VALUE IS NOT A POSITION
If your primary selling and branding position is “good value” — then you have no position. Value is what every service promises. The price of your service must fairly reflect its value to your prospective client or customer, or your business will fail.
In services, value is a given, and givens are not viable competitive positions. If good value is the first thing you communicate, you won’t be effective. If good value is your best position… IMPROVE YOUR SERVICE.
MAKE SURE YOUR DUCKS ARE IN A ROW
Imagine this… What if you were to highlight the details of a business problem to the executives of a particular organization. What do you think their response would be?
The CFO would likely say… “It’s a resource problem.”
Human Resources would likely say… “It’s a people problem.”
R&D would likely say… “It’s an information problem.”
Marketing would likely say…“Let’s double the marketing budget.”
While I fully advocate that marketing is an absolute necessity for any business or organization to thrive… more marketing isn’t always the answer. To be successful, any organization needs to have their ducks in a row. Marketing; however, is just one duck.
Better marketing is good. A better reality is even better! Evaluate your business, your service, your systems, your leadership, your marketing. Keep getting better at what you do.
Your brand is the perception your clients and prospects have of your business or organization. Keep improving your brand.
THE LOW COST TRAP
I’ve known business owners that have made a strong marketing case for becoming and/or being the low cost provider… but it’s been my observation that the low cost position can kill a business.
The great low cost providers are vulnerable from multiple angles. Just when the system for lowering costs has been fully refined… somebody else inevitably comes up with a better system and cheaper suppliers. And as if this problem isn’t enough… these business owners find it virtually impossible to inspire their employees due to limited budgets, meager surroundings… and a constant need to recruit under-paid and under-appreciated workers.
Always remember, your clients and consumers can almost always find a cheaper way to get your products and services, and few efforts are less rewarding than trying to compete with the cheaper ways of those bottom-dwellers.
Stay away from the rock bottom.
IT TAKES A LIFETIME TO MOVE MOUNTAINS
Tags: Business, endurance, Inspiration, Lance Armstrong, Leadership
I regularly find myself being frustrated and discouraged by what “seems” to be insufficient progress in my efforts to make a significant impact in life, in business… and even my own personal leadership. My guess is that from time to time… you do too.
Lance Armstrong once said… “When we make incremental change, we are on our way to monumental change.”
Max Weber (pronounced maks vaybere); one of the founders of the modern study of sociology and public administration, once said… (paraphrased) “Progress is the slow boring of hard boards, and anyone who seeks to do it must risk his own soul.”
Doesn’t life, business and leadership seem to take on that same challenge? Change comes in excruciating increments to those that want it. If you want to move mountains, it takes a lifetime.
YOU’RE KNOWN… BUT ARE YOU BEING NOTICED?
Tags: email marketing, Facebook, Marketing, Twitter
How easy it is for your business or organization to be known… but how frequently are you being noticed? In an era where there’s more work to be done than time to accomplish it… when the term “business” should more appropriately be spelled “busy-ness,” it’s your job to make sure that you’re not getting lost in the white noise of the marketplace.
QUESTION: If you’re looking for a plumber… where would you start? You might have answered Google, Yahoo, Bing… or perhaps the Yellow Pages (online of course.) But you’d be wrong. The first place you’d check would be your memory. Your prospective clients and customers will hop on the search engines if and only if they don’t have a quality resource readily stored in their minds. Your customers and prospects are busy, convenience is everything. If they have a need or problem, your name should be on the very tip of their tongue.
Make sure you’re being noticed. Are you regularly staying in touch with your existing customers? Are you utilizing tools like email marketing, Facebook, Twitter… and other social media tools? Are you advertising? Your customers and prospects start forgetting you within minutes of their last interaction with you. If you don’t stay connected, noticed… your competitors will.
And I don’t encourage you to start SHOUTING your name from the rooftops either. Find ways to gently remind people you’re around and eagerly waiting to serve their needs. For example… send a hand-written notecard, or call to wish someone a happy birthday. Giving back is a great way to be noticed. Provide tips to your audience on how to save money, or how to avoid a business pitfall… how to be more efficient, or how to grow and market their business. Tell stories that inspire and motivate them. Let us know when you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. We’re willing to listen when you have something valuable to say… valuable to “US.”
ARE YOU A LEADER OR A FOLLOWER?
Tags: Andrew Carnegie, Leadership, Napoleon Hill
I am reading a book right now entitled “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, at the request of Andrew Carnegie. Whether or not you’d like to grow rich… Napoleon’s classic addresses the differences between a leader and a follower.
