web revival kit

8/9/2019 Web Revival Kit

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2009

3859 Centerview Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151 (800) 308-8573 www.imageworksstudio.com 1

Presents

Website Revival Kit eBook

marketing by design


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Welcome...to the ImageWorks Studio Website Revival Kit eBook. This eBook is designed toprovide you with helpful information on how to effectively market your organization, bothon-line and off-line.

ImageWorks Studio views the goal of your marketing website is to be a catalyst for driv-ing the growth of your business. Inside well look at some steps you can take to make yoursite more action oriented, which leads to higher conversion and ultimately more revenuesfor your business.


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ContentsAbout ImageWorks 4

Our Web Development Process 5

Does a Website increase your chances of winning new business? 6

Does your brand image build value and trust? 7

The Cost of a Professionally Designed & Marketed Website 8

OK, OK, I get it! So what does a custom website design cost? 11

User Trust & Creditability 12

How long do I have to capture my visitors attention? 12

7 Elements of Highly Effective Web Design & Conversion Techniques 13

Should I go it alone? 16

What Should a Professional Web Design & Branding Firm Do For You? 17


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Our Web Development Process


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Yes!

Your website impacts both your brand image and your bottom line.

Here is the fundamental question that we as business owners and marketers ask ourselves,does it really matter? After all a website isnt really a tangible demonstration of your orga-nization. Your clients dont go and open the doors to your website for a walk inside. Theydont interact with the cashier or speak with an expert. So does it matter?!

Yes. Heres why. Your website does something no physical location can do; it travels to yourcustomer. In todays marketplace consumers almost unequivocally visit your site rst tolearn more about you, before they pick up the phone and call, or get in their car and drive.And heres the important part:

75% of users admit to making judgments about a companys creditability based on thatcompanys website design.

53% of consumers use it to research products and prices. 72% of consumers are more likely to shop with a business with a website versus one

that does not. Reason: easier interaction***

Well Im a B2B. A website isnt nearly as important to my business

83% of businesses use the Internet to research and nd potential vendors*

Does a Website increase your chances of winning new business?


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Does your brand image build value and trust?

It should!

As you can see on this chart the factors that most signicantly impact the perception of yourcredibility are the look and feel of your site. The more professional in appearance - the morecredibility it haswhile the more amateurish it appears - the less credible it appears.

This feeling of professionalism is even more important than trustworthiness and exper-tise. What this graph says is simple. It doesnt know matter how much you know or howgood you are at doing it - if your site looks like a rookie built it; you arent going to be takenseriously.


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The Cost of a Professionally Designed & Marketed WebsiteLike most things in life, good things dont come cheap. It isnt cheap to own and operate atop branding and design rm, trust me. What it does take is the same thing a great websiteneeds - creativity, technical know-how, marketing skill, and a signicant investment in talent,ongoing education, and infrastructure. Thats how you build an industry-leading Web site.

Step 1: Your website design cost starts by establishing a realistic marketing budget.

Your marketing budget, depending on your industry, should be between 3% and 12% ofGROSS sales. That means a $1 million company should set a budget between $30,000 to

$120,000 (depending on industry) to build and market a brand.

Building your brand should be factored in as part of your start-up costs. The web-basedbrand building alone , without any advanced application development.generally runsbetween $30,000 to $75,000 for key components such as logo, collateral, custom web site,presentations, blog, email campaigns, SEO, basic PR, etc.

Here is a good article that gives more details on how to set an effective marketing budget:http://www.imageworksstudio.com/client-lounge/articles-tips/setting-a-marketing-advertising-budget.html.

You can nd detailed website design costs and marketing budgets in publications by orga-nizations such as SCORE and the USSBA. These benchmarks are based on real statisticsand actual business case studies. Venture capitalists use these benchmarks, and they arethe reason why VCs often require a reasonable marketing budget. Start with a realisticoverall marketing budget, and youll be ready for the next step.

Step 2: Building a brand and determining Web design cost for your Industry:

Budget for the full scope..Your Web site is not a stand-alone marketing tool. It is, in manycases, a prospects rst interaction with your brand. It is also the place visitors go to formand validate an opinion about your company - before they decide to take the next step. It

is the most important element of your brand image and sets the pace of your conversionprocess.

There are many necessary steps to building a highly effective web site. Just getting to thedesign phase requires an in-depth marketing discovery and strategic web marketing plan.To build a site without this plan is like building a house without a blueprint its going to fallapart.


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Here are a few of the basics that need to discuss with a marketing professionals. Youshould try this with talent from outside of your internal team to add perspective.

Your marketing goals and objectives measurable, specic, and realistic. (If we dontknow where were going, how will we know if weve arrived?)

Your value proposition from the customers perspective and how best to reect that valueproposition in the Web site strategy.

The step-by-step conversion process from entry to conversion and everything in be-tween. Consider the four major personality types and their varied buying processes.

