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Add You - Success is in the Details: Do All Your Pieces Fit?
Most small businesses incorporated in 2005 will fail by the year 2007. No matter the industry or the economic times in which the company was initially conceived, the fact remains that businesses fail on a daily basis due to general lack of knowledge and know-how. What follows are my opinion on three very common methods to ensure not only mediocrity but failure as a business entity in today’s world.1. Lack of vision and focusMost business, like most people today, lack a clear vision for their company (and products). I can count on one hand the number of my clients who have been able to answer the initial question of “What are your goals?” without stuttering or pausing in confusion. Strategy formulation (or business planning, if you will) begins from the top-down, starting with a company mission, and ending with a specific plan towards mission completion and execution. Some common flaws the indicate lack of vision and focus include:-a vague and passionless mission statement, such as “Our company is committed to building a better world”, or, even better, “Our company strives to be the company of choice for our consumers”. Vague statements serve only to dilute collective energies within your company.-a mission statement and business plan that is articulated by all and lived by none. Too many companies believe that having a vague, multi-colored business mission statement on the walls (for all to see) qualifies as strategic planning. Employees may walk by this “mission statement” on a daily basis, as would zombies warmed-over, setting about doing whatever it is they do to execute this vague and passionless “mission statement”.The solution to this problem is simple: You must first start with an idea, a plan on how you want your company to exist in the fut
Use Visual Cues
<Internet business basically means using the internet as a medium to run your business. Take for example the use of the telephone, you do not talk to the telephone, you are talking to the person on the other end of the telephone.The statistics of people running internet businesses has been on a rapid rising trend and as mentioned in another article of mine that more then 8000 searches have been enquired the topic of “home based businesses” in the search engine in the past 90 days.Running an internet business is fairly feasible. There are many profit models to choose from, from using auction sites like eBay and Yahoo Auctions! Capitalizing on advertisements through Google adsense, niche marketing, affiliate marketing and many other options.I will share with you briefly on affiliate marketing because I have been focusing on this area for close to two years and by doing this particularly marketing, had reaped a fair share of profits.Affiliate marketing in short means selling other people’s product or services. By doing so you get a cut of the sale known as commission.Till date, there are more then 101 products and services up for grabs! And these merchants are clever to have affiliate programs to push their sales. Therefore, just focus on what you want, perform some research if the product or services is profitable and its market potential. After which, just focus your energy on driving traffic to your merchant’s site through your unique affiliate website/url/ID.This is by no means exhaustive on the topic of affiliate marketing, this is just the tip of the ice berg. Note that there is a possibility in affiliate marketing and that you have a choice to leverage on the internet to run your business, your show.
- if the book you were reading had typos and poor sentence structure
- if your mechanic fixed your car, but left it filthy dirty (OK, many do, but I bet you’d go back to the one that didn't before the one that left it dirty)
- if a film producer forgot that the lead actor’s hair was up in one shot and down in another for the same scene
- if your attorney showed up in court wearing ripped jeans and the opposing side was brandishing a tidy suit
- who would have the upper hand?
Upon first impression, the person who paid attention to the details would. And, a first impression may be all that you have...no matter how compelling your message. That does not mean that things always have to be flashy and in your face. It does mean that the reader must be compelled to look further, to learn something, to understand without confusion, to enjoy their experience as much as possible. These are the things that will keep them coming back.
You must follow through and pay attention to the details to be sure that all the pieces of your message fit – the words, the visuals, the sound, the organization, the functionality and the usability.
Why People Go to Web Sites
When people go to a web site, they are looking for information first – information that answers their questions and fulfills their needs. It may be the first place they see your entire message. They are processing the information that you are presenting to them in a variety of ways. So, why not give them what they are after – good information that is well organized and is pleasing to look at.
What is Most Important?
Every word is important because people think upon them and their meanings. Visuals are important to bring people to your words. Sounds can enhance the communication of your words and visuals. The programming is vital as well. A carefully planned execution of all of these elements adds up to placing less demand on your audience and increases your chances of retaining them. A visitor that is impressed by or somehow drawn to “the look” is the visitor that is compelled to read on. Remember the children’s game of “What’s Wrong with this Picture?” When people start to see little things wrong with a web site, they start to wonder if you really care. I am not saying that every single thing will be flawless. Let’s face it, we are human and web sites are built by humans. A concerted effort to make sure everything is correct, tested and presented in a way that makes the site compelling is the least you can do for your site visitors. However, don’t be too surprised if a little flaw rears its ugly head a few months after launch. The more complex your web site, the more likely this is to happen, so it pays to pay very close attention to all those little details and test, test, test!
