Finding Your Message

Filed under: Creative / Trends, Uncategorized — rachel @ 2:27 pm on June 17, 2010

You know you have a great product or service. You know exactly what sets you apart from your competitors. And you know that if your audience knows those details, you’ll win their business and their loyalty.

The problem is, you don’t know how to say it, show it, or share it.

A successful marketing strategy begins with knowing your message, and figuring out the right way to share that message. It’s easy to say “we’re the best.” But that doesn’t set you apart from the thousands of other businesses that claim the same title.

It reminds me of one of my favorite scenes in the Will Ferrell movie, “Elf.” The wide-eyed and naïve Buddy explores the wonders and scenery of New York City. As he journeys, he stops by a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. In the window hangs a neon sign, reading, “World’s Best Cup of Coffee.” Buddy’s eyes light up, and he enters the shop with excitement.

“You did it! Congraulations! ‘World’s best cup of coffee.’ Great job everyone.”

Of course it wasn’t the world’s best cup of coffee, but for that shop, and tens of thousands of others, they claimed to have the “world’s best.”

Simply saying you’re the best isn’t enough. You need a unique message that encompasses who you are, what you offer, and why you truly are different than the rest.

Marketing and brand strategies are changing. Where companies used to look primarily at traditional media (print, TV, radio) to deliver their message, today you must start from the web. Your web presence is the new hub for all marketing initiatives. Traditional media still has its place, but now rather than being the core, they are avenues by which to draw your audience back to your website.

Social media has also become a growing part of a company’s marketing strategy. Having a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube plugs you into the modern-day word-of-mouth.

At Media Marketers, we have a team of marketing consultants who are ready to help you find your message, and to determine the right way to take advantage of all media in order to get your message to the masses.

Not only will we help you figure out how to say it, but how to show it as well. Your message is part of your overall brand strategy, and you need to have a consistent look and feel that matches your logo, your message, and the attitude and atmosphere you wish to convey to your audience.

Your voice needs to be heard. Let us help you sound off.

Web Design Denver – Finding a Good Web Development Company

Filed under: Websites — mark @ 2:51 pm on April 15, 2009

Well, it’s true.  Web design companies in Denver and across the country are a dime a dozen.  Some are just graphic designers that decided they could make a few bucks by designing websites…but you soon find out that’s only half the brain needed for a website that doesn’t suck.  Others are programmers that decided that they could make a few bucks by programming websites…but they look like crap.  The question is, how do you weed through who is legit and who is just a guy in his basement that may end up working at a help desk at Hewlett Packard in Fort Collins in 6 months leaving you high and dry with a fraction of a website and a dented budget?

Web Design Denver 

Whether you are looking for web design in Denver, Colorado or New York City; Louisville, Kentucky or Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California or Orlando, Florida (well you get the point), I have listed for you my top 20 questions to ask a web developer when considering them for your website and web strategies.  Hopefully this list will help you quickly sift through the “fly by night” web site design companies and narrow down your choices to those who are the real deal.

The Top 20 Questions to Ask Your Web Developer

Experience in Web Design Denver

1. What is your core expertise as a website design company?
Comment:  Here are some core competencies to look for depending on the extent of your needs:

  • Graphic Design by experienced and professional graphic designers.
  • Dedicated Project Management.
  • Web Programming with the ability for customization.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
  • Content Writing and Editing.
  • Video Production          

2.  Where can I see samples of your previous work?
Comment:  Check out their portfolio.  How professional do the sites look?  Spend some time navigating them.  How are the flow of the sites they have produced?  Are there broken links?  Call some of their clients from the portfolio and see what kind of feedback you get.

3.  Do you build your websites custom around my branding or do you use templates to develop your websites?
Comment:  While template sites may save you money, they will limit you on the ability to brand your site.  This is a critical consideration when developing your web strategy.  You might be able to tell quickly from their portfolio.  If many of their sites look a lot a like, chances are they are using a template (or just don’t have the creativity or skill set to give each site its own life.)

