How Scrooge Helps Me Design Profitable Websites
From time to time, my company often gets to design and create websites for my business and publishing clients. Very often I will get a client who asks me to put his or her website together and will be totally dumbstruck as to the content. They will be able to figure out complex business strategies and master their own profession but soon begin to procrastinate the content development meeting.
After it happened for about a year, I asked around and found to my surprise that other web developers had the same issue with various clients as well. A friend of mine came up with a great interview format.
After using it for a few sessions, I dubbed it the Ebenezer Scrooge scenario. This little technique always makes an indelible impression on my clients because it's a great way get them to see things from a bigger perspective without putting them on the spot to come up with website copy. It became a great way to interview them about the business and profession they were in while getting all the info I needed.
Here it is..
The Past:
If you were to go back to the beginning of your career or choice of business, what would you do differently now that you are more experienced and have the benefit of hindsight?
What significant issues or challenges could you identify that influenced your decision to enter your chosen field?
The Present:
Give me a Unique Description of your business and its philosophy or mission statement. What can you see in your business that separates it from your competitors?
How do clients benefit from your product or service?
What are you currently doing to help your customers to spread the word about your service or products?
What qualifications do you have that benefits your clients?
How long have you been in your current field?
What formal education do you have in your chosen field?
What are the 5 biggest issues facing your clients these days?
What are the 5 biggest mistakes you see people make in the area of your expertise?
What solutions do you suggest for the mistakes people make in these areas? How do they fix, remove, prevent or avoid the issues?
The Future:
What trends do you see in the horizon that will impact the market you serve?
What advancements do you anticipate that are in the developing stages that will benefit your clients?
Are there any predictions for the future of our industry?
The interview ends and marketing form is brought out. There are also specific questions inserted depending on the industry involved.
List the average age and demographic of your clients. What are their most pressing needs and how do you help them? Are there any specific type sizes or styles that need to be used in the design that is expected by the target audience?
Are there any graphic elements that are associated with your target audience that we should be sure to include?
List your products /services in order of importance:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
More...
Give me 5 reasons why your service or product is the answer to the needs of your prospects.
After that interview we look at the
Break down your web pages here. List your subjects - here are a few examples
Home
About Us
Contact Us
Newsletter Subscription
Services
Products
Specialties
Referrals and Testimonials
Video tutorials
FAQ section
Product Recommendations
Retail Section
Once the client is able to stretch their imagination by looking at the past, present and future,
writing copy for the website that's meaningful for the reader or viewer becomes less problematic. Many business owners aren't writers, they know their business but my not be that facile at communicating the story to the web audience.
If you need to build your website or someone else's, try the Ebenezer Scrooge strategy for building content. If you end up with relevant material because of it, just chock one up for creativity.
Dennis Francis is a consultant and business coach for chiropractors and other professional healthcare and wellness practitioners. His website, http://www.doublemyrevenues.com offers its members online coaching on automating marketing on and off the web. He offers a free book called "Double Your Revenues in 12 Months or Less."
Christmas And The Ghost Of Forex Past
With Christmas fast approaching and another New Year almost upon us, it hardly seems possible that 2007 is already reaching a...
Working in the Field of Web Development
Today, web development services could well be one of the most in-demand services online. This is because more and more websit...
Internet Web Site Marketing Design Services
Some of the most important things that you can do for your business is to let go of a little bit of the responsibilities and ...
Profitable Websites for Exclusive Industries
In the region where my company is located, South Bend, Indiana, the demand for web design and associated services could be d...
Fast Web Site Creation - 7 Ways to Web Site Creation
The world today is the world of internet and cyber trade. All the companies who have a certain market share in the product or...
What Makes a Good And Profitable Web Site?
You need a web site to have an established and felt online presence. Your web site is just like the offline shop or business ...
How To Attract Viewers Through Professional Creative Website Design
Websites are becoming much important than other business proposal of your business when you are thinking to lunch your busine...
How to Choose Web Design Company?
Before deciding on which web design company to choose, you should first determine the main aim and purpose for your upcoming ...
Set Your UK-Based Website Aflame With Proven Design Techniques
UK-based website design companies are many. The internet will offer you a large variety of choices to entice you and perhaps ...
Affordable Web Design In Birmingham
If you have a business, big or small you may be thinking of getting yourself a website.The world wide web is another way of s...
Distinct Website Design Approaches For Different Web Portals
There are millions of websites finding their way on Internet with every passing day. You may come across different types of w...
Targeted Domain Names - Announcing 7 Exciting Secrets to Breakthrough With Domain Names
Do you have the skills of mix matching words? Do you have wide range of vocabulary? Do you enjoy naming websites? Are you fam...
Making Use of Expired Domain Names For Your Advantage
A lot of people today are realizing just how much income expired domain names could generate. Thee have already been a lot of...
Can You Really Get a Free Website Design?
'Free website design' sounds very enticing, doesn't? Here, it seems, is the answer to getting that work done at no cost. But ...
9 Ways to Profit From Domain Names
Domain names have become very profitable for people on a number of different levels. Through this article, you are provided ...
Designing Internet Marketing Websites to Increase Your Web Presence
There are so many different factors that can affect your Internet business that it is difficult to name them all. Most of wh...
How To Build A Killer Website To Explode Your Sales
First and foremost you have got to understand that it is a total rip off in my opinion to hire web designers to design websit...
The Importance Of Quality User Interface Design
Quite recently, I visited a website that I wouldn't like to mention here for obvious reasons. The fact is was simply bowled o...
Help Building An Optimized Web Design
Web Designing involves many different factors. One that is often overlooked is search engine optimization; many designers do ...
What is HTML
When we program websites, whether we use a design editor or hand code the sites, we invariably come across HTML. HTML is a co...