The 'thinking' digital web agency

3 Reasons why you might want a 'new' website

2010-09-24T13:50:00.013+01:00

Firstly, you very seldom 100% neeeeeeeeed a new website. Hence why it is often a project that gets sticky plastered, left, delayed or just ignored.

Partly because a website requires a business to do some deep deep thinking about how it should be percieved and how it needs to talk about itself and present itself. It needs clarity. This takes time.. and everyone is busy so it gets left.

This blog tries to very quickly explain why you would neeeeeeeed a new website.

1. You have changed the focus of your business

Your business is changing. And your website hasn't. It's crucial that the business proposition is articulated swiftly on your website and that your new business opportunities and strategies are reflected in the sites aspirations.

Time to re-think the site and engage a web design agency that can understand your business, marketing, branding and communications challenges and turn that into a web solution.

2. Your expanding the website's capability

Your existing site might be 'OK', but there were things you wanted to improve before that you never had the budget for. And now you want to add in some interactivity or data capture or even some mini-applications or widgets that enhance the site for your users. You may even want a secure login for your sales staff - or a maketing toolkit hidden away for distributors... or even develop an ecommerce solution.

Either way, you're at a point where the current capability of the site is in question and the opportunity to utilise its capabilities better is a commercially tempting one.

You need to engage a web agency that can help your site become all it can be.

3. It's Just Old - and people can tell!!

The mention of trusty old ford cortinas wont wash. It's not trusty - it's rusty... and I don't see any business execs driving old ford cortinas either... so the website is not up to the job. A website can become old because coding 'rules' move on. Just like an old car might go from A-B, if it is pumping out a shed load of black smoke, it's no longer allowed on the road. If your website has some tell-tale signs, it neeeeeeds to be replaced.

First off - just from a design perspective... look around at the latest sites and your hottest competitors. Now be honest. Is yours really cutting it? Really? Because what the eye does not admire - the heart will not desire. People buy from well designed businesses/products/people.. and websites.

Secondly... technical.. Don't be daunted. This is how to find out... Go to your website. Right-click the screen (but not on an image) and do View Source. Don't be afraid. Web coders aren't rocket scientists - this stuff isn't that hard. This is what you're looking for.

Table Tags

If you can see somethig like the image below, you have tables. And, unless this is actually displaying tabular data, this is a massive No No. This is like having an exhibition stand designed in Microsoft Word. You need a new site.. and you need it soon.

Rogue Styles

If you can see something like the image below, you have rogue styles. Not 100% a crime but it shows that the site was built before there were some accepted wisdoms. Back to our car analogy... if you smoke in your car with the kids in the back, it's not illegal... but it's definitely not something you want to be doing right?

Embedded JavaScript and StyleSheets

If you can see somethig like the image below, you have Javascipt and/or Styles in the HTML code... and they shouldn't be. They should be held in external files and linked to. This is crucial for keeping the content of the HTML file as low as possible. As above, it's not 100% a crime but, in our opinion, any web agency building sites like this now is not fit for purpose. It's a real No No as it slows down site load, it means any amends to style or script have to be done to each page of your site individually rather than just to 1 stylesheet file. It's clumsey, old and slow... and it is supposed to be less friendly for SEO.

So, there you go. Have a critical look at your site and, if you could do with some help, please have a look at www.oobainteractive.co.uk and we'll try and help.

Old Websites Sure Are Funny

2010-09-24T12:33:00.008+01:00

http://gizmodo.com/349333/old-websites-sure-are-funny

Web Design Process

2010-09-20T18:56:00.003+01:00

Well we've been designing and building web sites for a while now and a couple of things have come to mind in the last few months.

That of Design.... and Brand. We'll do the brand again later...

I'll start with Designing a website. The thing is, it's not about web design. It's about your business, your brand and, most importantly, your users.

Design is bigger than nice pics or fancy buttons or a whizzy gallery. Design is about how intuitive the usability is for your audience. And how it doesn't make the user 'think'.

If you had to 'think' on our website (i.e. "errrm what does that do?") then we want to know. And we'll jump right on it.

