Hookorsink.com » Marketing How-To

How much info do I give consumers?

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:57:12 +0000

Unless you have the privilege of testing, testing and testing your website you probably don’t know how to present your product information in a way that maximizes efficiency, customer satisfaction and ultimately profit. As with so many things, it comes down to time and money. There are many other factors too but I’ll leave that for another day.

Your product’s cost is directly related to the amount of information you need to provide. For example, buying a book from Amazon.com, doesn’t need an overload of info. Do you care how much the book weighs, the kind of paper used to make it, or a the amount of warranty it has? Less expensive, impulse buys, should focus on making the transaction as easy as possible. Consider a headline and three bullets the most you would include for your product.

Let’s say you want to buy a backup hard drive for your computer, more information is almost a necessity. It’s helpful to know the reputation of the maker of the parts, the company selling it, the warranty, etc. Reading consumer reviews is almost a must and don’t forget to do a thorough research between the different options and price-points needed to make the purchase. Overall, many paragraphs of information will be needed to make the sale. That doesn’t mean you dump it on to one page and call it a day. Nope hire a designer to provide clarity and organization to the content.

I’ve eluded to price being a strong indicator of the amount of information needed without actually putting a number on the value. That’s because discretionary spending for you is totally different for me. That’s where “time” comes in. How long it takes someone to earn the money required for the purchase can be a notable factor for how to categorize the amount of information. Here’s a breakdown of price/time/content:

Time Required to Save – Amount of Content

One paycheck or less – Headline & 3 bullets tops
One month – Headline/3 bullets & one page of additional information minimum
3 months – Headline/3 bullets/one page of additional info & provide additional information (like testimonials or reviews)
6 months or more – Headline with multiple paragraphs/pages with subheads, provide additional resources for info gathering

There’s lots more to talk about, like including contact information, embracing new web technologies, visual display of information, etc. However, if you’re looking to hire someone to put together a website for your business do a little math. Take the amount of products you carry, determine the Time Required To Save for your demographic and multiply it by the Amount of Content to give you a general idea how your site should end up.

Design Process

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:10:17 +0000

The ease in which websites are created has led to a number of misconceptions about the design process. With so many nephews or cousins that “do web design” I get a look when telling people what I do that’s similar to “I scoop chicken poop all day.” It’s a short attention span gaze like “I know that needs to be done but it sure doesn’t take much skill to do it.” Like most careers, there are plenty of people doing it but few that do it well. The shear quantity has devalued my ability to make a living, unless I move to India or the Philippines. We have some friends from India that are just AWESOME so I’ve been giving it some thought lately.

In the meantime, I’d like to give my take on something that is totally over looked from non-designers. And yes, Mr. IT dude, that means you too. Being a designer is not a 9-5 kind of job. It takes 24/7 observation and thinking because I never know when I’ll find inspiration for a project. I suppose there are a few times when I’m not finding inspiration for a website, like when I’m changing a diaper at 3am or cleaning chicken poop. Most of the time I am though, like noticing cool fonts (almost any font aside from papyrus or comic sans) and the treatment. Anyone else get excited when they recognize an obscure font being used? I’m even able to tell you where a lot of photos being used are purchased from. Geek alert!

Good, efficient design process

How in the world do you apply that knowledge to your project? Everyone has their own way of doing it but I generally attack a challenge with three solutions. I tend to start with a conservative approach, trying to provide exactly what the client has asked for. Most of the time that’s not good enough though so I go crazy, providing a solution that’s almost wacky and on the border of not showing. Last, I meet somewhere in the middle. Taking the ideas from the client and integrating a touch of flare. Having three versions also allows me great flexibility to meet the client needs, with different fonts, colors, layouts, etc. My assumption is that the client will love one and hate the other two.

Bad, uncertain design process with potentially disasterous results

In contrast, if I had submitted one design it’s a huge gamble on hitting what the clients wants. What if they don’t like it? What direction do you head? Who the hell knows! Would one more design do it? By the third, what state would the trust between you and the client be in? That’s a bad design process and ultimately why I do more work up front.

Back to the front. Depending on the project requirements and timeline I get most of the information from my clients. One of the things I’m still learning is how to ask questions to get what I need. You can’t ask with a straight face what Pantone colors they prefer, or even mention hexidecimal codes. Obviously, that’s ridiculous but my point is that I assume clients don’t know anything about making a website so I need to approach them with a casual discussion, like I would if we met in a grocery store. Questions like “what other websites do you like” and “what do you want to do with your website” are simple but could provide lots of information.

