In a recent Sales Caffeine email newsletter from Jeffrey Gitomer, there is an article by Michelle Joyce on Making Transactions Memorable.  She had a pleasant experience at the McDonald’s drive thru in Huntersville, North Carolina, and summarized what made the transaction memorable.
 
These three simple steps can be considered website redesign tips to improve user experience at your eCommerce websites and in all your interactive marketing efforts.

1.  Start with a smile and engage your prospect in a friendly manner.  Would you do business with someone you didn’t like?  Well, neither would your prospect.  This guy made me like him – immediately.  When he made that connection, the transaction became enjoyable and personal.  It was all about me, not just my order. 

2.  Offer alternative solutions.  People want choices.   Don't assume that your customer is aware of them.  Uncover their needs and help them make a choice.  McDonald's already mastered the upsell technique with their famous line, “Do you want fries with that?”  What kind of additional features and services can you upsell?  What kind of additional revenue are you leaving on the table at every sale?

3.  End the transaction with something memorable.  When is the last time that a fast food worker told you to “drive safely”?  Usually, it is the perfunctory "thank you” and “have a nice day”; but this guy made me feel like he was genuinely concerned about my personal safety.  What are you saying to your customers that make them remember you personally?

Michelle ends by saying:  The reality is that people are still buying products and services in this economy.  The only question is "Will they buy them from you?"

Definition 6 is an interactive marketing agency that can help you make a connection to your users, whether customers or prospective ones.  We are experts in website development and custom application development.  Even though we are an Atlanta Ad Agency, we have clients across the US that we help differentiate themselves from their competition.

I just got a call from a strategic business partner, and as an Interactive Advertising Agency we stay up to speed on most things in the marketplace, and he was calling me from a break at a conference for his company.  As he said hello, I congratulated him on their company raising another round of VC dollars.  He said "Wow, how did you know that?!"  I told him simple; Twitter!  I was a follower of his company's partner account and at the same time they told the company they tweeted about it.  Interactive communications is so fast, that in less than 5 minutes the word was out!  Now this is a great story because they are an eMail marketing partner of ours, he is a long time friend and the news was good.  We talked about what the investment meant to his company and our partnership, we discussed how online ad agency business was continuing to see good growth this year and that 2010 was going to be a great year, and hung up smiling.

Now what if the news had been bad?  What if they had a meeting that was altering the relationship with partners and it was negative?  And someone had tweeted about it? I suspect our call wouldn't have been the same. 

Let's talk about your online interactive marketing and message management.  Do you have a twitter monitoring policy?  Do you have an account?  Do you follow your partners, customers, employees, competitors?  I do, you should too. Website Development is a very small part of being digital, search engine optimization is only a part as is eMail or even PPC. The big parts are listening, monitoring, and watching the ecosystem and being informed as quickly as possible to make decisions as rapidly as possible.  So next time you are with your Interactive Ad Agency, ask them what they know and when they learned it.  You will be amazed at how fast Digital has become.

Director of Software Development, Graham Street on the popularity of website integration with content management tools.

I've been noticing in recent months that the development projects crossing my desk for estimation have more and more in common. It's CMS, CMS and more CMS (Content Management Systems.)  Everyone feels entitled to have administrable content on their corporate website. CMS solutions have been around since the good old days of dial-up BBS systems. They've been steadily improving every day, from complicated systems that allow you to jump through 10 hoops to edit a sentence, to 1 hoop to edit a whole page. But this incremental improvement in CMS technology doesn't explain the spike of interest that I am speaking of.   

My father even asked me about a CMS topic on a recent trip home. This is the same Dad who showed me Lotus 1-2-3 on my first Compaq 286 in 1984. I still receive all tabular correspondence from him as a 1-2-3 attachment. So for him to be asking about easy self administration of web content for a non-profit, I was a little perplexed.. Excited and definitely proud, but also perplexed.

It's like activism for free speech at the corporate level. Only the cause for oppression is the "old system" that either allows very limited content administration, or perhaps offers too much flexibility with no boundaries, requiring that "editors" learn a syntactically obscure markup language specific to their respective system.  

As an employee of an online agency, with experience in website development and website integration, I hear things like "I want to update every page on my site, and I want to be able to do it just like I do here on my MySpace." It seems these users have learned how easy it "should be" to author some content and publish it to a web-page. I'm quite sure we can thank MySpace, FaceBook and Gmail for much of this. They've set a precedent for what is literally "even your parent could use it" usability standards.       

