ElementsDaily

As a designer with years of experience under my belt, working with and integrating color schemes into both print and web pages has always been a bit of a challenge, and it’s not something I take lightly. Color plays such a vital role in anything designed — it sets the mood and tone of the work, targets market appeal, brand and market position and even implication of the work (which identical Mercedes Benz ‘looks’ more expensive — a black one or a green one? I’ll quote Wesley Snipes: “Always bet on black”).

Enter ColorSchemer Studio. I used to use color theory books galore, and still rely on my own sense and experience with color, but ColorSchemer Studio ($49.99) is now officially in my arsenal. It’s a powerful little app that isn’t overly complicated, and does the job very, very well. And that is — speeds up the process of color selection, down to the nuances, and gives you a nice, simpatico color palette to work with. You can even work ‘backward’ by taking an image, picking a few key colors letting the ColorSchemer generate a palette from those.

When finished, export your palette in a number of compatible file types for the development program you’re working in. For casual users ColorSchemer offers less expensive version that retains the core application but without some of the bells and whistles.

I highly recommend this app for designers — web, print or other. It makes what could be a frustrating and painful job a whole lot easier. Enjoy!

Franchise companies have many challenges, one of which is local marketing. Traditionally, it has been difficult to produce consistent local marketing campaigns that drive leads to the local office. These campaigns normally consist of some sort of direct mail, “yellow pages” or print advertising, all of which are becoming much less effective in these techno-savvy times.

A new recipe for local marketing includes 2 cups website, 1/2 cup email, 1 cup search engine and a dash of tracking. Mixed well to make a successful local marketing campaign.

2 cups Website – A website is made of visual imagery and textual content. When mixing up your website, please choose only natural and relevant text for your content. This will allow the search engine and website to blend well together and produce a better tasting (more leads) dish. Use the combination of visual imagery and text to produce the fragrant smell (call to action) that entices your guests (site visitors) heads toward the kitchen (your contact information)

1/2 cup Email – An email is one page of your website delivered to your contact’s email box. It’s a combination of problem-solving and education. If you can brew these two items together to create interest and anticipation then you have succeeded in stirring up interest in your website. Email should never outwardly sell your services, but should educate your customer.

1 cup Search Engine – Search engine is the final and most often forgotten ingredient to your successful local marketing campaign. Search engine is only effective if it is incorporated well with website. If your website and search engine have similar content then customers will find website in their search engine queries.

A dash of Tracking – To realize success is to measure success. Use Google analytics to track your website and your traffic sources to understand if these ingredients are producing an increase in customers coming to your website. This tool will also show you the increase the number of customers who contact you.

We hope you enjoy this new recipe! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Your web site’s home page design should be insightful and creative. It should engage your clients and guide them through your site, compelling them to take action in the places you specify. Your home page is also your client and future clients’ first impression of you as a person, company, brand, product and/or service. And at the hyper-speed with which everything technological moves these days, you want your home page to do it all and say it all – all in a few minutes.

Eye Contact

A visually appealing design will draw your clients into your site, but placing your important messaging and calls to action in prime locations encourages them to stay and participate. By structuring your home page effectively, you’ll create a visual hierarchy that provides users with an intuitive path through your home page.

Understanding how users’ eyes typically move on a web page will help give some logic to getting the most from your home page’s real estate. Most users’ eyes begin either in the upper left corner of the page or in the middle of the page and then move to the upper left corner. So, placing your company logo and possibly your brand messaging in the upper left corner is a great start.

Your clients’ eyes may then scan across the top of the page to the upper right corner. This path is logical based on Western readers reading from left to right and generally follows your main navigation bar. The users’ eyes may then zig back left and down, so putting calls to action or action items in a left side bar (buy now, join now, learn more) tells your users how to participate.

Typically, your users’ eye movement zags the rest of the page ending in the lower right corner of the page. So, this gives you another chance to make an impact on your client.

Remember, these are general eye movement theories*. There are many other synergistic factors that draw your clients into the site and compel them to move through the page and stay on your site.

This Company Speaks to Me

Establish your credibility immediately on your home page with accurate and compelling content. Your home page introduction should not be a dissertation because users “scan” and “skim” more than read. Convey what you do or are offering to your audience and why you do it better than your competition. Get this message across in the first minute of their visit.