Molding all this information into a direction is the most difficult part of the process for me. I have to surf the web a little, think a little and throw down lots of bad ideas in Photoshop. But it is very much like digital sculpting with the final product being the only one I’m proud of. I was recently asked to provide a draft before a proposal was accepted. That’s actually a great idea for certain things, like finding the architect to redo the twin towers. It’s also a bad idea in some cases, like trying to take a bite out of pie before it’s been cooked. Maybe some designers know exactly where they want to go from the first click of the mouse but for me it’s a journey and obtaining a gig based off of a turn I took a while ago would be a mistake.

Every day I’m humbled by the quality of designs being created in so many places, there are quite a few very talented people creating commissioned art. I work very hard to try and be one of them so that I don’t have to compete with the poor quality, skill and accountability of “nephews” and “cousins” that do web design. So you could pay me to do the work right, from the outset OR pay your low-cost, low-skill alternative to create a bit of chaos for you and THEN pay me to do it right.

How to Receive Critique

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:16:35 +0000

The opposite of my previous post is how to receive criticism on the work you’ve put your blood, sweat and digital tears into. This can be equally as hard because communication often gets in the way. For example, when someone reviews what you’ve done and they say “Keep going”. What exactly does that mean? No doubt, there’s a skill to getting feedback and turning it into something fruitful.

Admittedly, as a new designer I thought my stuff was fantastic. I put time and energy into every piece I did and believed it to be a work of art. Years later I can laugh at that but it’s important to note my mindset at the time. Receiving input can be directly related to maturity in the profession. Don’t get me wrong, personality has a lot to do with it but I am much better at hearing harsh critique now than when I first started. Here’s kind of how I see it maturing:

Preemie Primadonna: Someone is new in the profession and believes everything they do is amazing. They can’t understand why people aren’t as good as them and often find it very difficult to digest criticism. They may nod their head but the entire time they’re thinking “what a loser”.

Design Dude: Someone who has had enough experience to understand business goals a little and may have even tasted an appetizer full of humility. They are probably a little more comfortable giving their opinion when receiving input and may actually put up a challenge. However, once you get them on the same page it’s usually going to turn out a much better product.

Excellent Extraordinaire: Ironically, this person probably needs the critique the least. They understand goals and have excelled at how to get there. Often, they critique their own work and have enjoyed a full meal of humbleness. These people are the ones you want to work with and all of us should strive to be. In my experience, not many actually make it to this level. In fact, it’s still the kind of person that I want to be.

Yes, you actually need to work on receiving critique. And no, you may not have the greatest giving it. However, ask yourself where you fit in the continuum of open ears and realize that almost all feedback can help you grow.

How to Critique, or Not to

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:12:17 +0000

Tell it like it is, without being a jerk.

Heck, that’s kind of my motto with everything. I’ve found that when you try to give criticism that dances around the issue it often adds more time and energy, without getting better quality. It’s hard though, to be honest with someone who has put their life energy into something that isn’t quite right yet. I know the feeling. Every time I work on a new design or idea I hate getting feedback other than “that’s absolutely the most brilliant thing ever”. Come to think of it, I can’t recall ever hearing that.

Whenever you create and leave yourself open for critique someone will make an ugly face because they wouldn’t do it that way. Opinions are like ugly toes, we all have them. No doubt, if you’re in the marketing world you have to have thick skin. What if you didn’t get the up front truth though? In the long run it’s better for you to do great work than to be treated like a cuddly teddy bear.

Giving criticism is an art. I tend to want to blurt out exactly what I see, along with a few four letter words but typically take a second to think about HOW I’m going to say it. There’s no point in demolishing someone’s feelings just to get a point across. Everyone in our business is putting their energy into it and should be respected for it.

I typically start with visual suggestions, showing them a website that makes my point or getting out my red pen. Then I deliver the hammer as plainly as I can state it without being offensive. Lastly, and here’s the key, find something nice to say. Typically the entire work isn’t trash so remember to point out what works well also. Not only is this nice for the one receiving your input but it’s also good for you to keep balance on what’s important.

If you can drop a bomb without destroying anybody then you’re ready to critique!

Consumer Doubletalk

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:37:31 +0000

One of the more aggravating things in my family is when some of my fondest relatives go on and on about how they want something. Yet, when presented with exactly what they ask for they no longer want it. I refer to that as doubletalk, even if it’s a lose definition. I can’t think of any other way to describe the persistent sentiment that the grass is always greener.

Turns out, consumers are much the same way. At my previous job we had entire teams of analytics and user-experience folks dedicated to cracking this puzzle. When asked face-to-face about their likelihood of purchase consumers consistently said one thing but went home and did another. While that’s certainly one of those “grains” of salt worth considering with any research it’s especially important when determining how to mold your product and market to consumers.

Beware of the "I want one of those" consumer statements

Let’s say, for example, you are driving down a freeway and see a mint-condition 69 Mustang sparkling with metallic paint and chrome rims. You take pause to mention it only to drool at the driver’s hair blowing in the California wind. The first thing most people would say is how much they would love to have that car and presumptively be that crazy-haired driver. Yet, when it comes time to make a purchase on a car more people choose a Toyota Camry. As an auto maker doing field studies with pictures of concept cars that mirror a 69 Mustang and a 2010 Camry you had better be careful what questions you ask and how you interpret them.

