Jun
25

25 Items to Address in a Website Redesign

Here are some notes I came across from a while ago on items to address when you are going through a website re-design so you don’t have to do another one in a long time.  This includes online marketing items mainly and does not address web design in and of itself much – more on the lines of search engine optimization and persuasion architecture.

Website Refresh Items

1. Define value from customer’s perspective and multiple personas.
2. Focus on emotion.
3. Focus on end-benefits (from all clients)
4. What are the customer’s real needs/wants?
5. “Why should I buy from you?”
6. What other options are there?  Address them.
7. How is your product and company different from others?
8. What process does the client go through to buy the product/service?
9. What information do they need to know before they buy?
10. Establish trust!
11. Identify clearly points-of-action.
12. Internal linking!  Link keywords to relevant pages.
13. Find “hidden area” – information they are looking for that they can not find anywhere else.
14. How? Why? Who? What?
15. Be relevant – address needs, values, beliefs.
16. Make copywriting personal!  “you” not “We” – address feelings.
17. Establish confidence!  Use emotion to appeal.
18. Scanning – use headings, quotes, links, bullet lists.
19. Homepage – communicate UVP and get them to click deeper.

Generating Leads

1. Time is precious to clients, value it and get their attention by showing how you can help their business by speaking in their terms.
2. Questions potential clients have:

1. 1. How will this service help my company?
   2. We’re doing okay, why do we need it?
   3. Is there another company out there that is better?
   4. Will their solution really work?  Can they prove it?
   5. Is the company credible?
   6. Can we afford it?

1. Focus on the positive aspects, not negative pain points.  Ask the client ‘where do you want to be after this project?’
2. Automate lead generation with items such as messagemaker that are based on actions and behaviors taken by the lead.
3. Use stories and case studies to communicate with your leads.
4. Increase the likelihood of closing deals:

1. 1. Design marketing communications for each phase of the sales cycle, from awareness through consideration to purchase.
   2. Focus your marketing efforts on points in the buying process where high potential prospects are leaving.
   3. Increase face-face time you have with clients.
   4. Track marketing leads that close.

Posted in SEO, Web & SEO

Jun
25

Using Module Tabs to Enhance Usability

Not far from the offices of Twelve Horses is the West Shore of Lake Tahoe. A beautiful place where dramatic snow-covered mountains cascade downward in to the sparkling blue waters of one of the clearest, most breathtaking bodies of water in the world. Juxtaposed to this raw beauty are businesses that depend on the Web to communicate their brand to the wayward traveler looking for information to help them make informed decisions.

Last year, Homewood Mountain Resort came to Twelve Horses for a website redesign, which you may have read about here. Like many of our website design projects, we were tasked with organizing large amounts of information into a user-friendly format that satisfies both the client and their end user. A common practice we employ to accomplish this delicate balancing act are module tabs or user interface (UI) design patterns. Whenever possible, we strive to accompany these tabs with both text and graphics to improve the experience.

Smashing Magazine just recently published an article titled, Module Tabs in Web Design: Best Practices and Solutions. The article features Homewood Mountain Resort along with some other exceptional examples of module tabs being used to optimize web pages. Here is an excerpt from the article:

A module tab is a User Interface (UI) design pattern where content is separated into different panes, and each pane is viewable one at a time. The user requests content to be displayed by clicking (or in some instances hovering over) the content’s corresponding tab control.

Module tabs are seeing an increase of use as websites and web applications push for optimizing web page screen areas without sacrificing the amount of information presented at once. For example, in weblogs,  they are used in secondary content sections (such as the sidebar) to present relevant and interesting information such as a listing of blog posts which users can interact with to get to web pages quicker. This inevitably allows for an unobtrusive and compact manner of presenting content.

This article discusses the use of the module tabs design pattern for use in websites and web-based applications. We share with you some best practices to consider when using module tabs, a listing of real-world examples of websites the take advantage of module tabs, as well as tutorials and free downloadable scripts for building and deploying module tabs in your sites.

Give it a read.

Posted in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Member Orgs, Reno-Tahoe, Salt Lake City, Service Industry, Travel & Tourism, Utah, Web & SEO

Jun
18

Fundraiser for Cycling & Arts Community June 23rd

TUESDAY, JUNE 23RD, DOORS AT 7PM, SCREENING AT 8PM

Downtown Reno: Nevadan Hotel, 3rd Floor Club Cal Neva (West side of Virginia Street)

Proceeds benefit Reno Bike Project and The Holland Project

Register Now

On the heels of National Bike Month, the Tour De Nez and the Reno Film Festival, Reno’s cycling culture gets a special pre-release screening of Veer. This award-winning, feature length documentary film explores America’s fast-growing bicycling culture by profiling five people whose lives are inextricably tied to bicycling and the bike-centric social groups they belong to. The film follows these characters over the course of a year, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their personal struggles and triumphs. 

Described as a “breakthrough documentary,” the film made its world premiere at the Victoria Film Festival earlier this summer and has won a Jury Award for Best Doc at the Calgary Film Festival, won Best Documentary at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Documentary at the San Joaquin International Film Festival. Veer examines what it means to be part of a community, and how social movements are formed.

REGISTER NOW AND GET YOUR TICKETS

CHECK OUT THE FACEBOOK EVENT

FLICKR PICS AND GOODS

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

TRAILER

Come out and support your local community cycling and arts organizations!

The event is a benefit fundraiser for the Reno Bike Project, a community bicycle shop and cycling advocacy organization, and the Holland Project, Reno’s non-profit youth-run arts, music and culture organization. Sponsors include Twelve Horses, Club Cal Neva, Chrome Bags, Jet Lites, and Silver Peak (“It’s only beer, and it’s only at Silver Peak Reno.”).

See you there!

Posted in Reno-Tahoe, Social, Travel & Tourism, events

Jun
15

Bolstering Social Media Marketing with Video Production

Our very own, Mike Henderson aka Mehwolfy, I Am Indisposed, Tallcan.tv, and Team Bacon Strip – to name a few – is giving a presentation tomorrow on “Making Video Social” to the Social Media Club in Sacramento.  He is joined by Evan Solomon from Justin.tv. You can read the original press release here at Sacramento Press.

Mike has a lot of experience producing videos, and proliferating them online, for service industries, travel and tourism, and non-profits. He has his own unique style that goes above and beyond the typical boring corporate messages that do little to resonate with their audience. Mike mixes amusement and creativity with tested experience in social media and video production.

There is no cost to participate, but it is requested that attendees register for the event online at: http://smcsac0616.eventbrite.com/. Space is limited, so those interested in participating are encouraged to RSVP today.

Posted in Reno-Tahoe, Social, Video, Web & SEO