FAQs
Wilmington Consulting Group Company Facts
What Type of company is the Wilmington Consulting Group?
The WCG provides small business and startups with the proper tools to optimize marketing, business development and advertising. We are a backbone for the small business and startup community providing marketing and management tools that empower and educate small business owners and entrepreneurs to take their businesses to new heights. Innovative management and marketing tools coupled with access to our network of accomplished executives, professionals, and business development leaders focused on helping small businesses and startup companies grow defines the sheer existence of the Wilmington Consulting Group. Our company is headquartered in Wilmington, NC and our services reach throughout the Carolinas.
Who are some of your clients?
Our clients include restaurants, lawyers, doctors, retailers, technology companies, pharmaceutical companies, green energy, non-profits, and most of all, entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Who are the principal alliances in your executive network?
We have a vast array of alliances. Some can be viewed on our website. We have strategic public and private alliances within just about any field that can affect the small businesses and startups we service.
You say that you are a management and marketing company. What do you mean by that?
WCG prides itself on being different and unlike any other in its field. With that being said, WCG feels to have a strong company that the management and marketing of the company has to be performing in concert at a high level. When both are in sync, it forms a point of equilibrium where both fields balance and help grow one another. We are educators and coaches on how to do this but we take it a step farther and offer the ability to implement custom strategies and tools tailored to the unique needs of your business.
Who are your principal competitors?
At WCG, we don’t feel we have direct competitors. While there are other design companies and advertising agencies, we offer an atmosphere and unique grouping of services that you will not find anywhere else. We have a highly educated and devoted staff with one goal in mind and that is to help business owners and entrepreneurs succeed. At WCG, we focus on engagements, not transactions.
Is your pricing competitive, premium priced or value priced?
Stated simply, we add value. WCG offers a wealth of services and experience unlike any other. The unique advantage to the services WCG offers is the ability to save you from making costly mistakes. We are not product sales people that want to sell you something and be gone tomorrow. We are small business advocates that want to build relationships and help you grow and achieve new heights. Clients tell us that our pricing represents the best value proposition available.
Would you say that you are a generalist or specialist? What are your specialties?
Specialists. What makes WCG unique is that all our staff and advisors are trained and picked from environments that promote business development and entrepreneurism. We have specialists in many different fields that see the big picture and understand that business is not one department or field—it’s how the company works as a whole. WCG requires that its entire staff have the ability to help business on a micro-level but also keep the macro-mind set of how everything affects the whole company.
What is your level of involvement and follow through with a business?
WCG is dedicated to the success of any business that we are actively consulting or coaching. Our staff has passion to see entrepreneurs succeed and will coach them to meet their goals. At WCG, we listen carefully to what our clients have to say and create solutions based on their individual needs. Overall, we are aggressive and foster hands on approach. Once a WCG Client, always a WCG client.
What makes your company different and does this difference give you a sustainable competitive advantage?
Our company is different because just as we are entrepreneurs, we care deeply about and advocate small business owners and entrepreneurs. We’ve identified a problem that others keep ignoring—there is a lack of help for the small business and the entrepreneurial community in the Carolinas. We feel that this segment is the backbone of our state, and as such, will create the right trajectory for job creation and economic growth.
You say that you specialize in small businesses and startups. Does this preclude your accepting assignments from larger companies?
Our primary focus is on small businesses and startups. From time to time, we will accept a project from a larger company.
Do you ever turn down engagements and if so what are some of the reasons why?
Yes, At WCG we are extremely passionate about what we do and whom we help. If we don’t believe in a concept or if we feel that the management team is not capable, we will decline to work on the project. At WCG we understand the importance of time and money and feel that only entrepreneurs and small business owners that are passionate about growing their business to the next level should retain our services. We also will turn down jobs that directly damage the local or state economy.
CUSTOM FACEBOOK PAGE FACTS
How much does a Custom Facebook cost?
The cost of a Custom Facebook depends on many variables such as depth of the design, how many outgoing links, contest apps, videos, polls, contact forms, analytics, map integrations and if you are going to link other social media networks to your Custom Facebook Business Page. All these play a factor on the price. One of our marketing specialists will be glad to assist you in identifying what is best for your businesses needs.
Is this a one-time charge or do I have to sign an annual contract?
No Annual Contracts. There is a one-time fee for design and programming of the Custom Facebook Page and a small monthly fee for usage and hosting. You can pay as you go and cancel at any time. It’s the best value on the market today!
How does your program compare to Competitors?
Competitive companies are charging much more and charging large monthly fees as well as requiring you to sign a minimum of a 12-month contract. They charge more and offer less design features.
How long does it take?
It takes 2 weeks to design, program and launch the Custom Facebook Page.
Can I make daily revisions by myself to reflect menu changes, special promotions or breaking news?
After the design stage, Custom Facebook Pages cannot be edited. This provides a maintenance free and consistent marketing message. WCG can edit and make changes that you may request in the future for small fee. However, you can continue to post as often as you wish to your wall.
If major changes are needed do I have to pay the initial fee all over again?
No. If you need additional work, it will be billed at hourly rate. Most changes can be completed in less then 1 hour.
What are my major competitors doing?
Competitors do everything they can to stay competitive. Many are using Custom Facebook Pages as well.
What is the difference between a Custom Facebook Business Page and a regular Facebook Business Page?
