Website Form and Function
Question from Lift Strategies:
I wrote an article called “Is Your Website an Island?” http://www.liftstrategies.com/articles/is-your-website-an-island-ensure-a-strong-brand-presence-online/
In this article, I addressed how many companies jump into getting a new website without clearly defining their brand or looking at the bigger picture beyond a landing page (the first page on a website that the user goes to).
My question: Can you tell me how you work with your client to make sure they have a strong message and brand prior to moving forward with a website redesign?
Answer from October 17 Media:
It’s absolutely true that the form should follow function when it comes to building a website. If you don’t know what makes you special, what your unique offering is and who the heck your target audience is, your website (and any other communication medium for that matter) is bound to meet mediocrity and never truly achieve their potential. A strong brand and message is crucial to achieve reach, longevity and consumer trust.
If we feel that a brand or product isn’t ready to launch into the online world, we will typically ask clients if they have invested in any marketing strategy. As a result, we often refer clients to other marketing experts (such as Jen at Lift Strategies) to further investigate their branding and messaging prior to beginning development on a web presence.
Many of the companies we work with already have a strong brand and in those situations, we spend a great deal of time during the initial development stage to create ideas and campaigns that deliver the results clients are after. We build online marketing initiatives that align with the client’s brand and goals. We consider who they want to be in touch with, what that potential client wants to know, what an ideal ‘conversion’ looks like to the client and how we can use web marketing to help encourage long-term relationships for clients and their customers.
Brenda Cadman
october 17 media inc
www.october17media.com