The art of a beautifully designed website is the effortlessness (is that a word?) that the users whizz through it - without really noticing that they are making any effort at all.

Web Galleries are a classic.... "I want that one like what the BBC have got.". Rational: BBC=Award Winning website. Their gallery must be good.

In fact, at the time of writing this, it's tragicaly bad. Clicking along a row of number-buttons ([1] [2] [3] etc ) in order to see what's next without any idea of a preview. It's linear and analogue and tiresome.

Or... "I want that one where the little tiny icon - you click on it and it hides the rest of the page and does a whizzy thing and pops up in a kinda new window thing"... Yep.. a lot better. But wait. You still have to open... close... open... close... It might be more 'digital' - but it's still tiresome.

So, check out our gallery.

http://www.oobainteractive.co.uk/portfolio

It's really boring - From a web whizz bang perspective. But really useful from a user's perspective.

You get a matrix of thumbnails and a nice 'big enough' preview image. Then, as you roll over that thumbnail, the preview image changes. Then, click the thumbnail and you get the full sized one. Genius. Just what you need when you want to skim through the images and just jump on the pic you actually want to see.

It's not whizzy. It's not clever. But it is designed with the user in mind. And users prefer it. Massively.

Here's another example how, with design, less can be more. Many clients ask for an all singing all dancing HTML designed eshot.

But, it has been proved time and again that an email that just... well.. errm... looks like an email is so much more effective at gettings sales results.

So, forget what bigger brands are doing... often they are way behind the curve. Less is more. Simplicity is everything and beautiful web design is way way way more than just what it looks like.

Bill says it best

2010-08-22T12:55:00.000+01:00

Ya know... I love Marketing. I do. I love the beautiful idea of what marketing is supposed to be. That idea of finding something that makes people's lives better and telling them about it so that they can have it and have a better life.

But I heard that word again the other day... Exploit.... How do we exploit?

We don't. Please don't.

Anyway... it reminded me of one of my favourite sketches by a hero of mine.

Bill Hicks had you guys summed up. Luckily, not all marketing people are actually like Bill's ranting. Be careful of the ones who want to help you exploit your customers... because they'll also be thinking about how to exploit you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVZo1Jjfshw

Never exploit anyone.

ooba:thinking - you know it makes sense.

2010-05-31T14:33:00.004+01:00

If you truly listen to people like Seth Godin, you realise that we are aiming for a simplicity that can only be seen by fresh eyes.

Today, I am wondering why you can receive an email from many large, big brand websites... that you can't reply to. Notably today, it's Paypal that I am wondering about. They sent an email explaining I needed to re-enter my security details... Wooo I thought... Yeah Right. Paypal indeed. Don't fink so... looks like you're phishing to me. But, after logging into my account (by entering in the domain myself and not by clicking any links in the email) they did want me to confirm a load of info (for security reasons).

So, I did so. I got an email thanking me for my time and trying to assure me it was important to do.

The next day though, I got another email saying that my account had been restricted. I replied..."WHY"... I have had a PayPal account for yonks and they've never done this before.

Boing... email comes back. "You can't reply to that email address".

So, here's what they need to do. Either email me from an email address that does work. Or, bounce those emails to someone in customer services who will then answer it.

But don't send an email (be it automated or not) to a customer explaining that the email they sent can't be replied to. Because you just replied!!

OK. So, think about that for a moment. And make sure you don't do what PayPal does. Because they are not doing it right at all.

If you are not sure, get someone from the outside of your organisation to look at the processes surrounding your website. And see it with fresh eyes. Don't structure your customer service around your company's departments or your existing operations model. Structure it around how your customers interact with you.

It's always so obvious when you see it in other businesses. But blurred from view when it is our own business. We know. We've made similar mistakes of our own.

Three things to keep you on track

Take some time to think like a customer.
Do Customer testing and focus groups
And get your website (through the whole process!) viewed by an outsider.

Have fun!

Design is crucial

2010-05-25T10:06:00.002+01:00

One of the key challenges of a web design agency like ooba:interactive is often with smaller clients. The focus is on price. And, with that, many small businesses are prepared to stint on design. Or, they want great design. But they don't necessarily value it as highly as larger businesses.