A Custom Facebook allows you to post a consistent branding message with your logo, images, coupons, contact forms, Google maps, website links, social media icon links, and most of all direct links to your website. This encourages people to “like” your page. It increases the amount of people that add your page directly increasing word of mouth referrals (which is one of the best and affordable advertising mediums).
Why do I need a Custom Facebook if I already have a Facebook Business Page?
Custom Facebook Pages simply creates buzz and encourages others to recommend your page to all their friends gaining you exposure and creating more positive word of mouth referrals. Ultimately, it is a billboard that is conveniently placed in front of thousands of your customers and potential customers.
Can I link my Custom Facebook to my website?
Yes. You can link your Facebook to specific pages on your website and link your website to your Custom Facebook.
Do you have a help desk if I run into trouble?
Yes. We encourage our clients to contact us any time during business hours so we can respond with answers to any questions they may have. Since our Custom Facebooks require no maintenance, they are problem-free.
Are there special security and privacy issues that I should be aware of when using a custom Facebook?
No. Custom Facebooks pose no additional security risk.
What happens when someone post a negative comment on my Facebook?
As the administrator, Facebook has a security feature that allows you to approve every comment before it is posted to your wall. This feature prevents negative comments from appearing on your page.
Can anyone become a friend or like my page?
Yes. Facebook allows you to make that decision. You can program the settings that allow people that request to like your page instant access, or you can program it to approve all requests before they can access your page.
Can I have employees manage this Business Facebook without giving them my personal Facebook password?
Yes. All that has to be done is to make them an administrator of the page with the click of a button.
CUSTOM WEBSITE DESIGN
How much does a Website Cost?
Pricing for websites will vary widely depending on the scope of the assignment e.g. pages, slide shows, databases, analytics, SEO requirements, content management systems, audio/video features, hosting, etc. Your WCG Marketing Specialist will be able to help you identify what will best fit your budget for your Custom Website Design.
Is this a one-time charge or do I have to sign an annual contract?
No annual contract. Once your website is finished, your website belongs solely to you along with all the intellectual property rights. The only monthly charge is our website hosting plans. These are pay as you go and you can cancel at any time.
How does your program compare to other local design firms?
WCG believes that websites are custom to match your business and your industry. Your website is not only appealing to view, but is functional as well. We also believe that your website must be seen; we implement with full effort to program in a way that promotes search engine visibility. In the end, its simple, we design websites that drive and optimize traffic to a business to increase its awareness. We do not use templates and every WCG website is Custom-Created to the company.
How long does it take?
Depending on the scope of the project, most website design can be completed within a month although there are many factors that determine time frame. All our websites are Custom to the business. We do not build cookie cutter websites. We take the time to search out competitors and research the industry and design a website that will put you on the leading edge. We also make sure that your website is compatible with all Internet browsers. Your WCG Marketing Specialist will be able to help you determine a better time frame before we get started.
Can I make revisions to the website by myself?
Yes you can, but you will need to let your WCG Marketing Specialist know this at the start. We will need to program your website with a Content Management Database. This will allow you to edit your website at any time.
If major changes are needed, do I have to pay the initial fee all over again?
No, the design fee is a one-time fee. If you need any more changes to the website later, then those changes will be billed at an hourly rate.
Do you have a help desk if I run into trouble?
Yes, we encourage you to call or email us at any time. We are always here to answer any questions you may have.
Can I have video on my website? How about live streaming or archived videos?
Yes
Can I have special interactive features such as polls, promotions and sweepstakes?
Yes
Is there a limit to the number of pages I can have on my site?
No, you can have as many pages as you would like.
How many revisions or reworks am I allowed for the base price?
WCG designs a wire frame that allows you to see the structure of the website and layout. Once it’s approved, we move on to design the Homepage (Revision 1). At submission of the Homepage, you have the opportunity to make a set of changes before design starts on the Inner Pages (Revision 2). After Inner Pages are designed, you then have the opportunity to make a set of changes to those (Revision 3). After approval of the Inner Pages, the website is programmed and a link is provided. Any changes during or after programming is subject to an hourly charge.
What programs do you offer besides SEO to drive website traffic?
We offer a number of different programs from traditional marketing through our Advertising Agency as well as Social Media Marketing through the use of campaigns and a Custom Facebook that directly drive traffic to your website.
Why Are WCG Websites better than other websites?
(ANALOGY) You have 2 cars on the top of a hill that are going to race to the bottom. The first car has a smooth road all the way down. The second car has a bumpy jagged road. The race starts and the first car races down to the bottom and wins the race. The second car never even makes it to the finish line because of all the bumps in the road. We can look at this in two ways:
(Way 1) The cars represent potential customers and road one is a WCG website and road 2 is the competitors website. By taking the time to focus on designing your website with SEO in mind, WCG websites are functional, browser-friendly, brand message strong and our strategies make your website compatible for mobile devices. This provides you with a smooth road for your customers to race through the web and find you without any bumps or glitches.
(Way 2) This is a good way to think of SEO. Think of the cars as Google or Yahoo spiders/bots/devices and the road as your website. The 2 cars are racing. Car one has a smooth road and car 2 has a bumpy road. Car one, of course, is going to win because there are no bumps to slow it down. Car 2 is going to hit the bumps and finish last or not at all. This is the same way that Google bots work if your website is not programmed correctly. It is like a bumpy road that cause search engine bots to finish last or not at all. This will effect your business negatively and make it extremely hard to drive people to your website and for you to gain the visibility you need.
