Good websites can’t be rushed
Search Google for website design, and you’ll see claims such as “We Design Fast Websites” and “We’ll Build Your New Website in Less Than 20 Minutes!”
When it comes to making websites, it’s true that faster is better. Yet that only refers to the performance of your site, or the speed and efficiency at which your website responds.
A good website firm will not promise to create a high-quality site in a week, or with larger sites, even in a month. Creating a custom website requires planning, research, programming, expertise and quality assurance that simply can’t be completed in 20 minutes.
We have dozens of customers who came to us after finding out the hard way that the fast way just doesn’t work, and can also be very costly. Broken code, link errors, unintelligible copywriting and a complete disregard for simple SEO and keyword best practices are the bane of our existence—and frankly, a consistent source of income.
Just like a slow-cooked oven roast is well worth the wait, so is a high-caliber website. Savor the process a superior design firm offers, from planning and architecture of the site, through copywriting, design and coding, to editing and quality assurance. You want a web firm that takes the time to validate every feature and assures a value-added experience for your customers or clients.
In the end, you’ll end up with a gourmet web product, rather than take-out type turmoil. Your website won’t mind waiting.
How I was suspended by the Google+ police
As a Director of Social Media and Communications, I am having a really hard time with Google+.
Unbeknownst to me, for several days, I was suspended from Google+ for having an unauthentic name. Yep. Lisa Singelyn. The name I took 20 years ago when I married my husband, and have used everyday since then without issue (except that no one can ever spell it, but I digress).
I now join the ranks of banned Google+ers like Facebook’s Blake Ross and the other William Shatner. And I’ve joined a directory called Suspended Google Accounts.
I wanted to rebel, but since I make my living in social media, I had to accept defeat and beg for mercy from the cool kids. As directed, I sent Google+ a copy of my driver’s license and a link to a website that would confirm my authenticity as, um, Lisa Singelyn. I had to get a good dig in, so I sent them a link to my Facebook profile.
After a few hours, I received this letter:
“Hi Lisa,
Thank you for contacting us with regard to the name you want to use with your Google Profile. After further review, we have determined that your name is within our Community Standards policy. Thank you for your patience while we reviewed your profile name.”
The kicker? It was signed:
Sincerely,
Duyen
The Google Profiles Support Team
The world’s most overused phrases
After a particularly rough medical year for my extended family, we have been inundated with well-wishing cards, calls and social media posts. While I have no doubt that each one is sincere in heart and purpose, there are two words repeated over and over that have come to make me shudder rather than savor the sympathy.
“You are in our thoughts and prayers.”
Perhaps I’m jaded because of the many health tragedies my family and I have experienced over the years. But to me, these words seem so hollow, so overused by even the unfaithful, that they make me laugh. Literally. (Which is #2 on my list).
I heard my husband, who hasn’t stepped foot in church other than for a baptism or burial in the 25 years I’ve known him, say this to someone recently. In fairness, he is a devoted friend, the kind that would drop everything to help even a mere acquaintance. So while I know he was being sincere, and certainly is concerned, I’m sure lightning would strike twice before he prayed for anyone.
Another one that gets me is “We’re thrilled to…”
This one appears in press releases daily, as in “We’re thrilled to have John join our management team.” By definition, thrilled is to “cause (someone) to have a sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure; to cause to quiver, tremble, or vibrate. I’m quite sure that no executive I know has done the jig or had seizure-like symptoms due to a new hire.
Some of my other “favorite” now empty, meaningless words that are overused daily, particularly by business people, are:
3. “Think outside the box.”
4. The word “amazing” to describe anything that isn’t truly amazing (to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly).
5. “These difficult economic times.”
Many people (myself included) write or say these phrases all the time by mere habit. If everbody stopped using them, it’s not like the world would be a better place in any measurable way. Yet hearing them simply makes my skin crawl. It’s time to retire them. What words would you like to nominate for the list?
Marketing manhood
My 18 year-old son got this package in the mail the other day. I almost threw it out, but thought maybe we could use it in the guest bathroom or for emergencies.
Imagine my surprise (and my marketing mom pride) when he seemed as excited about his new manhood kit as he was his new computer. ”This is an awesome idea,” he mumbled (even when they are excited, teens mumble). ”Look at this stuff!” He began pulling out cute little bottles of shaving cream, deodorant, body wash, cooling gel, coupons, and, the piece de resistance, a Gillette Fusion razor.
And then, my little 6′ 1″ about-to-go-to-college-peanut said the most profound thing I’ve ever heard. “This is chill! I can’t believe they’d send me these things for free! I will buy from this company for life for doing this. Mom, look at this. Isn’t this a good idea for them? All companies should do this, huh?”
Beaming with pride, I agreed. In addition to my astonishment that he said more than 5 words to me in one day, my head was spinning. He has my marketing gene! He actually gets it! All of the time, sweat and tears spent applying for business schools paid off in that one moment.
As he heads off to college next month, Gillette products along for the ride, I now have confidence that he will succeed as an adult in his chosen path. He feels like a man because Gillette confirmed it, and he ate that message up. More importantly, he instinctively understood marketing basics such as brand loyalty, lead generation, and customer retention.
Wonder if Tide has a “College Kids for Clothing Cleanlinesss kit” they could spare?