So, What Does a Web Site Need?
Web sites need a lot of things, but to start with, they need the following:
- well-written, well-edited and well-organized content
- pleasing graphics that lead the eye to your content
- fluid navigation without dead end or confusing links
- interactivity that engages the visitor
- invisible programming (the site must work as expected without any errors)
- a way to efficiently expand content areas in the future
These are the things that you pay a web developer to do.
Create a Thread
To make your message strong, it has to have a thread. So,what is a thread? They are the visual, auditory (if any) and verbal lines of thought that tie the pages of a site together. Take CNN for example...look at how their navigation works. Look at the continuity in the sizing of headers, the placement of ads, the organization of content, the grid (columns and rows) upon which all pages sit. How about Yahoo!? They also have massive amounts of content, but it is very accessible in most places. Neither CNN nor Yahoo! are very exciting from a visual perspective, but you can bet that a team of designers are guiding the placement of every element on the page in order to maintain the organization’s message and vision. Because of this attention to design, the impeccable programming and valuable content, you have a winning combination and visitors come back again and again. Their success is in their details!
Organize and Write Flawlessly
Some people are endowed with the ability to organize their thoughts into cohesive messages that their audience understands. If you cannot do this yourself...hire someone to do it. Often times, you have a good enough idea of how things are to be organized, but cannot find the right words to compel your audience to read further. Whatever you need a content specialist or copywriter for, work closely with them and be sure that your message is their top priority and that they can take direction in order to communicate that message. Even though you might think that you can do it all yourself, think about the demands you will place upon yourself when your web designer says to you..."OK, where is that content?" You can't just give them a bunch of brochures and slides and expect a web site created out of them. Doing so would be an injustice to yourself and your message. There can be quite a bit of work in formulating the architecture and functionality of a web site in order to project your message successfully. This organization is part of what a content developer (or sometimes a copywriter) can help you do and it is the foundation of a web site.
Use Visual Cues
Today authors are presented with more publishing opportunities than have ever existed before. Of course there is still a lot of time and effort that need to be spent in producing a great book and making a living through writing. Rather, due to advances in information technology authors can now distribute their work much easier than they could as little as a decade ago.One of the new ways of distributing their work is electronically through ebooks. Ebooks are gaining so much popularity that even big name authors have started using them to distribute their works. When Stephen King published one of his books electronically the demand was so great that the servers slowed down almost to a halt trying to handle the orders coming in.Marketing Tips:* Do not underestimate the power of the eBookEbooks are still looked on as unpopular by many who have not taken to learn about this industry. As an example, while the traditional book publishing industry is growing at the mere rate of 5% a year the digital publishing industry is growing at the rates of 30%-50%.* To set up an ebook you don’t have to be a tech guruTaking your ebook from the concept phase to the selling phase can’t be completed overnight but it is assuredly something that anyone can do regardless of your technological background. If you know how to use a word Processor then you can create and sell an ebook online. While some might want to set up a website of their own, this is not a requirement. Online storefronts such as MobiPocket, Amazon.com, or Lulu.com can be used to host your book and handle the sales process.* Creating an ebook site is very cheap and you get to keep 100% of the profitsWhen you use a traditional publishing house you are lucky to get 10% of the profits fro
You must follow through and pay attention to the details to be sure that all the pieces of your message fit – the words, the visuals, the sound, the organization, the functionality and the usability.
Why People Go to Web Sites
When people go to a web site, they are looking for information first – information that answers their questions and fulfills their needs. It may be the first place they see your entire message. They are processing the information that you are presenting to them in a variety of ways. So, why not give them what they are after – good information that is well organized and is pleasing to look at.
What is Most Important?
