Breaking Down The Multi-Headed Monster-Web Sites and 5 Things To Look For

October 8th, 2008

This is part 1 of a 6 part series.

In a previously published article in our monthly email newsletter DesignDetails, I talked about the “multi-headed monster” of using the Internet as a communication medium for you or your business. I think it’s time to revisit the “monster” and talk a bit more about each component.

The components we mentioned in that article include:

• Websites
• E-mail Marketing Campaigns
• Blogs
• E-Newsletters
• Social Networks ( Linked In, Facebook, MySpace, etc.)
• Video ( YouTube, Revver )
• Forums (Yahoo Answers, Wikipedia, Hosting your own, etc.)

First we will tackle web sites and in subsequent posts we will talk about each of the other components.

Your Web Site

It’s no secret that in today’s business world the first place someone will most likely interact with you, your company, product, or service is through your web site. Therefore it is imperative that your web site is in line with your marketing strategy and message. What impression does your web site make on the first time visitor?

I have written a list of guidelines below that I use to assess the effectiveness of any web site.

1. Purpose
   1. What purpose does your web site serve? If you cannot answer this simple question you are wasting both time and money.
      1. Is the purpose for lead generation, consumer information, business-to-business (B2B) information, e-commerce, service, sales, etc.?
   2. Who is your web site targeted at? Who is your audience?
2. Design
   1. Is the overall appearance of the web site attractive?
      1. This is subjective, but basic.  Widely recognized design design principles apply:
         1. alignment
         2. balance
         3. consistency
         4. contrast
         5. proximity
         6. use of white space
   2. Does the overall design reflect the right mood? Professionalism? Playfulness?
   3. Is there a simple hierarchy to the visual elements? Some things bigger, some smaller, rather than everything the same size?
   4. Is there contrast in color? Dark type on a light background. Light type on a dark background.
   5. Using images effectively? Are the images being used related to the written content?
3. Organization
   1. Is information on the website organized in a way that is most effective to its purpose?
      1. Can people easily find what they want and need?
      2. Can anyone get back to the home page easily?
   2. Is contact information easily accessible?
4. Content.
   1. Content is king. Well written, focused content can do more for your website than you can imagine.
   2. Stuffy “corporate speak” copy does not work on the web. Brevity is important.
   3. Does the web site clearly communicate to who or what your are dealing with?
   4. Is the value proposition, or mission statement clearly presented?
   5. Is there a call to action? What are you asking people to do; buy, communicate, engage?
   6. Ask yourself the question “What’s in it for me to be at this web site?” If the content cannot answer that question you need to address the value proposition or the mission statement.
5. Maintenance
   1. Does your website say “last updated in September 2001″ anywhere? Do you have “under construction,” or “coming soon” pages? You need to “feed-the-beast,” meaning you need to continually update and refresh the content on your web site.
   2. Your business changes. Your website content should update to reflect your business.
   3. Do you have tools to easily update and maintain content. How long does it take to make a change on your web site? Should not take more that 24 hours for simple changes.

I could make this list much longer. However, I do need to honor the tenet of “brevity” here. However, the points made above should help clarify some important considerations for your website. There are a wide variety of ways to market and promote your business online and your website should be the hub of those efforts.

Take a few minutes  to review your website and look through the questions above. If you find you can answer many of the questions in a positive sense then you are in good standing and are on your way to getting the most out of your web site investment. However, if you cannot answer some of these questions positively than it might be time to revisit your web site so that it is working for you.

Let me know if you have any questions, or what you think about this post in the comments below.

DangersHour.com launched by HamiltonBerchman

October 7th, 2008

We are happy to announce the launching of DangersHour.com. This is the official web site for the book titled “Danger’s Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze pilots that crippled her.” The book is authored by Maxwell Taylor Kennedy and published by Simon and Schuster. We are very happy to be involved with this project and help bring this untold story to the Internet.

There are many video interviews with men who were on the ship at the time kamikaze attacks. Someone with much experience bringing history to life says it best.

“This is a riveting, thought-provoking, superbly written history that unfolds and surprises like a novel. What we are permitted to participate in is nothing short of hell: a glimpse into the most asymmetrical warfare we Americans have ever faced-the Kamikaze pilot.”
-Ken Burns, Filmmaker

There are plans for further improvements to the web site that are presently in the works that will allow family and friends of those on the USS Bunker Hill to contribute their thoughts, information and comments.

DesignDetails – October 2008

October 1st, 2008

Volume 02 // Number 10

October 2008

In this issue

1. Change of Seasons, Change of Location
2. Doing Web-Based Communications Right:  Part 2 of 3
3. Doing Web-Based Communications Right:  Part 3 of 3
4. Find of the Month

Hi,

Change of Season, Change of Location.

The passing through of September marks the beginning of fall and cooler weather. We are presently packing and planning an office move. One of the great features of the move is that we will not miss a beat—close on Friday and open on Monday. Let’s get to it, here is DesignDetails.

Doing Web-Based Communications Right: Part 2 of 3

At this point in the process, you should know what purpose your project serves, what rules you are going to play by, and what wild success looks like.  What’s next?
Read More »

Doing Web-Based Communications Right: Part 3 of 3

At this point your purpose, principles, and outcomes are well defined and brainstorming has identified large parts of the project that have been broken down into smaller tasks. Most likely you have not uncovered every task for this project as more will “pop-up” when you actually begin the process.
Read More »

Finally, Find of the Month

Every month I share an Internet destination that has some application to doing business, getting things done, or just plain cool. This month it’s about backup. In the business of our working lives we don’t realize how important a backup of data is until it’s too late. Kristin, our project manager here at HBDG, sent me the suggestion of SugarSync, They provide a host of backup features including synching and the pricing plans look reasonable as well. Even if you don’t use SugarSync make sure you have some backup strategy in place. Otherwise a major headache and hassle could be waiting for you.

Wrap up

That’s it for this month of DesignDetails. Let me know if you have any questions about any of this content. I always welcome questions and feedback to make this of value to you.

Are you facing a challenge or have a question relating to the Internet? Please share. I can answer your questions and share with everyone.

If you like this e-newsletter, consider forwarding to a friend. Thanks for spreading the word.

Do you know someone in need of expert help or advice with web communications? I always welcome your referrals of friends, colleagues, and family. And let me know if you welcome referrals as well.