Living Proof Creative

Would you know a poorly designed website if it was right in front of you?

Most people these days believe they would. But, not everyone can tell the difference between a high-quality platform and a badly designed website.

Not all pretty websites are created equal.

You probably think bad web design means an outdated layout, with low quality images and bad fonts. After all, most people are quite attune to what they are visually attracted to.

However, many websites with low-quality design are not as obvious. Poor website design can seem brand new, tweaked-up and shiny on the surface, but underdeliver when it comes to performance. Website design isn’t just about the visuals, it covers everything including speed, navigation, interface design, and user experience.

In today’s world, the importance of an intelligently designed web-presence is understood, yet there’s no lack of outdated websites. Many business have trouble justifying the cost of a new or redesigned website.

But, in this technologically driven marketplace, a website’s usability and design directly affects a business’s bottom line. The consequences of neglecting your website are serious. It’s not just a missed opportunity. Not having an optimized eCommerce website can actually damage your customer relations, and significantly reduce your revenue.

With good website design, you get what you pay for. Bad website design ends up costing a whole lot more.

What Makes a Good Website?

Steve Jobs once said, ”Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Good website design incorporates visual aesthetic with functionality.

A car may look good, and drive well, but if it breaks down all the time, or is too confusing to handle, than the overall design of the machine is flawed. It’s the same with website design. There are are certain key-aspects that have to be considered when designing a good website, and they should never be ignored.

Some of the most important elements of good web design include:

Mobile Responsiveness

Now more than ever, mobile responsive websites matter. With Google’s Mobile First Indexing, the internet has officially shifted from desktop-driven searches to mobile-driven searches. That means if your website is not mobile responsive, its rankings are likely to suffer.

But, rankings aside, if you want to sell anything online, your website’s product pages, checkout process, and overall functionality has to not only work on mobile, but adapt seamlessly on all devices.

According to Adobe, 8 out of 10 users stop engaging with a website if it doesn’t display properly on their device. That’s 80% of your potential customers! It’s been well documented that the biggest hindrance to conversions is having a website that is not mobile responsive.

Engaging User Interface

The look and feel of your website comes down to the User Interface, or UI. Not only is it the main cosmetic aspect of a website’s design, it also incorporates usability into its overall structure. It’s the “interactive face” of your website.

A good website has an interface that is designed to engage users, and helps them easily navigate without having to backtrack. The formatting of a well designed website is intuitive with clear calls to action.

Visual appeal is paramount and best kept simple. From the color scheme to the font, all these elements should be designed to lead your visitors where they want to go.

Intuitive User Experience

Your customers have pretty high expectations when it comes to the usability of your website. If they are going to make any sort of purchase they need easy access to relevant information. In a recent survey by Hubspot, 75% of users said the most important aspect of a website is the user experience.

Basically that means, a well designed website, with a good UX, is going to have a huge competitive advantage. Always listen to the feedback of your users and design your website around their needs.

Bad UX is a road block between your customers and conversions, and it inevitably costs you money. Smart intuitive UX not only encourages conversions but reinforces your brand online.

Relevant Content

When it comes to boosting conversion rates, high quality content is one of the most useful tools for a website. Relevant blogs with actionable content not only reinforces you brand online, but can help in your search engine rankings as well.

Make sure to optimize your content for mobile, by dividing-up long paragraphs into smaller sections. Let the content breathe and give your reader a break from scrolling through large chunks of content.

Accurate and thorough product descriptions is the primary tool to boost sales. It’s highly improbable that a customer will spend money on something without researching it first.

Also, including detailed information in the “about” section creates trust with your audience and encourages them to do business with your company, rather than some other faceless, or mysterious brand.

Optimized for SEO

You could have a stellar website, but if it is not optimized for SEO, then it can quickly get buried by the competition in the search engine. From the get-go, you should design your website with an SEO strategy in mind.

The best websites utilize Onsite and Offsite White Hat SEO, PPC management, giveaways, email marketing, custom blog creation, and conversion rate optimization. These efforts, though they take time and money, are far more beneficial in the long run. The more costly choice is to ignore SEO and do it alone.

