My friends at Silver Square have asked me, Curt Franke of BitWise Solutions, to write a blog entry this week.  (Yeah, it’s possible that their judgment was slightly impaired.) 

If you know anything about BitWise Solutions, then you know that we develop complex web solutions – that means web sites and software applications meant to run on the web.  So, I would just like to take this opportunity to share with you a few of my thoughts about getting a good web site design.

(In this case, when I’m referring to design, I’m not talking about the look and feel, because frankly it’s more art and preference and subtle psychology than what I am probably qualified to weigh in on.  Although if you know me, you know that I have opinions.)     

Number one key to getting a good web site design – find a good designer.  (By the way, Silver Square does good great work.) 

Besides that, here are nine more thoughts to help you get a good web site design:

1. If you already have brand standards, (i.e. logo, colors, etc., and printed materials), be consistent with them on your web design.  Why confuse a prospective client about whether they have come to your site?
2. There are de facto standards for good web design.  Don’t get cute, follow them.  For example, clicking on the logo should return the visitor to the home page.  Search boxes go near the top. 
3. Make it easy for your site visitors to contact you.  Don’t make them dig for a phone number or some other way of reaching you.  Put your contact information on the footer of each page and/or present a “Contact Us” page.
4. Then there are the basics.  Who are your target visitors and what specific action do you want them to take when they visit your site?  What is the call to action for individual pages?  Good web site developers will ask you these questions. 
5. Great web site developers* will ask you the questions that help to define the web site strategies that support your business goals and objectives.  A web site that supports your business goals and objectives will ensure a good investment of your time and money.  A good investment should anticipate a return on that investment.  If not, it’s not an investment.  It’s a donation.
6. Be logical in the presentation of the content.  Think through the groupings of the content so the site is intuitive.  This is part of what great web site developers* do for you.
7. What web site functionality will support your goals and objectives?  For example, does there need to be a secure login for customers to be able to access your inventory and place orders online so that you can increase sales and customer satisfaction?
8. Practically everyone wants some visibility with search engines.  So, make sure to invest the time and effort to get the tags and content in place that will support the search terms for which you want to be found.
9. Practically everyone wants to make changes to the content on the site themselves.  So, get a good Content Management System (CMS).  Get a demo of it first.  You will be glad you did.  Not all CMS’es are created equal.

I realize these are pretty basic elements.  But heck, John Wooden taught his basket players at UCLA how to put their socks on.  So, getting the basics right is a good first step.

May God bless you. 

Curt

*BitWise Solutions = great web site developers, providers of complex web solutions, and good people

1. What does the social media effect play on your business card?
2. The authenticty people have come to know and expect, i.e. especially your picture, hasn’t been transfered to the business card yet; will it?
3. How many places do people really want to connect with each other?
4. Are phone and e-mail really the most important top ways to reach someone?
5. What are people doing with these business cards once they receive one?

I don’t have the answers just yet, but for one of these projects I proposed adding some social media contacts on the card and they got kicked off. Hum. So much for that.

Then I started thinking about the photo factor. In the online world, if your avatar isn’t yourself, it’s a bit frowned upon. I know I don’t really trust someone new if their avatar isn’t a photo of them. In fact, I had a guy find me on a social networking site, and he seemed like he had a great profile and business, but his image was such a scary, super human photo that I didn’t even respond to him. I was thinking, not a chance!

I had to immediately giggle because I have also thought of the real estate industry and how many Reatlors have always felt the larger the photo the better the business card gets. Are we moving to that? Was this industry just really far ahead of the curve and the rest of us are trying to decide how and if we want to catch up? What kind of reaction do you have to this right now just thinking about your mug shot front and center on your business card? Good feelings? No way? I’m insane?

I think this next year will really unfold a new demand for what’s taking up that precious real estate on our 3.5 X 2 pieces of paper that people pass along in the real world. What’s your prediction?

Let’s take a company example in Vera Bradley. (I was disappointed in their message on their website but I’ll stay focused to the task for now) They are running a print campaign, in some national publications even a full spread, that says ‘Make life more colorful’ with a very colorful image of a youngish woman in a hot air balloon holding one of their newer fabric backpacks. The name of the pack and the price are small and insignificant to the ad. The ad is selling a lifestyle. It’s selling add some flavor to your life by adding color. Be rich with color and exude the beauty and wonder that this woman and hot air balloon are doing for you right now. It has very little to do with that backpack. Vera Bradley knows their audience has a certain lifestyle and approach to life that makes their product, i.e. handbags and such, part of that life. If they wanted to just move some product they could have lots of thumbnail shots of each new bag with a price under it and their website.