Our work is often spent trying to show that there is a value to doing things just that little bit better. And, when we talk about design, we don't just mean pretty pictures. We're talking about the priority of items on the page, the spacing, how they are coloured to provide visual differentiation and how the design architecture effects the journey of the customer through your site.

Sure... pretty pictures help. But it is about having an understanding of your business requirements and producing a site that really delivers rather than just a 'nice looking site'.

This is why we are so against Template sites. Clients ask for them thinking it will save money. We won't do them any more because when we want to make something stand out more, we usually end up fighting with the template and it would have been easier to build it from scratch. So, we ended up doing bespoke for for the price of a template project.

Anyway, the point of this blog is to post you to the design council website which, thankfully, demonstrates that Design is worth paying for.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO: DESIGN COUNCIL - VALUE OF DESIGN

Just a Little Fun

2010-05-23T07:49:00.001+01:00

Check out our new Xtranormal movie on branding and value.

Click here to view movie

Web Brands Are More Important Than Ever

2010-05-23T07:30:00.000+01:00

The concept of a brand has been around for so long it's insane that so many SME business owners (and even larger corporates) don't "get it". The trouble is, they think they "get it". And that is a problem.

In life, there are things you know... and things you don't know... but there are also things you know you know... and things you know you don't know.

However, the most dangerous are.... things you don't know you don't know ... but think you know.

I am amazed at how, even in 2010, I hear design agencies, clients and suppliers talk of branding and drop straight into the logo, corporate colours, corporate fonts and design engineering structures (e.g. logo always goes top left, we always have a red border down the right hand side).

STOP!

That is NOT a brand. The closest the logo comes to a brand is... It's a thing that represents you. And, therefore, becomes synonymous with the brand in people's minds. But it is NOT the brand.

So, why is a brand more important than ever?

Because by having a brand (or, a "name they know") there is an instant link of trust and it saves you a shed load of time and money explaining who you are, what you do and why your product/service is the one they should choose.

If you only had 50 people in a village. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone knows that Bob's horse shoes are better than Bill's. But Bill's are more expensive. And he's busy because he also does loads of time helping at the church so Bob can fit the horseshoes quicker. And they can make that judgement because there are only 50 people in the village.

So, brand = reputation.

The more people offering more services... means you need to have a better, stronger and more well known reputation than your competitor.

The World Wide Web just put about 2Billion people online.

So, you need a stronger, more robust, better thought through, fully crafted idea about what you do... and why... and how you're different and what makes you special... and why you get out of bed every morning. And then you need to communicate it through more channels, more often in the most concise manner possible to cut through the other million businesses out there and useless ads and spam and news agendas and... and... and.... You get the picture.

Then you need to have the tools to make this happen. And that is not a science or a case of chucking money at it. That is about empathy, business savvy, "getting it", creativity and the creative use of those tools (Like your website, SEO, Viral along side great customer service and all your top level marketing)

It's the big wild west out there... and you need your cow to be purple.

Just some thoughts on charge out rates

2010-03-26T10:13:00.005Z

Here's something I did a few years or so ago. It's not 100% accurate, but it gives a good overview. It all started when I was on a plane heading back to the UK and was sitting next to a guy who was a fork lift truck driver from Marocco. We got chatting and he said he earned more then £15.00 an hour if he did overtime - which he seemed to get a lot of.

It struck me that companies were more than happy to pay, without flinching or thinking, someone £15.00/hour - every hour - for however many hours it took - no questions asked - in order to move stuff around a warehouse. And that the total amount they ended up paying was actually large.

And it made me angry that I was, at the time, having to battle so hard to make even £35.00/hour on projects because clients were squeezing so hard on our fees - when we were delivering high end strategic web design and development - which I figured was worth more than fork lift truck driving. Every price we gave came back with "It's too much". And this chart below gave me the courage of my convictions to 'know' that we were good value. But sometimes you need something like this to prove it to yourself.

Anyway... I thought I'd share it with the world.