Make your headlines inspiring and informative. “Welcome to my home page” misses the boat…think Ferris Bueller’s econ teacher, “anyone…anyone.” Establishing what you do or what you want your clients to know in your headline is much more interesting. For example, we want our clients and our future clients to know that we “Know why. Know how.” We know why our clients need our products and services and we know how to implement solutions to achieve our client’s goals.

Your content should be relevant to your target audience and make clients say, “this company speaks to me.” Educating your customers with information they want and need gives them a reason to visit, stay, and return, again and again.

Are We There Yet?

Easy and intuitive navigation is a must for your home page and web site. Web sites that use breadcrumbs help their clients navigate backward. This is especially helpful if your site is large. Also, limiting the amount of levels your users need to “drill down” into to find the info they want is good user-friendly design. Making your clients and users work to find information is a great tool to drive them away. Users equate a poorly organized site with the quality of your company, product or service.

• ~ Place important page links in several place on the page (main navigation, side bars, call to action buttons)
• ~ Offer different ways to get there. Use both text links and graphic buttons for site navigation.
• ~ Organize content on your page so it’s logical. Place the most important message pieces in prime spots “above the fold.”

Less is More

Graphical elements can add elegance to your home page. But, if your design is not thoughtful, your site can look and feel like a three-ring circus. Your graphics should fit your company’s messaging and branding. Flash might be snazzy, but it can also be distracting to search engine spiders and eat up valuable user time. Automated slide shows are a nice alternative. Used wisely, slide shows dynamically feature multiple images in one place. If your business requires other images on the same page, give careful attention to the number of other images and their sizes relative to your main image area.

Interactivity

Calls to action such as joining your e-newsletter, signing up for a monthly email, donating online or buying your product offer your users direct interaction with you in a click of a button…well, a click and then some data entry. These links or graphic button links should be clearly labeled and strategically placed. Putting an important call to action or two in various places on your home page gives your clients several opportunities to participate.

Keyword Relevancy and Density

Search engines are looking for relevant keywords within your content. This doesn’t mean just repeating your keywords over and over; they need to be written logically into the text. A good rule of thumb is between 150-250 keyword rich content. You can write more, but keep in mind that scrolling can sometimes be an issue for users. Keep your main messaging “above the fold” for good measure.

Double-Check and Check Again

Links that go back home, nowhere or contain 404 errors are frustrating for your clients. Typos and grammatical errors are a big no-no. Invest in the time to make sure your message is proofread and spelled correctly. With spelling and grammar check programs, there is no excuse for these errors on your home page. It destroys your clients’ confidence in you and creates the impression that you are not competent, therefore whatever your offering is of poor quality.

Make your page visually stimulating and easy to navigate. Optimize your branding and calls to action by placing these messages in strategically smart locations. Make your sparkling content accurate and error-free. Remember, your home page is your first impression and sometimes, you only get one chance to make it a lasting one.

*We will discuss eye movement and web site design more in-depth soon!

In today’s interactive environment; design, marketing and creative companies rely on their high-powered creative professionals, executives and sales teams to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

BUT … these leaders can only promise you an unsurpassed product or service, they, themselves, generally are not delivering the end result.

THIS is left to another member of the team, the project manager.

Tasked-based project planning and management is the backbone of successful enterprise Internet marketing initiatives. This is the essential element to effective PM and driving both internal and external accountability. Using PMI best practices for project planning, change management, risk management and resource allocation provide stability, predictability and control to any large complex project.

Project managers often walk the fine line between micro-managing and holding team members accountable for hitting targets. The task-based plan empowers individual team members to take control, especially on large web interactive projects – and it provides a clear level of accountability to the team as well as to the client.

By applying the task-based PM practices, the Elements team is able to deliver world-class products and exceptional customer service.

THE REAL DIFFERENCE is the project manager who is committed to superior service.

Michael Boyer, CMO of ELEMENTS, shares a “Core Belief” that guides our project management methodologies and superior service goals.

The humility of the transparent (Service: authentic people, real service)
To be of service to others lies at the core of the meaning of honesty. For to facilitate lasting change and progress the goal must be to do the good thing, the right thing, and to speak the truth. It is from this place of honesty that we do well.

Thus our way is to share, in service to our clients and partners, what makes us special. We are a transparent company; our clients and partners can feel our passion, touch our intelligence, hear our camaraderie, see our energy and sense our difference. We have quiet values yet we hold them fiercely; we have our custom definitions of quality, value and professionalism.

