Monthly Archives: March 2013

Florida Gulf Coast University & Web Design

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Watching the Florida Gulf Coast University basketball team in the NCAA tournament you have to be impressed with their poise. The first 15 seed ever to make it to the Sweet 16, they have amazed the sports world.

If you had never watched a college basketball game in your life you would’ve thought that they were one of the premier programs in the country, equal in every way to Kentucky, North Carolina and other powerhouses. You would never guess that they were only in their second year in division one, and have only been around since the 90s. Why? Because they present themselves as a top notch, well coached program. They present a professional appearance, confident and strong. And of course they are talented, though larger schools passed on their players.

Florida_Gulf_Coast_University So what does that have to do with building a website you ask? Good question. One thing I always tell people is that if your website is built correctly nobody can tell that you’re a small company or even a one person business. It is the great equalizer of our time. Present a professional appearance, spout your virtues, and the sky is the limit. Of course being talented in your field is a must as well.

When you look at some large companies, some do have nice websites. But many are remarkably ordinary. I can point to several websites that the small company actually has a better site than the bigger competitor.

The funny thing is that you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get a good web presence. I repeat, you do not need to spend an arm and a leg. There are several ways to approach building websites. Of course there are many companies in our business that ask you what your budget is the moment they meet you. And if you say $10,000, they magically have a $10,000 website package for you.(which would have been the same site they would have built had you said $5,000) I don’t take that approach. I typically find different alternatives for clients at various price points. The client is then free to choose which alternative works for their budget.

As Florida Gulf Coast University enters the Sweet 16, remember, your small business can play with the big boys as well. If you have the qualifications, we can build you a site that will even the playing field. And who knows, you may even make it to the Final 4…..

 

Planning a website? Think Aristotle

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Aristotle Strange title eh? I agree. Typically we don’t look to philosophers who died in 322 BC for advice. But I happened upon an article in the Harvard Business Review talking about the 3 elements of great communication. The elements Aristotle identified are ethos, pathos, and logos.

We will examine all 3 elements and how they relate to website development.

  1. Ethos :: Ethos is your credibility.  Why should anyone believe what you are saying on your website?  One of the most important things you can get across on your website is to show you are a subject matter expert in your field. So if someone wants to hire you, (or buy from you) they need to feel confident that you are a proven leader in your field with the skills & technical expertise they are looking for. If your credibility is in question, it is pretty clear a visitor to your website will not end up a customer/client. This is also why the “do it yourself websites” don’t work.  Can anyone take you seriously when you have an amateurish website?
  2. Pathos :: Pathos is the emotional connection.  This is very important in a website. People that have an emotional bond with your company, typically will be repeat customers.  Now for e-commerce, this may be a love for your brand.  People who like a specific clothing brand typically will buy that brand year after year. But this also goes for service providers. Say you are a plumber who saved a homeowner from a leak on a Sunday night.  That consumer won’t forget that plumber. This is where things like testimonials come in handy. When visitors to your website see the love your customers/clients have, they too are likely to hire you.
  3. Logos :: Logos is your way of appealing to people’s sense of reason. They mention in the blog I referenced that this is where the term logic comes from. True, this sounds a bit Vulcan, but things needs to make sense to us for us to wrap our mind around something.  This is why websites, or commercials fail when they make crazy claims. Even though we may want to believe a pill will grow our hair back and clear our face of wrinkles, we know in our mind that this can’t be true. We all know if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So keep that in mind developing your website. A little bragging is fine, as long as you don’t promise what can’t possibly be delivered.

Planning your website can be a difficult process with a lot of variables. But when you consider Aristotle’s 3 elements of communication, you are off to a good start. Feel free to contact us with any questions.