This new user group is a diverse group of people from all walks of life, from all generations,  who are ready to add content to their respective  enterprise's website. And where CMS systems do not already exist to support that in those organizations,  they're ready to spearhead an initiative to get it implemented,  because they know it can be done at a competitive cost,  almost as easily as creating a new my space page.

Steve West, a Definition 6 Senior Graphic Designer, recently shared his thoughts with our Creative Team on conventional verses non-conventional website development...

October marked the 10 year anniversary of the original iMac computer. When it came out was met with polarized opinions for and against the little desktop computer. Instead of the beige or gray computer box with a separate monitor, it was a complete computer in a jelly colored case. Aside from looks, it also came standard with what was a new connection, USB 1.0 and did away with the floppy drive only coming with a built in CD drive. At the time it was widely criticized for doing away with the ubiquitous floppy drive because that was considered the normal way to store data.

The same strategy can be used for website development. As the internet has continued to grow and evolve, standards have become entrenched. The most common being that the logo should be in the upper left with the navigation to the top or down the left side. Who says that your website has to do the same? When does one make the decision to continue following the "norm" or even the competition?

Magnum Photos website, http://www.theplaceswelive.com, is an example of an easy to navigate site that's visually enticing as well as a bit unconventional. The main navigation is placed in the upper right. While in a different location it's easy to find and use since the type is white on a black background and the rollover state makes the type bold. Along with color, there are only five links but they¹re also a bit unconventional by having the home button on the far right instead of the left. As you dive into the site you're greeted with large images on the left with the copy pertaining to the section on the right. This seems pretty easy to use so why all the fuss? Because it¹s not what's normally done.

For Magnum to put the photos large and to the left makes sense since this is a site showcasing photography for their new book. Photographers in general seem to forgo conventions and blaze a path that engages the user to explore their sites. The better photographers have put more into this idea of engaging users and built both large showcases of their work but also created an environment that takes users on a journey. Photographer Jill Greenberg's site, http://www.manipulator.com, showcases her large body of work in both an easy to use navigation as well as thumbnails that you can peruse through choosing to view larger. What's more interesting about this site is that it's a few years old but still seems fresh. While the content is regularly updated, the unconventional nature makes it feel different from other sites. So there's really no need to revamp it, just update the work that's showcased.

In this post, usability is something that should be discussed. To put your menu off to the right or even bottom right isn't a license dismiss usability. When you break the convention, consistency is paramount. Putting your menu in a new location on each page may seem like a fun idea but after a couple of clicks followed by a search for your navigation, your user is going to become frustrated and most likely move on. Consistency needs to be maintained and once usability is established, your user will continue to navigate effortlessly through your site.

So what can breaking conventions do for you? It's a great start to separate you from your competitors and it also portrays your company as a bit different. The web is a great place to brave new approaches that help your company stand out and call attention to what you do. After all, when was the last time you saw a computer with a floppy drive?

Mike Reese, a Definition 6 Technical Project Manager, discussed an artice he read in Website Magazine...

So you've invested time and money to get people to your site, now what? You've got 10 seconds to not only interest that visitor, but to engage them in some action on the site. You can achieve this by knowing your users and grouping them accordingly by interests and goals. Each group should know what you have that they want, and how to get it.

Mike mentioned some key points related to business website development:

1. Defining personas goes a long way in developing an accurate design that engages each type of user.
2. Users notice visual design, whether or not it relates to them and if it is up-to-date.
3. Make sure that the content and navigation is structured in a way that makes sense to your user and be sure the site has a purpose.

Mike's final thoughts to the group was that there are a lot of things that can happen in a short amount of time - a lot of tangents users can engage in that will inevitably take them off course from their primary goals. Focus on the goals of user segments, what is important to them and display that in a visually appealing way. Make it easy for them to engage. We don't want a design that's visually appealing and then leaves the user frustrated with where to go after that first experince has been absorbed. An online agency can really focus on the design elements and layout that will keep a user on the site for more than a few seconds - ultimately leading to a conversion.  The full article can be viewed at: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/articles/User_Personas_Wireframes_First_Ten_Seconds.aspx

Cecilia Barella, a Definition 6 Account Coordinator, recently discussed an article she read on Forrester...