Take another look before you post
We all do it. We rely on it in our everyday lives. We put our faith, and more importantly our business, in the hands of spell check. And what’s worse is that we all know how dangerous that can be. More than one large company, and countless smaller ones, have suffered. So be sure to run any promotional materials or posts – just about anything that represents your business – by more than one pair of eyes. Go for four or five to be sure.
There’s not much worse than making a spelling mistake in pubic.
Counterintuity in transit
Yes, we moved to bigger offices. But there’s another way we’re “in transit:” we currently have ads for several clients running in different markets around the country.
Here’s an example of the transit ads running on the SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority) system of rail and bus throughout Philadelphia and environs, for our client Federation Early Learning Services.
A day of digital detox
Yesterday, thanks to a Baby Bell conglomerate who shall remained unnamed, our office got an unintended retreat from our lifeline, the Internet.
For the first hour, sheer terror set in. No email, no Facebook, no Twitter, no website access – the very tools of our trade were literally inaccessible. By hour three, with a bevvy of IT and AT & T (whoops, spilled the beans) specialists working on our equipment like a fine-tuned team of neurosurgeons, panic had turned to acceptance.
Forced to work offline, some began writing, others reading printed materials and whitepapers long ago placed in the “Must Read” box. Though disconnected from the 21st century, we connected with each other, our clients and our industry by makeshift methods our grandparents would have thought customary.
Yet an inexplicable calm and sense of accomplishment filled the air, even into hour five. We had unintentionally yet successfully “unplugged” for the day. Instead of Armageddon, we experienced a temporary respite from the online hullabaloo. We caught our collective breaths, read about advancements in our industry, brainstormed aloud and on paper, and recollected (or for the youngers, learned) what it was like to be marketers in the pre-digital era.
The Internet is back up today. While we’re all ecstatic to have the trappings of our modern workspace back, our unintentional day of surrender taught us that an occasional day spent unwired can be a beneficial and even necessary experience.
In fact, we can’t wait to tell everyone on Facebook about it!
Cut hair, not marketing
When I went to get a haircut recently, I was able to walk right into a local barbershop and get a cut. No appointment, and no waiting. In fact, there were three barbers standing around talking, with empty barber’s chairs in front of them. I asked the one cutting my hair how business was.
“It’s not so good,” she said.
I asked her why she thought that was.
“It’s the economy. People used to get a haircut every month — now they put it off to save money. And instead of getting real color here, they go buy the $10 box at the drugstore.” In fact, she said, the economy was so bad that business was even below the height of the recession, in 2009. There was no way out that she could see. All we could do was hope and pray that the economy was going to get better, and soon.
There’s only one thing wrong with her theory: I had come to this barbershop because the one I usually go to was packed wall-to-wall with people, and I couldn’t wait an hour for my turn. (So I went to one I knew wouldn’t be busy.) Why was the other one busy, while this place was empty?
The other one is actively marketing themselves.
They’re doing specials and promotions. They’re actively engaged in social media. They’re advertising in local newspapers. They have a frequency discount program. And they send reminders on birthdays and holidays. Oh, and they charge more than the other place.
As they say, hope isn’t a plan. No matter what the state of the economy is (or what you think it is), you should set your own plans for how to grow your business, and then pursue them. Otherwise, you might find that your competitors are giving you a haircut.
How to blow a job interview
We recently posted online for a new position for hire, and were pleased (and shocked) to receive more than 200 applications.
What’s even more shocking were the mistakes the applicants made in the job search process. Since the class of 2011 is about to embark on a major job hunt, we thought we’d add our just-learned tips from an employer’s view on how to massively blow a job interview.
1. Don’t follow directions: If the ad states, “Send a resume and cover letter,” be sure you omit one of the two. Of course the firm is being overzealous, and a cover letter is a waste of time, any way. Be sure to add three or four letters of recommendation into the mix, too. Too much information that they didn’t ask for can’t be a bad thing, can it?
2. Make spelling mistakes: This is especially important when writing out the firm’s name. Turn this whole interview thing around and try to catch them on their toes. See if they can find 10 grammar and spelling mistakes, because, as the ad said, “Grammar and spelling are important.” Throw in a few e’s before i’s, and mix up your to’s and too’s, and you’ll really find out how important it is to them.
3. Don’t Return Calls for Interviews: First, make sure your voice mail plays Eminem or Snoop Dogg while they wait. Don’t use your name or phone number in your message, either. You want to keep ‘em guessing. If you really want to get them, don’t return a call for an interview, even if you can’t make it or already got another job. You don’t owe them anything, why bother?
4. Be Late for the Interview: Being fashionably late is the new black, right? Nobody ever arrives exactly when expected — why should you? Don’t bother leaving early just in case you hit traffic or weather problems. If they want to hire you, they’ll wait for you.
5. Try to be as Overqualified as Possible: Sure, the ad says “part-time,” and the pay is set, but deep down inside, you’re sure because you have so much experience that they want you to transition to full time, at twice the rate the current employees earn. Darn it, you’re worth it! Be sure they know all about your law school degree and dual MBA’s while you’re at it. They probably just aren’t aware that they need someone of your caliber, or they would have advertised it.
6. Show Desperation: You’ll do anything to get this job, and make sure they know it. Offer to pay them to hire you. Mention your eviction notice and car repossession. Offer to name your third child after the owner. This is such an attractive quality in an applicant, and you can never look too desperate or too thin.
GOOD LUCK, Class of 2011!