POP Austin

Considering it’s one of the top art schools in the country, you’d think the Yale Art School website would be on point. It looks more like a piece of conceptual art (which it probably is). But it makes a great case-study for how not to format your homepage.

Our brains crave simplicity and order. Your user shouldn’t have their senses assaulted at first glance. Too much content on the homepage will drive people away from your website and make you appear less credible.

A good homepage should present the user with your most valuable information, in a visually pleasing way. With Pop Austin’s homepage, a single image says it all, and allows the art to speak for itself.

Women Of Today

In contrast to the chaos of the Yale website, we have the website for Suzanne Collins, author of the wildly popular sci-fi series – The Hunger Games. It’s riddled with dead links and a baffling amount of white space. Clicking on the book covers does nothing and the navigation is miniscule. It’s a UX & UI nightmare. It’s simply bad website design start to finish.

Plus, there’s no engaging content. The landing pages for her books are just a list of quotes from various reviews. Using reviews can be useful to provide customers with some feedback from other users, but this is just not the way to do it.The website for a huge, pop-culture icon should be an avenue for fans to connect and gain understanding.

Camila Alves’s website, Women of Today, is designed to be an asset to the user. Her fans can come and get inspired by her many craft projects, health routines, recipes, and more. Anyone visiting her website will have no problem navigating, as everything is laid out in an intuitive, user friendly manner.

Fortune Goods

Upon first glance of the Alfred Sung website (a high-end eyewear, fragrance, accessories, and apparel brand) it seems well-designed enough. The layout is simple, and the images showcase the products well. However, once you try and navigate away from the initial homepage banner, you run into some serious problems, making this website a good example of not-so-obvious, bad website design.

In an attempt to keep it minimal, it seems they abandoned intuitive UX all together. It takes some detective work to simply find where the navigation is. Once you move past the mystery-meat navigation, the menu pops out from the side, and the sub-navigation plays out in a bizarre layering animation.

If you are finally able to reach your desired landing page, it barely gives any info on the products, or where you can purchase them.

A smart and simply designed eCommerce site doesn’t confuse the user, and leads them to the products or services they desire, without playing any guessing games. Like the Fortune Goods website, finding and purchasing products should be an easy, intuitive process.

How Important is Website Design to the User

(source: Southerly)

As shown in the infographic above, most user interaction with a website is influenced by design. It only takes milliseconds for them to form an opinion about your website. So, it’s important that your website has a good first impression.
Your website is the digital face of your business. It’s a 24-7 customer service representative. A badly designed website is like having a rude, unhelpful employee. Where a good website is like a model employee, who greets the customer with a smile, has the answer to all their inquiries and will stop at nothing to make them happy and satisfied.

Humans are visual creatures, and having a beautiful website is the best way to move potential customers down the sales funnel. No person in their right mind would enter a seedy, poorly cared for, back-alley establishment and trust it to be an upstanding business. It’s the same with your website. Users won’t trust you with their patronage if your website is not legitimate.

If, for some reason, you’re still in doubt of the importance of good website design, check out some further statistics.

• Over 60% of users would rather read content on a beautifully designed website then a plain one. (Source: Adobe)
• 39% of users disengage from a website if images fail to load or take too long to load. (Source: Adobe)
• Over 50% of people say adequate contact info is the most important missing part of many websites today. (Source: KoMarketing)
• 38% of users disengage from a website if the user interface is unattractive. (Source: Adobe)
• One second of extra page loading can cause sales to suffer a 27% drop (Source: Soasta)

How Much Does a Good Website Cost?

So, how much does a website cost? This is actually a very broad question. It’s like asking how much building a house costs. The price depends on the size of the project, the speed with which you want it finished, the quality of workmanship, and many other mitigating factors. Every website project is unique and requires different approaches.

The best place to start is to decide if you want to use a “drag and drop” website builder, a freelancer, or an agency.

Online “Drag and Drop” Website Builders

With online website builders, it’s a do-it-yourself approach. It’s usually a monthly charge, depending on the package you choose. However, it’s entirely up to you to build the site. So, basically you’re paying to do more work. And if it’s your first time using a website builder, it takes extra time to learn the ins-and-outs of whatever platform you choose.