Decide at the outset of your career/ministry/path whether or not you’d like to remain a follower, or become a leader. The difference in compensation and influence is vast. The follower cannot reasonably expect the compensation to which the leader it entitled… although many followers make the mistake of expecting such pay. While it is certainly no disgrace to be a follower… it is no credit to remain a follower.
Most great leaders began in the capacity of followers… and they became great leaders because they were intelligent followers. With few exceptions, the man who cannot follow a leader intelligently cannot become an efficient leader. The following are the important attributes of an effective leader…
1. UNWAVERING COURAGE based on one’s knowledge of self and one’s occupation. No intelligent follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. No intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader for very long.
2. SELF CONTROL: The man who cannot control himself cannot effectively control others. Self control sets a might example for one’s followers, of which the more intelligent will emulate.
3. A KEEN SENSE OF JUSTICE: Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can retain the respect of his followers.
4. DEFINITENESS OF DECISION: The man who wavers in his decisions shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot lead others successfully.
5. DEFINITENESS OF PLANS: A successful leader must plan his work and work his plan. A leader who moves by guesswork, without practical definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder… sooner or later he will land on the rocks.
6. THE HABIT OF DOING MORE THAN PAID FOR: One of the penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness upon the part of the leader to do more than he requires of his followers.
7. A PLEASING PERSONALITY: No brash or careless person can become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade highly on all the factors of a pleasing personality.
8. SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING: The successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them, and their problems.
9. MASTERY OF DETAIL: Successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leaders position.
10. WILLINGNESS TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY: The successful and effective leader must be willing to assume the responsibility for the mistakes and shortcomings of his followers. If he tries to shift this responsibility, he will not remain a leader. If one of his followers makes a mistake and shows himself to be incompetent, the true leader must consider that it is “he” who may have failed.
11. COOPERATION: The successful leader must understand and apply the principle of cooperative effort, and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for power, and power calls for cooperation.
My next post will highlight the 10 major causes of failure in leadership. See you there.
ARE YOU A RAINMAKER?
There’s been a lot of discussion around our office lately around the topic of being a RAINMAKER. The term RAINMAKER is more strictly defined as one… specifically someone in sales, who consistently brings in large clients and significant streams of revenue.
Clearly this term is also used more loosely to describe those that seem to rise to the top, as opposed to those that settle for mediocrity. I’ve taken a few of hours this morning to run a comparison analysis… on the differences between a RAINMAKER and an AVERAGE EMPLOYEE. The following comparisons are based solely on my own experiences and observations.
A RAINMAKER: does whatever it takes to get the job done right & on time.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: settles for delays, poor performance and inferior standards due to justified obstacles and personal setbacks, and typically cloaks their laziness with the appearance of virtue.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: identifies problems.
A RAINMAKER: introduces solutions.
A RAINMAKER: measures success by the progress itself.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: measures success by an honest effort towards progress.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: says… “I hope we don’t fail.”
A RAINMAKER: says… “Failure is not an option.”
A RAINMAKER: has a spirit of urgency, and says… “Let’s get to it now.”
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: has a spirit of hesitancy, and says… “There’s always tomorrow.”
A RAINMAKER: strives to “give” first, and “gain” later.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: wants to define “gain” first, and then decide whether to “give” later.
A RAINMAKER: learns and executes the goals & priorities of the company, over those of their own.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: ignorantly executes his personal goals and priorities first.
A RAINMAKER: takes leadership and initiative without being asked.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: waits for a directive, title or personal gain before acting.
A RAINMAKER: is passionate, enthusiastic, insatiably positive winner.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: is defeated, un-energetic and chronically negative.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: sees the obstacles.
A RAINMAKER: sees the opportunity.
A RAINMAKER: constantly evaluates his performance, tactics and strategies for the purpose of improvement.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: chooses to blindly walk through life, neglecting to evaluate… for the fear of discovering or acknowledging that he might be flawed.
A RAINMAKER: says… “We can!”
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: says… “Can we?” or “We can’t!”
A RAINMAKER: can’t wait to cross the finish line.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: can’t wait for the whistle to blow, and the work day to end.
A RAINMAKER: offers no excuses, and takes full personal responsibility for his actions for his mistakes and losses.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: offers excuses, justifications, and takes little to no personal responsibility.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: takes more than he gives.
A RAINMAKER: gives more than he takes.
A RAINMAKER: inspires others.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: meanders about virtually unnoticed.