Profession / Job / Trade		Amount/h
Financial Advisors		£70.00
Electrician		£22.00
Carpet Layer		£20.00
Orthopaedic surgeons		£115.00
Other surgeons		£123.00
Consultant physicians		£122.00
Psychiatrists		£133.00
All specialist respondents		£123.00
General practitioners		£114.00
Average of all medical experts		£122.00
Legal - Partner		£125.00
Legal - Solicitor/Counsel		£100.00
Legal - Legal Executives		£75.00
Legal - Trainee Solicitor		£50.00
Freelance ‘remote’ office admin		£20.00
Freelance proof-reader		£25.00
Member of the Register of BSL/English Interpreters		£22.00
Life Coach		£65.00
Tuition by Head Professional (golf)		£100.00
Tuition by PGA Professional (golf)		£75.00
Health & Safety Executive (Government Agency)		£55 - £75.00
Freelance Health & Safety Executive		£50.00
Freelance Fitness instructors		£30 - 50.00
Small boat hire on Great Windsor Lake		£35.00
Financial Analyst		£35.00
Electrolysis Hair Removal		£40.00
Masseur		£30.00
Mechanic at a reputable garage		£85.00
Car Dealership		£120.00
A NHS subsidised dentist		£70.00
Private dentist		£100-150.00
Beauty technician (Luxury manicure)		£50 - £70.00
Lawyer IP		£375.00
Accountant non-chartered		£50 - £75.00
Accountant chartered senior		£120- £150.00
Photographer (professional)		£120 - £150.00
IT independent		£39 - £65.00
IT consultancy firm		£120- £150.00
Hairdresser cut and colour		£70 - £200.00
Fork Lift Truck driver (on overtime)		£15.00
Designer freelance		£25 - £50.00
Design agency		£65 - £120.00
High Street Print & Copy Shop – Design rate		£35 - £40.00

Us... not too bad when you look at it !		£70.00

Why is web technology so good anyway?

2009-09-09T08:28:00.001+01:00

OK... You heard the word Web2.0 and someone tried to make it seem like a revolution. Well, it’s not. It’s the ability for people to type (we’ve been doing that for a long time now) and contribute to something (been going on for hundreds of years) and enter that information into a web form (not exactly rocket science) and publish that on a web page (been going on for a long time now)...

So what on earth is the big fuss about. Well, this is the power of the internet enabling people to not just only be consumers of information from the lucky few who get the chance to be published, but to contribute and be published themselves on a massive scale. And it is the scale that is what all the fuss is all about. The internet has opened the door to everyone to spout ‘stuff’ and create content.... and that is liberating, empowering and good for democracy.

But is it really what we should be getting excited about. Well, yes if you are interested in the social factors. But not really a massive revolution in terms of our daily lives. So, what is exciting? A “living” website.

The personalisation drum has been banged ever since day one of the internet. But it really is down to the web developers and marketers to make it happen as the technology has been there for ages. Let’s take facebook. My profile is not just mine because it has stuff about me on it. It also has my applications, my friends, my configuration, my security settings. It’s totally different to someone else’s facebook page.

With the invent of drag/drop technology through things like jquery, a site’s elements on the page could be moved about by the user to re-organise the page how they want. And, via AJAX, the position of these elements could be stored in a database.

So, if a signed up user wants, every time they visit your site, they would get your website laid out, coloured, font-sized (whatever factors you allowed them to change) in the way that they want. Forget usability testing – just let the user select how they want the site to work as they interact with it and save their choices. It then works for them in the way they want.

Now add another layer of functionality. How about we store all that information, but also structure the data in such a way so that it can be analysed. Do we find that most people leave the search box in the top right hand corner – or do they hide it off and only unhide it when they actually need it? By analysing this data, we can get the ‘starting website’ configuration for members as close to the way most people want it to be from the start of their user experience. Hence increasing the likelihood that the site is as they want it when the visit it for the first time.

But we could add another layer. How about a ‘design robot’ that took all the data with our set of design rules and re-built the website for non-members ‘on-the-fly’. As members used and re-structure the site, the robot learns the most wanted configuration and tweaks it and tweaks it for us to be the best it can be.