5 Forces & SWOT analysis: how the strengths and weaknesses of your company, com-bined with the opportunities and threats, affect your Web site strategy.

The current AND desired position of your brand in relation to your competitors, and howthat affects your Web site design strategy. An analysis of what your competitors are doing and how you can outperform them. A clear assessment of the benets conferred by your products and services. Features are

cool, but people buy benets. Your value proposition why should people buy what youre selling? Calls to action how will you get prospects to act and what actions do you want them to

take?

Ah, now youre ready to start designing something almost.

Step 3: Understand the full scope of your true needs.To be successful, your Web site will need to include some of the following components andmedia. To build a site without them is like going game hunting with a pocket knife: its justnot smart.

Components and media needed for an effective online brand and to help determine a realis-tic website design cost:

A branding blueprint (marketing strategy as outlined in Step 2). A Web outline that fully integrates all navigation and makes it completely user-centric. Visual direction and messaging aligned with your marketing objectives. The physical design of your Web site home page based on agreed-upon visual direction

and messaging. Physical design of an interactive subpage template that will inform your visitors and

guide them through your site while maintaining brand identity. Professional copywriting or content optimization (yes, you do need it) that allows pros-

pects to scan information that will pique their interest and drive them toward your calls toaction.


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Flash animation to stimulate interest and communicate key points without crowding thepage.

Custom-designed blog. This is critical: Its todays free PR machine and a SEO staple. E-mail template design that matches your new online brand. This is the best ROI in mar-

keting a must-have! Online downloadable PDF brochure, something your prospects can forward to a deci-

sion maker or read on the Metro, with easily digestible information. Yum! Online forms why make it difcult for someone to contact you? Interactive forms make

inquiries a breeze and data capture automatic. Internal search engine. Forrester Research says that users abandon sites when they

cant easily nd what they are looking for. This was a top abandonment complaint in2007. A Web site search tool enables users to quickly nd the information they want,

without hassle. Search Engine Optimization Your Web site should be designed in a way that is search-

engine friendly. By thinking ahead, youll have a site that is well-positioned for SEOresults.

RSS Feeds Theres no easier way to provide your visitors with fresh content thanthrough RSS feeds not to mention the SEO value!

And the list goes on

Since most of the above items cost $1,000 to $5,000 or more each, you can quickly see thatbuilding a highly successful online brand and custom Web site is going to take a serious

investment. Yet, a Web site that is built correctly will grow revenues and awareness of yourbrand more than you can imagine.


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OK, OK, I get it! So what does a custom website design cost?

The web design cost should easily t into the budget guidelines mentioned above. The big-ger your company, the more you should invest in your online brand and the more featuresand functionality you can afford to enhance your online presence. If you invest the way a$5 million company does and youre a $45 million company, youre going to fall behind yourcompetition and fail to impress your customers.

Madison Avenue and other high-prole agencies will charge mid-six gures and more tobuild an online brand. On the other hand, you could hire a freelancer or a small Web designteam to build something for less than $3,000. But that would be more likely to hurt thanhelp. Putting the right assets in place to build an effective brand is costly, but the rewardsare substantial and ongoing.

Our (ImageWorks Studios) web design cost as of 2009 runs $5,000 - $7,500 (xed, so nosurprises!) for all graphic design, treatments, effects, advanced menu design, visual direc-tion and messaging, sub page design and the design of interactive areas (for convertingprospects).

We put A LOT of time and thought into our creative direction and designsthey are de-signed to attract customers and persuade them to interact. Additionally, when combinedwith the right content and interactive features you can make such an impact on your cus-tomers that they may already be sold before the even contact you!

Our web development cost (separate from web design cost) includes implementing yournew site design into a leading CMS (Content Management System) that has many customfeatures that will help with online marketing and site management. This cost ranges from$5,000 and up pending the size and functionality of your site.


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User Trust & CreditabilityWhy is creditability so important?

Well there are some obvious answers to thisone, but whats the one that means the mostto your organization. Its the difference innding or losing an opportunity.

What does that mean?

Higher Credibility = Better Conversion - Better Conversion = More RevenuesHigher Credibility = More Revenues

Heres the stat that should keep you up at night:

Web sales are lost due to the websites failure to build trust and credibility with thevisitor46% of the time

How long do I have to capture my visitors attention?7 seconds.Yes youre reading that right. In 7 short seconds your visitors will make a deci-sion about your website. In that 7 seconds they will:

Evaluate your visual design Scan the homepage for the information they are looking for Look for your value proposition and decide if it ts their need


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7 Elements of Highly Effective Web Design & ConversionTechniques

1) Create a Powerful Homepage Message.

Your homepage message should be a targeted, benet-oriented statement that outlineswhat you can do for the potential customer. In order to properly draft an intriguing homep-age message, you will need to identify the inherent benet to your potential customer base.

No one wants to hear that you are the best; customers want to hear why your product/ser-vice is different and what it means to them. Put more simply, customers are asking, Whatcan you do for me? Answer them.