A RAINMAKER: can seem to accomplish the impossible.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: will sometimes fail at that which is easily possible.
A RAINMAKER: effectively manages large sums of stress.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: can barely manage small to moderate sums of stress.
A RAINMAKER: sees the prize.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: sees the price.
A RAINMAKER: lives for tomorrow’s successes.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: chooses to relish in yesterday’s victories and rest on their laurels.
A RAINMAKER: insists on having and being the very best.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: believes “the best” is unattainable.
A RAINMAKER: is an asset, and is sought after by others.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: is a liability, and is warned about to others.
A RAINMAKER: is a speeding blur, viewed by his competitors from behind.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: typically has his view impeded by the “Rainmakers” that are racing past, and that are in front of him.
A RAINMAKER: embraces challenges and overcomes.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: is resentful and defeated by challenges.
A RAINMAKER: craves freedom, and a higher financial ceiling.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: craves financial security, and a higher guaranteed floor of income.
A RAINMAKER: embraces change.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: is threatened by change.
A RAINMAKER: asks… “What can I do for my company?”
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: asks… “What can my company do for me?”
A RAINMAKER: chooses progress over pain.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: chooses comfort over progress.
A RAINMAKER: speaks with his actions.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: speaks with empty promises.
A RAINMAKER: serves his team and those around him.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: waits to be served by others.
A RAINMAKER: seeks wisdom and knowledge.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: is intimidated by those more wise and knowledgeable than himself.
A RAINMAKER: leads others.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: is typically led by other “Rainmakers.”
A RAINMAKER: measures themselves against the best, even when it hurts.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: inflates their self-worth & value, and personal accomplishments, due to insecurity… and the inability to see themselves as they actually are.
A RAINMAKER: will surround himself with others that are better, smarter & more talented than himself.
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: will surround himself with only those that are inferior.
A RAINMAKER: says… “I could do more.”
AN AVERAGE EMPLOYEE: asks… “Haven’t I done enough?”
IMPATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!
Tags: Business
Momentum begets momentum, and inertia begets inertia. Did you know that the rules of exercise apply just as much to your business as they do your body?
In my experience… I’ve found that moving organizations tend to keep moving. Ones that rest… on their laurels, or otherwise… actually atrophy, grow weaker and die young. Regrettably, “not moving” never seems like a bad idea… “at first.” Because nothing immediately goes wrong… and furthermore, nothing signals the dangers of standing still.
“Hey… we waited to see if we were “right,” and nothing bad happened… so waiting is good… right?”
If they only knew.
As a result, not moving inspires more not moving. Employees become dormant too, and are no longer faced with exciting new challenges and positions. A few employees tolerate this condition. And others…creatures of habit and opponents of change, actually relish it.
But dynamic people require dynamic environments. Go dormant, and your action-oriented team will bolt, and take your greatest source of vitality with them. Without these people, your organization becomes even “more waiting oriented,” and you grind to a halt… and so many times… even shift into reverse.
Exercise works for business too. Keep stretching. Keep pushing!
THE STICKINESS FACTOR
Tags: Barnes & Noble, Design, LOUD! Creative, Malcom Gladwell, Marketing
Our society has clearly become overwhelmed with advertisers clamoring for our attention. The New York based firm; Media Dynamics, now estimates that the average American is now exposed to 254 different commercial messages in a single day. There are billions of websites vying for your browsing time. Cable systems routinely carry hundreds of channels of programming. A glance inside the magazine section of any Barnes & Noble bookstore will reveal the thousands of magazines and periodicals that come out each month.
In the advertising world, this is called the “Clutter Problem.” Clutter makes it increasingly more and more difficult to get any single marketing message to “stick.” Much of what we see and hear, we simply don’t remember.
How “sticky” is your marketing collateral? Is your website original, relevant, fresh and inviting? Does your print collateral blend in with the mediocrity of junk mail that crowds your mailbox? What does your email marketing look like? How about your television and radio ads?
And I am not just talking about design. Looking your best is certainly crucial, but your message… your content is equally, if not more, important.
The name of our company is LOUD! Creative Group. We exist to empower our clients to be heard… to be seen, and to rise above the clamoring clutter of their competition.
Evaluate your marketing collateral, and your message. How much does it stand apart from the rest? How memorable is it? How sticky is it? How worthy is your message of being passed on by others?
WHEN MARKETING… MAKE THE INVISIBLE, VISIBLE!
