The New Dynamics of Public Relations (or how to have better PR than News Corporation)

If we’re going to be totally honest, everyone is feeling pretty happy right about now that they are not involved with the nightmare that must be public relations at media conglomerate News Corporation.

But, contrary to what you might think, there’s a lesson here for all of us. In a sense, we’re all News Corp.  Everyone who owns a business (and that includes us here at WebatWork and all of our clients) is involved in a direct and ongoing conversation with their existing and potential clients, as well as the worldwide web. We all chose to enter into this conversation when we went live in the electronic environment.

With that in mind, the key to surviving a negative public relations event is to stay engaged in the conversation that your business has with the world. Blogs and social media are critical elements here; WebatWork can help you manage your message and web content in a responsible and dynamic way to manage the short-term challenges and long-term outcomes.

Adverse events don’t need to be a disaster for your company. Stay engaged in the conversation with your clients, and let WebatWork help you restore calm to your corner of the worldwide web!

ARE WE THERE YET? (OR HOW TO BE A MODEL OF SEMI-RESOLUTION)

We are well past the halfway point in the year, and we here at Web at Work are just as shocked and appalled as you are, Internet!  There is a jolt of simultaneous disbelief and reflection as the calendar flips from June to July and the second half of the year begins. Wall Street puts it another way; end of the second quarter, half-yearly profits reports and revised full-year estimates are due. Wall Street can really slap some reality bite into a calendar, right?  Web at Work prefers to take a more laidback and flexible approach to business planning; one that recognizes the opportunities for fine-tuning your business. There are some real advantages to being a small business with a strong web presence, and the most obvious one is the ability to adjust your business strategy, product mix, marketing approach, or web design as a result of data that is unique to your business, and not based on the best guess or educated hunch of economists or corporations.

What does this mean? It means that you can base your business decisions on Internet-based data. You can step away from the guesswork of business, and put your website under the microscope to see what is working and what needs fine-tuning, updating, or even a total re-think. Don’t take this personally; every site (including ours) has “dead zones” that don’t generate traffic. The more you know about your web-based business, the better.

One of the great truisms of business is that “what gets measured gets managed.” As you enter the second half of 2010, make a resolution
to work with Web at Work to establish some hard data about your site. We can give you strong data about where your web traffic is going; we’ll leave the decision making and the second half of 2010 success up to you!

Contact Web at Work for more information.

THE WORD (OR WEBSITE) AS A WHOLE

Have you ever thought that website design, or website presence, was something that only large companies could afford, were entitled to, or could benefit from? That the world belonged to the Nike’s and Coca-Cola’s, and the rest of the team could either stay home or sit on the bench and watch while the big boys played? We here at WebatWork aren’t fooled by this for a minute, and neither should you!

The Web is the even playing field that we’ve all been waiting for! Your task as a business owner is to get out there and claim your piece of the court, or any other piece of the business map that appeals to you, and make it your own. Truly, there is room for everyone out here, so come on out and play!

Don’t let your business plans and dreams get pushed aside because you think you need “the perfect product/system/process/service”, or even the perfect website. Customers see the whole picture, and they can absorb information very quickly from your site, even if the content isn’t perfect.  Consider this:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcauseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but THE WORD AS A WOLHE.  

This shouldn’t make any sense at all, but it does! The message here for all would-be website owners is this: get your message out there!  It doesn’t need to be perfect; your customers are looking for what you’re already trying to say, and they speak your language!  The fabulously strange and talented team at WebatWork actually enjoys things like writing, coding, testing, and designing, so that you only need to turn us loose to start the conversation between you and your potential customers.  Brilliant web presence is everybody’s business, including yours. Let WebatWork show you how simple and affordable the next chapter of your business success can be!  Find us on the web at www.webatwrk.com.

MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES

(HOW YOUR COMPANY CAN BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE)

Do you ever wonder how your company can trade in its  pinstriped suit for a more global look and feel?  How to connect with a completely new  demographic or a fresh market for your innovative service, product, or concept? How to remain aligned with your mission, values, and strategic objectives, but still give the creative energy in your organization (HINT: the people who inspire you and who make work fun . . . )  the scope and encouragement to really grow your  business? The answers are literally at your fingertips!

By changing and updating your web presence, you can change and grow your business in a way that simply dissolves the old boundaries  associated with market development. WebatWork understands this; we are never satisfied with the status quo, and are just as curious as you are about ways in which your business can expand to increase your profits and make you see your business in an entirely new way. Your company’s personality is only constrained by your imagination, and the creativity and technological energy of the WebatWork team is just waiting to be turned loose by your vision of what your company’s future can be!

Change the look, change the interface, open new channels of communication; do it all! Seriously, people, this is not rocket science. You just need a talented team to make your vision a reality. Oh, and by the way, you’re already on the right website! We’re ready for you . . . what are you waiting for? Let’s get to WebatWork!

If you need to update your web presence, contact us at:  admin@webatwrk.com.

Make Your Connection

Connection!

It’s an essential element in any successful business, and it is the driving force behind the Web at Work Group.

Your business needs to connect with your established client base, and it also needs to reach out to potential clients who are looking for the
services that you provide. The problem is that you’re too busy running your business to grow your business.

The Web at Work Group knows that your needs are unique to you and your business.  We work personally with you to create, develop, implement, and maintain your website and your social media presence in a way that precisely matches the needs of your growing business.  We take the time to understand the plans and dreams you have for your business, and we plan with you to help deliver your dream!

