 |
 |
Considerations --
Getting Your Web Presence Started
At WarmEarth Information Design, our objective is to align content and design to your business objectives. To make the most of our time together, read and think about the following questions and considerations before your initial consultation with a WarmEarth representative.
Your Business
- Tell us about your business:
- When was your business started?
- What is the primary activity of the business?
- What is your mission?
- What are your key business objectives?
- What are your products and services?
- What special promotions or events does your business sponsor?
- Special price promotions
- Outside events, such as open houses
- Special product demonstrations
The Competition
- What do you attribute to be a key factor in your success?
- Who are your key competitors?
- How do you differentiate yourself from the competition?
The Customers: Your Audience
- Who do you see as the audience for your web site?
- Who are your customers? (Describe their ages, backgrounds, interests, buying habits, etc.)
- How can the web site meet your current customer's needs?
- Will the target audience for your web site be the same as your current customer base?
- Are there any other potential customers you would like to attract through the web site?
- If so, what additional content may be needed to meet their needs?
Web Site Planning and Design Ideas
- Why do you want a web site?
- How can the web site expand your current business?
- What features or special promotions might you include on your web
site to keep customers coming back for more?
- Special promotion of the week/month
- Coupons
- Information of benefit to your target audience (For example, if you are selling projection equipment or visual presenters, maybe your audience would come to your site if you offered tips on how to create more effective sales presentations.)
- Have you looked at what competitors or similar companies in other geographic areas are doing on their web sites?
- What content categories have you considered for the site?
- What existing marketing materials and collateral do you have?
- Catalogs
- Price Lists
- Brochures
- Direct Mail Materials
- etc.
- What other correspondence do you have with customers?
- What other information could help present your corporate image?
- Company Background
- Success Stories or Customer Comments
- Customer Support Philosophy
- Press Releases
- What are logo or design considerations?
- Do you have existing photographs or artwork that you want to use?
- Do you own the rights to the materials that you want to use? Copyright issues need to be considered. This is especially true on the web where you have such a large audience.
- What are some other web sites that you have seen that you like and why do you like them?
- Have you thought about a Domain Name?
Customer Support
- What customer support activities do you currently provide to customers?
- What are some of the most frequent questions that customers ask you?
- Are there questions that customers have that could be answered or problems that could be solved or alleviated by providing information on the web site?
Other Web Site Considerations
- What other information would you want to include to present a good image of your company through the web site?
- Would you like to advertise jobs or recruit employees through the web site?
Employee Communications Issues
- Are their employee or communications issues within your company that could be improved through intranet communications or electronic media?
- Communicate benefit information
- Provide employee directories
- Provide process or procedural information to help employees better perform their jobs