With these drag-and-drop sites you have a few templates to choose from. With a templated design, your individual marketing goals and planned strategy won’t be taken into consideration. Customization is incredibly limited with online website builders. They are not SEO friendly, and have limited reach on Google

Plus, you risk your website looking similar to many others out there, potentially even the competition.

Be sure to read the fine print, because certain ones have clauses stating that they own your domain name, and even your original content. If you try and cancel the contract, you may have to pay a large buy-out fee.

And remember, with these sites, it’s all up to you. You are the one responsible to build the site. It may be cheaper, but it will eat up your valuable time. And as a business owner, time is money.

Taking time into consideration, along with the limited functionality and lack of original design, the cost of this cheap website solution is much more than it seems. When it comes down to it, drag-and-drop website builders may be the cheapest option, but it will end up costing you more in the long run.

Freelancers

It’s rare that you find a freelancer who can do it all. Most of them are skilled in one or two areas of expertise. Often you can find a freelancer who knows how to develop but not design, or vice versa. And, if by some chance they can do both, you still need to find a person to write content, and another person who specializes in digital marketing, SEO and social media.

In the end, you’ll find yourself having to pay and keep tabs on a whole team of freelancers. Not to mention the added headache of communicating back-and-forth, ensuring their processes and technology are compatible.

In the end you’re putting the fate of your website into several different sets of hands, and if one drops the ball, the whole thing can come to a screeching halt. The project won’t be streamlined and the user experience could suffer.

And many freelancers work a full-time job, along with their freelance work. So, the hours they are available tend to be outside of the work week. Plus, when juggling several freelancers, it’s nearly impossible to coordinate everyone’s schedule. Projects get seriously delayed due to lack of communication, and the entire timeline can take much longer because of all the moving parts.

A freelancer may charge by the project, or per page, but most of the time they charge hourly. NJ Creatives Network estimates a less experienced designer charges around $40 an hour, while the more experienced designers cost about $75 (though it’s more likely a high-end designer will charge $100+ an hour). So, on average, a decent freelance web designer could cost you about $59 per hour.

The cost for freelancers may seem cheaper than a big agency, but inevitably ends up costing more time and money, because of the unpredictable price/nature of contracting and paying several individuals to build your website. You end up wasting your own time managing the website project rather than managing your own business.

An Agency

A third option is to pay an agency to build your website. Many agencies have a staff of many experienced people, each highly specialized in one area of expertise. From the discovery phase, all the way to the digital marketing phase, the process is efficient and streamlined.

This will cost you more, but the benefits of working with an agency surpass the two previous options. The agency acts as a single organism, working to achieve your specific goals.

A good agency will offer full-stack website design and keep everything in house, making the whole process far easier for you. All you have to do is be specific about your needs and give quick, detailed feedback.

Though some agencies offer basic pricing packages, often you need to reach out for a quote first. The prices vary depending on the size and scope of your website. Certain agencies will propose a one-time fee that covers a preset list of services. Others offer alla-cart service pricing, with the option to pick and choose exactly what you need.

For growing businesses and middle size enterprises, pricing can be anywhere from $1,500 to $50,000, depending on your website’s specific needs. B2B software solutions, sales tools & custom development certainly comes with the price, and you get what you paid for. Some advanced solutions utilized by large corporations can cost vast amounts both in development and maintenance, but for growing companies – flexibility in both growth and costs of development is usually the most favored option in general.

The main benefit with a professional agency at your disposal, is that you’re the one in charge. It’s like having your own personal team of trained professionals, who will follow your lead, educate you about the features and means to reach your online goals, and help you realize the full potential of your business model through collaboration.

A good agency also offers ongoing maintenance and Digital Marketing options. Though this drives up cost even more, it will keep your website at peak performance at all time, and having only one phone number to call when something is not right with your web presence is definitely a time-saver.

When it comes down to it, the cost of an agency built website is far more justifiable. With the right agency, the process is seamless and the results are the best you can get. Though the price tag is the highest, the cost is far less than opting for a cheap website solution.

Real Cost of Cheap Website Solutions

Good websites are like a good meal. Most of the time you get what you pay for. Would you rather your website be a microwave dinner or a filet mignon? You just have to be willing to pay what it’s worth.