Let’s also talk about that price. The backpack was $92. If the whole ad would have been about the product with the price, in today’s economy, that may give some people sticker shock. We all know a solid backpack can be found for much less than $92. Selling the lifestyle makes the price less glaring and less painful. While some would not like to admit it, there is a price tag for certain lifestyles. Vera Bradley knows this and is banking on knowing which category their audience is in and their appropriate price tag.

Now on to their website. This is where I was disappointed. No mention of color in my world, even, (even!) lack of colorful imagery on their site. The people on the homepage were much younger than the woman in the ad, which can go OK or terribly wrong depending on the audience you’re starting with. They didn’t bring the campaign home and speak to me once I went to their site to make a purchase. This is sad. This would be the part I would suggesting making sure you don’t repeat and tie in the right online message to your offline world.

An image inside the Vera Bradley website

]]> http://www.silversquareinc.com/blog/2009/07/ice-cream-toppings-at-a-sweet-deal/feed/ 0 http://www.silversquareinc.com/blog/2009/07/go-out-in-style/ http://www.silversquareinc.com/blog/2009/07/go-out-in-style/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:00:22 +0000 Raquel Richardson http://www.silversquareinc.com/blog/?p=784 I’m sad to see Smith & Hawken must close their doors… but I’m glad to see they are maintaining their brand and style to the end. If you have to go, go out in style.

This image below was in my inbox this morning for the company’s farewell message. It’s a good reminder that even when exiting an agreement, a relationship or anything else, keep up your brand. Stay true to who you are and how you function, either as a person or a company. It will bode you well in the future.

We're closing our doors e-mail message.

1. Link to LinkedIn.If you’re keeping your LinkedIn profile udpated (which you should be) chances are you have a recommendation or two in your profile. If you don’t have any recommendations, read my advice on building that portion of your profile. This allows indivdiuals to view your recommendations, see your credentials and learn more about you.
2. Invite people to follow you on Twitter. Depending on how you use Twitter, it may make sense to invite people to follow you and keep updated on what you’re doing. Growing an audience that wants to know more about you is never a bad thing.
3. Help push traffic to a website or cause. Use a link to your website to help push traffic there. Enhance the potential of someone using this link by using a catchy phrase or adding a visual image that may add to curiosity.
4. Be professional. Make sure your business signature propels the look, feel, tone and mission of your business. It wouldn’t make sense to build your brand in all other areas only to have a horrible signature line that devalued the rest of your efforts.
5. Share your location. I still go to the e-mail to find location and phone information for those I’m trying to reach. This is a common practice that you may want to consider making a communications standard in your company.

The example below hits on these topics and a couple others. If you want to have everyone follow you on each of the social media outlets you’re frequenting, use smaller icons or visuals that still mesh with your business brand and serve your connection needs. Don’t go too overboard and add lots of info, but do rotate or update your signature from time to time to keep it fresh and keep it working as a marketing tool.

Clay's e-mail signature.

Flight of martini's from Houlihan's; 3 for $9

Let’s start with the specials – as they WERE special. Half price bottles of wine, flights of martinis and half price ’snackage’ is pretty nice within itself. However, the delivery of these specials made them an extra treat. The flights of martinis were from ANY of the martinis available. Select the fancy chocolate one, get the sugar rim sweet one, they were all part of the deal. They didn’t offer something from a limited menu or trick you in to thinking it all applied. Then, they delivered the flights of martinis in full style. Everyone around our table (and those of us at the table who partook in something other than the martinis) wanted what they had. It’s instant jealousy.

The appetizer delivery was amazing too. Fancy modern plates and extras really made a punch and took your little snackage up a notch on the fun scale. The taste was there too; nothing was missing.

Houlihan's new logo

The new branding made this all come together consistently. The identity itself is clean, fresh and modern. I like how the ‘H’ is a little off skew. The logo launched the theme for the rest of the decor and menu design. It all fit together in a modern fit of functionality and style. The outdoor patio was one of the best I’ve experienced. It is in the Castleton Mall parking lot, but you know what, I rarely noticed this after our crowd showed up, the drinks arrived and the night began. The brilliant red adirondack chairs and bright yellow umbrellas paired with dark black steel and hearty brown woods made you feel like you were on someone’s back porch, not a public restaurant. 

Well done Houlihan’s. You have upgraded your brand significantly and you paired all your elements of the entire experience well. This is a great model of how it should be done.

So join us and show your support for the women and children of Coburn Place by attending Blue Breakfast! Contact Coburn Place  for any questions and to R.S.V.P.

2009 Blue Breakfast Invitation