Every word is important because people think upon them and their meanings. Visuals are important to bring people to your words. Sounds can enhance the communication of your words and visuals. The programming is vital as well. A carefully planned execution of all of these elements adds up to placing less demand on your audience and increases your chances of retaining them. A visitor that is impressed by or somehow drawn to “the look” is the visitor that is compelled to read on. Remember the children’s game of “What’s Wrong with this Picture?” When people start to see little things wrong with a web site, they start to wonder if you really care. I am not saying that every single thing will be flawless. Let’s face it, we are human and web sites are built by humans. A concerted effort to make sure everything is correct, tested and presented in a way that makes the site compelling is the least you can do for your site visitors. However, don’t be too surprised if a little flaw rears its ugly head a few months after launch. The more complex your web site, the more likely this is to happen, so it pays to pay very close attention to all those little details and test, test, test!
So, What Does a Web Site Need?
Web sites need a lot of things, but to start with, they need the following:
- well-written, well-edited and well-organized content
- pleasing graphics that lead the eye to your content
- fluid navigation without dead end or confusing links
- interactivity that engages the visitor
- invisible programming (the site must work as expected without any errors)
- a way to efficiently expand content areas in the future
These are the things that you pay a web developer to do.
Create a Thread
To make your message strong, it has to have a thread. So,what is a thread? They are the visual, auditory (if any) and verbal lines of thought that tie the pages of a site together. Take CNN for example...look at how their navigation works. Look at the continuity in the sizing of headers, the placement of ads, the organization of content, the grid (columns and rows) upon which all pages sit. How about Yahoo!? They also have massive amounts of content, but it is very accessible in most places. Neither CNN nor Yahoo! are very exciting from a visual perspective, but you can bet that a team of designers are guiding the placement of every element on the page in order to maintain the organization’s message and vision. Because of this attention to design, the impeccable programming and valuable content, you have a winning combination and visitors come back again and again. Their success is in their details!
Organize and Write Flawlessly
Some people are endowed with the ability to organize their thoughts into cohesive messages that their audience understands. If you cannot do this yourself...hire someone to do it. Often times, you have a good enough idea of how things are to be organized, but cannot find the right words to compel your audience to read further. Whatever you need a content specialist or copywriter for, work closely with them and be sure that your message is their top priority and that they can take direction in order to communicate that message. Even though you might think that you can do it all yourself, think about the demands you will place upon yourself when your web designer says to you..."OK, where is that content?" You can't just give them a bunch of brochures and slides and expect a web site created out of them. Doing so would be an injustice to yourself and your message. There can be quite a bit of work in formulating the architecture and functionality of a web site in order to project your message successfully. This organization is part of what a content developer (or sometimes a copywriter) can help you do and it is the foundation of a web site.
Use Visual Cues
<If you have been to expos and trade shows as an attendee like me you would be familiar with the exciting prospect of carrying home a heavy plastic bag of trade show promotions, the end result though is usually the trade show promotions end up down the back of the couch, on the floor or in the bottom dusty drawer of your desk, hopefully reading this article on tradeshow promotions, your gift to clients and prospects will not share the same fate.Your tradeshow promotions will need to be carefully chosen to both compete with your competitors and retain the attention of the reciever after the event. Remember you will have competitors whose tradeshow promotional items will outshine and outprice yours, but yours must last longer and be utilitarian.Every unimaginative booth holder, and statistically this is about 70% of them offer the most unexciting trade show promotions to prospects, usually a pen or a keyring with thier imprinted contact details on it.It needn't cost you more to be creative with your choice of tradeshow promotions, if most of your competitors are giving pens then you should make your tradeshow promotional items a pen holder with imprinted contact details on it, your prospect will load his pens in it at his work desk or home study desk and your giveaway will be imprinted on his mind nearly every day.Think outside the square, your trade show promotional products should be a surprise to the customer, a pleasant surprise is memorable, another pen goes straight in the bag with the other nine, your trade show promotional products should be hidden from sight, so as the giving of it should be an event and the prospect should have no forewarning of it and spoil the surprise of it's novelty.
So, What Does a Web Site Need?
Web sites need a lot of things, but to start with, they need the following:
- well-written, well-edited and well-organized content
- pleasing graphics that lead the eye to your content
- fluid navigation without dead end or confusing links
- interactivity that engages the visitor
- invisible programming (the site must work as expected without any errors)
- a way to efficiently expand content areas in the future
These are the things that you pay a web developer to do.