The Hispanic population is one of the fastest growing population in the US however they are still underserved online. Companies should know that while only one-fourth of Hispanics must be served in Spanish, more than half of online Hispanics would prefer to be served in Spanish. Often due to the uncertainty over the benefits of creating a Spanish-language site, many marketers miss out on this market that is full of opportunities in email marketing, search engine optimization, and website development.

Cecilia focused on a few key points in the article:

1. Spanish-preferring online consumers fit at least one of four criteria . The more
criteria they select, the more likely they are to prefer Spanish over English. More than half of online Hispanics fit into one of these four criteria, and 23% of them fit into three or four of them. The four criteria are as follows:
 
• “I am more comfortable visiting Web sites that are Spanish-language.” Thirty-two percent of
online Hispanics agree with this statement.
• “I get more of the information I need when using a Spanish-language Web site.” Almost 30% of Spanish-preferring Hispanics agree with this.
• “I am more likely to trust companies that have Spanish-language Web sites.” Twenty-eight percent of Spanish-preferring Hispanics agree with this notion, revealing that a Spanishlanguage site is not just about reach but is also about brand trust and customer goodwill.
• Spend at least half of their Internet time in Spanish. Twenty-six percent of Spanish-preferring Hispanics fall into this group.   
 
2. Understand your existing and potential customers to see if their needs match your product or service. For example:
• Attitudes. More than half of Spanish-preferring Hispanics would be more likely to research products online if they could do it in Spanish, and they are more concerned about price than English-preferring Hispanics.
• Demographics. Online Spanish-preferring Hispanics have larger households and more children than English-preferring Hispanics, meaning that messaging around kids and family will have high impact with this group.
• Acculturation.  82% of Spanish-preferring online Hispanics are first-generation in the US. Some sites should not only focus on pushing products to this Market but also educating them in certain processes.

3. Make A Multichannel Spanish-Language Commitment.
Make sure that your Hispanic consumers have a seamless experience across all the channels in which they need Spanish.  Also, make sure that the content is culturally relevant and updated frequently.

Cecilia's concluding thoughts were that competition for Spanish-preferring consumers will accelerate, and companies that get in early with a Spanish language site have an advantage when it comes to building greater brand awareness and relationships within the Hispanic community. There are also multiple ways to do this.  Some examples are: using translator services, having a spanish-language minisite, having a landing page, or a second site.  An Interactive Advertising Agency, like Definition 6, can help you create a winning multi-cultural strategy for long lasting results.  The full article can be viewed at: http://forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,42066,00.html

Small business owners are affiliating their brand with charities as an alternate marketing channel.  Truth be told, people like to associate themselves with businesses that support causes so it's a win-win for the company and for their target audience.  In an article found on www.frugalmarketing.com, the author details ideas and strategies on how to help businesses expand their marketing opportunities while engaging in charitable giving.  Below are a few key points from the article:

1. Don't hesitate to use charitable marketing because you think it will take advantage of a cause.  In actuality, many charities want to partner with a business and they understand that it is mutually beneficial.
2. When choosing a charity to participate in, look for charities that will not only provide meaningful exposure but also one in which your target audience would be most likely to participate in.
3. Maximize exposure by associating your name with your charity.
4. Partner with a charity to focus on a niche market in order to bring new customers to you and new members to your charity.

Charitable marketing is a great way to optimize your marketing dollars whether that be through targeted email marketing, website development or interactive media.  To read the full article, go to: http://www.frugalmarketing.com/dtb/charity.shtml

I've been in the online marketing space for almost a decade now.  I still remember the days of of brochure-ware and when the website was just an afterthought.  Today, the web has become the hub for most marketing efforts.  In the world of online marketing and website development, one area that marketers still fall short is embracing the real power of interactive...the constant exchange of value for action taken by the end user.  This ebb and flow of reward for activity is where the real power of interactive marketing lies.

As an interactive media agency, it becomes critical to not only understand where the target is and how to find them, but to understand the context in which the message will be delivered.  Only then can a real value exchange be created where the user is reward for taking the desired actions.   Search Engine Optimization solutions are the simplest example of this...creating targeted landing pages designed to be more relevant to the end user based on the specific search made.  Web Application Development also needs to take this into consideration...when asking a user to fill out a form of personal, specific information, that user should get a result that is personal and relevant to them.  Each exchange of information should reward the user and open up the possibility of taking another action with even more reward.