Tags: Branding, Business, Charles Schwab, Colonel Sanders, Dave Thomas, Henry Block, Joel Hyatt, Marketing, Wolfgang Puck
Potential buyers are hesitant to consider products and services that they cannot see, so they emphasize what they CAN see. As a result… visual symbols of a service become important.
Many services recognize this principle… that services are simply relationships amongst people. Visualize the following business leaders that focus on the person behind it. Charles Schwab, Henry Block, Colonel Sanders, Dave Thomas, Joel Hyatt and Wolfgang Puck. Ad agencies have consistently visualized their services through their people.
Consider the leather binders that financial firms use to symbolize prosperity, the dark columns that many law firms use to symbolize tenure and longevity, or the padded shoulders in military uniforms… and colorful medals that the armed services use to symbolize strength and honor.
Prospects look for visual clues for a service, and if they have none… they tend to look to services that do provide clues. So, provide clues in all you say and do. Make sure people see who you are throughout all of your marketing and promotional efforts… as well as in the experience you provide. You must create these visual surroundings, from the parking lot to the last page of your proposals… that will enhance the client’s perception of your quality.
Watch and perfect the visual clues that you send.
SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL MARKETING SERVICES
I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of mine… Sara Gammill. Sara is a both a talented and competent marketing executive that’s been serving the Houston architectural community for over 10 years. Sara also plays a major leadership role for the Houston chapter of the
SMPS (Society of Professional Marketing Services).
Sara recently invited me to speak at their Lunch-N-Learn series on August 5th, 2009, which was held at the AGC office in Houston, Texas. The event was sold-out, and I had such a great time meeting some of Houston’s finest marketing leaders within this community. Thank you Sara for your invitation, and I look forward to interacting with this wonderful group again.
Yesterday, I was solicited to write an article for the AGC (Association General Contractors of America) newsletter on the subject of branding. Listed below is the article I submitted… and I thought it might help you in your business or organization as well. Enjoy.
BRANDING ARTICLE
Two men spent 7 years building a contracting company into a successful business. In 1995 these businessmen were offered $400,000 for the sale of their company. The company had no assets, employees, inventory, non-proprietary products or services, no accounts receivable, and no real estate. Even their client list was a low priority since there was very little repeat business. Furthermore the client list was only of any value at all… if and only if the clients perceived that in light of a transfer of ownership, they would continue to receive the same standard of quality.
What was the buyer after? The brand! After 7 years of work, the brand alone was valued at $400k.
Your brand is undoubtedly one of the most valuable assets your business can possess. What is a brand? A brand is the perception of your business in the eyes of your clients, prospects and surrounding community. Unfortunately… it’s impossible to be in total control your brand… but you can most certainly affect it for the good. How you might ask? You affect your brand every time you interact in front of and/or with your audience. Consider a few of the following questions about your brand…
1. Does your business project and consistently deliver professionalism and the highest standards of quality?
2. Does your leadership treat your staff and customer base with an outrageous level of service and authentic concern?
3. Does your marketing collateral and advertising communicate the right and intended message? (i.e. quality, integrity, authenticity, credibility & friendliness)
4. Do you deliver your services in the timely manner you promised throughout the sales process?
5. Are you consistently innovating new and improved solutions? Are you getting better and better every day? (You’re always moving.. are you moving forward or backward?)
A brand is a promise… that you’ll do what you say you will do. Why is your brand important to you? A strong brand can offer your prospective clients and customers decision-making-shortcuts in a fast-paced world. Consumers will regularly choose a well-branded product or service that’s inferior and more expensive, over a non-branded product or service that’s superior and less expensive.
Your brand is more than a symbol… it’s a warranty. Your brand is a promise that your service will live up to its name. Actually… your brand is more important than a warranty because no warranty compensates the customer for lost time, suffering, frustration and inconvenience.
Your brand is important because it is the closest thing to a guarantee your customer will get. Brands are even more important to “service-provider” customers because few services have warranties… largely in part because most services are virtually impossible to warrant. How does one warrant that their legal counsel will unequivocally be sound? Does your CPA guarantee you that they will absolutely find every permissible deduction?
Left without a warranty, the client has only your brand on which to depend, and depending on brands is just what service clients do. A service is a promise, and building your brand, builds your promise.
10 HARSH TRUTHS ABOUT CORPORATE WEBSITES
1. YOU NEED A SEPARATE WEB TEAM
In many organizations, the website is managed by either the marketing or IT department. However, this inevitably leads to a turf war, with the website becoming the victim of internal politics.
In reality, pursuing a web strategy is not particularly suited to either group. IT may be excellent at rolling out complex systems, but it is not suited to developing a friendly user experience or establishing an online brand.