And at the end of the day we ask the simple questions ‘Did we matter?’ and ‘Have we contributed?’ for the measure of our longevity will be in how others judge us. In an era when change is a whirling dervish it is the fact that we come back time and time again to a place of transparent humility that will enable our world to see us and our company for what it is – human, real, humble and different.

Cultivating users and customers who return to your site is no easy task. What? Your business doesn’t offer a product that you can advertise as “special clearance!” or “for a limited time only!” that will entice users back? Well, developing repeat customers the “write” way can keep you connected to them as well as build your reputation as an industry leader, grow your brand awareness and spark interest from prospective clients.

First Things, First

Unless you have a way to capture your users’ contact information, you won’t be able to send out an online marketing campaign. You’ll need an online marketing manager that includes a database to store your client information list.

That in place, include a “join us” or “sign up” call to action prominently on your website, in multiple places (tastefully). Whether the user visits your site once or several times, or visits one page or explores your entire site, that call to action should always be available.

Special E-livery

For any company, e-newsletters and/or e-mail campaigns are a logical start. Make no mistake, however, compelling and successful campaigns take work

• ~ Share your knowledge and choose a topic relevant to your client base to focus on. Whether it’s an intro or advanced level topic for a service, clear and direct copywriting will always inspire learning. Include tips and advice – builds trust and shows your expertise.
• ~ Providing an in-depth view of a product or service may also introduce clients to something new. Emphasizing benefits rather than features encourages the customer to view you as a solution-provider. How are you leaps and bounds in front of your competitors? Leading with benefits inspire confidence in your company, your brand and your product.
• ~ If your clients experience a Success Story, write about it. Testimonials about your product or service increase your credibility. Real life stories also give your campaign another dimension and human touch – your customers relate to each other.
• ~ Q&As and interviews are a creative way to break up the content of the newsletter while offering quick nuggets of information. Generate participation by inviting your clients to submit questions and choose a few to answer. Or, a more interesting approach is to interview another expert in the field answering the question. Your partner should offer a product or service that complements your own.
• ~ If you do offer a product for sale online, sending an e-mail campaign featuring products often encourages return visits. Whether it’s seasonally, monthly or weekly, schedule the email consistently so that your customers look forward to “what’s next?”

What Can New Do For You?

“New” and “free” and “Improved”…but especially “new” and “free” attract us like…well, you know. They are probably the most attractive and potent words product and service providers can use in marketing and advertising. There are studies that show that something in “new” activates a reward center in our brain. And whether the reward is to be the first to get the newest, shiniest widget, or to learn something new, it’s a great tool for online marketing as well.

Advertising new products on your site and in your e-marketing campaigns is a no-brainer, the novelty is built in.

If your company doesn’t offer a product? This “new” does not necessarily involve developing a new service each month…it’s you “new” content. Keep your site content (articles and images) updated regularly. Your users will return often to see what’s “new.” If your content doesn’t change for months and months, your web analytics return rate will probably reflect that.

An excellent source of new content is your own company news – New and Press, Press Releases, Media, Press Center. Give your news some prominence on your home page, include a spot for it in your main navigation and make it easy to find. More importantly, keep on top of issuing your news – being diligent about this takes commitment and dedication. Sending out monthly news is good; sending out weekly news is great!

It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It

• ~ Your writing should paint a picture in your client’s head: write in the active voice (who did what, rather than what was done by whom.
• ~ Be persuasive and clear: avoid the $25 paragraph to say 25-cents worth of message.
• ~ Be engaging in your approach: clever writing balanced with professionalism in a tone that is appropriate to your message: urgent-action needed; helpful; warm-fuzzy; fun.
• ~ Write to inspire action: think about radio spots or movie reviews – they’re quick and evocative, and they make you want to see the movie.

One-on-One

Write as if you were talking to your best user or client. Your ONE best user or client. Writing as if you were presenting your widget or widget service to your entire client list takes away from the personalization of your message. Writing on a personal level, like a one-on-one conversation addresses your client’s individual needs…just the way he or she receives your e-mail or e-newsletter – as an individual.

Journalism 101

Learn the upside-down paragraph used in journalistic writing. Write general to specific. Remember to lead with benefits, so start with that in your headline. Repeat that benefit early on in first paragraph and include a few more benefits as well. Detail the features and logistics of how your company delivers your benefits in the following paragraphs. Learn it, use it, live it!