Take a Good Look at Your Website. Okay Now Look Away.
April 16, 2008
A fair number of people call me every week to take a look at their business website. Usually they are looking to improve the branding of their company. When I ask for the URL address of their website, a number of them preface the conversation by saying: “This isn’t what we want.” or “It’s really old.” or “Could you look at our competitors website instead”. I even had a person once say: “Please don’t look at our current website!” I guess that’s why they are calling for advice. These businesses are seeking to improve how they look to the world.
We’ve all seen websites that are successful and many that are not. How do you determine when it’s time for minor updates or wholesale changes? Below is a brief list of seven items for your review. If you answer “no” to any of these items, then it’s time for a redesign of your website.
- You are proud to show your website to anyone (not just your mom)
- The content accurately describes your business
- The information is up-to-date and relevant
- It’s easy for someone interested in your services to contact you
- Your website has been redesigned within the past year
- You’ve had more than 50 visitors in one day
- You spend more time on your own website than a competitors
By carefully looking at every page of your website you can determine the next step. Of course, if that’s a painful process then it’s time for an overhaul.
Ohio Website Design, Stop Waiting
April 10, 2008
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Marcy Design has created 4 new commercials for marketing website design in Ohio. The fourth commercial visually shows a download bar moving across the screen. The idea is to get 100% out of your website and to attract a larger target audience. Good use of a tag-line at the end of the commercial: ‘Get more out of your website by visiting ours.’ All-in-all, these series of commercials are are successful in promoting the Marcy Design brand.
Ohio Website Design, Save a Tree
April 8, 2008
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This is the third of 4 new commercials for marketing website design in Ohio that Marcy Design has created. Following the theme of – ’Getting More Out of Your Website…’ — this spot shows how you can re-design your website and use less paper to market your business. A wide variety of tree images helps to support the message of saving trees. Great theme. Go green!
Ohio Website Design, Open for Business
April 2, 2008
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This is the second of 4 new commercials for marketing website design in Ohio that Marcy Design has created. This commercial portrays different types of signs that say: ‘Open”. The theme of the spot states that your website is open 24/7 and that it should be ready for business at all times. Good variety of signs are used. I’ve seen some of these actual signs on store-fronts myself.
Ohio Website Design, Get More Out Of Your Website
March 28, 2008
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Marcy Design has created 4 new commercials for marketing website design in Ohio. The first commercial visually shows people using the web through the use of typography. The word ‘Click’ appears on the screen numerous times to represent the ability to attract the target audience to your website. Good use of the tag-line at the end of the commercial: ‘Get more out of your website by visiting ours.’
Ohio Website Design, Government Style
March 5, 2008
Website design is important for government websites as well. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission has created a new website to promote their services. Flash animation was used to enhance the website. For a website this large, it is well organized and easy to navigate.
Redesign Your Website or How to Succeed in a Recession
March 4, 2008
Warren Buffett was quoted yesterday as saying that the US economy is in a recession. One indicator is that consumers and businesses are buying less products and services. And even though he mentioned the “R” word. Buffett wrote in a Friday letter to Berkshire Hathaway. “Despite our country’s many imperfections and unrelenting problems of one sort or another, America’s rule of law, market-responsive economic system and belief in meritocracy are almost certain to produce ever growing prosperity for its citizens,” Zig Ziglar, a famous sales motivational speaker, says that when some people believe that we are in a recession, depression or down economy, he chooses not to participate.
Now is an excellent time get motivated. There are limitless opportunities for your business on the Internet. Take a look at your website. Is it working for you? Is it bringing you new prospects? If not, then it’s time to redesign your website. Your website is an important marketing tool and website design is important to establish a brand for your business online. By redesigning your website, you have the opportunity to cost-effectively:
- Reintroduce your company to customers and prospects
- Present new products and services
- Freshen-up all of the copy
- Take new photos
- Add animation and video
- Develop database applications
There are many articles and examples on this blog that can guide you through the redesign process. So stop whining about the economy and take control of your company’s branding process.
17 Reams of Copy Paper Equals 1 Tree
February 1, 2008
How do you market your company? Most businesses use brochures, sales sheets, reports and a wide variety of printed materials. The paper that these items are printed on comes from trees. Fortunately, trees are a renewable source and more paper is being recycled every year. But how can you help the environment, conserve paper and stay in business all at the same time? The first step is to find out how much paper your company uses with its printed materials. A website called Conservatree has put together information with statistics related to printing and paper usage. Below is a brief summary you can use to calculate paper usage.
- 1 ream of copy paper (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree
- Nearly 17 reams of copy paper uses 1 tree
- A 16-page brochure (5,000 copies) uses almost 5 trees
The next step is to create a dynamic new website and warehouse all of your marketing materials online. Sales sheets could become PDF files that you can link from your website or send to clients via email. Reports can come alive through Flash animation. Annual reports can be customized for each viewer with a database application. Think about the new generation of prospects coming into the market. With cell phones, laptops, and wireless connection, they are online gurus. So moving your marketing online isn’t just saving the planet, it’s good for your business. Create a new website and save a tree or two.
Add Video to Your Website to Engage Your Audience
January 22, 2008
In the context of marketing and advertising, words use only one of our senses, our eyes. A voice over also uses only one of our senses, our ears. It is only video that engages both our eyes and ears. And the way to capture the attention of your target audience is to engage more than one of their senses. It’s the reason that companies such as Anheuser-Busch will spend 2.6 million dollars for one 30 second spot on the Super Bowl this year. It works.
Your business can use this marketing advantage by adding video to your website. Think about creating a 30 second commercial about your business and put it on your Home page. If you have a product, demonstrate the benefits and features in a short video spot. If you have a service and it can’t be described in a brief video, break the narrative into segments like chapters in a book. Create a simple navigation that make it easy for the user to view your videos.
Because the video should be professionally produced, hire a marketing firm to identify your brand identity, write a tight script and produce your business video. There are many methods to encode and upload the final video to your website. You can also use the free services of YouTube to upload and host your business video and link back to your website. The fact is that you don’t have to spend 2.6 million dollars to create a great video for your website. Get started and get your target audience excited.
A New Website Design Can Improve Your Business
January 21, 2008
A new website design allows you to re-introduce your company. Think of a company like Apple and how they are constantly seen as innovators of their market. One method for giving your business a boost in sales is to review your existing website.
- Does your website reach your target audience effectively?
- Have you reviewed your competition’s websites?
- Does your website reflect your brand identity?
- Is your website search engine ‘friendly’?
- Does your website design look professional?
- Have you budgeted for a new website this year?
Sales does not happen in a vacuum. If you’ve done your homework by creating an effective brand, then the next step is to build solid marketing support to reach prospects, warm them up to your product or service, and make the sale. The more qualified prospects you can get into the pipeline, the better the opportunity to improve your business. And the Internet is the most exciting playing field to plant your flag. Online, the world is your oyster.
That’s not to say that you can put up an average website. Your website needs to be the best. When prospects visit, you want them to stay, review and be excited about your product or service. The goal should be to get them to call or send for more information. On low-priced items, get them to place an order online. On higher ticket items, a salesperson usually needs to make the close. In either case a new website design can dramatically re-energize your business’ sales.
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