Eliminate Web Design Disputes with Wireframes

wireframe sample with captionWhen you begin a website design and development project, it’s very tempting to begin with design concepts. Everyone loves to be involved in the look and feel of a brand new website.

But beware…hitting fast forward to the design stage creates a lot of risk for your brand, your business and marketing plans and organization as a whole. It doesn’t take into consideration the invaluable research and strategy that’s required to create a powerful user experience and the bottom line results to which your website should be a significant contributor.

So where SHOULD you begin?

Great question! In this article, you’ll find the answer and several ways the wireframe method will help you avoid the perils of premature design.

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Compare Smart Zones targeting to old-school digital advertising targeting

There is a tipping point when some things become a little old school. Like the underperforming digital banner ads that companies continue to overspend on. Compare traditional online targeting to SmartZones by JD, a new-school mapping of nearly 100% of online home and business traffic into 16 million qualified, target-ready audiences. All while protecting user privacy. And without using intrusive cookies.

In under 2 min., you see exactly how Smart Zones compares to traditional digital advertising.

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PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR A BETTER WEBSITE

If you’re like me, you’re taking in any useful knowledge in the form of articles, posts, webinars, case studies, white papers and research reports and the like whenever and wherever you can. Its just one way I feel like I’m keeping my mind open to new techniques, applications and inspirations.

Often, I’ll read something that I wish I had thought of writing myself. It’s usually a piece full of good observations and applicable advice. Here’s one recent Fast Company article that falls into that category.

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE

AS THE FACE OF YOUR COMPANY TO THE WORLD, A GOOD WEBSITE IS A
MUST-HAVE FOR YOUR BUSINESS. HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT NOT ONLY ATTRACTIVE,
BUT FUNCTIONAL–FOR YOU AND YOUR AUDIENCE.

I’d like to build upon the wisdom of this article by sharing JD-authored posts from Measurable Marketing. If there’s one or more strategies that pique your interest, take a closer look at these ideas, applications or explanations which stem from the five recommendations from the Fast Company article:

  1. RESPONSIVE DESIGN

A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE ON RESPONSIVE WEBSITE DESIGN

  1. USER BEHAVIOR METRICS

ARE YOU MAXIMIZING YOUR DATA?

  1. CONCISE MESSAGING

SIMPLIFY YOUR COPY TO APPEAR SMARTER…AND FATTEN YOUR BOTTOM LINE

  1. FRESH CONTENT

TEST MARKET-SAVVY CONTENT TO ADD VALUE AND BUILD TRUST

  1. LAYERED LANDING PAGES

IMPROVE YOUR NEXT NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH CAMPAIGN WITH THESE 3 STRATEGIES

Even if you apply these strategies one by one, you’re sure to see improvements on many levels. Be sure to benchmark where you started so that you’ll be able to track and measure your progress over time.

 

Media Usage in Today’s World (infographics)

Where do you find your customers? How do you attract the right customers in today’s  media setting?

Lately, I’ve been asking friends and family this question: “What do you watch on TV these days?” I’m less interested in what they’re watching, but how they’re watching. I think it’s an interesting question as an informal generational study. My 30-something friends and I still comfortably have feet in both traditional TV and digital streaming. But, if you were to ask my 80-something grandparents or my college-aged cousins the same question, they would have very different answers. I ask them these questions because a lot of information has been published lately on how different age groups participate in media and we, as marketers, are noticing and acting on this knowledge bank. This chart demonstrates media use by age bracket. Continue reading