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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Jay Gee's ideal farm marketing approach and web site

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  • From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Jay Gee's ideal farm marketing approach and web site
  • Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 08:51:57 -0600

On the design of websites...

The firm for which I work put up a website that was no more than a snapshot
of our brochures. From the beginning, I thought it was a waste of money.
When I asked the Executive VP about the purpose of having a website, the
answer was "web presence". Much like the idea that any legitimate and
serious business these days had a website.

Pfft. In our line of work, web presence actually has a downside to it in the
sense that those folks who don't like the work we do are looking at that
website too... just as we are looking at theirs to see what they are up to.

I suggested that we design a website with the specific overall goal that it
would generate revenue. There were several features that I thought might do
that... (I am not a web designeer, BTW). Furthermore, it needed security
features that would allow access to additional pages only for our clients
and known visitors to the website.

First, there had to be a reason for people to come back to the site... if
only irregularly.

Second, there had to be something behind the front page that existing
clients and potential new clients would be willing to pay for. In our case,
web access to data reports and our research on human resources issues.
Existing clients would pay nothing for additional page access and interested
clients could, perhaps, pay a subscription for access to some pages.
Research and training offerings, in particular.

Third, the web site should serve our consultants, as well, on the road and
in ways that would benefit clients.

In other words, the website had to justify itself in terms of producing
efficiencies into our work, advertising (of course), and generating
consistent contact with existing clients for something they want and need -
that is, our services.

We ended up hiring a professional web design group. Our conception for the
website will probably take a few years to actually realize. Our first and
main goal was that first page... the one that would, in a sense, capture the
eye and interest in what we had to offer.

I believe that the initial design cost was somewhere in the neighborhood of
$20K.

I saw a version of the first page design a few months ago. What impressed
me most about hiring professional designers was all the 'cute' ideas they
built into that page with an eye toward long term development and
maintenance of the site. (Afterall, they want our long term business as
well.) In other words, they took our initial ideas about what we wanted the
website to do - generate revenue and value added services to clients - and
showed us options we hadn't thought of ... yet.

For other clients, I think the focus would have been somewhat different
depending on their businesses. It's custom work. That's all there is to it
and, I think, that is what Jay Gee is talking about. There isn't one right
answer for a given business when it comes to the design of websites. It
depends on several factors.

Design and eye candy for the viewer of the website is just one of them. How
the website actually generates customers or clients is another thing
altogether.

Del Williams
Farmer in the Del
Clifton, IL






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