A ‘living’ website. Metamorphosising and growing and changing as it is being used.

OK.. now the final bit. How about we create a layer of functionality on top of Google Analytics that pro-actively interpreted the results and came back to us and requested more content, suggested expanded sections and even utilised Google Search to find locations of other such relevant information that we might be able to use to help us (or simply import should you be allowed to).

The possibilities are endless. The risk is that the website becomes run by a ‘robot’ and the creativity and innovation is lost to a robot that migrates towards a middle-ground ‘norm’. Well, that is why we will always need human beings for sites that have something genuine to offer and that stand out from the crowd.

The tribe is the new brand? Mmmmm

2009-06-26T14:25:00.001+01:00

When you listen to people talk about Tribes, they may think that it is just about a long-haired gathering of people who happen to like the same brand. But that just isn’t the case. The subtle inflection of words are important in this world and the word ‘tribe’ enthuses a mutual giving and taking – contributing and receiving that the traditional brand doesn’t necessarily embody.

The traditional brand is much more hierarchical – “I’m the brand. I know what I am – you follow me.” And that is great. But a tribe is about a much more equal power ratio. Customers are involved. And have a say in the movement forward of the company, products, services and even the brand. In fact, they become the brand themselves.

However, still I hear people who don’t understand brands – let alone tribes. Time and time again people think a brand is a logo, a corporate identity, a set of colour pallets. And this isn’t the man on the street, but people trying to run their own businesses and, even more scarily, a few design agencies. So, articulating why having a brand is so important is extremely hard.

If you don’t know what a car is, then why would you need one when you have a horse. Well, this is easily demonstrated. Have a race and see the difference. But demonstrating the power of having a brand that actually means something, stands for something, has a vision of the future and a reason to get up every morning is much more difficult to explain.

So, maybe it needs to be explained in a very simple way. The worlds largest brand (Coca Cola) is actually quite a small company. It licenses all its bottling. It has only a few flavourings and a small head office staff to call its own. So, why is the company valued so highly in real dollar value – because of its brand. But, the real question is – Why does the brand have so much dollar value – Because the power of that brand actually generates real money. It makes the sale easier. It makes the distribution easier. It attracts the best staff. It is a perpetuating strength that adds to the bottom line of the business.

So is the tribe the new brand? No. That is why we still hear of ‘brand champions’ and ‘brand guardians’. A tribe in its true sense is too democratic for a brand. To stand out and be different, a brand still needs followers and it needs brand guardians to ensure it doesn’t get watered down and become ‘all things to all men’. So, how does a tribe fit in? Well, it’s a really powerful and influential group of people (most often customers but it can be any stakeholders) that perpetuate the brand, believe in the brand, contribute to the brand and actually act as brand guardians by default. They are the eyes and ears of the brand guardians. They are trusted by the brand guardians to feedback information for the benefit of the brand. They are the foot-soldiers of the brand because there is mutual benefit by doing so (usually via something intangible such as social status) but most of all they are empowered by the brand to be advocates of the brand and feel that they belong to a group of people who are also in the tribe.

In short, the power of fitting in and belonging is more powerful than great leadership. But we still need to be kept on the straight and narrow and actually need both.

It’s not easy what we do

2009-06-12T18:48:00.002+01:00

Sometimes you just forget that what you do is actually difficult.... to someone else. And you forget that it has a huge value. To me, it just seems so natural to want things to be nicely designed. To have quality branding. To have a website that is neat and tidy and fresh.... I know that aesthetically pleasing design means users want to interact more and I know that, from a purely business perspective, beautiful design improves the sales and the profits of a business.

And that is why, I guess, people still need to pay for good quality work. It isn't as easy as it seems. Or, as easy as we sometimes think when we do it every day.