Marketing, on the other hand, is little better. The Web is a conversation. Marketing, by contrast, is a monologue… and then there’s all that messy business with semantic markup, CSS, unobtrusive scripting, HTML run-throughs, involving users in accessibility, and the rest of the skills and experience that don’t fall under Marketing’s purview.
Instead, the website should be managed by a single unified team. Put them in a division that recognizes that your website is not a bastard of your brochures, nor a natural outgrowth of your group calendar.
2. MANAGING YOUR WEBSITE IS A FULL-TIME JOB
Not only is the website often split between marketing and IT, it is also usually under-resourced. Instead of there being a dedicated web team, those responsible for the website are often expected to run it alongside their “day job.”
3. PERIODIC RE-DESIGN IS NOT ENOUGH
Because corporate websites are under-resourced, they are often neglected for long periods of time. They slowly become out of date with their content, design and technology.
Eventually, the website becomes such an embarrassment that management steps in and demands that it be sorted. This inevitably leads to a complete redesign at considerable expense. This a flawed approach. It is a waste of money because when the old website is replaced, the investment put into it is lost, too. It is also tough on finances, with a large expenditure having to be made every few years. A better way is continual investment in your website, allowing it to evolve over time. Not only is this less wasteful, it is also better for users.
4. YOUR WEBSITE CANNOT APPEAL TO EVERYONE
One of the first questions I ask a client is, “Who is your target audience?” I am regularly shocked at the length of the reply. Too often, it includes a long and detailed list of diverse people. Inevitably, my next question is, “Which of those many demographic groups are most important?” Depressingly, the answer is usually that they are all equally important.
The harsh truth is that if you build a website for everyone, it will appeal to no one. It is important to be extremely focused about your audience and cater your design and content to it. Does this mean you should ignore your other users? Not at all. Your website should be accessible by all and not offend or exclude anybody. However, the website does need to be primarily aimed at a clearly defined audience.
5. YOU MIGHT BE WASTING YOUR MONEY ON SOCIAL NETWORKING
I find it encouraging that website managers increasingly recognize that a Web strategy is more than running a website. They are beginning to use tools such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to increase their reach and engage with new audiences. However, although they are using these tools, too often they do so ineffectively. Tweeting on a corporate account or posting sales demonstrations on YouTube misses the essence of social networking.
Social networking is about people engaging with people. Individuals do not want to build relationships with brands and corporations. They want to talk to other people. Too many organizations throw millions into Facebook apps and viral videos when they could spend that money on engaging with people in a transparent and open away.
Instead of creating a corporate Twitter account or indeed even a corporate blog, encourage your employees to start Tweeting and blogging themselves. Provide guidelines on acceptable behavior and what tools they need to start engaging directly with the community connected to your products and services. This demonstrates not only your commitment to the community but also the human side of your business.
6. YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU
Where some website managers want their website to appeal to everybody, others want it to appeal to themselves and their colleagues. A surprising number of organizations ignore their users entirely and base their websites entirely on an organizational perspective. This typically manifests itself in inappropriate design that caters to the managing director’s personal preferences and contains content full of jargon.
A website should not pander to the preferences of staff but should rather meet the needs of its users. Too many designs are rejected because the boss “doesn’t like green.” Likewise, too much website copy contains acronyms and terms used only within the organization.
7. YOU’RE NOT GETTING FULL VALUE FROM YOUR WEB TEAM
Whether they have an in-house Web team or use an external agency, many organizations fail to get the most from their Web designers. Web designers are much more than pixel pushers. They have a wealth of knowledge about the Web and how users interact with it. They also understand design techniques, including grid systems, white space, color theory and much more.
It is therefore wasteful to micro-manage by asking them to “make the logo bigger” or to “move that 3 pixels to the left.” By doing so, you are reducing their role to that of a software operator and wasting the wealth of experience they bring.
If you want to get the maximum return on your Web team, present it with problems, not solutions. For example, if you’re targeting your website at teenage girls, and the designer goes for corporate blue, suggest that your audience might not respond well to that color. Do not tell him or her to change it to pink. This way, the designer has the freedom to find a solution that may even be better than your choice. You allow your designer to solve the problem you have presented.
8. DESIGN BY COMMITTEE BRINGS DEATH
The ultimate symbol of a large organization’s approach to website management is the committee. A committee is often formed to tackle the website because internal politics demand that everybody has a say and that all considerations be taken into account. To say that all committees are a bad idea is naive, and to suggest that a large corporate website could be developed without consultation is fanciful. However, when it comes to design, committees are often the kiss of death.
