Your Website – Pop Tart or Toaster Strudel?

While talking to a client about her new website that Design Theory is currently creating, we began discussing and distinguishing the differences of websites similar to her industry.  During the discussion I asked her if she wanted a Pop Tart vs. Toaster Strudel design and content.  We both chuckled while I explained the difference and how that would affect her readership and visitation numbers. As I explained my breakfast treat comparison, it occurred to me that this would make great content itself for a blog.  So with sweet treat comparatives, tongs in hand, let’s see what the difference is and what to look out for when designing your own personal use or business website.

Sticky Jelly or Oozing Content

Pop Tarts                                                Toaster Strudel
Can be stored at room temperature     Must stay frozen until ready for consumption
No need for refrigeration            Leaving it out over 12 hours may make it unfit for consumption

What does this say about the quality of your content & about your website?  Quickly written, often plagiarized content will only be worth the effort put into it.  However content that is fresh, witty and deliberate will evoke the proper response for the goal set before it.  It will be more pleasing and can easily be distinguished.  And that’s exactly what you want and need to get your product and/or services sold.   Once again, it’s a distinction between what looks good and achieves the goal that should direct the content accordingly.

Static or Creative Icing

Is your content very cookie-cutter, stationary or could be considered stale?  Or does the verbiage move, flow and swirl to create interest and hold your reader’s attention?  Is your use of imagery typical or often used stock photography or is it distinctive and has an artistic, creative flare to it? When choosing imagery, keep in mind that it should enhance and not compete with your written content to give a cohesive and an overall polished look to your website.  You can have fun and go outside the box with most industries.  Even content that is more factual and less opinionated can be creatively distinct while getting your message across and conveying important information.

Sometimes Pricing Makes a Difference, Sometimes Not

Pop Tarts                                   Toaster Strudel
$3.99 for a 8 piece box                 $3 for a 6 pastry box

Being in the middle of the pricing spectrum for websites, we at Design Theory have had to burst the bubble of misconceptions when it comes to our prices versus the quality of talent/work we do. Our goal is to match the goals and level of business of a client’s company with a website that will do just that within the confines of their allotted budget.  Now sometimes we have to push back and encourage a particular client to go beyond their budget and give them some industry inside look as to why.  And because we do what we do well, it’s usually not hard for them to acknowledge the benefits of doing so and agree.  But for other companies, just be aware that all that glitters may not be gold and likewise, the cheapest design/pricing may not be tarnished brass.  Remember, there’s a difference between cheap and affordable web designs.  I believe you have to ask the right questions, look at a company’s track record/dossier and determine what’s best for your business.  Then you can make an educated decision about how much you NEED to pay for a website that fulfills its purpose for your business or personal objectives.

So depending on what your business palate wants and needs, you can determine whether you choose a “mediocre but gets the job done” website & content, or if you’re in need of a step-up, more sophisticated level design.  Whichever works for you, make sure you choose well and always consider the palate of your consumers.

~ Content Writing Inspiration ~   

True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance,
As those move easiest who have learn’d to dance.

                                                             ~Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Criticism”

 

Reinvent Your Content-Part II

Last week I talked about what to do with stagnant content and how to scrap the old, try something new & rebuild your content-driven materials to work in favor of your business goals.  This week I’m going to address how to navigate your business through the forest of cunning consumers and look at some non-traditional options to brainstorm & create innovative content.


Cunning Consumers~
Now I know that when most people see the word cunning they think of deception but cunning is also defined as displaying keen insight.  And 2012’s consumers & business clients have exactly that.  Consumers have a much more intelligent & discriminating palate when it comes to the content they choose to take in, examine and possibly verify.  Now verifying the truth of media content might not be a big deal for you but it was a major deal breaker for naturalists who believed in all things pure for Kashi products. While many consumers initially bought into Kashi’s Seven Whole Grains on a Mission campaign, it didn’t take long for one ingredient savvy consumer to blow the lid of the box that Kashi wasn’t really “natural” cereal as it contains genetically engineered grains (GMOs) and pesticide residues. Kashi Concerns over GMO Subterfuge  Consumers don’t like to be duped!  So be careful in being creative with the “truth” of your content.  As noted in another blog by a different blog happy author “Yvonne” Jones, “Today’s consumers are mostly savvy Internet users who actively search for content on the Internet that will enable them to make wise buying decisions.”  So content mavericks beware –the game has changed! Consumers are bringing their A-game to their tablets when searching, reading and consuming the words we write and how we spin’ facts & fiction about an intellectual or tangible product.

