We are now five years old and in that time we have constantly upgraded the website with all the attendant fuss and disruption. Mobestar watchers will note that our fourth iteration is consistent with the repositioning statement made earlier in the year. Personally, my background is one of direct sales and approximately 100 years ago, armed only with a glossy brochure, my main goal was to make as many sales calls as possible as, so we were told, activity equalled sales. In those days four new business calls equalled one new photocopier and life was much simpler. Finding the audience was also a much simpler affair and was divined by knocking on doors, qualifying the prospect and closing the deal. There was no internet, mobile phone or website but there was always the attendant menace of the ever present monthly driven sales manager from hell.

The world today is a different place as everyone strives to create a virtual shop window through their web site – and this is what we have tried to achieve. An impactive and compelling site is now the start of any successful sales campaign but opinions are like belly buttons – everyone has got one. There is always a paucity good advice in nascent marketing practices but under the careful stewardship of our branding agency, Birddog, we listened, learned and started.

That’s not the only consideration to be made – there are all sorts of complexities to consider – optimising a Web 2.0 infrastructure, engendering the adoption of social media marketing, absolute clarity and easy navigation are the minimum criteria for a good site.  This is all before the design stage takes place which is the key to the whole look and feel of the thing.

The challenge today is that everyone wants their information /content/product immediately and without delay, whether it’s delivered via the web, mobile or TV.  A poor user experience invariably means losing the customer and can be triggered by a variety of seemingly small events – a slowish download, too many key strokes or a lost mobile connection. As product or service suppliers we are all at the mercy of the “infrastructure” and must mitigate these sales prevention barriers as best as possible. Our biggest barrier to success is a poor user experience since losing a customer means the loss of all their friends as well – fewer clicks and quicker information is paramount! To borrow from Master and Commander  – “quick the word, fast the action”.

The other major consideration is the brand’s look and feel. If your target demographic, as ours is, is 18 to 26 years old do not get a ICL assembler programmer still working in 1972 to design your web site. There are some absolute howlers out there which are doing their very best to mask a decent product offering and diverting potential customers to competitor’s sites. If it’s funky, sexy, cool you want  – get someone who knows your market.

Anyway enough of the lecture – I  hope you like the new site.

Posted by: Peter Richards on 12/10/2009