| |
Our concept of designing and implementing your web site
is based on a marketing approach. In today's marketplace merely
having a decent looking web site is not enough.
Therefore the initial pre-planning of your web site is very
important. This pre-planning exercise has been included to
assist you to generate some ideas to be used to develop an
initial concept and eventual content for the web site. Preparing
this information prior to our consultation will be beneficial
and time saving to you and the development team and can be
a useful brainstorming tool for you when marketing your business
now and in the future.
- Define your Objective: Enhance
your business image? Promote or sell products to consumers
or wholesalers? Generate additional or your main revenue?
Develop brand name recognition? Develop a national or global
marketplace for your business?
- Define Your Audience: Design
your web site from the perspective of your audience; not
your organization. Will you be marketing and selling products
or services to the public? Are you providing business-to-business
products or services? Offering expertise to other professionals
in the field? Regardless of your motives, if you want visitors
to come back a second or third time, you have to offer them
some incentive. That incentive should be the same motivation
that spurs you on in developing your web site. In what kind
of situations would visitors come to your site and try to
think about how you would address each of their needs.
- Define a Unique Concept: Sometimes
called a “unique selling proposition”. What
is your competitive edge in the marketplace? How is your
business different or better than your competition? How
do you make life easier for your customer? Do you plan to
compete on price, quality or service or the uniqueness of
your product or ideas? Will you do a better job of marketing
than your competition? Can you bring to the table special
products, knowledge, contacts, and sources? Plan your site
with this in mind.
- Research Competitor Sites: Is
your competition on the Web. Look at your competitors, similar
organizations or businesses, sites dealing with similar
services, products or even your supplier's web sites. Make
lists of content, features, and design elements you like
and dislike. Ask some current clients what they like or
dislike about similar sites.
- Consider Site Features: This
could include a content management package, special web
applications, a shopping cart, or special graphic elements.
- Budget for the Site: Your web
site should not be considered a one-time marketing expense.
See this as a strategic initiative. Your web site has to
be integrated into your existing and long-term business
and marketing plans. Budget for the initial cost of site
design and development, but also keep in mind that you'll
want to update your site to reflect changes and updates
to your business.
- Marketing Strategy: Remember
to allocate part of your budget to online marketing. You
will also want to coordinate your online and print media
design plans. Will you be using print advertising to advertise
your site? Sending targeted emails or newsletters?
- Site Content: Collect an inventory
of the content you already have in printed brochures, flyers
or newsletters. Collect the best graphics or photos you
have for logos, signs, posters, products, staff or personnel.
Get your product database or other materials you want on
your web site and we'll assemble the content. Or, we can
design graphics, compose the content, and create other material
for you.
- Target Date: Set up a time
frame of when you plan to review, write or provide site
content, who you have to meet with to make decisions and
a target date of when you want the site to be up and running.
After reviewing this information you will know a lot more
about what goes into the development and implementation of
a web site.
A web site planning guide outline is available
upon request in pdf format. We hope this will make the
pre-planning process a little easier.
This pre-planning stage will no doubt generate a number of
questions. Please make a note of those questions, as we are
here to answer your questions when we talk on the phone. (Remember
too that the only silly question is the one that you don’t
ask and wish you did later!)
Please call or contact us and one
of our representatives will discuss the development and planning
of your web site in greater detail. |
|