Innovative Options~ Let’s start this section with a quote from an article I read that really resonated with my business mind & own business goals. “Once you decide that there’s something you can do better…stick with your core competencies and what you’re best at”.   The tangible success of any business is often determined by the ability to innovate ideas, captivate customers (and keep them), which results in creating a constant evolution toward new business.

Innovate -to make changes : do something in a new way

Change is not always easily embraced in day-to-day life or business.  How you go about creatively implementing any change has a strong impact on the end result.  Speaking of implementing change, it’s important to understand that rarely does one person have ALL the answers and brilliant ideas.  Keeping that in mind, consider “think kitchen sink” meetings as a great way to come together as a business and be a part of an ocean of ideas. One way to accomplish creating innovative and fresh content options is to get into a room with a white board and allow each member of the business team (represent all departments of our business) and allow each one to write a few words that come to mind when thinking about a particular topic such as what is great about a particular business sector and what they’d like to see change.  Why an all-hands-on-deck approach? In this case it will give you insight into the full operative nature of your business and cause you to think outside the confines of just your vision box for the business. Do something in a new way.  And remember, the goal is to turn these collective ideas into innovative content AND profitable business solutions.

Newsjacking! is about relating your content to a topic that is a major headline grabber & blowing up in the news media world.  Check out The Inbound Marketer’s Complete Guide to Newsjacking for the industry inside track on implementing this innovative tool.  It shows the consumer that you are tapped intravenously in to what’s going on in the world and relating that to whatever content you’re writing about.  It inherently increases the credibility of your content.

Reinvent Your Content…Part I

Bright Lights Big City…NYC – it beckons hope, energy and creativity.  I remember arriving for my first big job at NASDAQ -I felt like I could do any & everything with hard work, tenacity and a great resume.  Some years later I started a small home-based business which grew considerably in the first 6 months and I was pleased with its progress.  But then after the first full year, it just…leveled off.  Not down, not up – just…STAGNANT.  Leveraging those experiences, I now assist new & ever-growing companies with their content strategies as well as those stuck in their own quagmire of stagnant content on their website and branding materials.  As a result, the lessons I learned about the success & initially unnoticed failures have helped me help others avoid the quicksand.

We all start out the gate at top speed – shooting on all 4 cannons with creativity, hutzpah and the excitement that surges like the jumbotron in Times Square.  But knowing that as any business grows, you need to keep focused on consistent evolution in both your business model and the content on your website & marketing materials.  In the Reinvent Your Content series, I will highlight some of the key elements worthy of consideration, to move your content (and business) forward on a consistent basis so that as time, Social Media and technology evolves, you will be on board with progressive motion.

Realize Stagnation When You See It~ Pond Scum…Ouch!  Now I would never refer to the content on anyone’s website or marketing materials in such a tasteless manner. However, a business website can’t just put some stellar content on there and think thats it!  I’m all set – ready to grow like eBay’s IPO.  Even if you have William Faulkner-like skills when it comes to writing (or employing someone who does), one go around the bend will not be enough to reflect a business/company that is evolving with the times & technology.  Fresh content on a regular basis is an ABSOLUTE MUST and that’s not always easy to get across to clients who are happy with the work you’ve done the first time around.  When we think about the success of let’s say Apple (dare we?),we all acknowledge that Steve Jobs was nothing short of sheer genius-bubbling with overflowing creativity & endless ideas.  But it was his appetite for constant evolution and challenging his whole company to make Apple products better, faster with seemingly limitless capabilities.  It is this tenacity that consistently kept (and continues to keep) the company wow’ing the consumer while driving sales to unprecedented heights. So the moral here is to know that your content MUST GROW, EVOLVE & MORPH to keep the attention and business of your consumers.

