Your Digital Space Matters

In owning a small business, one may aspire to eventually have that snazzy building in a bustling location. While that may may not be immediately attainable, on-line is where the real estate battle is not won by a pricey physical location. Millions of potential customers from nearly every demographic spend an increasing amount time on the Internet each week. And for some demographics [ages 14-28] more time is spent on the internet than with any other form of media.

Next, consider that 8 of 10 people look to the internet first for information. Most could say that they “check out” a business on-line when making their decision about whether or not to do business with them. This means that the chances of someone “visiting” your website and determining the status, success, and vibrancy of your business, products or services is much more likely than someone walking into your physical building seeking more information. If your website is not targeting and communicating effectively, then you have already lost the majority of your potential audience that you are marketing towards. It is no accident that users equate visiting a web site with visiting the actual business it represents. So you want an architecturally significant building in the center of town with beautifully landscaped grounds and a lobby that drops the jaw of clients and competitors alike – How good is your Web site?

There are three purposeful necessities that many business owners have expertly applied towards growing their physical business (and/or structuring their own “home base”), but may have overlooked in regards to their digital property – the website:

+ Conceptualize – Brainstorm, envision, and plan what you want your digital property to accomplish

+ Design – Execute your concept to convey your business’s personality, setting it apart from competition

+ Develop – Build your design with a sound structure that is both maintainable and expandable.

So you might be saying to yourself, “Well, I hear what you’re saying, but I only have a few small ideas of where to begin.” Good! You have already planted the seeds of a concept. Upon posing the following questions, designing and developing can be made less intimidating, while growing and strengthening your preliminary concepts.

– Does my website feel like the office space of my business?: In other words, if your web site could be a digital living space, would you feel comfortable residing in it or would you just want to visit it from time to time. If you don’t like your office atmosphere, you can bet that there are others who have thought the same and moved on to another business that has intently imbued tender, love, and care into their home.

– Can I find everything around my office space?: Most of us might immediately shake our heads, thinking of all the stuff we have yet to pull from storage. However, approach it from a more simplistic angle. That is, can I find the essentials of my business within my work space? Whether you answer yes or no, your web site’s space should be able to be easily navigated through without having to search through stuff.

– Has my office space been retooled/remodeled since the new millennium?: Almost every property that we have ever occupied has needed to be redone in some way, either after getting everything together after moving in, or after using it for a long time. Outward aspects of the office and the internal contents within become outdated as time passes. Your web site, in the same respect, is exactly the same. Chances are, if your site design (i.e. the outward aspects) and your site content have not been optimized for the expectations of the “digital shift“, then you could very well be losing prospective customers as you read this entry.

– Do you look for opportunities to invite customers over?: I’m not implying that every day should be like a product launch party, but more like an organized, social gala. Your customers should be able to spend time, move, and breathe comfortably within the space of your web site, no matter how lavish or minimalist it may be. Engage your visitors in an experience that will linger in their minds in that they will be wanting to return. Let them come knocking on YOUR door, seeking more reasons to utilize your business.

Whether your web site is your business or not, you need to be absolutely certain that your domain, which is your on-line office space, is complying with not just your marketing scheme but properly delineates and conveys an accurate message coupled with a profound experience. In this way, your business’s web site will engage your target audience, and impart the trust and a reassurance that a personal visit might.

If you are convinced that your “online office” has fallen behind in the times, you don’t have to go at it alone, nor should you ever have to. Seek out digital media experts who understand what it means for your business’s online image to be the lifeblood of your marketing strategy. As for Image Cog, we agree that your Web site should be a closely integrated component of larger marketing strategy. However, we profess that your site is the most important component of that strategy.

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