2) Focus on Clarity.

These days, with so many people searching online for products and services, your homep-age should clearly identify who you are, what you offer, your core competitive benets, andyour supporting textall in a clean and easy-to-navigate user interface. Use graphics andpictures to help illustrate what service or product you provide, and how these benet thecustomer.

However, the homepage should be a no-uff zone. A good rule of thumb for the homepageis less is more. Make it easy for the user to understand what you do. Too much verbiage,images, and graphics will only confuse the user. White space is good. Clutter, bad!

3) Make Effective Use of Secondary Messaging.

After you have presented your homepage message, you will need to incorporate secondarymessaging on the homepage. This includes any additional messages that will be used tohelp clarify and drive home the points made in the primary message.

Secondary messaging should also entice the user to take certain stepsthat is, it should bea call to action. These calls to action could direct the user to e-mail the company for additionalinformation, phone the sales rep, download a white paper, read a recent success story, etc. Agood marketer will know how to choose a penetrating secondary message.


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4) Integrate Imagery and/or Flash to Emphasize Your Core Message.Imagery and ash animation are important parts of your homepage. To help illustrate yourcompanys core competitive benets, both strategies help customers visualize how you canmeet their needs and requirements. Most people are visually oriented, so your imagery/ ash will quickly convey and emphasize your message.

Be consistent with what you are telling your potential prospects. Align your messaging withyour visual strategies. Images and ash are also great ways to eliminate clutter; by adding avisual component to your website, you are alleviating the need for additional reference text.

5) Drive Toward a Specic Call to Action.You have already heard a little bit about calls to action, but it is such an important strategythat we have also dedicated a specic section to it. Failure to convert online potential cus-tomers into sales leads is mostly attributable to homepages that lack primary and secondarycalls to action.

A call to action can be as simple as a link that states, Contact us for more information orTell us more about your needs and we will schedule a conference call. Statistics haveproven that if you can guide web users along your sales process, you will convert more ofthem into customers.

6) Know Your Audience, and Know the Audience Within Your Audience.

OK, so maybe you dont know who Carl Jung is, but chances are, you either have taken orsoon will take a Myers-Briggs personality test. Most people can clearly state whether theyare an introvert or an extrovert; your website should cater to these and other personalitytypes. Develop your website not only for an audience that requires what you can provide,but also for disparate personalities within that audience.

Some people prefer to pick up the phone to nd out more information about your productsor services. Some may prefer to e-mail you instead. Others may want to schedule a meet-

ing. Your website should cater to as many of these personality types as possible, or elseyou will lose conversions. Make it easy for the web user to contact you . . . using whatevermethod they choose.


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7) Make Your Homepage Easy to Navigate.You must lay out your website with easy-to-navigate options and buttons. If you are a ser-vice-based company, then put an XYZ . . . Services tab on the top navigation bar. If yousell more than one service, then enable a pull-down menu showing options for your custom-ers. Allow them to select the page that they want to researchwithout having to click rst tond out more (a big no-no!).

Another strategy is to use sidebars to help users navigate as they read your content. Youwill also need to ensure that your homepage uses an interlinking strategy, so that if webusers hit the wrong button, they can easily get back on track and nd the information they

seek.The Bottom Line

Make it easy for a prospect to nd out more about your products and/or services. Createa homepage that takes the guesswork out of it by guiding web users through the process,from understanding the message to taking action. Statistics have shown that the more clicksit takes for potential customers to nd what they seek, the higher the rate at which they willabandon the website.

These guidelines will not only create a more satisfactory website experience for the end

user, but will also convert some of that scrolling web trafc into genuine sales leads. And aswe all know, the more sales leads, the more $$$. Give your website the much-needed at-tention it deserves. Your website should be your companys most effective


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Should I go it alone?

The decision to go it alone or not is really a decision that only you can make. There are ele-ments that you should take into consideration before making that decision however.

#3: Lack of expertise within your company

Dont invest valuable time and money in building a website on your own without the skillsand expertise to do it right. An amateur site is a DEAD END for your business.

#2: Myopia

You view your website differently than your customers do. An outside, impartial, and expertviewpoint may uncover something crucial in terms of design and usability.

#1: Cutting Quality Means Cutting REVENUE

Your website is the prime conversion tool for all your products and services. The more youinvest in your website, the more return youll reap from.


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1

What Should a Professional Web Design & Branding Firm

Do For You? Work with you to determine business goals and decrease the amount of time it takes to

reach your online business goals

Show you what works and doesnt work online in your specic industry which goesbeyond just visual design.

Build your online brand with a marketing rst focus, increasing awareness, raising inter-est and growing revenue.

LastlyThank you for downloading our eBook. We hope that you nd the information helpful as yougo forward with your marketing and web initiatives. Please call or email us with any ques-tions. We love what we do and we love to share what we know.

Scott Margenau

Founder

ImageWorks [email protected](800) 308-8537 x102

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