The right ingredients and preparation, in the hands of a skilled chef, is something worthy of a high price tag. The same goes for all the research and thought a skilled web developer goes through when building your website. And most of the time you won’t actually see how much work goes into it. Just like that perfect steak dinner, all the magic happens back in the kitchen.

But unlike a meal, your website is not an expense, it’s an investment. The majority of your customers are already online. Consumerism has shifted to the online market, and there’s no sign of that changing any time soon. If your business is going to survive in today’s world, you have to invest in a good website.

Finally, the real cost of cheap website solutions can be summed up in these few points:

• A badly designed website will make it appear like you’re going out of business. In a technologically driven society, there’s no excuse to have a website that’s outdated. Most users will assume your business is suffering without a valid website, and opt to do business with a more legitimate competitor.
• You lose trust when your website is poorly designed. With as much identity theft there is out there, people are more wary than ever about sharing their personal info, much less their credit card info. If your website seems poorly designed, you can be sure a customer will not feel safe making a purchase on your site.
• Bad website design will cost you customers. If your user experience is filled with broken links, complex navigation and tedious forms, customers will leave due to frustration, and it’s doubtful they will return. You will lose them to a competitor who offers a more convenient process. This is the ultimate price you pay for having a cheaply made website.

Every time March rolls around the city of Austin feels electric, like an impending thunderstorm, when you can sense lighting on your skin even from miles away.

Weeks before the festival the whole city starts to transform, and so begins the great migration of music lovers, tech nerds, and cinephiles to the music & media Mecca that is South By Southwest.

SXSW is the single most epic event of the year, bringing over 51,000 attendees barreling down on Texas’s relatively small capital, with more than 2,000 showcasing artists and 300+ panels, workshops and sessions across the entire city, in over 100 venues and stages.

Image Source: KUT Austin

But this was not always the case…

SXSW wasn’t recognized as an industry juggernaut at the start. This brand was brought to life with a vision of a handful of inspired Texans who loved music and community, with a desire to bring the world to Austin, and bring Austin to the world.

The festival is now going on 31 years. It’s list of influential industry leaders who have spoken, international and local musicians who have performed, and once-in-a-lifetime events that have occurred over the last three decades is far too expansive to adequately convey in one blog.

But these individual elements are all wrapped up in one thing – the SXSW brand itself.

So, in order to understand the mission, growth and future of South By Southwest, let’s dive-in and take a look at how the brand has evolved over the last thirty years.

SXSW Early Years: A Simpler Time

“The first event, held in March of 1987, saw an expected 150 registrants swell to 700 on the opening day. As hoped for, Austin’s charm won over the visitors, and SXSW took on a life of its own.” 

-Roland Swenson, SXSW Managing Director

When observing the early SXSW branding, you wonder if the founders had any idea how big the festival would get. It all started in 1987, behind the closed doors of the Austin Chronicle, where like-minded creatives brainstormed what would become the most lucrative source of culture and economy for Austin, TX.

During the first years, the branding was simple but direct. The main objective of the festival was music and entertainment, surrounded by an heir of intellectualism, bolstered by discourse about the future of media. They wanted to give the appearance of a symposium mixed with a rock concert.

Image Source: SXSW.com

They chose the name “South By Southwest” so as not to be restrictive. The name literally is a wide, general direction. The festival was never meant to be just one thing, confined to one space or idea. It was everywhere and for everyone.

The design was simple, with a straightforward font. All the collateral was designed to get people to their desired events and nothing more.

The earliest logo was a basic arrow pointing down towards the Southwest direction. This clever and understated icon symbolized the founder’s intentions to be a leading entity in the industry, pointing out current culture and where it was leading. The arrow has been used throughout the entire lifespan of SXSW and is a familiar icon today.

The simple branding allowed for Austin’s charm to shine and not distract from the diversity of the festival. This branding foundation helped SXSW grow into something totally unique and genuine, rather than being forced into some restrictive mold.

Image Source: SXSW.com

3 For 1 Design: Music, Interactive & Film

“For the first time, the Internet was a major presence at the festival, promising to bridge geographical and temporal distances with easy, instant access to information, music and concert broadcasts from around the world.”

