A website with WordPress or WooCommerce can be funded with up to 16,500 euros - as part of the go-digital program. Which projects receive funding? And what are the requirements? 10 questions for Nils Hocke from our agency partner AgenturWebfox.

Nils, who receives funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)? And what exactly is the de minimis rule?

The websites can be supported with up to €16,500 because we are accredited for Module 2 "Digital Market Development" and Module 3 "Digitized Business Processes". These modules can be combined with each other.

Companies in the commercial sector (SMEs), including the skilled trades, with technological potential receive funding. They must meet the following criteria:

• Less than 100 employees (based on full-time equivalents)
• An annual turnover or an annual balance sheet total of no more than 20 million euros in the year prior to the conclusion of the contract
• Eligibility for funding under the de minimis regulation, more on this in a moment
• Permanent establishment or branch in Germany

See also the FAQ on go-digital on the website of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The de minimis regulation basically states that a company may not exceed the amount of 200,000 euros in subsidies in three tax years.

Analysis of the requirement

The whole application process sounds quite complex... What are your experiences, what are the chances of receiving funding? And how do you help with the application?

The application process is not as complex as you might think. Of course, you have to think about the objectives of the project and the innovation benefits for the customer in advance, but we do that anyway. Then you have to draw up a detailed project plan and sign a few documents, and that's about it 🙂 We need some additional work from the customer in terms of sales figures etc., but it's not much more than that.

If we and the client are not yet sure what we want to achieve with the funding, we can also carry out a potential analysis at the start of the project. This may take a maximum of 2 consultant days, but it can be used to conduct a requirements workshop at the beginning, for example, so that everyone involved is clearer about what you want to achieve at the end.

So far, all our applications have gone through. Of course, there have been questions here and there, but really only very few. We take care of the application completely, so the customer doesn't have to worry about it.

What exactly can be supported with it, do you have a few project examples from the WordPress world?

What exactly can theoretically be supported within the modules can be found here, such as the development of a company-specific online marketing strategy or the creation of a professional internet presence for marketing purposes. But let me summarize some of our previous projects:

Client 1 has been advising and supporting innovative companies and start-ups nationwide in the field of insurance for many years. The team creates and designs a wide range of insurance concepts and products that are specially tailored to the requirements of the event industry. In the past, they have developed their own online calculator for end customers to take out temporary event insurance.

As a digitalization project, we were to introduce an online store system and make our products available to customers in a targeted manner via multiple channels. The following goals were set:

• Development of an online marketing strategy for the digital distribution of industry-specific insurance solutions
• Establishment of the necessary structure for efficient implementation of the strategy, including consideration of the current state of IT security
• Creation of a new, contemporary corporate website with WordPress
• Landing page builder with WordPress
• Integration of an online store system for the sale of insurance via multiple channels
• Introduction of tracking/monitoring for the evaluation and assessment of marketing objectives

Goals and target groups

Customer 2 is also from the insurance industry. He is faced with the challenge that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the necessary time to provide customers with adequate support. This is due to ever-increasing administrative and legal requirements. The aim was therefore to meet the ever-increasing demands of customers with a new brand identity and digitalized business processes. For example, in terms of faster and simpler communication channels. These goals were set here:

• New web design
• Creation of a new, contemporary corporate website with WordPress
• SEO optimization
• Introduction of tracking/monitoring for the evaluation and assessment of marketing objectives
• Development of a "Service" area on the website, which customers can use to process claims, make changes to master data or change notifications directly online
• Development of a blog to provide customers with up-to-date information at all times

Client 3 comes from the events industry and needs a professional internet presence. It also needs a platform for the digitalization of educational projects for children and families, including the introduction of corresponding digital business processes. In the potential analysis, we will work out the exact requirements with the customer as part of a workshop in order to then start the implementation phase.

During the implementation phase, we focus primarily on the concept - both in terms of content and technology - in order to develop the optimal solution for the customer. The visual and technical interplay between the website and the product platform is particularly important here, so that visitors feel as little disruption as possible when using the platform. This should increase trust in the platform, as visitors should ultimately also buy products.

