Design Matters: We decide in 1/20 of a second whether we trust a site; and first impressions are reflected in how fast a visitor “bounces” off a site.

Good Navigation tells the visitor how well organized we are with our information. Make it easy to get around.

Be Personal. In this economy, we want to know and trust who we do business with. Include your direct email address, tell people about you, your staff, and what makes your business tick.

Update Frequently. We soon will release numbers show how our clients see dramatically higher visits when they update their website frequently –and use enewsletters to drive traffic. This report shows the numbers on a national level.

No Typos. Boy, we love the web and content management systems, but when anyone can update your website, people who don’t pay attention to grammar, message, and spelling can ruin your company’s credibility in seconds. Please remember, don’t have anyone update your site that you wouldn’t trust with the final draft of your marketing materials.

That’s the summary from Word Work’s perspective.  For more, visit www.webcredibility.org

1: Reallocate your Marketing Budget.  Include website updates and eNewsletters. They work. Powerfully. Push newsprint ad dollars to online ads and search aids, like Google Adwords. When you plan print pieces, make them simple and design them to push the reader to the web.

2. Integrate your LinkedIn, Facebook, Blog, and Tweets within your company website, and even emails. (Yes, I’m doing that now, with our web and graphic designers’ help). Search engine algorithmschange daily, and they are pushing these social media outlets to the top of search results–well above your official site. You want easy link-throughs.

3. Rethink your Message.If you promoted luxury items, like spa services, repurpose your services in the name of health, stress relief, and lasting quality. That’s because what we are buying now, we expect to last us awhile. Instead of telling a customer “You Deserve,” tell them “This will Help.”

Next, we start talking about Building a Live Community through Online Strategies. (This is a tickler to remind me to write more on this and to welcome your thoughts.) I find myself caring deeply about helping business survive, then thrive, in this seismic change of national economy –and marketing.

If your business is sluggish, pick up the pace inside your office. Sharpen your marketing plan with these tips, and more. Choose to succeed, because you have been given the time to sharpen your plan for success tomorrow, if not today. Then, get out and make your business part of your community.

At Word Work we have only one client blogging, but we aim to boost that number in 2009. Because we serve a half-dozen municipalites, we are considering how to manage blogging and content–especially because community officials often fear what the medium can do to them. Take a quick look at my hometown’s manager’s blog at The City of East Lansing, MI: http://www.cityofeastlansing.com/Home/Modules/CityBlog/CityManagersBlog/ . Informative, fast, and a quick pic of what’s going on in East Lansing!

You could do that, I bet!

When Word Worker Michelle Noonan reported a 51 percent swell in Web site visits over just three months to Hatfield Township, I cheered. I asked her to draft a list of what she thinks made it happen.

She said, like so many successful communications programs, it’s a combination of compelling print, useful web site content, and eFunctions that keep driving residents to the site:

·         Informative eNews – A monthly e-mail newsletter sent to a general interest list drives traffic to the Web site for timely news. A separate eNews is sent weekly to Aquatic Center members.

·         Frequent Updates – Word Work updates the site for the township as necessary, up to three times a week, to ensure that residents have quick access to the most current information.

·         Valuable Information – The site has timely news, current agendas, minutes back to 2004, nearly 50 downloadable forms, an interactive calendar.

·         Online Registration – Visitors access Hatfield’s ActiveNet through the Web site to purchase Aquatic Center memberships and register for recreation activities.

Word Work also publishes the township’s quarterly print newsletter and publishes a print map of the township streets that illustrates how to get around, complete with township and new resident information. We redesigned their logo in 2007, and have been rolling out a consistent branding message ever since.

Many of our clients come to us initially with a single request: “I need to redesign my Web site.” “Our logo is out-of-date.” “I need a new brochure.” Fortunately, we can help from any starting point.

But the real joy is when we have the chance to develop a brand over time. Yes, that’s more business for us, but—as you see with Hatfield—it’s more business for our clients too.