-New York Times, on SXSW 1996

Though founded with the intention to focus on Music and Media, the first 7 years of SXSW primarily revolved around the music industry. And, by 1994 the festival had grown with steady success, with Johnny Cash headlining that year.

But, as was intended at its conception, SXSW was never meant to be about one idea or medium. So, in 1994 the Film and Multimedia component was added to the festival. Echoing the format of the SXSW Music Event, the first Film Event offered panels, speakers and 2 world premieres, under the title of SXSW Film and Media Conference (SFMC).

It was always intended that the festival constantly morph into something new, but the addition of two more separate aspects created new branding challenges. Anytime you add new elements to a brand, especially in the overall format and title, it can get confusing to the audience.

Perhaps that’s why in 1997, only 2 years later, the name changed from SXSW Music + Media Conference, to SXSW: Music, Film, Interactive. Whatever the reason, SXSW was marketing itself as a forward thinking, all-encompassing event.

The graphics over the next decade were more random, featuring unique designs each year. The challenge was distinguishing between the 3 events. Most of the time the iconography was rather didactic, with a guitar representing music, a movie reel for film and CD-Rom for interactive.

As the years progressed, the designs became more subtle with similar themes running across the entire SXSW gambit. The festival never ceased to grow. Interactive and Film came to be just as popular as the Music aspect, and every year the event took a new shape.

SXSW Brand: The Beast We Know Today

“In its 22 years, SXSW has grown from a tiny music festival in the Texas capital into a massive, unavoidable media beast that reflects, discusses and showcases trends in culture and media but also often creates them.”

-National Post, 2008

The early years of SXSW featured up-and-coming music acts, and speakers who were well versed in the industry, but lesser known. The first SXSW headliner was Reverend Horton Heat (Dallas TX), and the keynote speaker was Huey Meaux. In 2016, Barack and Michelle Obama both gave a keynote speeches.

Film week has expanded to last both weeks of the festival, and primers the most notable films of the year. 2018 marks the 25th year of the Film Festival and includes 44 films from first-time filmmakers, 86 World Premieres, 11 North American Premieres, and 5 U.S. Premieres. That’s a whole lot of red carpet.

Interactive now has its own full week of events with the most influential minds speaking round the clock at symposiums and conferences. The largest tech launches in history have gone down at SXSW, including Squarespace, AirBnB, and Uber.

Image Source: SXSW.com

For the entire two weeks of SXSW, all around the city the world’s most recognizable brands set up pop-up venues, like the Spotify House and the Fader Fort.

Energy drinks, every new kind of vape cigarette, startup apps and more have volunteers troll the streets with flyers, swag, and free samples. While HBO plasters the sides of buildings, billboards and even the pedicabs with advertisements (usually for the new season of Game of Thrones, but, alas, not this year).

Brands will stop at nothing to grab the attention of the crowds at SXSW. Last year Hulu even sent a large group of silent, choreographed Handmaidens from the Emmy Award winning series Handmaid’s Tale marching to the capitol building, in an immersive marketing stunt.

With all that noise, SXSW branding needed to make sense of the chaos and act as a beacon for attendees to follow. For a few years they used 3 colors to signify each aspect of the festival.

The iconography for each year was used on every form of print and digital medium, from 8 story banners to online schedules. It’s photographed behind celebrities on the red carpet, backdrops during keynote addresses and even spray painted on the sidewalks.

Image Source: SXSW.com

The Future of SXSW Branding

“For the last 4-5 years SXSW has become a global powerhouse event and it makes sense to establish a consistent, recognizable logo, instead of a visual moving target.”

-Brand New

SXSW is now collaborating with a design firm to create a basic standard to be used every year, at least for the next 7 years. This brand standard allows for full flexibility as the event expands. The basis for the branding is a return to simpler roots, focused around a basic san-serif font and the original Southwest-pointing arrow.

It also unifies the three separate aspects and accentuates the original founders’ vision that SXSW is all-encompassing. It reiterates that fact that Music, Media and Film all go hand-in-hand.

Image Source: FoxTrot

Image Source: SXSW.com

Welcome to the big,
bad world of Digital Marketing!

The future is now, ladies and gentleman, and the marketing game has changed dramatically.