More demand due to corona

What role does the current coronavirus situation play here, are you sensing increased demand from small and medium-sized companies? And how are you dealing with this?

The demand for funding from small and medium-sized enterprises for projects related to digitalization has always been high, as for most of them this initially means investing in something "new". The coronavirus situation has of course intensified this even further, as many business models and processes no longer function as they did before the pandemic. In addition, there are suddenly many different "funding offers" and it is easy to lose track.

We are very transparent about this and take our customers by the hand throughout the entire process. Of course, we have also developed an understanding of which customers and what kind of projects can be supported. We see ourselves as having a kind of advisory role. But we also have to be flexible to a certain extent, especially when it comes to payment, because you have to wait a bit for the money from the federal government.

There are numerous sectors that need to catch up in terms of online presence. What exactly does a consultation look like for you? How do you take the uncertainty away from the teams? And how do you determine what is actually needed so that you don't miss out?

We are not finding our own way into the digital future, but a shared one. This is exactly what we keep in mind for ourselves and our customers. We know that the topic of digitalization also causes uncertainty among our customers. That's why we try to take them with us every step of the way. We usually start at the very beginning, as customers often find it difficult to communicate their requirements properly in the first place.

This means that we integrate our customers' employees into our processes. They become part of the team and take on an active role. That's why we start every project with a workshop or kick-off. In this, we primarily look at the goals of our customers and their target groups, as there are usually already different perceptions.

Ideally, we first try to offer a conception phase including requirements management in order to define the exact scope together. We can then work out much more precisely what will be implemented. Of course, this also makes planning much easier and more transparent for us and the customer.

The website as a basis

How do you argue when the argument comes up: "Facebook & Co. are enough for our marketing"?

It always depends on what the customer's goal is. And, above all, which target groups he wants to address. If his target group is mainly on Facebook & Co. then maybe that's enough, but I doubt it. Basically, we always try to look at the user first. We then make our recommendations for the right marketing mix based on this. But we do think that having your own website is essential. It is the digital home that can be operated independently of a platform.

You have some clients in the healthcare sector. What's your advice when outdated websites meet a sharp increase in demand with a low budget?

You can also take the first steps with a small budget. The important thing is to define a target picture together with the customer and then show how to get there. This may take a little more effort at the beginning. However, it also makes it easier to define a roadmap that you can then follow in small steps.

We always try to convey this MVP idea(Minimum Viable Product), even if we have large budgets at our disposal. We want to take small steps with as much added value as possible as quickly as possible, build on them incrementally and always get feedback from users. This is the best way to ensure that you don't miss the target in the end, especially when the budget is limited...

The right WordPress hosting

You are a BUSINESS partner of Raidboxes. What convinced you? And how has the collaboration gone so far?

We think a lot of a strong partner network. And from our point of view, Raidboxes should not be missing, especially because we are so convinced of the product and your WordPress hosting. In the end, it was Raidboxes' overall package that convinced us. But above all the conversations with individual people. We simply have the same idea of a strategic partnership - that was the deciding factor for us. The fact that we are also doing something good for the climate rounds off the overall package from our point of view.

What makes a good WordPress hosting for you?

Of course, first and foremost everything has to work technically, and it does. But what really convinced us is the simplicity and the services offered from A-Z. From creating a BOX to activating an SSL certificate and support, it's simply fun to work with Raidboxes. And you no longer need a server administrator 🙂

A few words about you and AgenturWebfox?

As part of the management team, I am responsible for NewBiz and our partner network. I also take care of the go digital funding program. The agencyWebfox is a full-service digital agency consisting of 25 specialists. We have been working and living on the web for more than 20 years.

We share our passion and knowledge with our clients. We are digital natives with an understanding of SMEs and a wide range of perspectives - from our experience with large brands and small companies. We are big enough to handle complex SME projects. And small enough to be there for our customers quickly and unbureaucratically.