Manifesto
8 - Simple Solution
Collaborate.
Yes, it’s that simple.
Account team defines the client’s goals, and gets together with creative team and developers, and the three of them see what’s possible. Budget, timeframe, technical realities, all of these matter and can be mixed together to create a delicious, innovate, effective dish. Once an idea is developed, if applicable, then the media team can join in and see how they can do what’s needed, if anything.
Instead, too often, the account of creative teams make these decisions, or sometimes even the media department does, and the developers are the last to join the project, and they end up building a horse-and-buggy, while others zip by in their gas and hybrid vehicles.
7 - Don’t Do Repeats
One common mistake is that companies see something get success by being new and original, so they create a copy in hopes of getting some of that success. It happens on- and offline with the same result. People may love the original, but they hate the knockoffs. Unless you can take the idea further, give it a great new twist, then find another idea.
For example, to promote The Simpsons Movie, 20th Century Fox posted a widely popular site where visitors could create an avatar of themselves in the Simpsons world. These images were EVERYWHERE: Facebook, Flickr, blogs, everywhere. And every time they appeared, they were a subtle ad for the movie (“Now on DVD!”). It wasn’t the first time that someone did this, but it was easy, fun, pretty durn accurate, and a great success.
Then came the clones, like the Mad Men version. It’s well-made (although I find it interesting that the site has ads for other sites…), but did it add to the idea at all, or was it a cheap knock-off? I think it’s a forgettable copy.
6 - Tell the Truth AND Don’t Lie
Be 100% percent honest. When you screw up, tell your fans, followers and web site visitors the complete truth before the media does.
That also means no half truths, or “omissions.” If the sale price is only valid on Tuesdays, or the two-for-one offer only applies to students, don’t piss people off by not being clear.
5 - Don’t Let Ignorance Cloud Your Possibilities
If you don’t understand or use Twitter, blogs, Facebook or whatever is hot today, find someone who does who you trust. But just because you don’t get it don’t assume no one else does.
Or is it arrogance that limits you, or ego, or fear of admitting you don’t get that cool thing that all the kids use?
It doesn’t matter; get over it, or kiss a potential audience goodbye.
People use Twitter and Facebook (and a ton of other things that I don’t get), and most likely, you want to reach them. So learn about and try them, or find and listen to someone else knows about them, and spread your wings wider.
4 - It’s About the Story. Always. The End.
If your music site is slow because of all the dog images, then why are they there? If you’re selling paint, who cares who won the world series or how you’re going to vote? Stick to your goal.
The worst offender in this category is the dreaded “eye candy,” images or design elements that make a web site look pretty without adding anything extra, and maybe without even being related to a site’s content. I’m a HUGE fan of pretty things, but only when it makes sense, when it serves your ultimate goal. But if it don’t fit, edit.
The trick is to be open-minded to see if extra material helps in any way, and sometimes it might. Maybe the dog images will help you connect with dog-owning music lovers. And fans of the the world-series-winning team or your choice for mayor may be want to support your paint. But are you ready for cat owners and fans of the opposing team or political party to go elsewhere?
3 - Only We Care How It’s Done
Only the people who build web sites care if a site is built using Flash or HTML5. In fact, even people who want a website shouldn’t care how it’s built, as long as it meets the goals (which should include accessibility).
In fact, once user has to deal with “Wait, what version of Flash do I have?” or “Will this work on my Mac?” then the magic is gone. Instead of looking for a new car or finding great music, the curtain has been pulled to reveal that the Great and Powerful Oz is just a bunch of code that most people don;t understand. So they’ll go somewhere else where they can focus again on cars and music.
The corollary to this is that someone wanting a web site should never approach a developer by saying “I want a Flash site” or “Make me a site using Ajax” because that may not be the best solution. What’s the goal of your site? Is it to display Flash or Ajax or some other form of technology? Or is it to sell cars and/or music? Unless you want web developers to tell you how you should make more blue cars and 20-minute techno epics, then let them do their job while you focus on yours.
Your goals WILL, however, dictate technology, especially when a target audience is defined. For example, if you want your site to be viewed on iPhones, then Flash isn’t an option. If you’re aiming for a college crowd, then go nuts. If “people who work for conservative, white collar companies” are your target, they may still be using Internet Explorer 6, so certain technologies may not work. It’s a complicated minefield, and a good developer will find the right path.
2 – The Two Ways to Succeed Online
Point blank:
- Make it quick and easy for your customers to do what they came to your site to do, or
- Give your customers lots of great content.
It’s that simple.
First Option:
Make it easy for customers, wether it’s to make a purchase, find information, whatever. Do get there reduce the number of steps to get form start to finish, simplify your navigation, insure there are no dead-ends, and so on.
For example, many hotel sites make you go through a number of separate screens to book a room, promising you a low rate, but then on the final screen you find out that rate is only good for certain nights, one that you didn’t pick. So you have to start again, hoping that THIS time you guessed correctly. Jet Blue, and many hotels in Las Vegas do it right by showing you a calendar with prices so you can see right away if the low room rates match your schedule.
Another example is how some sites create a one-size-fits-all way of searching for information, but that method does not fit all. Searching by color may work for kitchen appliances, but searching by BTUs is more important when looking for an air conditioner. Once when looking for an air conditioner a bad appliances site forced me to answer irrelevant questions and download useless images. I can say now I won’t be back when it’s time to buy a refrigerator, and if I tell my friends anything, it will be “skip that company’s site because they don’t know a fridge from an AC.” Instead, you want visitors to your site to say “wow, that site made it SO easy to ____________!”
Second Option:
Content is indeed king. If your site has a lot of it that is up-to-date and desirable, then people will spend more time there, and your brand will get burned into their brains as a good thing.
One great thing about this is that it’s an endless list of possibilities: articles, news, or “tips and tricks” that relate to your product or service; fun, addictive online games or toys; forums or a fully-functional social network where people can share their ideas, product uses, service success stories; and other online stuff that I can’t even think of.
The other great thing here is that it doesn’t have to be relevant content (although depending on your business that may help). So a laundry detergent site can have a new music audio sampler, or a travel site can have arcade-type games. In fact, veering from your industry may even help reduce concerns that your content is biased or unreliable. Otherwise users may suspect that a laundry detergent’s “Stain Removal Guide” will promote excessive use of the product, or a travel site’s “Travel Guide” may just want to trick you to visiting Crudville (see also “Tell the Truth AND Don’t Lie”).
Either of these increases your chances of making a sale, of having customers share how easy/great your site is with others, and of having them return to your site again and again.
1 – Start With Tools for You
When heading to the online realm, companies (and individuals) often struggle with concept, “look-and-feel,” status, and other concepts. Instead, the best place to start is to create tools that help you run your business.
For example:
- Create an online ordering system so customers can order replacement parts for your products online instead of calling your office.
- Start a forum where they can post questions and your experts and other customers can offer answers.
- Post new product or service information that is instantly accessible to the whole world instead of creating a new ad campaign.
The idea is to give you more time, and hopefully money, to do what you really do, with tools that support your business automatically. In a way, it’s like putting your oxygen mask on first, and then you can help your customers put on theirs.
From there you can tackle ways that help your existing customers, and create future customers.