Case Studies
These are some of our feature clients with details about how we've helped them.
Sandknop Family Practice
The Sandknop Family Practice provides patient care services.. more
Customer Reference Forum
The Customer Reference Forum holds yearly symposiums for reference program professionals in cities throughout the nation. In ... more
Moda Modelos
Based in Dallas TX, Moda Modelos specializes in talent acquisition for several media industries including print, television, and film. Moda ... more
Annabell's Boutique
Annabell’s Boutique specializes in unique gifts for newborns and their parents: personalized blankets made with the most luxurious ... more
Marketing and the Design Interview
Marketing and the design interview -- these are the two things that need to be considered during the initiation of any web design project, however, they are often the most overlooked. Both the client and the designer must take proactive steps within their respective responsibilities to ensure project success. During this fragile stage of the design process, it is important to keep priorities straight, as they can become easily distorted.
Keeping it Real
Yes, a website CAN work wonders for a small business. An Internet presence, properly marketed, literally expands your geographic demographic to the remotest corners of the earth. Such is the power of the Internet and the information age. It is important, though, to keep in mind the several websites created every day that are hardly seen by anyone - these websites are nearly useless to their owners. There are several reasons why this can happen to a website, but one of the paramount causes is poor marketing. The point is, simply having a website built and sticking it to the web won't miraculously triple your client base and profit margin. There are no panaceas for small business success. Like any other endeavor you will undertake to improve your business, a successful website takes time, planning, and education. It's important to keep your expectations realistic so you don't end up being disappointed.
It's a Marketing Tool
The small business owner's website is primarily a marketing tool - everything else is subordinate to this purpose. This means that you should look at it the same way you would the company brochures you had printed last week, or your telephone just before you use it to cold call your potential customers. It should fit in seamlessly with whatever marketing campaign/plan you already have in effect. If you don't already have a marketing plan written, then you shouldn't even be considering paying someone to build you a website. You will only end up wasting your time and your money when you have to rebuild the website later on because your current one doesn't perform like you expected it to. If you need help, this is a good place to get some info on writing a useful marketing plan. It's written for website designers, but contains sound advice that will benefit anyone running a business.
In considering your previous marketing efforts, what has been the primary component of every successful (and probably unsuccessful) tactic? That's right - it's the message you're trying to convey.the content. Whether it's a special advantage you have over your competitors, or a specific hook that sets you apart, this is the main thing you want your prospects to walk away with - to mull over while they're driving to work. You don't want them to think to themselves, "Hmm, that was a particularly pleasing color combination they used for the background", or, "Wow, I really liked the font they used in the title". I can't stress enough the eclipsing importance of content over visual appeal. Obviously, you want an attractive website, and there are indeed many things to consider when designing an agreeable layout - that's why you're paying a professional - but if what you have in the end is a gorgeous website that doesn't offer anything, it might as well be showcased in an art gallery for all the good it will do you. Don't expect the website designer to write your website copy for you. This is part of the preparatory work you need to do beforehand.it'll make things run a lot smoother later on. If you're at the point where you're willing to invest in an online presence, you probably already have a good idea of what content you want to use, but if you don't there are several resources that can help you get the ball rolling. And you can always consider hiring a marketing specialist if you need to.
The Meeting
If at all possible, try to hire designers who only design for whatever industry you're business is in (automobile sales, accounting, et cetera). These types of designers will care and know more about the marketing message you're trying to convey than a Jack or Jill of all trades, and as such can create an intelligent design that accentuates all the hard work you've previously done. Most of you, however, will opt for the generic designer because they're cheaper and there are just more of them. This is fine, but keep in mind that the average website designer is mainly interested in two things: 1) the visual aesthetics of your website, and 2) the code behind it. To him, the precious content that you want to portray to your prospects is little more than another design element, and he couldn't care much less about what it says. Here in lies the conflict and the reason why the initial interview is so critical. It can literally be the difference between project success and failure. Before meeting with the developer, you should already have a good idea of what you want the website to be, but it's the developers responsibility to solicit the concrete details that he needs, so don't feel too pressured. Don't be insulted if the developer makes suggestions or insists on something that's contrary to your original conceptions. Remember that the designer does this for a living, that he's created several other websites and has hopefully made his mistakes on them. Unless his suggestions directly conflict with the marketing plan you've already written, consider his proposals as they will likely benefit the site. If they are in direct conflict, let the designer know. Chances are he's got a marketing plan of his own and knows the importance of consistency in this area. He should be more than happy to spend the time to discuss alternatives that will satisfy his concerns as well as yours. If he's impudent concerning this - chuck him and find another developer.this isn't where you want to compromise.
Now that the designer has (hopefully) thoroughly interrogated you and has a comprehensive idea of what you need, it's time for you to provide some things that will make his job much easier. These things can be provided on most any type of media, but I usually just request a burned CD since most everyone has a CD-RW now-a-days.
- Make sure any images you want on the website are in they're original format. This will usually be a *.jpg or *.gif file, though there are other formats. Ask the designer about this, since most modern computers don't display file extensions by default. Avoid embedding photographs in MS Word or similar documents, as they're very difficult to work with from a web designer's standpoint.
- If you have any font preferences, provide them for the designer. For most Windows operating systems, the fonts are located in the "Fonts" folder, inside the "Control Panel". For Mac users, click here for instructions on how to locate your fonts.
- Be sure to get some sort of timeline for the completion of the project. It can be rough, for now, but should be finalized within a week or so of the initial meeting. This allows you to know what stage of work the project is in at any given time and also provides some structure for the designer, which he'll appreciate.
The most important thing to be sure of during the initial interview process is that the designer has a clear understanding of just what you want your website to be and do, as outlined by your marketing plan. If this is established, most of the potential pitfalls can be avoided, and the ones that do occur will be easier to handle.
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