The Bella Buzz: Successful Web Design, Internet and Social Media Marketing Strategies from Desiree Scales, CEO--Bella Web Design, Inc.

Desiree Scales Interview on Media Connection with Amani Channel: Talking Social Media and Web Design Strategies Working Together Part 2

This is Part 2 of the Interview posted below. More web design and social media strategies from a web design veteran of over 12 years.

Desiree Scales Interview on Media Connection with Amani Channel: Talking Social Media and Web Design Strategies Working Together Part 1

This is an interview done back in July/August with MediaConnection and Amani Channel. Forrester Media

did the production and editing. The interview revolves around web design and social media working together as

a business strategy. This is Part One with a lot of great tips for business owners. Enjoy!

Why Hiring a Marketing Strategist Before Building Your Website is Crucial

Download Marketing Strategist

Are you the type of person who would construct a home by hiring all of the contractors yourself instead of hiring a General Contractor? If so, then you are a rare individual. Most people feel more comfortable finding a good GC they can rely on and can help find the best sub-contractors with special skills and to oversee the entire project ensuring that all of the laborers achieve the overall objective of constructing a quality home. This is just the role an experienced Marketing Strategist can play in your quest for a great website.

On this week's Bella Buzz podcast, hosts Desiree Scales and Joe Magennis welcome Svy Nekrasas. He is just that type of General Contractor or "General Marketer" who works with small and medium sized businesses to develop, review, revise and implement complete marketing strategies.

There is an abundance of marketing tools available for business owners to choose from to deliver a brand message espeically now that social networking tools are so prevalent and efficient. In many cases implementation is more a case of jumping in rather than having a plan. Svy helps businesses to determine that plan before embarking on a web design campaign to review where things are and make recommendations for improvement.

Having a marketing strategist on board also helps when it comes to identifying the best resources for implementing a plan. Svy has been through the web design process before and has vetted specialists with the skill set to tackle specific aspects of the plan will save business owners a considerable amount time and money. The strategist can help find partners to build a web site, create a graphics standard, construct compelling content and craft an appropriate media plan.

When trying to focus a business owner on developing a comprehensive marketing plan, Svy likes to use the basic marketing axiom of Product, Price, Place, Promotion. Each of these elements are something that can be controlled and established when launching a brand message. Consumers today have a lot of access to information and a solid disciplined marketing plan will clearly communicate a brand in the mind of the target consumer.

Svy will also make sure that the full story is composed based upon the information that is obtained by using Google Analytics on a web site. Traffic sources, keywords, users, and goals are just some of the key variables that appear on these comprehensive reports. Making sense of this data and taking action based upon the results serves as a strong foundation of any marketing plan.

Getting involved with someone outside of a company to analyze a marketing strategy can be very difficult for many business owners especially owners who are extremely connected personally to a business. Allowing good ideas to come from numerous sources in this day and age is the hallmark of an open and transparent organization. Consider the extraordinary resource that Starbucks has implemented by allowing customers to submit their ideas through the web site MyStarbucksIdea.com. It is an extraordinary resource, ensuring that the company is responsive directly to their base.

To talk more marketing with Svy, he can be reached at svy@bellawebdesign.com or by contacting Desiree.

Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.

You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.

Meet the Talented Web Designers at Bella Web Design: A Series Starting with Jeff Brown

Since we're celebrating our 10th Anniversary, I thought it was high-time to introduce our audience of blog readers to our talented team. We'll start this week with Jeff Brown who has been with us through thick and thin over the past 8 years. You can see from his picture, Jeff is a Tour de France finisher spectator. That's a picture of him on the real course a few years back. He even had the opportunity to meet Lance Armstrong and his girlfriend (at the time) Sheryl Crow! Jeff loves to ride his bike both on trails and on the road and is dedicated to his sport. He lives in Asheville and loves the mountains. 

I interviewed Jeff on where he gets his inspiration for his many designs including www.oplusbath.com, www.reosouth.com, www.ifoundtheway.com, www.2ndfuture.com, and so many more I can't list because there is only so much room...

1. Where do you find your inspiration? This varies wildly from personal ideas, to tv commercials, to print media. I often get inspired while being outdoors which always help clear my mind and allow fresh thoughts to come in.  




2. What is the first thing you would tell people about designing for the web? Most important advice?  I tell people to focus on their message, to keep things simple which allows for more dynamic design and a clearer message.


3. What is the most common mistake people make in regards to design/navigation?  Trying to squeeze too much information on any one page of a site. I've rarely seen people who will scroll thru more than half a dozen paragraphs to learn about their company. Its better to be concise and display the information your trying to convey to your clients with a goal of having them contact you for further information via call-outs, a contact form and an 800 number.


4. Why do you love what you do?  I really love the creative freedom and the ability to transform a customer's vision into a site that really helps to build their business. Its great to hear back from a customer months later that their new site doing really well bringing in more leads.


