Knowledge
The Friendly Receptionist would not be very good at her job if all she did was act super friendly, but not actually know anything. Similarly the best designed website is no good if the information isn’t easily accessible, concise, and above all pertinent. Many businesses, new to the internet, tend to want to include every tiny detail of their business online so as to reach every possible customer. It’s great if your Salon sells hair products, but if 90% of your business is made through selling hair cuts, then the information for your hair products does not need to be as featured as the information about hair cuts. A better approach is to think like a customer and assume your website is your Friendly Receptionist. What information should she have readily available?

Warmth
We all have experience with the other type of receptionist as well. The one who knows everything about everything, but is so cold, and unfriendly that you really try not to bother her and find out what you need on your own. That’s how some websites are. The information they have is great unfortunately it is just too “ugly” to access. The wonderful information that you need is hidden in such a cold unfriendly way, that you’d almost rather just find it elsewhere. This problem is just as serious as the lack of information on an otherwise “friendly” site. How can she help anyone if they don’t want to spend anytime with her, or are afraid to approach her?

You Care
The best websites have the information you need, in a “wrapper” that is friendly and easy to use. Why are these two things so important? It tells your customer’s, that you care about them. We want to feel like the people and businesses we interact with care about us and our satisfaction. We want those businesses to make us feel like they are working with us towards a common goal. Design Extensions is here to make sure that you feel cared about, by making sure that we adhere to the principles of the Friendly Receptionist when designing, and building your website. Simple, beautiful websites, with easy to navigate menus, easy to access information, presented in a friendly inviting way will keep clients coming back, and recommending you to their friends.

You can still find the right designer, though, if you know where to look, and what to look for. Here are five things you definitely want to know about any web design team before you hire them:

1. 1. How past clients feel about their work. It’s one thing to look through a designer’s portfolio, but if you really want to get the story, you have to make a few phone calls. Talk to former clients and see what their impressions of the work, and the design process, were like. Whether you get good feedback or bad, these are things you want to know before you sign on the dotted line.
2. 2. If they will still be able to help you tomorrow. Your site might be basic right now, but there’s no guarantee it will stay that way. In fact, if your launch is a success, it’s probably not going to be long before your company needs help with online videos, secure site areas, databases, content management systems, and search engine optimization to name a few – services that smaller or newer firms might not be able to offer.
3. 3. Whether they have a bottom line vision. This is more important than most business owners realize. These days, when you hire a designer, you shouldn’t just be getting a layout and some HTML code – what you need is the first step towards a comprehensive online marketing plan. Be sure that any designer you work with can help you integrate your new website to search engines, social media, and more. You’ll need that exposure to gain new customers over the Internet.
4. 4. What their fees are… Obviously, the numbers are going to be an important part of the discussion. Be aware, however, that quality always costs more, and that more than one web design client has been burnt by falling for bid that was “too good to be true.”
5. 5. … and what those fees include. Web hosting, updates, content, and add-on features are just a few of the things you might want for your web design team, but might not be included in their rock-bottom bid. Find out exactly what you are paying for before you agree to any work. Or better yet, choose a vendor with a long reputation of quality work, no one that’s going to nickel and dime you at every step of the process.

There might be more web design companies to choose from than there were in the past, but that doesn’t mean that the right decision has to be any less clear. Take the time to do a little bit of research and get the answers to these five crucial questions – it’s not as easy as choosing the lowest bid, but it’s going to leave you a lot happier, and more profitable, in the long run.

(Republished from our recent article in Valacious Magazine in St. Augustine, Florida)

But before you run out and jump at all the new opportunities that are coming your company’s way, don’t forget to take care of one of the most critical parts of your business… one that brings in new revenue, handles customer service problems, lets you market to the globe, and try out new products all at once, 24 hours a day.

I’m talking about your website.

A lot of owners, facing a tough business environment over the past couple of years, have elected to hold off on a new design or any major upgrades. That’s understandable. But now, with customers coming in through the front doors once again, many are concentrating on offline promotions and improvements. After all, if the site is doing a pretty decent job right now, why mess with it?

That’s a dangerous line of thinking. Because, if recent history is any guide, the buyers aren’t just coming back the way they were before; the American economy is evolving into something more competitive – and a lot more digital – than it ever was before. Your website is the one piece of your marketing mix that can keep you in the game.

Here are four reasons improving your website might be your best investment right now:

It sells. The bottom line is that websites are good for the bottom line. They help you reach more buyers, and sell more products or services, than any other marketing medium can.

It has a farther reach than your advertising pieces or sales staff… and at a fraction of the cost. Whether you want customers from out of state or overseas, a website is your best choice to find them.

New forms of online marketing are taking hold. Until recently, social media has just been a cool buzzword to throw around; now it might be a way to find new business. Making sure your site is equipped for social media marketing is a good first step.

It reduces costs. If your customers can look up and change their account information, order history, and shipping details, online, they don’t have to call you or your employees on the phone for routine tasks.

