This article raises an interesting question no matter what you do for a living. It brings up the difference between motivation and follow through.
You know you have to do a blog post, update your Linkedin profile or develop your company social media program. You need a better web site, capabilities brochure, sales development program and you're really, really psyched! In other words, you're motivated.
But now it's six months down the road and all of the things you were motivated to do in September are still at the starting gate. So the problem isn't motivation, it's follow through- there's always so much to do and no time to do it that we get overwhelmed and wind up looking at our computer screens like deer looking at headlights.
The "White Socks" Solution
The article uses a workout metaphor, but it can really work for just about any follow through problems you have. The most important thing for me is to create an environment. Start small- my workout environment creation is very basic: if I put a pair of white socks in the morning I'll go to the gym, if I don't I won't. It's really simple but it also really works.
The article goes into more tricks like this, but the solutions are are very straightforward and easy to implement.
When I was teaching, I would open up my class on branding with three symbols:
A Cross
A Star of David
A Swastika
My point was to show that a strong brand didn't necessarily have to be a good brand.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers."
So today, just designing a logo isn't enough- the consumer experience is shaped by all media- online experience, logo design, packaging, print, and even the retail environment a product is displayed in.
From an article in the Washington Post: Businesses find they can’t grow without branding
"These days consumers are driving the public perception of companies, offering their sometimes not-so-flattering reviews of products and services through blogs, Web sites and social media marketing goals. Companies are responding to the public’s demand for transparency; in this era of the 24/7 news cycle, consumers no longer are tolerating firms that represent one thing in their branding but demonstrate something entirely different in news coverage, experts say."
Here's an article (with slideshow) about Susan Kare, the designer of the original Mac icons- I was so familiar with the one at the left.
For those of us who started on the Mac way back when, I imagine they still are the default images we still visualize when we're on the computer.
The difference between designing the icons back then and designing for companies like Facebook (Kare designed the icons for Facebook Gifts- which allowed users to send virtual gifts to a recipient) now:
For the Macintosh, most symbols were monochrome, needed to fit within a 16 x 16 or 32 x 32 square pixel grid, and were shorthand for computer functions.
For each Facebook gift, there was a 64 x 64 pixel canvas with virtually unlimited color. The challenge was to create images desirable enough or affecting enough or amusing enough to encourage potential gift givers to spend a dollar to enhance a message. The gifts functioned as small greeting cards, rather than digital road signs. Some gifts were more iconic and some more illustrative, but detail in this case did not impede understanding.
Posted by
Donna Pace on Tue, Nov 01, 2011 @ 12:42 PM
Email is essential to our work, but it can easily become too much of a good thing. Each new message requires attention, and an overstuffed inbox makes it more likely that an important message may get lost in the mix. To conquer email overload, try these simple techniques.
- First, reduce your incoming email. Unsubscribe yourself from mailing lists and promotional emails, or forward your emails to Unsubscribe.com and have it taken care of automatically.
- Some non-essential emails are actually useful. Aggregating and unsubscribing can help you stay on top of them. Receive a daily summary of different coupon offerings from Groupon and the like by using Dealery. Setting up Google Alerts or signing up for The Daily Beast can streamline your updates on news topics of interest; just be sure to unsubscribe to other individual news alerts.
- Any type of email you get with some regularity should have a filter assigned to it. Accounts can be set up to forward emails with certain keywords to an assistant, or provide a specific automated response. Find out what filtering services your email system offers and make the most of them.
- Next comes organization. Take your messages out of your inbox and sort them into folders tailored to your own needs and interests. If you need help, try OtherInbox, which integrates with Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and others. It automatically organizes your messages into folders like “Shopping” and “Business,” and OtherInbox will learn from you; therefore, getting better over time. It also has its own unsubscribe service.
- Take away the need for people to email you in the first place by answering questions ahead of time. Try including an FAQ section on your website, or putting relevant information in your signature.
- You might also use your email signature to state that you only check your email once a day. Leave instructions for how to reach you if the matter is urgent. AwayFind, for example, creates an emergency contact page that routes messages to you by voice or text.
- Finally, don't put off taking action on your emails. The old advice of "handle it once" for printed mail and memos can be applied to digital correspondence. The more quickly you can respond to what's truly important, the less of an email overload you will have to contend with later.
Key takeway: Take action on one of these each week to manage your email inbox.
One social marketer I heard speak described the whole social media scene as the "wild west".
Consumer companies such as Coca-Cola, Nike and Starbucks use social media to successfully build brand awareness and track what their customers want, only 26 percent of CMOs track blogs and 40 percent track any online communications. 82 percent still rely on traditional market research.
Here's an article about a survey IBM did that has this information and a whole lot more.
I have to admit, as a creative, I've always looked at marketing data, focus groups, etc. with a bit of suspicion. Data, facts and figures can point in a direction, but it seems to me that inspiration and creativity is what makes or breaks a great marketing effort.
Steve Jobs passing has brought all sorts of quotes to mind, but I especially like this one as reported by the New York Times: Jobs said "his own study and intuition, not focus groups, were his guide. When a reporter asked what market research went into the iPad, Mr. Jobs replied: 'None. It's not the consumers' job to know what they want.'"
I don't think he meant this in an arrogant way- although it comes off like that- I think he was encouraging people to rely and trust the creative side more and use the data as a map, not a goal.
Good article about how Jobs applied design values to business- quick takeaway:
"More than any other executive, Jobs proved that design is among the key strategic differentiators in a global economy that's increasingly becoming commoditized. His life was so full, and his ingenuity so great, that Jobs will leave many legacies. But certainly high on that list will be the impact of great design on the bottom line.