5.  Anything else you want people to know about what you do or how you can help them? I think there are some new web technologies that can really make businesses stand out from the competition. Technologies like flash-encoded video is not only a great way to quickly show what your business does, but it will make your website modern and dynamic.

We are so lucky Jeff decided to take a chance with our fledgling company back in 2000. His efforts to learn more about the web at any given moment has changed the face of our company. Jeff continues to be our lead designer and also helps with maintenance. Jeff has grown along with us over the past 8 years and our clients always appreciate his great "can-do attitude" and friendly demeanor. Thanks Jeff for being such a huge part of our success!

Bella Web Design, Inc. Celebrates 10 Years in the Web Design Business!

On October 3rd, we celebrated our 10th year in business. (That's like 70 years in Internet time!--Kidding!) Its been an unbelievable learning experience over the past 10 years and quite an acheivement. (Nothing like tooting your own horn, but we deserve to after 10 very successful years!) Here is a short-list of our accomplishments:

1. We've helped hundreds of small to medium-sized businesses learn how to use the Internet to create a brand for themselves.  


2. We made it to the top of www.Kudzu.com as the top-rated and most reviewed web design firm in Atlanta.


3. Desiree Scales is one of the highest reviewed web design firm owners on www.LinkedIn.com.


4. We've gotten dozens of clients to the first page of Google, Yahoo and MSN including www.southernstaircase.com  (put in the word "staircase" into Google and they are number one in the organic listings).


5. We've become an advocate for business people who have been taken advantage of by other web design companies by educating groups such as the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, West Cobb Business Association, RE/MAX and many, many others on how to avoid common web designer issues and scams.


6. We have taught hundreds other business owners how to use the Internet to build their businesses through webinars, seminars, blogging and social media. 


7. We have built over 275 web sites and have hosted even more throughout the last 10 years. Many of those sites were repeat business from current clients. One client has had us build up to 7 sites in the past 5 years because they love our work. Our clients are extremely loyal and our average client has been with us over 4 years.


8. We have recieved many referrals from our clients due to the hard work we've done for them. This is a large part of our business and where we get our best leads. 


9. We have developed programs for our clients who want to communicate through video, podcasting and other new media--keeping on top of the leading edge of technology each year. 


10. We've built over 25 free websites for non-profits as part of our plan from the very first year to donate our work to those non-profits who are make great contributions to our world. We donate 2 sites per year and have a growing waiting list. 

We are so grateful to our current and past clients for helping us build our business from the ground up. We are also grateful to all the web designers we've worked with and currently have in our group for helping us bring so many of our client's visions to life. Thank you for putting your trust in us! We've learned as much from you as you have from us and for that we are forever grateful.

Here's to the next 10+ years and to the many people we are waiting to help. We can't wait to assist you in growing your business just as we did beginning in 1998 by teaching you how to use great design and the many Internet marketing strategies we've put in place for our own company.  Things change quickly on the Internet and Bella Web Design is one of the companies which can help you keep up with over 10 years experience in the industry.

Two Great Websites Launched Today Plus a BONUS MUSIC VIDEO!

Today we launched two very different sites:

1. www.southernpatio.com--This is a redesigned site based on a design their in-house designer, Nicki Shroeder created. The company Southern Patio specializes in outdoor furniture and accessories.The site they had was hard to navigate and quite dysfunctional. We helped Nicki bring her designs to life and added a chat capability from www.meebo.com which allows her customer service team to immediately answer browsing visitors questions.

1. www.waitingforbetsy.com--Anyone who knows us knows that Daniel Nahmod is one of our favorite music artists hands down! When he hired us to help him with his new band "Waiting for Betsy" we were honored to take on the job of creating a fun and light web presence for him using one of our Simply Bella pre-designed sites. The song/video "Jessica Alba" is simply genius and fun. My kids couldn't stop giggling watching him perform and can't stop singing it today. Hope you enjoy it too!

Does Your Website Educate or Frustrate?

There are many types of sites out there: ecommerce, web brochure, informational, data. The ones that bring business to their owners are ultimately the sites that educate their audience.

So ask yourself, are you educating your audience? Five signs of a good educational website:

1. Articles that are updated weekly about recent developments in your industry and/or business


2. A list of links or resources which are updated regularly which help your customers understand your/their business


3. Link to your blog or some other pages which discuss new techniques, news, inventions or anything that can help your customers gain knowledge about your/their business


4. Informational whitepapers or essays of how you helped other customers and have good testimony of how you came up with solutions to common problems for your customers

If you're not doing any of these, start on at least one this month, then slowly move into the others. Customers can get frustrated with a lot of fluff. They don't have time for it.

Education is information which is currency in today's business market. Enpowering customers enpowers your business.

