ENGAGE VISITORS AND GET RESPONSE

We work with you to create websites and run web campaigns. This may be to sell a product, test a concept, gauge satisfaction, promote a cause, build a reputation or conduct research.

Web and mobile marketing that improves your odds. For startups, small business and enterprises.

Getting started: Don't try to design the site before you have figured out the actions you want from visitors. Who do you want to attract, what are they looking for and how can you engage them? Only when aims and targets are set should structure and creative be considered.

1
Why are you creating the site? Is it, for example, to generate sales leads, or sell products direct or build your corporate or personal image? What's of primary importance?


2
Who are the target visitors? What is their profile (demographic, job function), how many of them are there, where are they located and how will you attract them?

3
When they arrive, how will you quickly gain their attention and encourage them to stay? How will you engage them?


4
What exactly do you want these visitors to do? Not just the obvious 'buy' or 'contact us'; what are the other (secondary or proxy) indicators of interest?

5
Who else (competitors & others) is targeting these people? What are they doing well? What is missing and how can you exploit the gaps?


6
What are the words and phrases (keywords) that reflect the needs of your prospects and how can you attract traffic from searches and social networks?

7
What is the best structure for the site? Which components are essential, which are desirable and what is optional?


Ready to consider the 3 P's? (Planning, Process and Pitfalls). It's time to start your plan

Improving your Website: Do you have an online presence, or just an online brochure? Organisations that punch above their weight have websites that are living, interactive and evolving; that interface with the current and future 'internet of things', through cellphones and tablets and via social networks.

1
Start with the ROI: By considering the desired returns from the outset, your plan can be based upon quantified benchmarks such as real improvements in marketing.


2
Serve the target audience(s): If people like your website, Google will too. Search engines give ranking and thus visibility to sites that provide relevant and timely information.

3
You have milliseconds to engage people: We favour sites that get to the point quickly. Long form text is out; Headline, synopsis and drill down is in.


4
Call for action: There is little point in creating a site that does not yield an action. What you want visitors to do has to be built into the fabric of the site, and not be an afterthought.

5
No website is an island: Your fabulous creation is of no value unless it seamlessly connects to the social networks where people hang out. Referral is perhaps the single biggest source of new business.


6
Keep content fresh: Not only will being 'stale' put off visitors, it will mean that the site will rank lower in search engines.

7
The internet is everywhere: Dynamic, content-rich websites are syndicating content to serve the tiniest of niches, on all manner of devices, worldwide.


Ready to consider the 3 P's? (Planning, Process and Pitfalls). It's time to start your plan

Planning to succeed: "Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning", said Thomas Edison. Our philosophy exactly. A designer will provide elegant design. A code geek will serve up cool functions. But will you get a Return on Investment?






"A goal without a plan is just a wish"
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Content and engagement:As with all marketing, a site has to meet the user's wants and aspirations and provide a beneficial experience. Getting the visitor to act Is the aim, and timely and relevant video, audio and text content is the means of doing this.

1
Speak only to your target: If you try to be all things to all people you will be of little interest to anyone; be the best in your niche. Use plain English, avoid jargon and tell a story.


2
No keywords no traffic: Don't stray from your keyword theme or you will not rank on Google. Think of keywords as expressions of interests, in short phrases.

3
Be where your prospects hang out: Your carefully crafted blog is of no value unless it is read and passed on. Not all social networks are equally valuable; be selective.


4
Headline, synopsis, drill-down: Avoid long form copy since it rarely gets read. Invest time in the summary copy that will entice people to want to read more or to take action.

5
Ask for the action: Limit your content to the minimum required to secure the desired action. Don't pad your content with self-serving sales statements.


6
Write, rewrite and re-purpose: Spin your copy into new articles, posts and tweets. Create white papers and e-books from your best work and use this to drive conversions.

7
Optimise the media mix: Have the mix of text, video, images and audio that best conveys your message. Have a plan to get this content viewed before you create it.


Design: Will your website win a design award or win you customers? "Creative without strategy is art", said Jef I. Richards. Plan to convert visits to actions. Creative must support this, not compete with it.

1
No templates: The structure of the site should be built around the keyword theme that reflects the needs of your prospects: what they want to hear, not what you want to say.


2
Lean content: Your content should be the minimum needed to get an action. Visitors will not wade through copy to discover what you want them to do.

3
Guide visitors to act: It should be implicit what you want visitors to do. If you offer too many choices, they may do nothing. Make it easy and painless for them to act.


4
Don't overdo the decoration: What works good is better than what looks good. The decoration (creative) should support your proposition and not overwhelm it.

5
Be better, not necessarily different: "It’s very easy to be different, but very difficult to be better", said Jonathan Ive. Make your site more relevant, more useful and easier to use.


6
Be part of the conversation: Integrate with social networks in thoughtful ways. Don't send visitors away to your facebook page shortly after they arrive.

7
Watch page load times: Use video and image decoration sparingly. You know how this plays out: You try to visit a site; the page load seems like an eternity; you give up.


Menu

"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after"

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Content and engagement

Your content has to grab a visitor's attention (engage), tap into his or her wants and aspirations (benefit) and encourage action (convert).

Timely and relevant video, audio and text content is the means of converting visits to actions.

There is little point creating content without a plan to ensure it's seen by the right people. This plan must consider search traffic, social media and web campaigns.

In complex sales, a single visit is rarely enough to convert a sale, so on-going engagement must be the planning goal.

These checklists may help to discipline your thinking, set plans and processes and avoid the pitfalls
Friday
Jun062014

Style Guide

Content must resonate with your audience if you are to make a connection.

This is equally the case for a few lines of text on your Home page as it is for a weighty Publication.

It becomes vital when you add keywords into the mix. Written badly, search engine 'optimised' text can make you sound like a robot.

If you had to tell somebody about your business, what would you tell them (stance) and how would you say it (tone)?

Tone of Voice

  1. Tone of voice isn’t what you say but how you say it.
  2. It reflects your character and personality.
  3. It is to writing what graphic design is to branding.
  4. You can't create effective content without language ..
  5. ..which must be infused with a tone that is clear, consistent and relevant.
  6. It allows you to set yourself apart from the rest.
  7. It influences how people feel about you.

Editorial Stance

  1. Your "stance" is the values and styles imbued within your content.
  2. Think part your world view, and part your style.
  3. It's a choice, and a way of distinguishing you from your competitors.
  4. The use (or non-use) of jargon is one such choice = simplify.
  5. As is reflecting the values and social views of prospects ..
  6. ... or appealing to a demographic group.
  7. It communicates an opinion and a perspective.
Humour, sentence construction and punctuation are style choices. As is coming across as strident and authoritative.....or chatty, colloquial and friendly.
Without a plan, your communications may be inconsistent or lack clarity.

Planning

  1. Do you want to tell and sell or teach and help?
  2. Do your convey information as facts or as stories?
  3. Is your style formal, 3rd person or informal, 1st person?
  4. Thinking of your content, How does your company 'sound' to others? 
  5. Is your tone and stance consistent at all touchpoints?
  6. Only when stance, tone and brand aligns are you authentic.
  7. Only when you are authentic are you credible.

Ready to consider the 3 P's? (Planning, Process and Pitfalls). It's time to start your plan:

Start Your Plan
Don't worry if you're unsure about any of the questions, it's part of the process to be a little confused!
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Web and mobile marketing that improves your odds. For startups, small business and enterprises.

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