Who’s going to write your blog?

So you’ve spent XX amount of hours of your time or paid someone $X to do it for you and now you are the proud owner of a blog. (Lucky you! Congratulations!)

Now the real work begins, because no matter how eloquent and topical we think we are, making a commitment to write blog content on a regular basis is… well… a commitment. In our office, we had the bright idea to rotate blog writing duties among our staff of talented project managers, designers and coders, but here it is “blog deadline” and nothing’s been submitted by the designated blogger. So here I am, stuck with the posting duties again.

Don’t get me wrong, a blog has been a valuable asset to our online presence. In our experience, benefits of updating your blog include:

1) Increased exposure for your company on the web, adding credibility.
2) Improved SEO power! If you search for “executionists” on the web you’ll see many of the results come from our blog.
3) A chance to showcase a personal side to your company and its employees.
4) Opportunities to showcase your witty and extremely clever rhetoric on topical issues plaguing your industry today.
5) A place to have a dialog/network with your Blog readers by responding to their comments on your posts.

In conclusion, a blog is a helpful, fun and powerful marketing tool, but take heed of our warning: it takes time and concerted effort. Not much, but effort nonetheless. Hope you read, enjoy, and take to heart this week’s valuable insight.

2007 WebAward Winner!

We are proud to announce that we are the recipient of a 2007 WebAward for
Outstanding Achievement in Website Development
presented by the Web Marketing Association!

Our award was presented in recognition of our work on the Christopher Laue Productions site.

 

Christopher Laue
Executionists, Inc.
Events Standard of Excellence

Creative Director: Richard Parr
Senior Designer: Kaoru Wood
Flash Designer: Conrad Julian
Project Manager: Temy Gu

 

 

Our overall scores:

 

We are thrilled and grateful to be recognized!

Kickoff questions

Here are some key issues to think about when commissioning a web design company to make or remake your website.

1. What is your intended launch date for the new site?

2. What shortcomings existed with the previous site?

3. What are the main reasons you are redesigning your site (new business model, outdated site, expanded services, different audience)?

4. What are your primary online business objectives with the site redesign? (Examples include increased sales, marketing/branding awareness) Please discuss both long- and short-term goals.

5. Describe a typical site visitor. How often are they online, and what do they generally use the web for? Give basic demographics: age, occupation, income level.

6. What is the primary “action” the site visitor should take when coming to your site?

7. What are the key reasons why the target audience chooses your company’s products and/or services (cost, service, value)?

8. Use a few adjectives to describe how your site visitor should perceive the new site.

9. How does your company differentiate itself from competitors? Do you think your current audience differentiates you from your competition? Please list competitor URLs.

10. List the URLs of any sites you find compelling. What specifically do you like about these sites?

11. Will this site use existing content from the previous site? If so, what is the source, who is responsible for approval? If not, will you be creating content in-house or using an outside provider?

12. What is the basic structure of the content, and how is it organized? Is it a complete overhaul of the previous site or an expansion? Do you already have a sitemap or outline for the proposed redesign?

13. What is your target platform and browser? Are there specific technologies (Flash, AJAX, JavaScript, DHTML, etc.) that you would like to use in the site?

14. Briefly, what are your short-term marketing plans (specifically, for the site redesign and the 6 to 12 months following launch)?

If you can quickly and succinctly answer all of these questions, you’re well on your way to creating a great website. Knowing your target audience and exactly how you wish your site to function will help us help you expand your business.