Let us show you what we can create and deliver. We want to work with you to present your business to the world!

The New Dynamics of Public Relations (or how to have better PR than BP)

If we’re going to be totally honest, everyone is feeling pretty happy right about now that they are not involved with the nightmare that must be public relations at BP. It’s hard to imagine a response in the face of an immense environmental disaster, let alone how that might play out in the corridors at corporate headquarters!

But, contrary to what you might think, there’s a big lesson here for all of us. In a sense, we’re all BP. Everyone who owns a business (and that includes us here at Web at Work and all of our clients) is involved in a direct and ongoing conversation with their existing and potential clients, as well as the World Wide Web. We all chose to enter into this conversation when we went live in the electronic environment. With that in mind the key to surviving a negative public relations event is to stay engaged in the conversation that your business has with the world. Blogs and social media are critical elements here; Web at Work can help you control your message and Web content in a responsible and dynamic way to manage the short-term challenges and long-term outcomes.

Adverse events don’t need to be a disaster for your company. Stay engaged in the conversation with your clients, and let Web at Work help you restore calm to your corner of the World Wide Web!

Holidays drive business

A holiday is a special day on the calendar; one that provides us with an opportunity to pause in our busy daily lives and reflect on the meaning of the day, celebrate, rest or just reflect on the dependable rhythm of the year.  

Why not use holidays to market your business or product? 

Customers are used to seeing the Back to School specials in the stores and the deep discounts preceding the Christmas shopping season.  Remember that your Web-based business can also use some of the same marketing techniques that have been tried and true for years. 

Consider sending out coupons to your customer base, have downloadable coupon offers available on your website to be used in your online store, highlight certain seasonal products and just have fun.

Contact Web at Work to find out how we can help you make these idea comes to life.

What is in a color?

Color is emotional.  Color is personal.  Color is complicated.  In fact, in the English-speaking world, color even has different spellings.  Unless you live in the United States, color is spelled, colour!

Have you ever taken the time to think about just how many shades of green there are?  When a client asks for a website that emphasizes the color green, we are just beginning the journey.  Think about the number of adjectives that exist to simply define the color green. Green can be green as grass, forest green, lime green, chartreuse, celadon, citrine, lovat, olive, army, sage, celery, sea foam…the list can go on and on.

Humans associate certain colors with certain emotions.  This is a very important concept to grasp as you consider the color palette for your website.  What emotion are you trying to convey when a customer looks at your website? 

The emotion of color is also contextual as cultural experiences influence the meaning of a color. Green can be associated with natural beauty but in the U.S. green can symbolize money and wealth while many of us equate green with the luck o’ the Irish!

As you do your background research for your website, consider how color choice will affect your audience.  Do your homework and determine what colors appeal to your target demographic.  The Web at Work team can help you with this.  Our team of graphic designers and branding experts has extensive experience in guiding clients to the right color palette.  Contact us with your color questions and remember, red does not always mean danger… in some cultures, it is the color of preference for brides.

The Launch of Lily.B Skincare

The Web at Work team is proud to announce the launch of  the Lily.B Skincare website.  This beautiful new website went live this week and brings to the Web a brand new skincare line developed to meet the needs of women in their 20s and 30s.  These exciting and natural products are available only through the Lily.B skincare  online store and are being formally  launched at the Cannes film festival on May 15^th.  The U.S. launch party will be May 23^rd in Scottsdale, Arizona and we are looking forward to celebrating the success of this smart new skincare line.

The Web at Work team created custom graphics and an on line store for Lily.B as well as developed a comprehensive social media strategy that includes a custom Facebook page, blog, Twitter account and YouTube channel. The social media sites are all integrated and tie back to the website and online store to ensure that the Lily.B customers have options to explore all aspects of the brand through participation in an online community.  

Visit Lily.B Skincare and try out this great new skincare line.  Contact us at admin@webatwrk.com so that we can help you develop a professional, visually appealing and most importantly an effective presence on the Web.  We are looking forward to helping you promote your business through the use of the latest techniques utilizing social media and search engine optimization (SEO).

Know your competition

The worldwide Web is a virtual marketplace and your direct competitors are operating alongside you within that global marketplace. Many of your competitors have brick and mortar operations in addition to their Web presence, while others are only doing business via the Web. When designing your website and your internet business it is very important to take the time to research, observe and benefit from how your competitors are operating their businesses. Although this type of research can be time consuming, it is invaluable to you as you are defining the look, feel and functionality of your website.

The Web at Work team realizes that this may all be new to you and may be overwhelming at times. We have developed a website design tool that will guide you through the process of defining your preferences for your site and in it, we ask you to visit and document sites that are in your same line of business to help us understand what you do and do not like about individual sites. Here are a few suggestions to help you as you surf the Web and become educated about your competition and your unique marketplace.

 Keep a list of URLs that you have visited. An excel spreadsheet is a wonderful tool for this. It’s amazing how many times we have had clients tell us that they saw something but then, could not remember where it was. Surfing the Web can often land you far away from where you started and it is critical that you document the sites you visit, so we can go there later and learn from your observations

1. Make notes about color schemes, graphics, layouts, functionalities that you respond to, especially those that provoke the “WOW” response. 
2. Make notes about elements that you do not like. It is amazing how quickly you will discover color palettes and layouts that you strongly dislike.
3. Have fun and take your time. It is best if you do this in multiple small sessions.