Silence is golden on the web

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Tuesday, July 5, 2011

At SpinWeb, we often have the fulfilling task of rescuing an organization from a web presence that is so outdated, ugly, and broken that they can barely stand it. When we launch the new website, it's cause for celebration!

One thing I've seen more than once on older websites is the tendency to play video or audio on the home page. Usually, this takes the form of a promotional video on the website that auto-plays as soon as the website is loaded. Though this may seem like a good idea to some, it will actually do a great deal of damage to your brand and your ability to utilize your website for leads.

When website visitors load your home page, the last thing they are expecting is sound. Many visitors will be viewing your website from work, possibly in a cubicle setting that is not completely private. So what happens when they load your website and a video with sound starts playing? You guessed it... they immediately close the site or even shut down their browser in desperation. This effectively places a huge brick wall between your visitors and your website. Most of them will never even see the rest of it because they will be so traumatized by the unexpected sound.

Internet users expect the web to be silent unless they deliberately activate media. If you use video on the web (which is a great idea!) be sure that it doesn't auto-play. Offer the viewer a clear "play" button that gives that person control over what happens. If people are given the choice to play a video, they will often watch it. However, if they are surprised by the very same video because it starts playing without permission, they will often leave and never come back as a result of the jarring experience.

Multimedia on the web is great... just be sure the choice is up to the viewer.

To moderate or not to moderate?

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, June 27, 2011

Blogging is a fantastic way to build authority, it's a great platform for content marketing, and can add SEO benefits to your website. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of blogging. I'm also a big fan of allowing open conversation on your blog via a commenting option. Comments allow you to receive feedback on what you wrote and can also drive more traffic to your website if social commenting is enabled.

Unfortunately, many blogs still hang on to a mindset of paranioa by moderating comments.

What is moderation? If you post a comment on a blog and it doesn't immediately appear, it's probably waiting in moderation. This means that all comments are reviewed by someone before they go live on the site. I dislike moderation and I think it's bad for your brand.

Moderation sets a tone of censorship on your website. We live in an age of open communication, rapid exchange of information, and short attention spans. Most people are craving personal interaction with actual people and want to be listened to. Moderating comments is a great way to frustrate your constituents because it places a barrier between their voices and your organization and implies lack of trust.

When I talk to clients about running a blog and allowing commenting, the number one objection I always get it "what if we get negative comments! Can we look at them before they appear?" Sigh... yes you can, but you really shouldn't. First off, the idea that your blog will be filled with negative comments that wil ruin your brand is pretty unlikely. Most people don't post negative comments. Second, you should be welcoming all forms of feedback so that you have a chance to respond publicly and tell your side of the story. I'm not advocating getting into an inflammatory argument but an intelligent, thoughtful debate can be a good thing for your organization. 

Even if someone does post something negative, I would encourage you not to censor it. Let it remain and then post your response. Always remain professional and articulate and it will only strengthen your brand. The exception would be if someone posts something vulgar, blatantly inappropriate, or spammy. These comments should be removed.

By inviting open, unfiltered conversation on your blog, you are demonstrating that your organization welcomes feedback and conversation and this will go a long way toward strengthening trust with your constituents.

What do you think about moderation? Feel free to post your comments below... they will appear immediately :)

What am I paying for?

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, June 20, 2011

Have you ever been asked this question? Whether you run a small business, work in management at a corporation, or work in leadership at a non-profit or association, you have probaby had a customer or a member ask: "what am I paying for?"

For a business, the key is to explain why your services are worth the fees you charge. For an association, it sometimes comes in the form of convincing your members that the fees they pay are well worth it when compared to the benefits they get.

SpinWeb is no exception. We sometimes get well-meaning requests that ask this very question. After we launch a new website, we charge monthly service fees that cover a number of services. Here is a more detailed explanation of what those things are.

1. CMS software licensing. Part of the monthly fees we charge go toward the ongoing licensing costs of the Content Management System (CMS) that we use. A good CMS should be easy-to-use, reliable, and support a wide range of website functions. It's not easy to find this combination of features in a CMS, which is why we use Accrisoft Freedom. It is supported by a full-time team of software developers who are dedicated to improving it every day. These developers must be (and deserve to be) paid and it's a worthy investment for an organization that requires reliable website management tools and professional support.

2. Support and training. If you ask 100 people what their primary complaint is with their technology partners, I would bet that 99 of them would say "lack of support." Not only is support important, but training is critical to helping our clients use their websites effectively. Part of the fees we charge go toward hiring great people and implementing great systems that ensure that our clients get fast, competent, and reliable support and training.

3. Website hosting. A common misconception about our services is that we are just "hosting" our clients' websites. As you can see from points #1 and #2 above, this is not the case. However, hosting is a small part of the fees. We run our websites on fast, reliable, secure servers from Verio, which ensures maximum uptime and security for our websites.

