Leverage Blog: How to Exploit the Web.

Is your business both product and service?

If your business involves both a product (a kitchen countertop, for example) and a service (professional installation of that countertop) then your marketing message needs to address both parts, right?

Step one is to help the customer fall in love with your product.  A company that sells Corian countertops needs to get customers attached-to the unique aspects of Corian (i.e., available in a broad range of colors) and sell against any perceived weaknesses (i.e, not as elegant as granite.)

Step two is to sell your service.  In this case, we first make sure the customer understands installation is a specialized craft requiring a high level of expertise.  Now that they know experience matters we present our credentials: years of experience, training, testimonials from previous clients, etc.

Blend the two messages together in the countertop company example and you might get a website like Signature Surfaces Inc.  With a dual-message of promoting the product and the expertise required to install that product, we've presented ourselves with clarity and confidence.

Keys to great websites (from the New York Times)

THE idea that if you build it, they will come, might have worked for Kevin Costner in the movie “Field of Dreams,” but it certainly does not hold true for Web sites.

Brilliant! Now my clients and readers won't just have to take my word for it.  Recently the NY Times had an article discussing great web design and it's full of smart ideas-- best-practices that every small business website should follow to be an effective marketing tool.  A few tidbits:

• Build a bad-looking small-business site filled with poorly written text, and your potential customers will go away.

• Web pages must visually hit a visitor right between the eyes. If a site does not answer a user’s questions about a business, then you have scored one for the competition.

• Users spend 30 seconds reviewing a home page...a business must encapsulate what they do in very few words.

Does my web design agency Wheel Media make the grade?  Do we design with these principles in mind?  I say yes, but pop-over and take a peek for yourself!
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Read the full article here.  (Free online subscription required.)

B2B Web Design Example: West Valley Construction

Wheel Media recently launched a new website for West Valley Construction, a 50 year-old construction firm based in the Silicon Valley.  If you drink the water or drive the roads of the SF Bay Area chances are you've seen their work.

When I'm thinking about a business-to-business website I'm focused on three goals:

• A design that is clean and easy to navigate
• Content that is confident and invites the visitor to make contact
• Interactive features that sell their unique strengths

In this case, we chose to give one of WVC's core lines-of-business added visibility by dedicating a space in the navigation for it.  ("Design-Build").  We used Flash to introduce a couple projects, and listed their clients to demonstrate the trust for WVC in the marketplace.  We also made a printable version of every page, ensuring the format would remain intact if a visitor wanted a paper-copy.

I can't say enough how important it is for B2B companies to have a clear and professional website.  The web is the first place most people go to learn about a new business-- if your firm sounds smart and looks good you're one step closer to a new client.  If your old site from 1999 has broken links and is a chore to navigate, well... maybe we can do something about that.

A lawyer (and website) you can trust

Let's be honest, in the legal field a few unscrupulous egomaniacs have given the profession a bad name.  The attorneys I know play by the rules and are whip-smart to boot-- you won't find me telling lawyer jokes at parties.  Granted I don't want to have to hire these talented folks anytime soon, but it's good to know they're around.

On the web it's hard to find a lawyer's website that conveys these positive messages:  Experience, knowledge, credibility...and some humanity.  Recently a very successful lawyer in San Francisco approached Wheel Media looking for a website and not knowing where to begin.  We took the opportunity to study her practice, style and her clientele and create a site that established trust.

Clear and appealing in words and design, this site is small but effective.  The objective of the site is to establish credibility, and inspire a phone call.

We think this is one attorney website visitors will feel good about.  Take a peek at www.robbinsfamilylaw.com