The days of running traditional commercials and print campaigns are gone. Though romanticized in shows like Mad Men, the Don Draper approach to advertising hardly works in this day and age. Traditional forms of media marketing are broad, costly and the results are nearly impossible to gauge.

It almost seems clumsy compared to what you can accomplish using Digital Marketing.

via GIPHY

With Digital Marketing the possibilities are endless. The internet is vast, with billions of users surfing daily for products, information, and relationships. If you’re a business owner, it’s utter folly not to utilize the digital realm to your advantage.

Here are some staggering statistics (in case you’re still living in the digital dark age):

• Over 3.5 billion Google searches happen every day. (source: Internet Live Stats)
• Digital leads have a 14.6% close rate. Where print leads only has 1.7%.
• 70-80% of consumers do online research before going into business with a company or making a purchase.

So, we all can agree, Digital Marketing is here to stay. But, with it’s boundless possibilities, how do you know what strategy works best for your business?

Digital Marketing is a personalized game. It’s a “Choose Your Own Adventure” for both the company and the clientele. Identifying target audiences, results-driven strategies, & up-to-the-minute trend monitoring allows any online marketing effort to single-out its exact purpose and ultimately increase online sales.

So, here’s our handy guide to navigating the Digital Marketing waters, as deep as the Mariana Trench itself. Take a deep breath, cause here we go…

#1 Don’t Ignore SEO

In the Digital Marketing “Choose Your Own Adventure” story, Google is like the omnipotent narrator. If you choose the wrong path the story can end abruptly. Making good decisions, and following the guidelines takes you further in the story, or in the Digital Marketing relm, higher up on the search engine results.

Google works for its users. It’s only a functional search engine if the results are deemed accurate by the users. So, Google is constantly ranking millions of websites by how relevant they are to specific keywords. Though some try to beat the system by relying on Black Hat SEO tactics, Google is constantly developing ways to see through such unscrupulous methods.

Creating an SEO strategy that works within Google Guidelines is the only way to go. Executing on-page SEO according to SEO best practices, creating quality content, targeting the proper keywords that directly relate to your specific business, as well as link building, lets Google know you’re an important and unique asset to whatever industry you operate within. Thus, when SEO is executed properly, it can grow your traffic gradually, and increase sales revenue.

And Search Engine Optimization is a long-term process, that takes constant vigilance and up-to-the minute awareness of digital trends. It requires a technical knowledge and is often best when outsourced to professionals. Just make sure whatever SEO company or Digital Marketing agency you decide to use is focused on an integrity driven approach.

#2 Pay For What Matters

It’s not all organic out there. Paid Advertisement, or Search Engine Marketing, is another way to grow a business online by directing funds to strategic paid campaigns. Running a Google Adwords campaign can be extremely beneficial if the keywords are intelligently researched and relevant to your industry, all directly targeted in the right direction.

The beauty of paid Digital Marketing is that you can determine the ROI (Return On Investment) down to the cost of each individual click. Running paid ads online allows you to monitor the performance in real time, gain a better understanding of your target audience’s behaviors, and tweek the details of the ad as you go.

Whether you are a small company or large conglomerate, working with outside professionals to create a Search Engine Marketing strategy relevant to your individual needs and goals is the best approach. Find a legitimate agency that specializes in ROI forecasting, Keyword research, CPC optimization, and Campaign Management.

#3 Always Think About Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion Rate Optimization is the calculation of the rate at which your online customers complete conversions, by closely monitoring the types of interactions they have with your emails, pages or ads. CRO is all about finding the best way to achieve your goals, through running tests and changing aspects of the sales journey, to see which process yields the most profitable results.

Disciplined research and constantly redefining better ways to reach and engage with customers is a vital element to Digital Marketing. Professional Digital Marketing Agencies are well versed in the CRO game. And, while you work on making your brand the best it can be, a good Digital Marketing agency will look for more ways to expand and optimize your brand’s revenue stream online.

#4 Write The Right Content

Any “Choose Your Own Adventure” book is trash if the story isn’t written well. Engaging content is what keeps the reader’s attention. And it’s the same with Digital Marketing. To connect with users, and retain them as clients, you have to have engaging, relevant content.