Process for Web Design Denver

4.  Do you have a formal process that all of your projects go through?
Comment:  If they cannot give you a good answer on this, run like the wind!  While creativity is great, we find that it is best not to let the creative guys get into the nuts and bolts or things will never get done.

5.  Who will be assigned to work on my project?
Comment:  At minimum you should have the following individuals or teams working on your project:

  • A Project Coordinator
  • A Graphic Designer or Design Team
  • A Web Programmer or Web Programming Team
  • A Video Producer if you are utilizing the powerful tool of integrated video, a video spokesperson or a walkout video.
  • A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Internet Marketing Specialist 

6.  What other marketing strategies do you implement for web development?
Comment:  Examples include: 

  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Intensive Keyword Research
  • Sponsor Pay Per Click Advertising
  • Blogging· Social Marketing
  • Video Spokesperson
  • Online video marketing
  • Forums
  • Strategic content development
  • Newsletter Service
  • Banner Ads

Search Engine Optimization – SEO and Website Marketing 

7.  Can you demonstrate how well your search engine optimization strategies work?
Comment:  An easy way to gauge the web site design company is see how easily you find them when you are looking for keywords or phrases such as “Web Design Denver” or “Denver Web Developers”.

8.  What other mediums are you proficient in?
Comment:  Examples of some of the current technologies include:

  • Email Marketing
  • Flash Animation Programming
  • E-Commerce Stores and customization
  • Video Production and Green Screen Technologies
  • Dynamic Content
  • Streaming Video
  • Streaming Audio
  • Interactive Website Videos

Web Development Capabilities 

9.  Are your websites tested with all the major browsers for consistency and functionality?
Comment:  At minimum your site should be tested and consistent on:

  • Internet Explorer (all current versions.)
  • Firefox (Mac and PC)
  • Safari (Mac)

10.  Are you able to integrate streaming audio and video into your websites and do you have examples where you have done this?
Comment:  Video can help capture traffic, enhance your message or help you sell a product in a very effective way.  Using a video spokesperson or simply displaying a product demonstration video can make the difference between someone abandoning your site or making a purchase/decision.

11.  Do you provide a Content Management System that allows me to update content, pictures, links, etc. on my website without having to pay a web developer to do it?
Comment:  Because things change, you must have the ability to make simple changes to your website on the fly.  Having access to your own Content Management system means that you don’t have to call your web company every time you want to add a link or a photo or change some information on your site.  Additionally, a good Content Management system allows you to change your content without any special software.

12.  If I you create an online store (or e-commerce) website for me, will I have the ability to add/edit/change items in my store whenever I need to?
Comment:  If you ever add or change your products and/or pricing, you better have the ability to do this yourself with an easy web store administration system.

13.  Do you have a way to integrate an online store (or e-commerce system) with my Point of Sale or Customer Management software?
Comment:  This may or may not be important to you depending on your size of business, but if you want to help eliminate administrative costs, this could be very important in your decision on who to use.

Web Support and Service 

14.  Do you provide hosting in-house or do you outsource to another company?
Comment:  Don’t over look hosting.  A slow site can lose visitors and a site that is down due to hosting issues can be devastating. 

15.  What is the guaranteed uptime for your hosting service?
Comment:  Make sure that the website company has a solid hosting plan with guaranteed up times, monitoring and regular back-ups.

16.  Do you provide 800 number and email support?

17.  How do I know that you will still be here in 6 months if I have a problem or want to make changes to my site?
Comment:  This is a biggie. 

18.  How many people are directly employed in your company for website development?
Comment:  Many companies outsource a large portion of their work which can result in unpredictable quality, not to mention unforeseen delays and hidden problems.

19.  How long have you been in business?

20.  Are you financially stable and debt free?

So if you are looking for Web Design Denver or across the country, do not be intimidated by what you don’t know.  Do your research and use these questions to help determine who is right for you and that should help you go down a more secure path of developing and implementing your internet strategies.

Mark Timbrook
Director of Marketing Services