by Kristina Parker | Mar 24, 2014 | Interactive, Latest
Web design doesn’t only mean website design. If you’re creating any digital product, be that a website, an app or even an eBook, then you may find that the temptation is there to rush out your final product and to ‘make do’ with work that doesn’t represent your very best. The problem is that it’s all too easy to create these products thanks to the wealth of great tools that take a lot of the grunt work out of our hands. With WordPress it’s a simple matter to create a web design for your website by just tweaking a couple of settings, which can make it all-too-easy to just settle for whatever look you stumble on first.
But if that’s your attitude then you need to be careful. When it comes to making a great impression online, the devil is very much in the details. Cutting corners on our web design can have a big impact on the overall appearance of your site while tweaking even the tiniest factor can make everything look more professional and more impressive – which translates as more visitors, more sales and more profit.
If you want to make your digital product look its very best with just a few minor web design tweaks, here are some of the things that you should consider first…
Animation
If you have a website or an app then it may have some basic animations for opening new pages or closing elements etc. If you’ve implemented animations like this at all then congratulations – you’re already one step ahead of much of the competition.
At the same time though, if you’ve just settled for a stock animation then this might not be making the very most of what you could potentially do. Case in point – have you considered an ‘ease-in’ or an ‘ease-out’? These describe slight changes to animations in which the objects accelerate and decelerate at the start and end of the movement. There’s another aspect to consider too called the ‘overshoot’ in which the object will travel slightly too fast – almost excitedly – and then be forced to ‘bounce back’ into the correct position. While these changes may seem almost imperceptible, they can actually make a massive difference to the overall sheen of the app or website by giving it that professional polish and lending your elements almost a ‘personality’ of their own.You can add more elements to an animation too. Why fade in or come in from the left when you can do both?
Orientation
Here’s something you’ve probably never considered: which way are the images on your website facing? In other words, if your image had a face, would it be looking in at the text, or away off to the edge? You might not realize this, but if you look at professional sites and magazines it’s always the former: all elements point in towards the content which has the effect of bringing the viewers’ eyes in that way too. Again, you probably wouldn’t think it would make that much difference, but now that we’ve been trained to expect this setup, your site will look less professional unless it features it.
Rounded Edges
Here’s a brilliant example of a very small design element having a big difference – rounding the edges of your boxes. Even doing this ever-so-slightly will again show attention to detail and give your app, website or book the appearance of being customized by a professional team and not just created in a ‘cookie cutter’ conveyor belt type manner. Add custom edges to your CSS elements and you’ll notice instantly how much better everything looks.
The Date
We’ll end on a really easy one: if your copyright notice still has the date from two years ago on it, then it’s pretty important that you fix that to show your site hasn’t been forgotten. Otherwise the money you spend on those ad slots will be wasted. Would you buy from a site that couldn’t be bothered to update its copyright notice to the right year?
by Belinda Lui | Jan 31, 2014 | Latest, Social Media
It isn’t news that the festivities and anticipation surrounding the upcoming Super Bowl XLVIII is followed none other by the advertising creative that will be airing during the Super Bowl! What follows closely behind these 2 most in virality, however, is the social media activity that is expected to blow up during this annual sporting event. Among these and those who were surveyed, 61% declared that they would share the ads on social media. 41.2% said that they would be active on social media before, during, and after the game. 55.8% of these users planned to share content primarily on Facebook. This event is anticipated to be the most sociable Super Bowl of all time!
What other facts contribute to making this the most sociable Super Bowl of all time?
- 93% of viewers will discuss ads with their peers
- 61% of viewers will share ads on social media
- 1 in 4 viewers will likely post about Super Bowl ads on social media before the game
- 37.6% of viewers will look up Super Bowl ads before the game
- 67.4% of viewers will likely post about Super Bowl ads on social media during the game
- 65.3% of viewers will likely post about Super Bowl ads on social media after the game
- 62.2% of viewers will re-watch ads after the Super Bowl
When CrowdTap asked “After the Super Bowl, which are you more likely to like or follow on Facebook or Twitter?”
The results were: 73% brands, 27% teams.
So, as you can see – the emerging trends in marketing and advertising during the Super Bowl has taken a major turn towards a more sociable strategy. It isn’t enough that people can watch an ad in between watching the game; they will want to watch them before, during, and after the game as well. Given that these brands are successful in getting a message across, they might even gain some new followers on social networks.
Have you ever shared ads in social media before? Come back after the game and let us know which Super Bowl ads were your favourites?
by Belinda Lui | Jan 30, 2014 | Business Success, Latest
We’ve discussed in previous posts the importance of strong and lasting client relationship building: regardless of what your marketing strategy is or how ambitious your goals are, the bottom line is that it is all done in vain if the client relationship building is not present. I had a conversation the other day about ways to win new business; and while this may vary from industry to industry (and person to person), the traditional form of winning business through a proposal did not deem successful in this person’s case. Instead, he found that by simply hosting dinners at his home and inviting prospective clients over, he could obtain more leads than couriering a 15-page document to them. A personal touch, if you will.
Where else is client relationship building important?