How to Write Good Web Content

This week I'd like to introduce another member of our team, our writer in residence--Sallie Boyles! Sallie has been assisting us with writing our client's web copy for 2 years. Clients love when she steps in to help. We hired her because we saw that most people froze up when asked to send us their copy for their site and caused some serious delays in the progress of their projects. Sallie has now cut the project times in half and has become a very important part of the Bella Web Design team. She is this week's guest blogger. Enjoy her article on "STOP-Wise Words for the Web."

STOP—Wise Words for the Web
By Sallie W. Boyles 

What happened to the days of “build a website and they will come”? It seems that era ended when “we don’t have a website” was no longer quaint. Today, your Web business must not only look highly professional, but it must also communicate effectively. If you want to attract prospects as well as convert them to clients, remember: Good looks will take you only so far. 

Rapidly changing technology, savvy Internet users, and stiff competition demand that our online verbal communications evolve as well. Therefore, as we race to keep pace, let’s consider the acronym STOP:

1. Search Engine Optimization: In order for your prospects to find you, your website better be a headliner among countless competitors. Using the right keywords and phrases in your content is a starting point.

  Does your language accurately define your reason for being?

2. Target the Market: You cannot be all things to all people. The longtime reminder is worth repeating when we see the world and want it all.

Can you effectively appeal to people in Toronto, Tennessee and Timbuktu?

3. One -Two Punch: Get to your point quickly in as few as words as possible.

  How hard are prospects willing to search for the punch line?

4. Point of Difference: Hook them by sharing your unique benefits. Your staff photographer speaks six languages. Your auto mechanic services race cars. 

What extra advantages will customers gain when they choose to do business with your company? 

Though not rocket science, effective Web writing is a skill. If you’re going to take your presence online, make every word count... 

When Its Appropriate to Add Your Picture to Your Site

I met with a good friend, Tricia Molloy, this week for lunch and we started talking about her website www.divinewisdomatwork.com. She told me that she had decided to take her picture off her site to put the emphasis less on her own self and more on the work that she does. She had a lot of people telling her that she should put her picture back on the site and I agreed.

If you are selling a service to people, its definitely a good idea to put your picture somewhere on the site. You should always consider putting it on the home page if you, yourself are the service and the brand of your company.

In Tricia's case, she is a motivational speaker. She is the "brand" so her image needed to go right on the home page to help personalize the site and get her "brand" out there immediately and into the viewer's mind.

I also had a gentleman call this week inquiring about a site who is a clinical psychologist. Again, he is the "brand" and he did not have his image on his site, but hidden on the About Us page. I told him one of the first things I would do with his design is add his image to the home page. He was a little taken aback, but when I explained why, he understood.

Putting your image on your site is not a bad thing and doesn't make you an egotistical entrepreneur. In the cold world of cyberspace, a human image helps to connect with the audience. I have my picture both on this blog and on the About Us page of my site www.bellawebdesign.com. People always comment about it when they call and I have a feeling it gives me a bit of an edge over competitors who do not portray themselves on their site. It makes them feel like they already know me just a little bit and they want to do business with me. It gains their trust.

So did Tricia follow my sage advice? Go to her site and take a look and you'll see! I look forward to seeing more of your faces out there very soon....

Dashboard Design: The Key to Giving your Viewers What they Want

When our web designer, Stephanie Corn, came on board with us, I didn't realize how much she would literally change the face of our websites. Her experience designing for a site that needed a homepage that helped users manage their experience was something she brought to the table and changed the way we design our sites overnight. You see, she used to work at WebMD and help manage their site.

WebMD's challenge was to help users get to the information they came for directly from the home page with the fewest clicks possible. (up to 3 maxiumum!) With thousands of pages, they needed to target their consumer's needs very quickly right on the home page. They do a very good job of that. Take a look:

The design is compartmentalized. If I have a question about my cough or strength training, I can find it on the left side of the page. These are sections viewers can clearly see which will take them directly to the information they need. Viewers can also see all the services and programs the company offers right on the home page. They don't have to delve into a lot of pages to get the information they seek. This reminds me of a dashboard on an airplane, all the tools are in your face and give you the information you want instantly. (Welcome to "dashboard design!" I knew my 7 years of experience in the airline industry would come in handy someday....heh, heh, heh!)

Keep in mind this not only works for very large sites, it works just fine for smaller sites. Take a look at one of our clients, Beloin, Brown, Blum & Baer:

The viewer can see what types of law they practice right on the home page and can also get to all the attorney's profiles. A contact area is also included and should be on the front page of EVERY site! (Contacting you is what its all about--right?)

So, now go take a look at your own site. Are you giving the viewers a direct link to what they want most? Are you advertising your products/services right on the home page? Is there a way for people to get to your contact form or contact you by email? If its not, then its probably time for a redesign and a dashboard to help your business "take-off!"