Jobs taught corporate America, and really the business world writ large, that design could create value, if done right. But that last clause is really the key because most companies, while they want to create beautifully designed and easy-to-use products, don't really understand how to do it. It's hard."
Posted by
Donna Pace on Thu, Sep 29, 2011 @ 01:00 PM
In this post, we'll be discussing some simple methods for creating a better website using best practices for design, which plays a rather significant role in the process of upgrading your site.
- Use the right colors - Most of us have this one figured out, but the first element of design to check is the color scheme you've chosen for your site. When you visit your home page, can you read the text? If you are using an image background or placing light colored text on a light background color, it's time to make some changes. Keep it simple and readable.
- Limit use of graphics - While appropriately placing images on your website can be an effective design element, it's generally best to include only a few on each page. Avoid using images or graphics as navigational elements, since text links are more usable and conducive to a better website design.
- Test for browser compatibility - This one is a bit trickier, but it's very important. While the majority of internet users continue to use Internet Explorer, other web browsers have gained in popularity in the last few years. You should open your site in all major browsers to see how it appears in each one. Are there any major differences? Does it display incorrectly in any? If so, changes must be made to your CSS in order to achieve a better website.
- Design links differently - Be sure that your design makes text links appear different from the plain text around them. If you have a paragraph of black text, any links within it should be a different color and they should be underlined. This makes it easy to spot them.
- Feature important content "above the fold" - If you have a call to action and want visitors to click a button, don't put it at the bottom of the page. Be sure that they don't have to scroll at all in order to see or click your most important messages.
These are all ideas you can try today, so experiment and track your results.
Posted by
Donna Pace on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 @ 01:00 PM
By this point, you are well on your way to a better website! The key now is making sure that people can find it.
Help Search Engines Find you
The first place that most people go when they are looking for something is to an online search engine. While they get thousands of results, most people just look at the first few results. So, how do you optimize your website so that you are among those first results? Often the best way to get there is to use keywords.
Let's say you sell hot air balloon baskets. You want to make sure that it is not only in the title of your website, but that you frequently mention hot air balloon baskets in your content; that is what the search engine will "see" and count as it scans the web. People who search for "hot air balloon baskets" will be shown images of the baskets, information about how they are made, where they are made, how they work, as well as where to buy them. To compete with that avalanche of information, the baskets need to be mentioned on your site frequently; the more often a keyword is used, the higher the ranking it will receive for that search. Do your best to avoid using the word it so much that it seems unnatural, though. One key to a better website is slipping in the keywords organically, much like you might say a friend's name in a conversation with him or her. It would be odd if you said your friend's name after every sentence, but a few times throughout a conversation is very natural.
Tag Unreadable Items
Search engines can't see images, so you'll want to tag them (alt tags) to add to your overall use of the keywords.
Link Related Websites
Another thing that will up your ranks in the search engines are links to other sites with similar information. You could link to one of the sites showing how the hot air balloon baskets are made.
Check out Google's Webmaster Guidelines
here for more details and ideas about how to optimize your website.
Posted by
Donna Pace on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 @ 01:00 PM
Build a better website by creating offers for your visitors. It’s an opportunity to give them something of value and share your expertise.
Start by thinking about what your target market needs and wants from you.
Offers can range from a free white paper to a product sample. It all depends on your business. If you primarily sell services, offer a free hour of consulting or a needs assessment. Another good option is free content – white papers, case studies, Top Ten lists, etc. Make sure it’s practical. If you sell products, offer a sample. If your budget permits, you can give away promotional items with your company’s name and URL.
To maximize the benefit of these offers, require that visitors fill out a form in order to receive them. That will enable you to capture and track information on who is interested and in what. Then you can adjust your offers to what receives the best response.
To build a better website, listen you your visitors, learn what they need, and find ways to help them. Think about what you can offer your visitors that will make them remember who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. Remember to follow up when they show interest!
Posted by
Donna Pace on Mon, Sep 19, 2011 @ 01:00 PM
One of the simplest, and often most overlooked, aspects to having a better website is to send a clear, consistent message. Making sure that people know the purpose of your website is absolutely key, and it is important to also make sure that it is easy enough to navigate.
Show Visitors Who You AreIt seems like common sense, right? Most of us think that the purpose and message of our website is clear. But you can easily get off track if you are not diligent about what visitors see as soon as they land on your website. Let's say you write a blog about gardening. People look for gardening blogs, and they wind up on yours. The first post that they see, however, is a funny picture of an animal with a caption. The space is yours, and it may seem natural to share the picture with your readers, especially if you thought it was especially funny. If you have a core group of readers who understand that you do provide great gardening tips and pictures of your vegetables, that's great. But if you are questioning why you are not attracting new readers, or you are attracting readers who are not interested in gardening at all, something as simple as that initial message could be to blame. Don't panic, though! It's possible to create a better website for gardeners and still share some personality. Simply split the posts into categories and show only the ones related to your topic on the front page.
This example applies in principle to most websites. If you are having trouble attracting or retaining visitors, the easiest thing you can do to generate better website traffic is to step back and take a look at the message you are sending. View it as if you are the average person who clicked their way to your site and doesn't know anything about you or your company. Or ask an objective friend or colleague what they feel is the stand-out message. Do you see a clear, concise, easy to use website that shows what you are all about? If not, it may be time work on creating a better website; a website that shows what you are trying to convey. List three points you want visitors to take away from a quick visit to your site, and be sure those points are front and center.