I have just seen a website for a double glazing company. They have been advertising on the local radio and my web-man Scott had a look...... I don't know where to start. It is designed really badly - I am not sure if that is specific enough, so let me explain:

It has green text on a yucky yellow background so it isn't actually that readible.
The images are appallingly bad quality
The layout is sporadic and has very little 'neatness' to it (I am being nice)
Some images crash over the top of text
The navigation looks like clipart to me (I hope they didn't pay money for the images)
The quotation page (a key page!) is simply offensive
It is built in tables

It is probably one of the worst websites that I have ever seen. It does not convey a single professional thing about the company. It is 'anti-design'.

The very very very scary thing is that the marketing/sales manager will probably be at their desk, head in hand, bemoaning the radio advertising spend. He'll probably never do it again. "Waste of money", I can hear him saying. But, his website is simply appalling. It would definitely put me off buying from them.

The only thing that is good is the copy. Why? Because it is genuine and sounds like it is written from the heart and not the pen of some agency copywriter trying to be overly clever.

But it breaks my heart. How can people be in business - in the year 2009 - and have such a bad website. it just makes for an up-hill struggle to make the sales.

Oh go on then............. http://www.abbeywindows.co.uk/

It is all in the mind.

2009-06-08T08:35:00.001+01:00

Today i have been meeting with a potential new client. They want a web application built to help manage their business. It is a completely bespoke application - no open source solution available. But also no massive budget to spend. It is also a great mechanism to market their business and be a differentiator in the marketplace.

It has to look good too!

And it got me thinking about what people actually buy. I.e. I was not in the client's office showing him my beautiful code and demonstrating our skills at CSS. What we talked about, was his business.

And that is what he's buying. The business thinking.

Now old school "business thinking" from marketing and design companies immediately talks about his Vision, his Brand, how he approaches clients, what are the differentiators between him and his competition etc. I am sure that there was an opportunity for some PR when the new system was launched.

And we did cover all those areas.

But the truly integrated, co-ordinated agency that is delving into the world of the web, has to be able to understand the client's operations as well. In detail. No flowery pap allowed any more.

Why? Because no-one asks for a brochure-ware website anymore. Business want the website to be a business tool too.

There is no getting away from it. Marketing and technology are now embedded together. It's time to get techy. What do I mean by techy... Well agencies (and by this I mean Account Managers really) need to understand the following technologies in order to advise clients properly.

Presentation Technology : PPT, Adobe, Online Conferencing
CRM Technology : Interacting the web with CRM via XML, CSV along with import export routines
Database Technology : Basic structures of databases, relationships and how it interlinks - as well as things like cross-tab tables and look-up tables
Web Technology : For example, what exactly is AJAX and when is it useful. And when is it not appropriate. Along with the different scripting languages (PHP, ASPX, JavaScript, Java, CSS, Flash) and the pros and cons.
Mobile Technology : Limitations as well as the why's and why nots

Why should an account manager understand all these things - because if they don't, they are at the mercy of someone who does. And that person probably doesn't understand the "business" implications of the technology. They may be a great coder - but they may not be a business thinker too. Many people are - but most are not. A good Account Manager now-adays is able to give advice and help on the utilisation of technology to attain marketing success. At a detailed level.

If they can't, then they are part of the old-school. And not really much use any more.

The principles remain the same

2009-05-31T16:57:00.000+01:00

Sound principles remain across multiple disciplines. And the very rarely change.

Take, for example, trekking or mountain climbing. Whether you’re in the Peak District or Pakistan, the principles are the same. Sensible, well tested equipment is needed. The training and skills are unchanged and the ability to read the landscape and work flexibly to conquer it is always needed.

Similarly, health and fitness has a set of sound principles that have been used since the Romans. Healthy diet. A good balance of protein, carbs and vegetables. And a good mixture of resistance training and cardio. The great ancient armies trained hard, were well fed (well mostly) and got plenty of exercise – mainly defeating Germania or somewhere considered equally barbaric.

And so it is with Marketing. We build a series of communications with our customers, suppliers, partners etc. We build a reputation (brand) and we listen carefully to our customers to make sure that we’re delivering. People have been doing it ever since someone set up a fish stall in Belgium in the year 43bc. The trouble is, that Marketers seem to like Fads. And they seem to lose site of the principles by substituting them with what seems like the quick fix.Just like fad diets... fad marketing is just as dangerous.