Today’s buyers have the entire internet at their fingertips, and before making a purchase, you can be sure they will do their research. Be the orchestrator of your own destiny by controlling the narrative. You get to decide how you come across, so make sure you are releasing the right content, in the right places, at the right time. Inundate the internet with valuable information, and direct conversions to your website.

A smart Digital Marketing agency not only delivers quality content, they can aim it, like a laser, to reach more users. From blogs to PR & Advertising Material, it’s important that all content be at the peak of optimization.

#5 Utilize Social Media & Email Marketing To Your Advantage

I guess you could say social media is the ultimate “Choose Your Own Adventure”. From what we choose to post, to what we choose to allow on our feeds, social media interactions are a highly tailored experience.

Reaching your target audience on Social Media can seem like a daunting task. Making an impact on these oversaturated, individualized platforms requires a specialized strategy. When executed properly, Digital Marketing on Social Media can be one of the most effective methods of driving sales.

An intimate knowledge of your target audience’s Social Media habits should dictate what platforms you decide to use, and how/when you post. If entrusting your Social Media Strategy to an outside agency, be sure they have a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each major Social Media outlet, and how your brand works within those parameters.

Social Media is a living organism that’s always changing, trending, and growing. It can be difficult to grasp, and even harder to monetize. Approaching any social media endeavor with a genuine desire to reach and connect with users is the best place to start. Utilize Social Media Digital Marketing as a way to reach your customers on a personal basis.

The same could be said for Email Marketing. When done properly, newsletters and welcome emails can add a personal touch to your Digital Marketing strategy. But it’s a slippery slope. We all know too well the fineline between Email and Spam. Many consumers have little patience for junk emails or overzealous marketing ploys sent directly to their inbox.

You want to first make sure your email campaigns are optimized to avoid being sent directly to the spam folder, as well as send them out at the appropriate time. Using creative promotions, ads, and giveaways is a smart way to cultivate a genuine list of interested subscribers. And you always want to create quality content that encourages customers, not only to open the email, but to actively participate in whatever you’re trying to accomplish through the email.

So What Digital Marketing Services Work For Your Business?

The variations and nuances of each brand’s Digital Marketing strategy are completely dependant on their ultimate goals and vision for the growth of their business.

Lifestyle, Influencer, & Blog Based Website

These kinds of websites don’t directly rely on individual conversions as their main source of revenue. The general goal of many of these sites is to gain status as an authority on whatever industry they’re in. Thus, the Digital Marketing strategy would rely mostly on SEO, Social Media and Email marketing.

The lifeblood of a blog site is it’s presence online so a considered approach to Digital Marketing is vital. Putting out useful, well written content is paramount ,as well a cultivating a brand voice that is unique.

But, the best content is rendered useless if you don’t target the right demographic. If you want to make a splash online, you have to correctly utilize Digital Marketing so you don’t get lost amongst the millions of others out there.

Ecommerce B2C

The only way to stand out as an eCommerce website is through Digital Marketing.

All the services listed above are crucial to the expansion of your brand online. Any eCommerce website needs a well-rounded Digital Marketing Strategy in place. It’s an ongoing process that takes diligence, ingenuity and creative tactics.

White Hat SEO strategies expose your business to the correct group of users. Paid advertising drives instant traffic to your pages with promotions and products. Optimizing the Conversion Rate is a necessary process if you want to maximize the revenue that your website is generating. Creating quality content legitimizes your brand and allows users to engage on a deeper, more meaningful level. Social Media and Email Campaigns meets your users where they’re at.

So, as an eCommerce company, could you afford not to be present on one of these? Take a look at what your competition is doing, and let us know.

Local Businesses

Digital Marketing goals for Local businesses looks different than general eCommerce sites.

They require Local SEO efforts that connect people searching in their immediate surroundings. They may have online sales to consider, but they also want to encourage in-store sales as well. Their search engine ranking directly affects foot traffic and face-to-face interactions.

Digital Marketing for local businesses is targeted at the local community. Engaging Email and Social Media strategies that interact with the community helps draw in new customers and perpetuate their brand. Conversion Rate Optimization focused around in store and online transactions helps a small company grow from a simple storefront to a cohesive digital and physical presence for customers to engage with.

B2B industries

With B2B and B2B eCommerce, typically there is no physical storefront to draw in customers. It’s all up to Digital Marketing to gain attention online.