Trial, Error & Rebuilding~ Most people are familiar with the word “troubleshooting” and many understand it in the context of problem recognition & solution.  The same approach should be taken when looking at your business, it’s success or lack thereof.  If your client base is not growing (or your profit margin), if client retention is an issue, or if sales are stationary, these are all red flags that require some assessment, realigning your goals and then plan implementation to chart your business boat in a new direction.  A quote from my own business & life philosophy = There’s no shame in failing – the shame is when you recognize it but don’t react to it.  And remember, data never lies.  Want to know if your content strategies are working?  Just look at your analytics, ROI and how many new customers you’ve gained in the last 6 months.  There’s nothing wrong with scrapping the old, trying the new and testing the waters accordingly.  Not every piece or facet of content works all the time.  Be willing to find out if its working or not, go back to the drawing board to figure out why and jump in the think tank to come up with creative ways to solve the issues.  This is where your pull from your team resources, be willing to hear multiple ideas and put the best ones into play.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
Henry Ford

Join me in the discussion by commenting on this blog and letting me know how you reinvent your content or would like to.

 

Content Call to Action

You want me to do what?  Something else besides read your blog or watch your commercial?  Call right now?  Give you the name of my friends & their email addresses?  As if businesses don’t already require so much from the average consumer already, right!  In the grocery stores, they want you to scan your own items & bag your own food.  Don’t bother going into the bank when you can just do that account transfer yourself at home.

If you let businesses tell it, it’s really for your benefit you see…all in the name of quicker & saving you $.  So when it comes to reading articles online, watching TV or surfing the web, Calls To Action (CTA’s) are peppered throughout just about every source of media to go beyond the current action of the user.  For those unfamiliar with the term, a CTA is a statement imbedded in the content of the media source that summons the consumer to act. The goal is to implore the consumer to act upon information for the purpose of obtaining something from the consumer and most often, for making a sale.  CTA’s often require an immediate response such as “call now, while supplies last,” write a Congressman to stop some agenda, or as simple as utilizing a coupon before a deadline.

So why are CTA’s so important in the first place and why are they a taking a leading role of so much media content?   Here’s why: I have seen & heard of various marketing campaigns falling flat on their faces by failing to compel reaction from its audience.  Although entertaining, a witty commercial can totally fail to sell the volume of product stocked in a warehouse because they lacked a clear call to action.

Terminology – Create, View, Buy Now, Subscribe…all are examples of businesses telling users/consumers what they want them to do. The words are usually short & concise because too many options & too many “too good to be true” statements turn users off.  Word choice and terminology should always be relevant to the industry of the business.  But in order for a business to see any ROI based on these efforts, they have to create a sense of urgency and/or create a limitation that once again, compels the reader or viewer to do something that is advantageous to the business.

Download now buttons

Incentives & other “Bene’s” – Creative use of expiration dates and gifting incentives are very important in the world of CTA’s.  In most cases, there has to be some type of incentive for the reader/user/consumer to go beyond what they are already doing. Such incentives may include a small token of appreciation such as a gift or discount that is relevant to they company or promotion of another business.

Incentive call to action

Make it Standout! I just love to see the little blue & white Cox Cable Digeez’ spin & flip around solving my internet & high-speed cable dilemma. http://bit.ly/CoxEspn3   Use of BOLD text, flash media and the like, as well as hyperlinks in web content are all tricks of the trade to peek the curiosity of the user to move them along the conveyor of consume & purchase world. So the main goal of both advertising agencies and media companies is to know how to stand out, get your attention and how to hold it long enough to profit them.

Use natural sounding phrases that are friendly yet enticing
Use testimonials to encourage participation
Use words that accurately describe the result of your interaction

Don’t be overly verbose-create simple & strong CTA’s
The bigger and more pronounced your call to action, the more chance it will be noticed and acted upon.