Marketing is all about building a relationship. A communication and a connection that means something to both parties. And the internet is just an extreme case of this basic principle. The digital tools are just that. Tools to try and have more communications with more people in the manner, tone and information that the customer wants to be communicated with.

How exciting!

The trouble is that old school marketers just haven’t understood this. They are still in the “I’m going to interrupt you with my Advertising message in the hope that I persuade you to feel like you need my product”.

So, companies are doing ‘Ad’ style e-shots. All designed up with funky graphics and big headlines as well as old-school ‘agency copy’ trying to be clever (and sounding like silly school boys). Then they buy 30,000 email addresses and blast it out...

Yeah... macho marketing. Slap ‘em in the face with it. Didn’t work? Send it again! Still got a bad response? Do it again...

Head.... wall..... banging... But they don’t seem to know what else to do.

Here is what marketing needs to learn. Nothing... just go back to the sound principles and forget the fads. Consumers (and that means B2B businesses too!) are so much smarter. They’re literate, web savvy, time pressed and most of all... don’t care about you ‘cause they are also ridiculously busy – especially in this recession. As well as that, they are synical (rightly!) and anti corporate. And they don’t like their digital space being encroached upon. They’ve got enough to do without some company opening the front door and yelling in their face to buy their product.

So, take it easy. Set up mechanisms to enter into a genuine conversation with your customers. Don’t just set up a forum on your website. Work it. Type in it. Start up topics of conversation or lines of questioning. Lose part of your Ad budget and put £20K into a real person who works in your digital space. They will be contributing to your forum... and as many other forums that are relevant. Helping. Delivering value. Offering and giving genuine advice. Managing information about events or exhibitions that you’ve attended with online video, interviews with attendees.

Take ownership of the digital landscape. Do it better. Offer more. Help people. And miraculously, people will come. They will. They will start joining your blog and your twitter. They will take notice when you change your LinkedIn status. They will start commenting and contributing and you have the start of a communication. A two way communication. All you need to do then is let people realise they need your product/service for themselves. Because people don’t actually buy anything that they don’t want or need.

Perception is everything

2009-05-28T06:19:00.000+01:00

Perception is everything. First impressions count. Two of the truest phrases in the world. People see something, accept what you tell them, relate it to their past experience and box you.

And that's it. They have made up their mind. That's who you are. That's what you do.

I know of a guy who, a few years ago now, took a job as a website programmer as an emergancy job. He was Marketing and Sales Director for a company that he discovered was operating illegally. He quit and took the first job with the best salary... and jumped ship.

That job was a techy web job.

But a funny thing happened. At the new company, they then re-structured and needed a new Marketing Director. Having helped out a bit on the marketing, you'd assume that this guy was in the running. After all, he had a marketing degree, had worked at some excellent agencies and had just come from a Marketing Directors role.

But he didn't even get a job interview. Even though he is more qualified, had more hands on marketing experience than most of the other candidates and could have certainly done the job. Now the guy that did get the job is good at the job. And definitely had more industry experience. He actually deserved the job. His ability to manage the politics of the organisation was his true asset that our man would have probably not have enjoyed.

Rather irritated though, our man asked, "Why didn't I even get a job interview"... to be told with a look of 'confused why the hell should you' - "But you're just the web guy". CV not even read through because "why should a web guy be applying for the this role".

Ouch.

That guy.... was me. How did I get it so wrong? After all, I know this stuff... don't I?

Well, now I think about it, I didn't get it wrong - I just went in as the web guy. That was their first impression of me. That's what I told them I was. To back up my need for web-credibility, I behaved like a web-guy. I even started my emails to people. "Hi, it's Adam, the web guy"... so they knew who I was in this large organisation. Talk about re-affirming it relentlessly to everyone. But that was important to do - for that job role. It was the right thing to do.

What I should have realised is that there was no point going for the Marketing role. Because I had so successfully established myself a coder, a web geek, a guy who could talk techy.

