Marketing & Branding Online

P.O. Box 1421
San Rafael, CA 94915
415 / 456-6265
reid@neubertweb.com

Making the Internet Work for You

People go to the Web first these days. Whether finding out about a company or a product, shopping, investing, or job hunting, people look to the Internet. That means that, more and more, your Web site is your first point of contact for prospective clients and customers. Because of that, it is essential that your Web site is well designed and written so that it,

engages your target audience,
presents your business in the best light,
reinforces and strengthens your brand.

As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Of course there is more to online marketing than just your Web site. There is also online advertising and email marketing. But Web sites first.

Web Plans Need Focus

As fast as the World Wide Web has proliferated, it is a relatively new medium. Many companies are still unclear about how to best use the Internet and how to integrate it into their overall business and their marketing plans.

We bring focus to your Web site plans. We can help you determine what your site should include and make sure it relates well to the rest of your business and to your marketing in other media. Then we can create your Web site for you or improve your existing site.

Give the People What They Want

Unless people come to your site for entertainment, the majority don’t care about multimedia experiences, “way cool” animation, and the latest bells and whistles. They want information. They want functionality. They want fast-loading Web pages that provide what they seek in an easily accessible manner.

And that is how we develop Web sites. Here is how we can improve your Web site and make it work better for your site visitors – and therefore, for your business:

Clarity of information
Branding and cross-media integration
User targeting
Ease of use and navigation
Search engine optimization

Clarity of Information

Two of the leading complaints about business-to-business Web sites are, 1) people are confused by the home page, and 2) there is too much self-serving content. Have you looked at your company's Web site lately? Ask yourself this question: Does your home page give people who aren’t familiar with your company a clear picture of what you have to offer them? Too often this is not the case!

If they look past your home page, does the site tell visitors what they want to know or what your business units want to say? These are typically NOT the same thing!

Branding and Cross-Media Integration

Your Web site is your brand's home in cyberspace. It's not about technology, it's about communication. When people visit your Web site, they should immediately recognize that it is your company. Your unique marketing message, look and voice need to be consistent across media in order to reinforce your brand, telegraph your key message, and reduce your cost of customer thinking.

User Targeting

It is important to know your audience. Who is your Web site for? What are site visitors looking for there? Does your site satisfy or frustrate visitors? We bring the user perspective to bear.

Ease of Use and Navigation

For your Web site to be successful, it must respect site visitors' time and make the information they seek easily accessible. You don't want people to have to struggle to navigate your Web site. The site structure and its navigation must be logical and straightforward.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

There are many factors that affect search engine results, and they continue to evolve as search engines try to provide the best possible results while foiling those who try to use tricks to get better ranking.

How your Web site is designed, written and coded are all important factors in making it search engine-friendly. If your site isn't designed and coded correctly, it can be virtually invisible to search engines! We know the optimization rules to follow to ensure your site's visibility and to help its ranking in the search results. Plus, making a Web site search engine-friendly also helps make it user-friendly!

For a new site, we create it to be search engine-friendly from the start. We can also revise your existing site to improve its "searchability."

Online Advertising

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a hot topic these days. It is entirely different from search engine optimization. SEM means running paid ads that appear along with the search results on a search site such as Google. For certain businesses, SEM can be an important part of their overall marketing mix.

Online advertising can also include running ads on other Web sites. This can be effective when careful attention is paid to placing ads where the Web page content is relevant to what you are selling.

Email Marketing

Debates have raged over email marketing, but as the dust settles, smart companies are finding that judicious use of email, sent only to people who care to receive it from them, can be an effective way of reinforcing their connection with their customers and increasing sales. As we said above, you have to give the people what they want ... but, in this case, no more.

Let us make the Web work for you. Give Reid a call at (415) 456-6265 or email him now.

Reid Neubert + Friends – Web site developers, strategic branding & marketing consultants in the San Francisco Bay Area.