Hopefully this helps illustrate what our monthly fees cover and what the benefits are. Typically, both our corporate and non-profit clients find that the right combination of CMS, support, and hosting is critical to managing a website and running the organization smoothly, as well.

How do you communicate the value of your services to your constituents? Comments are welcome below!

The great web hype

Posted by: Arrick Garringer, VP / Creative Director in General on Monday, June 13, 2011

How to build momentum and leverage anticipation to promote your new website.

Redesigning your website is a big deal. It's not only big to your organization, but it's potentially-big to your army of friends, followers and clients. I say "potentially-big" because your new site doesn't exist to these folks. They have no idea what is coming...unless you tell them. It is potential-energy just waiting to be set into motion.

So how do we take advantage of this opportunity? Here are 5 ideas on how anyone can produce pre-launch hype around their new web project.

1. Pre-Planning Survey: Let's get them engaged from the beginning. A simple little survey can provide you a wealth of information as you plan your new site. Asking clients, members and friends to contribute will get them interested early—plus, they might just see one of their suggestions come to life a few months later. We all like to say, "Hey, I thought of that." With affordable, easy tools available such as Survey Monkey, there's no reason not to do this.
2. The Splash Page: Take down that old, ugly site and replace it with a single-page splash page. If you let everyone know what's cooking, and when to expect it, you may surprised that it will spark new conversations. In many instances, outdated websites will actually make a negative impression and turn away potential prospects. If this is the case, you have nothing to lose by throwing out the old to make room for the new. If you can't take down your old site, consider a popup or other homepage announcement.
3. Plan a Party: It can be difficult to advertise the launch of a new site without something more tangible to go along with it. Several of my clients have coordinated the launch of their new site at a trade conference, open-house or launch party. By planning an event, you can offer tours, networking, refreshments and giveaway free stuff. Planning an event will give you something to promote weeks or even months in advance of your launch. The statement, "Free iPad" is more likely to get noticed than, "New Website".
4. Social Teasing: You have connections that are waiting to hear from you. Tell them that you are working on a new site and why. Share (very select) tidbits of new features. One of my clients is actually creatively cropping their new web design and sharing the photos on Facebook and Twitter. Just be careful that you don't spill all of the beans. Remember that the goal is anticipation. Keep a few secrets. 
5. Send a Press Release: Press releases can be an extremely powerful tool in the promotion of a new website. Make sure to include details of the project. The media will want to know what is new, why you changed and why this is important. It needs to be newsworthy so it doesn't get flagged as blatant self-promotion. Why wait until launch? Notify the press when you've chosen a developer and write a press release announcing who won the contract. Sending announcements at every opportunity will get you more distribution and will give you great things to share within your social networks.

Most websites are planned, designed, built and launched without considering momentum. It's an easy trap to fall into. These projects are quite complex and the details can often get in the way of a strategic launch promotion. With a little bit of discipline and forethought, you can create a simple plan to grab the attention of your audience. This is a big moment. Make a splash and have fun doing it!

Have you ever promoted the launch of a website in a creative way? We'd love to hear your stories.

When to redesign your website

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, June 6, 2011

I sometimes get asked the question: "how often should we redesign our website?" If I don't have any additional information to go on and there is no time to dig deeper, I will usually give a standard answer of "every 2-3 years." However, it actually goes much deeper than that and there are some very good reasons to redesign your website that are not dependent on any particular schedule. Obviously, if your website is ugly, you'll want to redesign it as soon as possible. However, there are other factors at play.

So when should you redesign your website?

1. When your organization re-brands. If you are changing anything about your organization's branding such as logo, colors, tagline, name, or target market, it's important to make sure your website stays in sync with these changes.

2. When design trends have changed significantly. Design styles and trends generally follow user experience and how people interact with online contact. For example, many years ago many websites were designed using Flash because the web was still new enough that eye candy and cool effects got people excited. Since then, Flash is becoming much less relevant in favor of more information-driven design techniques. Even within short spans of time, design trends can evolve enough that it may make sense to redesign.

3. When your content outgrows your current structure. If you have added enough content over time that you are having trouble "fitting in" new content, it may be time to redesign your website to create a better framework for new content.

4. When new functionality is added. If you are adding new functionality to your website, such as a blog, e-commerce, or other interactive tools, it may be time for a redesign. It depends on the situation, but it's sometimes more effective to refresh the entire website to support this new functionality rather than try to retrofit these modules in the current design.

5. When technology changes. If the landscape of technology and communication tools changes, it's important to keep your online presence in sync with the expectations of your constituents. For example, five years ago, no one really utilized social media that much and websites were fairly isolated. Today, constituents expect tight integration between websites and various social networks and any website that ignores this point tends to appear antiquated, which can reflect poorly on your organization.

Though the standard answer of "every 2-3 years" can sometimes line up appropriately with these guidelines, it's important to understand why you are redesigning your website so that you can make intelligent decisions during the process.

When do you think it's time to redesign your website? Comments are welcome.