However, the one thing that still amazes me is why we are so ingrained in our belief that someone techy can't be creative. Someone who plays rugby surely can't sing in the choir. Someone who does Maths, Physics and Chemistry couldn't possible write close harmony songs, play guitar and be 'artistic'. Someone who can write web code couldn't possibly be a designer too.. or think strategically.

Of course they can. But persuading people of that fact is hard to do once you have set the first impression. And focussing in on just one talent with someone means that they only see you as a designer. Or a marketer. Or a singer.

So.. the thought today is:

Tell people what you want to be percieved as. They will take it as gospel. And they will believe it. Forever.
When you first meet someone, if you focus any time on the wrong skill, you wont change their minds later. So don't. Or, at best they will be unclear as to what you can really do and will not hire you.
Focus on the talent/skill that you would like to be known as most and don't broaden it out or blur the edges. Stick to it.
If you need to do work that requires a 'conflicting' skill, pretend you hired someone else to do it. There is no point clouding people's perception of you. They will think you bodged that secondary role because they just can't conceptualise that you could do more than one conflicting talent to an excellent standard.

Fluxibility

2009-05-26T13:09:00.000+01:00

Well, today I want to talk about brands. And our involvment in new business activity. We all need new business. Especially in the creative and marketing world. Once that campaign is done. Once that project is completed. Once that website is live, activity dies down. And we need fresh meat to work on...

Not a great business model. But it is the one most agencies work to.

So, for the record, we have been doing a lot of new business activity at the moment. Recessions call for that kind of behaviour. And we are having a similar conversation with many of our contacts. We keep being told...

"We're in flux". i.e.

We don't really know what is happening strategically.
We're not going to commit to anything.
We're feeling a bit lost.
We're not getting direction from senior management.
We're being bought out so we don't know where marketing will be done in the next 3 months.
We are unsure and unclear on where we're going.

Ouch!

That's scary isn't it. Because we're supposed:

to have a corporate strategy
a marketing strategy
a marketing plan
a communications plan
a brand strategy

Most of all, we're supposed to believe in the brand. The amber nectar of enlightenment that guides us in our path to getting things done. How should I get things done? On brand?

So, when we talk to major companies that spend thousands of pounds a year on communications and hear that, at the top end, they don't have a marketing strategy and at the bottom end, they don't even have any corporate design guidelines, it worries me.

So, all you marketeers out there. Wondering why you're not sat on the board of the corporation. Get back to the bigger picture. Because, in times of trouble, those with a shining brand will know what to do to get through it. They will be able to empathise with the situation, visualise the desired outcome... and action upon it to make it happen.

Without a brand, you're floundering in the dark.

Marketing and the new world order

2009-05-25T19:29:00.000+01:00

The other day I was watching a load of videos. Mainly Seth Godin and a host of others. All made free via www.ted.com and www.youtube.com. Genius.

And it got me thinking. Where are marketing people in all this? My personal opinion is that the majority are lost. I talk to other marketing and design agencies every day. I talk to suppliers such as printers, PR agencies and the like. And what am I guaging?

They have no idea about using the internet to promote their clients products. Or their own services. These agencies aren't the ones doing big consumer brand work. They are outside that loop. These guys are doing smaller brands' marketing and design work... and they are very much outside this new mindset as they haven't been forced by their clients to go through the learning curve. They should be worred. True, some may use some of the buzz words to try and cling to the new world order but bascially, they fall into two camps. Firstly, those who are still pushing the old ways of Ad Spend and costly Direct Mail campaigns and have no idea about online media (Facebook, Squidoo, Delicious, Blogger) and these people are simply way out of touch and are lost in the new arena.

The second camp have heard all about these types of sites. But they are just looking at things like Google Adwords (it's got the word 'Ad' in it - so they feel safe)... and Ads on Facebook... So, no mindset change. Just a different media for their on-going obsession with ads.

This is tragic. Just when Marketing was becoming more professional, the majority of marketing people have no idea how to embrace the latest technologies that involve their customers. And to some of these people Seth Godin isn't a name they have even heard of.

Where do we start in bringing together the Marketing and the Technology? Something to ponder.