At OffWhite/Salter, we consider your Web site to be an extension of your business, not a computer project. And we think your ability to manage the content on your own Web site is one of the most important benefits we can put on your desk.
Here are some things to consider if you have a Web site that doesn't work for you, or if you are planning a Web site for your business.
Top Management Buy-In
Your Web site should always be within the domain of top management and marketing, and the site must be properly integrated into the sales equation, regardless of your distribution channel.
- Computer skills and programming knowledge are fundamental to building a Web site. Graphic design is an important component as well. But these skills are not required until the Web architecture is completed.
- And the architecture cannot be established unless and until the role of the Web site in the business is accurately determined by top management.
Web sites offer a three-dimensional access to your firm, your product or service, with immediacy and high expectations. Your Web site should serve as a transactional portal to your company, full of information and opportunity for sales. But only if you can manage it yourself.
- Content management must be easy and only a click away, wherever you may be, at work, at home, at the beach. Our Ed.it™ Content Management System is easy to use, yet powerful and flexible for growth within the site itself.
- Design and navigation strategies must work together to simplify the Web experience for your customer, but graphic designers and programmers must have the right direction. Graphic expression must be consistent with your corporate or global overbranding program.
Things We Can't Do Without
- Databases and parsing or bridge programs can offer significant streamlining benefits for site development and upkeep. We'll show you how they work.
- Site metrics and measuring techniques must be included from the design stage, not added on at the end.
- Meta tags are important for imprinting the best signature on third-party search engines that seek out keywords and prioritize search results with amazing sophistication.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important; we can manage programs to deliver higher rankings.
- A secure or password-protected intranet must be available to your sales staff so that information they need for the sales they want is only a click away – if they know where to look.
Things We Like
Your Web site can “empower the last person hired”, taking the uncertainty away from a sales call, and building confidence for your sales staff inside and on the road.
- Want to be a hero to your sales staff and your customers? Your Web site can include a library of the publications and documents you typically print. Although print will never go out of style, the business community is comfortable with downloading. Plus, you can always overwrite your last document with the latest information, quicker and less expensively than reprinting.
- Want to be the "go to" resource in your industry? A links page can make your site the first point of contact for people seeking information that goes beyond who you are and what you do, and positions you as a leader in your market.
Welcome to Web 2.0
Ever hear of RSS feeds, enewsletters, Wikis, podcasts, videopodcasts, blasts or mash-ups? Your customers have.
- We'll help you harness the power of the new media, while maintaining a healthy respect for the tried-and-true.
We Put the Power Where It Belongs: On Your Desk
Your Web site is not a luxury, nor is the development of your Web site the business of amateurs. If you agree that your company's future depends at least in part on Web site presence and performance, contact OffWhite/Salter for a professional evaluation.
- Our Functional Performance Document will be the blueprint for your Web site, how it looks, what it does, how your customers interact, and how you manage the content. This is "the plan".
- Our process minimizes uncertainty every step of the way.
- When we're done, you can manage it yourself.
- Be prepared for "content shock"; you've got a lot to say, and we will give you the platform.
Contact us for details.