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Sometimes I think the best kind of call is a client saying "Yes, we'd like to work with you." But truth be told, the absolute best kind is when an existing client calls to say she got a huge win -- and her web site is the reason. I won't disclose who or what or why, but it just makes my day to hear "I got the job because they found me in Google and my web site has the best information." Fantastic!
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Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. You spend time updating your status, tweeting your brilliant thoughts and posting info on your fanpage. But how do you know if it gets you any business? Here's how: Argyle Social. Google analytics is one thing. This... is the future. Oh, and it helps that the guys that built it are very cool.
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This is fascinating. The Flash issue (or lack thereof) is a pretty contentious one, to say the least, and I've already discussed it here. I have long been an Apple person (before there were Mac people, really) but I find the Cupertino folks position on Flash very... well, very Microsoftish. The iPad doesn't play Flash. Okay. Why not? Games use Flash. Web sites use Flash, especially galleries and the like. Apple is trying to reshape the web world and I don't see the gain from it. Because they want to promote their own version? Not really. Because they like HTML5? Could be. Maybe Steve Jobs secretly loves Silverlight, who knows. All of this has little impact on clients whose web sites do not show up on their shiny new iPads. It's a very emotional reaction to suddenly be rendered invisible, particularly when your web site is an integral part of your business. And while you could rebuild with HTML, I wonder how hard it will be to wait and see how this plays out. Some informative perspectives include Wired, Mashable and ZD Net.
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I sometimes wish there was a bigger fanfare for when a new site goes live. I know there are press releases and tweets and blogs (cough, cough) but I wish there was some music, some doves fluttering into the sky... but alas. Sites go live every day and few people notice. Unless it's *your* site, of course. Jack Price is a Chapel Hill-based CPA and he had a site built using Yahoo's small business tools. He was happy with it. Happy in that he felt it did its job and he had enough business. But I was very impressed by Jack because he wanted something better. Something more polished that showed growth and professionalism. His new site has very little that his old site lacked, but its design greatly upgrades the feel of his business. We're thrilled he chose us and look forward to watching his business grow.
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Now, now, this is a family site. Let's keep it clean. The F word I mean is FLASH. This word engenders such polarized reactions from our clients and collaborators. Some folks love it. They love the movement, the interactivity, the chance to be unique. And some folks absolutely detest Flash, informing me that in no uncertain terms should Flash even figure into their site. This latter group makes me wonder if they aren't stuck in the days of the pre-loader, the days of SKIP INTRO. Maybe, maybe not. There are valid concerns about Flash. And having my new iPad highlights its negative. But that is more about Apple waging war on Adobe than the incompatibility of Flash with mobile browsing. But the other major concern is search. I used to have to educate our clients on what search is and why it's important. But nowadays, that speech is no longer necessary. Even the uninitiated know that Google matters. And till recently, Flash was thought of as the search-killer. You can't index it--which means that search engines can't see into it. They just see a black box. Instead of multiple pages of content, you get one big movie, and spiders can't deal with that. They like bite size pieces. Things are changing. A technique called deep linking allows developers to provide specific URLs for specific states in the Flash application or page. The what and how of this technique is gorpy, and not something I can really write about with any knowledge -- that's Tony's department. But at least there are options now, and that means folks who like the F word don't have to hide anymore.
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I had a conversation yesterday with a client who was struggling with his web content. He professed an absolute hatred of talking about himself. I told him, "Good. Don't." There was a long pause, so I explained myself. Yes, it's your web site. Yes, it's your business. But it's not really about you. If you read through this site, you'll that I sing this song a lot, but it's hard to understand when what you really want to do is promote your business. Doesn't it make sense to talk about it? Well, yes and no. You just have to get the perspective right. Because from your perspective, the world is very different. You don't have the need your customer has. You don't have the pains your customer is having. So you have to talk about those in order to capture your reader's attention. If you're a CPA, talk about the pressure of fiscal responsibility, transparency and reliability. Not just about how many years you've been a CPA. If you're a photographer, talk about the importance of capturing memories, of creating the right moment, of using the right image to tell a story. Not how many weddings you've photographed this past year. I don't mean to oversimplify the matter, because writing about yourself -- from any perspective -- is challenging. It was challenging for me on this site and I do this for a living! But as the saying goes… the cobbler's children have no shoes. Well this cobbler likes DSW a bit too much, so that's not a problem in my house.
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In the few spare moments when we aren't working, Tony and I watch a hand full of television shows, and one of them has been American Idol. I marvel at the conflicting advice that the judges give these singers: Does yours? Do you go to your own site and think, "Yes, this reflects everything my business is. Right away." Or do you rely on content only to tell that story? Because your customers might not read every word. The way your site looks has to work for you as well. Does it look clean and corporate? Does it look friendly and fun? Are the colors bold and exciting or subdued and subtle? If you can't tell, then ask your current customers. They're a fantastic focus group. Send them an email. Say, "hey, thanks for being my customer. Your thoughts matter to me -- what do you think of the site?"
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For ten years, we've built relationships with our customers and enjoyed their word of mouth referrals, which bring new folks into the folks. But for the first time, we can say we've taken care of a family! It all started with Melody Ray Welborn, a local attorney who was starting a new firm. We built a site for and her partners, and have continued to maintain it for them. Then Melody referred her sister, a pediatric dentist who was opening a new practice in Edmonton, Canada. Soon, Gateway Pediatric Dentistry took shape. Then we heard from Mom -- Sherry Ray of the Crawford/Ray Funeral Home in Canton, North Carolina reached out, looking for a web site that stood apart from the local funeral homes. She wanted something serene, calming and welcoming, with online obituaries and the ability for people to send condolences to the families for whom Crawford/Ray were caring. The web site is nearly finished, but the online obituaries are helping to bring comfort to families and friends around Western North Carolina. It's an honor and a privilege to work for 3 members of the same family, for whom small business ownership seems a genetic trait!
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