Create a Thread
To make your message strong, it has to have a thread. So,what is a thread? They are the visual, auditory (if any) and verbal lines of thought that tie the pages of a site together. Take CNN for example...look at how their navigation works. Look at the continuity in the sizing of headers, the placement of ads, the organization of content, the grid (columns and rows) upon which all pages sit. How about Yahoo!? They also have massive amounts of content, but it is very accessible in most places. Neither CNN nor Yahoo! are very exciting from a visual perspective, but you can bet that a team of designers are guiding the placement of every element on the page in order to maintain the organization’s message and vision. Because of this attention to design, the impeccable programming and valuable content, you have a winning combination and visitors come back again and again. Their success is in their details!
Organize and Write Flawlessly
Some people are endowed with the ability to organize their thoughts into cohesive messages that their audience understands. If you cannot do this yourself...hire someone to do it. Often times, you have a good enough idea of how things are to be organized, but cannot find the right words to compel your audience to read further. Whatever you need a content specialist or copywriter for, work closely with them and be sure that your message is their top priority and that they can take direction in order to communicate that message. Even though you might think that you can do it all yourself, think about the demands you will place upon yourself when your web designer says to you..."OK, where is that content?" You can't just give them a bunch of brochures and slides and expect a web site created out of them. Doing so would be an injustice to yourself and your message. There can be quite a bit of work in formulating the architecture and functionality of a web site in order to project your message successfully. This organization is part of what a content developer (or sometimes a copywriter) can help you do and it is the foundation of a web site.
Use Visual Cues
<“ Leaders aren't born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.” Vince Lombardi How can small business owners continue to compete with the 21st century demands on their organizations? This is a question most small business owners ponder. Recently, I had an opportunity to answer this question. I conducted a study on several small businesses in my area. The purpose of my investigation was to address how small businesses can improve their success in the public sector with a strategic approach.The case examples of four small companies involved in federal contracting were evaluated in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. These companies had survived the turbulent times in the public sector; they have had a proven success record in securing million-dollar contracts in a government environment.There is a widely believed myth that 9 out of 10 new businesses fail in the first year. Headd, author of Redefining Business Success: Distinguishing Between Closure and Failure, conducted a study for the Small Business Administration providing that this is not the case. He found that only one-third of new businesses closed under negative circumstances. However, Headd found the leading factors to business survival were good starting capital, an educated owner, adequate resources, and good people.The study revealed several common threads for successful businesses in regard to government contracting. From the results, the investigation showed four critical tasks necessary to achieve this competitive advantage: (1) inspire vision, (2) define core competencies, (3) apply strategic thinking, and (4) connect with employees. The results also demonstrated that successful
These are the things that you pay a web developer to do.
Create a Thread
To make your message strong, it has to have a thread. So,what is a thread? They are the visual, auditory (if any) and verbal lines of thought that tie the pages of a site together. Take CNN for example...look at how their navigation works. Look at the continuity in the sizing of headers, the placement of ads, the organization of content, the grid (columns and rows) upon which all pages sit. How about Yahoo!? They also have massive amounts of content, but it is very accessible in most places. Neither CNN nor Yahoo! are very exciting from a visual perspective, but you can bet that a team of designers are guiding the placement of every element on the page in order to maintain the organization’s message and vision. Because of this attention to design, the impeccable programming and valuable content, you have a winning combination and visitors come back again and again. Their success is in their details!
Organize and Write Flawlessly
Some people are endowed with the ability to organize their thoughts into cohesive messages that their audience understands. If you cannot do this yourself...hire someone to do it. Often times, you have a good enough idea of how things are to be organized, but cannot find the right words to compel your audience to read further. Whatever you need a content specialist or copywriter for, work closely with them and be sure that your message is their top priority and that they can take direction in order to communicate that message. Even though you might think that you can do it all yourself, think about the demands you will place upon yourself when your web designer says to you..."OK, where is that content?" You can't just give them a bunch of brochures and slides and expect a web site created out of them. Doing so would be an injustice to yourself and your message. There can be quite a bit of work in formulating the architecture and functionality of a web site in order to project your message successfully. This organization is part of what a content developer (or sometimes a copywriter) can help you do and it is the foundation of a web site.
