12 on buying beads.
!
You will find that this formula is inserted in every cell of Column G, except for the bottom,
black-outlined cell. That will show the next formula we’ll break down.
!
42creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 3.7
Figure 3.8
Figure 3.9
44. Sums
In Figure 3.10, cell G12 is highlighted. In the formula bar, you can see a new formula,
different from the previous. This formula calculates the total money spent by finding the
sum of all the prices for each item you calculated. The sum is £89.50.
!
!
The new formula is fx=SUM(G3:G11). Figure 3.11 shows a breakdown of this new value.
!
You have basically calculated G3+G4+G5… until G11.
!
The “:” symbol is used mostly when you are finding the sum of values in cells that are
either in the same row or same column. For example, other ways in which the sum
formula can be used are:
!
You will find that a similar equation was used in cell E12 to calculate the total quantity of
items purchased.
Example Explanation
fx=SUM(C3:C7) This calculates the sum of the cells in column C, from rows 3 through 7.
The simplified formula would look like C3+C4+C5+C6+C7
fx=SUM(A4:D4) This calculates the sum of the cells in row 4, from columns A through D.
The simplified formula would look like A4+B4+C4+D4.
43creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
Figure 3.10
Figure 3.11
45. Glossary!
Here are the list of words used in the templates available online and their definitions.
!
!
!
Words Definitions
Assets Anything of value that you own
Bank overdraft When the cash at bank is negative
Capital Amount invested in the business
Cost of transport IN Cost of transporting the purchases
Closing inventory Value of goods, supplies and materials held at end of year
Creditor Purchases that we have not paid for yet
Current assets Assets that can be converted easily into cash.
Current liabilities Liabilities that have to be paid back in the near future
Debtor Money owed by customers
Discounts received Discounts given by suppliers
Expenses Costs not directly related to the production of goods
Fixed assets Assets that cannot easily be sold for cash
Gross Profit Sales minus cost of goods sold
Interest Fee Cost of having a loan
Liabilities Anything that you owe to someone else
Miscellaneous Income Any form of unexpected income
Net Profit Gross profit add income minus expenses minus taxes
Non-Current Liabilities Liabilities that do not need to be settled in the near future
Purchases Amount paid for supplies and materials this year
Opening Inventory Value of goods, supplies and materials held at the beginning of
the year
Sales Income received from sale of goods
44creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
46. Online Security and Privacy!
What are the Common Risks?!
Although we would like to think the internet is a safe
place, without taking the right precautions, we may be
at risk of privacy and security issues. This guide does
not guarantee your internet safety, though it provides a
starting point for things to remember.
- Remember, what you post online stays online:
anything you post remains in the public domain
and accessible indefinitely. In other words, online
footprints are permanent. Even if you subsequently
delete a post, it may have been cached (hidden
away) in a search engine, an internet archive, or in a company server.
- Any communication on platforms (Ebay, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) could be exploited
by spammers including links to websites they are promoting, cyber-criminals
including links to fraudulent websites, or people using abusive or threatening
language. These comments are sometimes programmed by robots as well, so if it
doesn’t sound entirely human, ignore it or delete it! These bots can follow you on
Twitter or request to be your friend on Facebook.
- You may get phishing e-mails or messages on Facebook which may appear to be
from an auction or online payment sites, but are actually from criminals trying to
lure you to a fake website to get your personal information (such as login details for
you online payment account - PayPal or your bank details). If you are feel unsafe
about anything, seek a second opinion!
Tips on Keeping Safe Online !
Aside from purchasing security software, you can also protect yourself! It is likely that
anti-virus software won't be able to protect all your actions online, so here are a few easy
tips that you can take to improve your own safety and privacy.
!
- If you want your sites to be public, make sure you acquaint
yourself with the privacy policies of that website. Disclose
only what you want everyone on the the Internet to know. Be
careful about what private feelings you share, and which tone
of voice you use. Do not post anything that may cause you
embarrassment or trouble at a later date.
- Do not post confidential information that might be used to
steal your identity, such as credit card numbers, passport
details, or home addresses. Avoid sharing or posting any
private contact information such as your personal email
45creativecycle.enactuslse.co.uk
47. address or personal phone numbers on any public platforms. Various websites might
ask you for these details, but try to be as secretive with your personal information as
possible!
- Beware of posting photos which may be revealing personal information about you
that you would rather keep safe. (For example: is your business card with your address
details accidentally photographed in the back of your product photos?)
- Periodically review who has access to your site, what information is available to the
public, and make changes if necessary.
- Consider using an alias (false name) if you wish to keep your identity secret for
personal safety.
- Be cautious about meeting in person someone you only know online. Just like you can
provide fake information, so can everyone else!
- When making a payment to an individual, never transfer the money directly into their
bank account, but use a secure payment site such as PayPal, where money is
transferred between two electronic accounts.
- Always log out of sites into which you have logged in or registered details (especially if
you are using public computers in internet cafes or libraries). Simply closing your
browser is not enough to ensure privacy.
- Check credit card and bank statements carefully after online deals to ensure that the
correct amount has been debited, and also that no fraud has taken place as a result of
the transaction.
!
!
(Cr: GetSafeOnline)
Useful Links!
Below are some useful websites that provide help and advice, teaching you how you can
protect yourself and your family from security risks online.
- Get Safe Online: https://www.getsafeonline.org/
- Google Safety Centre: https://www.google.co.uk/safetycenter/everyone/start/
- BBC WebWise: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/topics/safety-and-privacy/
- Facebook Safety Centre: https://www.facebook.com/help/safety
- Twitter Safety Blog: http://support.twitter.com/articles/76036-safety-keeping-your-
account-secure
- Ebay Safety Centre: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/safetycentre/
- Etsy Trust & Safety: http://www.etsy.com/trust
- ThinkUKnow: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
- Childnet International: http://www.childnet.com/
!
!
!
!
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