As the owner of a web design and online marketing company, I will admit that I am biased towards websites as a business investment. But that’s only because I have seen what they can do for a company’s growth. The online component of business success isn’t going away any time soon. If anything, it’s becoming more important as the economy recovers.

Keep that in mind, and keep up with your online marketing. It just might be the single smartest investment you can make right now.

(Republished from our article in the St. Augustine Women’s Journal)

This is the first edition of this series and is focused on a product called Basecamp by 37signals

We have used Basecamp since February of 2005. Since that time, our gross sales have increased over 3 times what they were at that time. A big part of that is Basecamp.

Basecamp allows us to manage many more projects that we could have in our previous system. It allows us to not just manage them, but keep them running smoothly, keep communication flowing and most of all, keep it simple.

The best thing about Basecamp is not what it can do, but what it can’t. It can’t do complex time charting, it doesn’t integrate with salesforce.com, it can’t send out e-mail newsletters, and it can’t solve all of the world’s problems. But what it does do, it does very well.

It allows us to manage tasks, milestones, files, and messages between our staff and our clients. Our team is virtual, we work from wherever is convient each day and Basecamp allows us to have all of the information we need for each project at anytime, from anywhere.

If you are currently looking for a way to manage projects better, I would highly recommend checking out this great piece of online software. They even offer a free trial. It’s not just for those in the web design business, it’s for businesses of all types.

Leave a comment if you have suggestions for other online tools or software that you use a love for your business.

This past Friday, October 8th, we had the privelage of being a diamond sponsor at the BNI Florida 2010 Member Conference.

We had a booth on display to show off some of our website design work and even gave away an iPod Touch to Zeke from IT Promise in Jacksonville.

During the lunch portion of the conference, Design Extensions owner, Jay Owen, presented to the crowd of over 200 BNI members with various information regarding web design, graphic design, and internet marketing in today’s economy. We should have samples online soon of that presentation.

If you didn’t make the event this year, we would love to see you next year.

Also, don’t forget about the upcoming NetWorth Technology Summiton October 20th. It’s only $20 for the event. The event will include lunch and 3 guest speakers including Design Extensions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Networth Jacksonville will soon be hosting the 2010 Technology Summit at Deercreek Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida.

The event will feature Design Extensions owner Jay Owen, discussing three key areas of Mobile Apps in Business, Branding Integration, and Marketing of the Future. Other speakers include Joe Lemire from Elyk Innovation and Roy Buncome from Buncome Technologies.

The event is only $20 and includes lunch. Starts at 11:30 and ends at 2PM. Be one of the first people to register and be entered to win a $50 gas card!

Register today at NetworthJax.com

Today, the internet is not only fast, but it is mobile. With the inception of the iPhone several years ago and the many phones that followed, the internet is now easy to access from everywhere.

The problem is that not all web sites look great on mobile phones (even iPhones). As a result, many companies are moving to select one or both of the following options.

1) A mobile version of their website.

2) An iPhone App for their website content and business/organization information.

This is especially important for organizations or businesses that have a events, news updates, or want users to be able to find them from their phone and on the go.

We provide solutions for iPhone development and mobile website design and development for clients of all shapes and sizes.

Contact us today for more information on iPhone app design or mobile website design.

If you don’t know about 37signals and their products, you should. They were founded in 1999 (same year as us) as a Web design firm by Jason Fried, Carlos Segura, and Ernest Kim in Chicago. They focused on powerful usability strategies and their original web site was a source of inspiration for our work and many others around the world. After several years as a very successful design firm, their focus shifted to several web apps.

Today, they produce four great web apps and have published two books (with one more on the way in March called REWORK). We have used their longest running app, Basecamp, to manage our business for almost 5 years. It is an online project management system that is so easy to use it’s crazy. We love it and as we said in the case study, don’t know how we would operate without it.

Other products they offer include Highrise (a great way to track contacts, set follow-ups and assign tasks), Backpack (organize your business and share calendar with a team), and Campfire (a great group chat app).

We have been long time fans of the folks at 37signals and it’s an honor to be featured on their product blog.

If you are a looking for a better way to keep track of your business — look no further than the products from 37signals.

UPDATE: 37signals just launched a new site (today) called Haystack.com. We have been featured on their front page all afternoon and you can check out our detailed listing page here.

Youtube and similar public options can be a great way to share video in a social and “viral” way. But what if you want to post something exclusively to your web site, with your companies branding, and without links to other youtube videos?

We now offer an incredible video solution for sites that want to host one video or multiple videos. It can event be customized to include your logo and is customizable in many ways.

Check out the new video from the Jacksonville Symphony that we have integrated into their web site here: http://www.jaxsymphony.org/channel4.php

Here is an example of how it appears embedded in a page. We would love to answer any questions you have about video on your web site and how it can help connect to current and new customers. Contact us today with any questions.