In social media, many businesses think that it is good enough to generate content that is attractive to the end user — and even though we stress the importance of content managed posts, we also encourage community and client relationship building. The purpose should not only be impressions and reach, but also the relationships you create and maintain in the process. This means replying to comments and messages in a timely manner or addressing concerns appropriately. The person (or people) managing your social media accounts should add a personal touch to everything they do (as long as it is consistent with brand standards).
As for day-to-day operations, it doesn’t hurt to think of ways in which you can attract or retain clients by sending them little reminders of why they’ve chosen to do business with you. This can be by way of holiday cards, branded merchandise, or a hand-written note expressing gratitude for their patronage.
At the end of the day, there are probably several other businesses competing for the business you’ve won. Capabilities will only get you so far — building a strong and lasting client relationship is what will keep them coming back.
What are some of the ways in which you attract or retain client relationship building?
by Miriam Hara | Jan 25, 2014 | Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Remember when all a website needed to do was to show up on the net? Gone are those days! The website growth cycle has gone through animations and music design all in the hopes of getting attention and to be entertaining… only to now being a part of the business’ sales lead generation and customer service first point of contact. But alas, change is well… ever changing, and now the website must morph again, to include its channel partner: social media. Social media was once synonymous with Facebook – but businesses were reluctant to jump on board, waiting for this to be a passing phase. Enter Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, the powerful mom bloggers and blogger networks, and now social media has evolved from being a one platform channel (Facebook), to a complex multi-platform channel, embraced by small and large businesses all over the world.
So now comes the latest frontier…where the established business website must, once again, re-purpose itself to include and be a supportive pillar of its social media counterpart.
Take the following 3 must-have tips for a website to support a social persona, assisting in the social media initiatives and maximizing on the SEO platform. Social media initiatives must be solidly supported by the business website to optimize on the efforts and contributions.
1) Ensure your social media efforts all feed on the home page of your website (Twitter feed, Facebook comments, forum article or updates). This alone will help in the SEO ranking efforts. It’s also an effective way to keep the home page renewed with fresh content.
2) Ensure your website features enrollment/subscription of all social media platforms that your business is involved in. This includes the icons for following on Twitter, subscribing to the business forum or blog, to engaging on Facebook, or LinkedIn. This demonstrates to anyone coming onto your website that your business is on the forefront of business.
3) Ensure share-ability. The home page of any website is important, but all pages should be optimized to be social. Pages that feature case studies or articles, or portfolio pieces… all should be made to be easily shared on the social media channels or via email.
If your current business website does not have any one of these, then the time has come to seriously think about making your website more social. For now, at least, it’s about being social.
by Miriam Hara | Jan 24, 2014 | Business Success, Latest
Regardless of today’s speed of business, I believe one aspect has remained essentially unchanged: Client management. It can be summed up in one word: Anticipation. I know some of you will associate the idea of “anticipation” with Heinz Ketchup. However, I have always thought of “anticipation” as a key part of building and achieving strong client relationships.
Client management is a high priority in any business, rightly so. How companies manage their clients often means the difference between achieving success or experiencing failure. Although, today’s speed of business doesn’t allow for the slow, nurturing and rapport building methods of client relationship building of the past. The introduction of faster technology, coupled with a tough economic landscape has meant that to some business professionals, the definition of “client management” has changed.
Essentially, in order to achieve successful client management businesses need to be able to anticipate the needs of their clients even before they do.
What’s it like in their shoes? Yes, this is a cute way of saying that you need to put yourself in their position. Every new project that you work on with your client will provide you with a better understanding of the environment they live in day in and day out. Don’t wait for them to ask you about the results of their latest campaign or initiative, anticipate it. Your job is to make their job easier.
Think ahead. When your client makes a request, don’t just deliver what they want, give them what they will need. Go the extra mile and think about what other questions they may have as a result of their request. If you don’t know why a certain request was made, get informed. Thinking ahead saves time and makes decision making easier.
Don’t play volleyball. In other words, take the time to think first. Email has made everyone accessible at all times. It has also allowed for a sense of urgency on all business matters. If your client fires off an email with questions, don’t just shoot back an incomplete response without enough information – your client will be forced to reply back with more questions. After 15 minutes of volleying back and forth, you might end up with 9 emails composed of multiple questions and responses, all in bits and pieces. Instead, take the time to understand what the issue really is from the start.
If your client is asking about the budget for a project, don’t just send the dollar amount. You need to also include the scope and duration of the project as well as any other relevant details all in one email. If you missed the opportunity to provide all the details of a project at the start, take a step back and give this information as completely as possible.
Don’t ask, “How high?” Add value. When a client makes a request, don’t just give them what they asked for, provide context or any other relevant information that can help. Think outside the box. An agency-client relationship is about adding value by being part of the team.
Circling back to the Heinz comparative, in the 70s, Heinz ketchup bottles were glass. That meant that pouring took time and patience. Today’s quick-squeeze plastic bottles have provided us with instant gratification.
Creating a solid client management process is about anticipating the needs of your clients on a day to day basis. The fine art of anticipating involves having the patience, taking the time and being thoughtful, attentive and mindful of your clients needs.