Use Visual Cues
<There has always been a fascination with royalty and as a niche area for collecting and auction trading, it is still a relatively accessible market. And it can also be extremely interesting.There is a vast range of items that you can choose as your niche market. So whether your interest is in fine china, silverware, mugs, clothing or whatever, you can usually find something with a royal connection. And you don’t need a huge bank balance to get started, as prices can be very modest depending upon your speciality.There always seems to be a healthy demand for royal memorabilia listed on eBay and other online auctions. And now that items from the 1980’s and 90’s are becoming increasingly collectable, you can start trading with a very low budget.So, is there a favourite Royal for eBay traders?What can be said is that the British royal family has inspired more memorabilia than any other dynasty: whether it is stamps, photographs, medals, books, tins, china or a host of other varied items, the likeness of a British royal has probably appeared on it. And UK royal items are sought after all over the world and especially in the US. So this could be a high demand area to initially concentrate on.Products related to Elizabeth II, the present British monarch, are currently the most tradable. Items can still be found related to the birth and childhood of Elizabeth, her 1953 coronation, the Silver and Golden Jubilee celebrations and other items associated with key birthdays, wedding anniversaries and state visits.It is now believed that the most photographed person in royal history was Princess Diana and related memorabilia still attracts a strong interest and demand. Hand-written letters from the Princess can now sell for ?10,000 plus but you can still fi
Use Visual Cues
We are a visual society. "A picture is worth a thousand words." Why not use that to your advantage? Visual cues can easily lead your site visitors through your web pages. It helps them and allows you to accent specific areas. People can quickly grasp what you are about and where they should look. If you look professional, you will be perceived to be professional and your message will be well received. The Internet is a visual medium. 'Visual garbage' is still one of the most often seen mistakes on web sites. This includes too many rules, borders, colors, sizes, busy backgrounds and things that go flash in the night. Bad use of negative space or total lack there of is another. The space without content is just as important as the space with content. (Designers learn this in their first year of schooling.) Poor use of color palettes, backgrounds and graphics are still rampant on the web today. These are the mistakes that you pay a designer not to make.
Just in case you may be thinking that design is not that important...according to a study conducted by Forrester Research, three out of four factors most likely to drive repeat visitors to a web site were design related: ease of use, download time, and freshness. Also, IBM attributes a recent redesign of their site to a 400% increase in sales!
Make Sure Your Site Works - Correctly and Quickly
A web site that is slow, has bad links, takes you to pages you don’t expect or generates errors is just plain frustrating. Be sure the programming on the site delivers your objectives and is thoroughly tested. Think about how you would like your web site to integrate into your daily business practices. An experienced programmer can help you with this. Be clear in your expectations of how each area of the web site should function. There is nothing more frustrating to a programmer than programming "on-the-fly." Before a line of code is written, your programmer should outline where the speed bumps are likely to be. Just as a video/film/animation production is storyboarded to help the client understand the action, so should a web site be outlined in great detail. If you are too vague, expect to be charged more as development will take longer to complete due to re-thinking, re-working and re-coding.
A WEB DEVELOPER...OR NOT A WEB DEVELOPER?
THAT IS THE QUESTION.
Just because someone calls themself a web developer, does not mean they can get your web site done right. Chances are that your neighbor’s son and your friend from school are not web developers. Just because someone is a good programmer does not make them a competent web developer. Just because someone can create an amazing painting or illustration or print design does not mean they understand how to pull a web site together. Just because someone can create inspiring video, film or 3D animations, does not mean that they can make a web site communicate to an audience. That does not mean that these people cannot create a good web site. As a matter of fact, many can. But, don’t take it for granted.
Finding a Web Developer
Specialties are called that for a reason...because people specialize, they understand the details. A web developer is someone (or a group of someones) that can deliver on the needs of your site. Look at their work. Ask what they did for the sites they show you. Some people will tell you they worked on a site and come to find out that this amazing site was really created by another developer and the person you are talking to just created the header art for each page under the strict guidance of an art director. As nice as it maybe, they don’t necessarily have the skills to do the rest of the site. They might create a site that is somewhat acceptable, but have missed the opportunity to serve you better by not having enough expertise to exploit all of the functional, visual and editorial opportunities that are available.
Experience + Expertise = Efficiency
The cost of developing a web site is not limited to the amount of the check you write. It can also cost a lot of your time. Hiring someone with experience will greatly reduce the time you need to devote to the details. You should still plan to spend time, but it should be directed and deliberate, not wasted. Experienced developers will guide you through each step and tell you specifically what they need you to do.
A web site requiring monthly updates may need a database backbone, where you can add content through an administrative console and avoid relying on your developer for simple updates. This can lower your costs in the long run. Ask your developer to supply you with
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