Design is subjective. The way we respond to a design can be influenced by culture, gender, age, childhood experience and even physical conditions (such as color blindness). What one person considers great design could be hated by another. This is why it is so important that design decisions be informed by user testing [when possible] rather than personal experience. Unfortunately, this approach is rarely taken when a committee is involved in design decisions.
Instead, designing by committee becomes about compromise. Because committee members have different opinions about the design, they look for ways to find common ground. One person hates the blue color scheme, while another loves it. This leads to designing on the fly, with the committee instructing the designer to “try a different blue” in the hopes of finding middle ground. Unfortunately, this leads only to bland design that neither appeals to nor excites anyone.
9. NO CMS IS A SILVER BULLET
Many of the clients I work with have amazingly unrealistic expectations of CMS (content management systems). Those without one think it will solve all of their content woes, while those who have one moan about it because it hasn’t!
It is certainly true that a CMS can bring a lot of benefits. These include:
1. Reducing the technical barriers of adding content,
2. Allowing more people to add and edit content,
3. Facilitating faster updates,
4. Allowing greater control.
However, many CMS are less flexible than their owners would like. They fail to meet the changing demands of the websites they manage. Website managers also complain that their CMS is hard to use. However, in many cases, this is because those using it have not been adequately trained or are not using it regularly enough.
Finally, a CMS may allow content to be easily updated, but it does not ensure that content will be updated or even that the quality of content will be acceptable. Many CMS-based websites still have out-of-date content or poorly written copy, and don’t get me started on sub-par images and artwork. This is because internal processes have not been put in place to support the content contributors.
10. YOU HAVE TOO MUCH CONTENT
Part of the problem with content maintenance on large corporate websites is that there is too much content in the first place. Most of these websites have “evolved” over years, with more and more content having been added. At no stage has anybody reviewed the content and asked what could be taken away.
Many website managers fill their website with copy that nobody will read. This happens because:
1. A fear of missing something: by putting everything online, they believe users will be able to find whatever they want. Unfortunately, with so much information available, it is hard to find anything.
2. A fear users will not understand: whether from a lack of confidence in their website or in their audience, they feel the need to provide endless instruction to users. Unfortunately, users never read this copy.
3. A desperate desire to convince: they are desperate to sell their product or communicate their message, and so they bloat the text with sales copy that actually conveys little valuable information.
Steve Krug, in his book Don’t Make Me Think, encourages website managers to “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.” This will reduce the noise level on each page and make the useful content more prominent.
IT’S A NEW DAY… & A NEW IDENTITY
Tags: Facebook, Flickr, LOUD! Creative, Twitter, XChange
So 2009 is finally here… and it seems as though it’s been a long time coming. Over the years… we’ve continued to grow as a company. Since our inception, our goals have refined, our systems have improved… and our values have matured. It’s time for the visual components of our identity and brand to catch up and match up with these milestones of our journey.
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of an entirely new identity for LOUD! Creative… starting with our new logo. Our logo has been being evolving since the day LOUD! Creative got it’s start… just a few years ago. From an anemic vector appearance… to a textured, more trendy feel… to a beveled & glassy web 2.0 icon… to our final design… which we’re releasing today.
LOUD! Creative exists to provide web and print marketing design solutions that ensures our clients will be heard over and above the clutter and mediocrity of their competitors. We feel as though this new and final logo design communicates our purpose in a more simple and subtle elegance… and that it better reflects the level of maturity this company has experienced.
In addition to an entire new corporate identity suite including business cards, letterhead, envelopes, note cards and brochure marketing collateral… we’re proud to announce the launch of our brand new website. We’ve made it easier than ever to learn more about our company, our services and product offerings.
You can now catch us on Facebook, Flickr… and you can even join in on the conversation with our team by following us on Twitter. We look forward to a great new year in serving you and each of our clients… and adding as much value as we can to your marketing and promotional efforts. Happy New Year!
PS – And as if that’s not enough… we hope you’ll checkout our brand new XChange 3.0 Content Management System… which is out of this world. But don’t take our word for it… give us a call and we’ll setup a personal tour just for you.
BUILD YOUR CASE
Tags: Marketing
Notify your clients of documented successes. Frequently let your clients know of recently successful projects. Your clients won’t know unless you tell them.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“The harder the conflict… the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap we esteem too lightly. Tis dearness only that gives everything its value.”
THOMAS PAINE