Fine, make a few sexy convertibles but make sure you keep your finger on the pulse of the Camry buyers because that’s what will drive your business to success. Perhaps you don’t make cars but the same concept can be applied to your business. Most people I’ve talked to haven’t had enough interaction to realize that consumers speak doubletalk!

The Revolutionary 1-Page Website

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:39:23 +0000

As websites began to explode into popularity most people HAD to have one. They didn’t know why or what they would do with it but for heaven-sakes they needed an Internet presence. As the creation process began everyone’s first instinct was to make it cool by adding lots of pages, interesting by adding animation and important by adding links to other websites that were… well, important.

Fast forward to 2010 and all those assumptions need to be questioned. Lots of my clients still feel that this is the appropriate way to start. Unfortunately, all these things typically miss the point of their website. This tool can be so many things and it’s important to mold it to your company, not the other way around.

Even large companies often make the mistake of adding too much information. This makes it difficult to navigate, confusing and often impossible to actually find what you are looking for. Keep things simple, only add the content that is necessary to meet visitor expectations.

Animations and *gulp* Flash splash pages are yesterdays-yesterday. I specialize in Flash intro’s so it’s very difficult to see my niche get left behind. Before you scrunch your nose consider this, the very way people will interact with the Internet is evolving. The iPhone and iPad will probably be remembered as significant markers in the evolution of Web. Web 2.0 will now be Web Mobile. Apple has taken a strict stance against Flash and specifically call it out in their Terms & Conditions to prohibit it on their products. As the market share grows for these mobile surfing devices companies are being forced to remove all Flash.

That’s not the point though, the animations aren’t cool any more. Any distraction for visitors that prevents them from getting what they want should be thrown out. Of course, if those distractions generate revenue they get a different set of standards.

A common misconception about links to other sites is that it makes you look important. It’s the exact opposite actually, making the destination sites seem more important. Anyone even sort of familiar with Search Engine Optimization practices can attest that INCOMING links from popular sites is what makes you look important. Makes sense right? I can link this article to the New York Times but that doesn’t make me a hot shot. Now, if they linked to my article I’d be walking around with a strut in my step.

Last week I launched a revolutionary 1-page website for my mother. That’s right, there are no other pages. I was lucky enough to have her give me the reins and do whatever I wanted. It contains a brief summary about the kind of business she runs (elder law), directions to the office and a contact form (or telephone number) to get in touch with the firm.

Websites can be as simple as one page, like this one for Nancy Wright.

Too easy? Shouldn’t it be? The cost of development and maintenance is considerably less than complex sites and doesn’t do a whole lot for her any ways. Plus, get this, it can still grow when needed. That’s right folks, you can start off small and add. For anyone who has started a successful business from the ground up this should already be a familiar mantra.

Update your thinking to 2010 and start your company’s website with one page.

“Home” Button

Lewis Wright — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:45:55 +0000

Quite a relic from the past, the dreaded “Home” button still prevails in websites hitting the net even today. I’m not sure who invented the idea but I’m fairly confident it has to do with a lack of understanding of what websites could eventually be. I’m certain that no half-brain marketer came up with this either.

What does it mean, “home”? It’s not like my house in any way. I don’t feel comfortable there, I don’t get to decorate it the way I want it and it doesn’t have any windows to open when it’s hot. Google doesn’t help, when asked to query “home” the first link spit back is to Home Depot. Although, I’d be open to the idea of them inventing the internet. If so, there’s a guy named Larry in aisle 32 that is very helpful and I think I may ask him. According to Wikipedia most homes “contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food”. Seriously, I don’t think we’re even close.

The connotation of “Home” on a website is probably something similar to “starting point”. Creators figure that visitors have to start somewhere on their website so why not call it “Home” and they can even return to the starting point at any time. Organizationally it makes sense to have a singular location to connect all points of information. Heck, even this blog insists on putting a “Home” page in it (and I’m not about to go in and re-code WordPress to undo it).

I’m not sold though, and I’ll give you two reasons why most websites don’t need a “Home” button:

First, there’s this totally new invention called a (write this down) “search box”. Seriously, if you haven’t checked it out try Googling it (giggling inside). Extremely large databases, like the ones housed at Amazon.com, Dictionary.com, Facebook, and so on, have a “search box” that allows you to type a word at any point during your experience to find the next piece of information you need. If your singular point of organization can start with a single box what would you need a “Home” button for?