Generic Digital Marketing techniques aren’t exactly applicable to many B2B websites, as their target audience is much more specific. So, a highly-tailored Digital Marketing strategy is required, that moves the B2B website in front of the right buyers. This means utilizing Paid Advertising, SEO, and in some industries even heavy Link Building, but also direct email tactics, marketing automation and defining the right client profile is what’s needed for maximizing ROI.

Your B2B eCommerce website has to act as a resource and authority in whatever industry you hope to dominate, positioning you as the leader.

In Conclusion

For many companies, Digital Marketing isn’t at the top of their priorities, and it sadly takes a back seat to more essential aspects of the business.

Not optimizing your brand’s presence online is a more than a missed opportunity. The internet is a massive and integral part of billions of people’s lives, why not take advantage of all it has to offer…

Living Proof Creative wants to help you start your Digital Marketing Adventure!

Nowadays anyone can start a business online. The internet allows anyone, anywhere to set up shop and conduct transactions. With the abundance of individual businesses in 2017, being in the “business of businesses” has become far more lucrative.

In fact, it’s estimated by 2021 the B2B eCommerce market is estimated to hit $1.18 trillion in sales. With that amount, you could buy 100% of Apple, the entire NFL and still have $200 billion left.

So, obviously local markets are destined to become oversaturated. Among other challenges, this also means you can expect far more competition. Right now, there are more than 110,000 eCommerce websites online, and all of them are fighting to gain the audience of online users (well, with the humble exception of our clients).

If you are running an online eCommerce B2B business, we’ve outlined some of the most important strategies that Living Proof Creative has implemented over the course of the last 12 months.

2017 B2B eCommerce Trends You Might Have Missed

via GIPHY

Ironically, we’re going to start this list with a “trend” that you hopefully didn’t miss. Mobile optimization is something all websites owners, no matter the niche or the industry, have to utilize in order to make connections.

Back in 2015 Google announced that mobile searches surpassed desktop, and in 2017 the numbers have only grown. As the millennial generation gains more substantial positions in the workforce, you can expect that 9 out of 10 B2B prospects are going to access your business through a mobile device this year.

If your website doesn’t function properly on mobile or is the least bit outdated, it’s very likely users will immediately write you off. And still, a large percentage of B2B eCommerce websites isn’t optimized for mobile. Make sure your sight isn’t one of them.

Unleash Your Onsite Search Functionality

Precision is key to the successful conversion of a simple lead to an actual client. The necessity for precision spans all aspects of B2B, from targeting the right demographics and accounts, down to the Onsite Search Function. After all, the search function is the user’s main tool for accessing information about products.

Usually, B2B eCommerce platforms work with countless options for products, like a furniture manufacturer that sells products in a variety of colors, fabrics, and styles. Users want to access every variation before putting down their orders. It is fair to say, this type of a platform is far more demanding than a typical retail system – like a website that sells clothing, for example.

This is why it is very important to foresee your users behavior, learn from their frequently asked questions, and develop a system that will suit all of their needs.

Make Your Customer Service Omnipresent

With B2B, even if you are working with individuals on large accounts, it’s still not the same as retail. You have to be prepared, knowing your clients will expect a level of customer service like that of Amazon.

To put it down simple – they need you to be omnipresent.

On every step of your clients journey, they have to feel safe and able to contact you in any way they desire. Naturally, you don’t want or need to invest in all possible social media platforms, but a live chat has become almost a standard nowdays.

Determine which platforms your target audience uses, and focus your efforts on building a presence on those networks.

Pricing & Inventory Simplified in Real Time

Dynamic pricing and real time inventory updates are another standards you can’t afford to miss out on. Modern content management systems are easy to use, and fully capable of making every change you need, presented in the front end at the exact moment those changes are made.

This is a challenge that concerns both your clients, and your employees. If your client is unable to obtain information about a product because you haven’t updated your website, that is a hurdle that directly affects conversions.

And imagine an order coming through only to find out the item is out of stock. You want to make sure your employees are fully capable of accessing and changing product info at hand, in the shortest timeframe possible.

That’s a problem clients don’t tolerate anymore in 2017.