Second, and closer to my heart, is proper messaging. Websites that aren’t complex should be crystal clear to visitors. Think of it more like a story when you’re creating the content. What do I want my reader to view first, second, third, etc? If done well, why on earth would someone have to go back to the “Home” page if they’ve received the content in a well organized format that meets their needs and expresses your message with clarity? OK, I’ll admit that it’s easier said than done. It should certainly be a goal for creators of new websites.

Let me just throw in a totally whacky idea, what if your website messaging was clear AND you had a search box? I know, that’s probably too much to ask but give it a thought. Perhaps consumers wouldn’t buy as much, perhaps they wouldn’t spend as much time on your site but what if they were exponentially more pleased with the overall experience. What if they became loyal visitors? No way, it’s time to go “Home”.

Sorry if I sound a little bitter. A recent client of mine insisted on a “Home” button and I’ve never understood what it meant. Since they’ve never made a website before I am pretty sure they don’t know what it means either. I’ll go ask Larry at Home Depot.

Here you can…

Lewis Wright — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:08:58 +0000

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I read something that starts with “Here you can…”. For example, if I went to an online retailer and wanted to buy a toaster oven the product description might start off with “Here you can purchase a brand new WizBang Toaster Oven for only $39.95″. What a waste of space! The line should read “Purchase a brand new WizBang Toaster Oven for only $39.95″. Is there a difference to the consumer?

What’s happening is that a copywriter is sitting down and thinking about how to write the headline or description from their point of view, forgetting who the copy is intended for. The only time you should be directional is if you want the consumer to go somewhere else. “Go to www.wizbangtoaster.com to purchas a brand new WizBang Toaster Oven for only $39.95″. Come on copywriters, get your act together!

Almost as bad are buttons and links that say “Click here”. Seriously, what did you think I was going to do with that annoyingly-glassy pill-shaped button with an arrow on it? Maybe I should be doing something else instead of clicking, like waving my hands around in a wax-on, wax-off motion?

It’s not assuming that consumers have a certain knowledge, because I’m well aware that there are lots of people out who don’t have much common sense (myself included sometimes), rather it’s writing with the consumer in mind and not the Brief.

Familiar/Unexpected Ads

Lewis Wright — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:57:20 +0000

Me and a few others from my work started attending a concepting class from “The Bookshop”. It’s designed to help designers or copywriters build up a portfolio that will help them get a job. Everyone who has gone through the class swears by it. Since we’re just in the “Intro” class I’ll wait on my standing ovation until the end. If nothing else, it’s fun setting aside a few hours a week to come up with ideas not related to work.

The first homework assignment is based on something called “Familiar/Unexpected” ads, which has a headline that leads you in one direction and then a visual that pulls you another. Chris DeNino quoted one of his favorite ads, which used the headline “over 1 billion served” and then showed a visual of a tennis ball. We’re all familiar with McDonalds tagline and believe that’s what the product is but then have the unexpected visual be a tennis ball. Familiar/Unexpected.

My first shot at this was for a Powerbar billboard, “Running on empty?” OK, it’s nothing groundbreaking but plays off the headline which makes you think of your car as you’re driving by and then promotes an energy bar.

Familiar/Unexpected is a very clever form of advertising and lots of people enjoy viewing clever work. However, the thing I’m trying to understand is what drives people to purchase. Clever isn’t cool if it doesn’t convert.

Movie-Making 101: Don’t Forget the Microsite

Lewis Wright — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:11:48 +0000

American Gangster premiered this weekend with an impressive $46 million box office tally. Based on a true story about Frank Lucas as a gangster did they really need a website to promote the movie? Yes, duh! With budgets in the hundreds of millions producers don’t blink an eye about creating a website dedicated to the movie. Leveraging the Internet burst onto the scene with a tiny film called “The Blair Witch Project“.

The Internet was popular in 1999 but how to use it hadn’t been figured out yet. This period was right on the cusp of the bubble popping. But three film makers and $25,000 proved the power a website can have, earning $248 million for the hit movie.

It wasn’t just the fact that they made a website about the movie but how they did it. Under the guise of releasing an actual documentary the website played on the unknown. At the same time the Sci-Fi channel released a “mockumentary” called “Curse of the Blair Witch” that pretended to give the myth credibility. This marketing brilliance played right into the fear and desire of movie goers uncertain of what they would see.

Now movies can’t open without an accompanying website, as proven by the release of American Gangster. Why on earth would people want to go to a website about that? Obviously they do, proven by the instant popularity before the movie’s premier. Like so many microsites though, it seems to be a lackluster effort as it does nothing more than provide an interactive version of a poster.

The makers of “The Blair Witch Project” figured out that the Internet has a unique grasp on audiences and can itch a strange scratch if done well. If you’re thinking about making a movie, don’t forget the website. If you want the website to help make money don’t just put a poster with sound up. Create a site with value!

*Value does not include wallpapers and AIM icons