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!

YOU CAN’T BE WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE – WHY YOUR WEB MESSAGE MATTERS

If you’ve been following the WebatWork blog, you already know the Lynyrd Skynyrd rule of website design. The Cliff Note review: it’s the rule that says you have exactly 3.5 seconds to grab your potential client’s attention and make them love you enough to do business with you. This is easier to do than it sounds, but you do need to pay attention to a few key concepts. First impressions matter! Take a clear-eyed look at your website and ask:

• Is it obvious what my business does?
• Does my website look professional?
• Is my site easy to navigate?

If the answer to any of these questions is “No”, you’re at risk. Potential clients will simply leave your site and find someone whose site looks like they mean business. WebatWork sites look pulled together and they function flawlessly. Take a critical look at our portfolio and notice how the use of color, graphic design, as well as technical and navigation tools work to deliver a powerful and integrated visual presence. Now stop and look again at the heading on this blog posting, because we really can’t say it often enough: you can’t be what you can’t see!

The web is a visual medium, and your site is the window on your company’s world. Your clients need a clear picture your business; they want and expect the picture to be consistent. WebatWork’s engineers and designers understand this, and use their creative talent to free you up to focus on making your business a success. See for yourself what technical excellence, superb graphic design, and the meticulous attention to detail in a WebatWork site can do for your business. Call or contact us. We’ll listen, we’ll do great work, we’ll stay connected through the entire process, and we’ll help your website be exactly what you want to see!

Let the web work for you. Contact us at

http://www.webatwrk.com/contact/

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.

DON’T JUST SIT THERE, DO SOMETHING!

You have your website. It’s gorgeous, it’s technically solid, and it has all the bells and whistles. But… you’re still not dominating your market. WebatWork’s responses to these three statements would go like this: Awesome work on your website, congratulations! Well done on the design and the engineering! And lastly, what were you thinking? You thought your work was done? Wrong, wrong, and wrong!

A website is a living, real-time entity. If you ignore it, it will wither and become increasingly ineffective. As a web-based business owner, you are involved in a dynamic relationship with the Internet through your site. You are responsible for feeding new content to your site, because fresh content boosts your site optimization and ranking, which leads to sales and good times for you. Get it?

But wait, you say…you’re a mechanical engineer, or an attorney, or some other type of business owner, not an author. You don’t have time to feed your site with fresh content. Relax, and reach out to WebatWork. Our editorial team lives and breathes for the opportunity to write content and talk up your business, and we know how to make your website stand up and speak clearly and effectively (no inside voices here…promise!) You might be the strong, silent type, but your website should always be talking to the world on behalf of your business. WebatWork has never been known to sit down and shut up; we’re ready to help you talk your walk, and free you up to get on with running your business! Let’s chat…soon! Send us an email to admin@webatwrk.com or go to http://www.webatwrk.com/contact/.

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

It’s the halfway point in the year, and we here at WebatWork 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?

WebatWork 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 WebatWork 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!

Take the guess-work out of your business decisions, learn more about what we at Web at Work can offer.

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!

Effective communication

Effective communication requires a plan.  Effective communication is also a two-way street. 

Customers need to be able to communicate with you and you need to be able to deliver information to them in a way that is easy, reproducible and useful. 

Too much communication can be as damaging to your business as no communication. 

• With whom do you need to communicate? 
• How often should you communicate? 
• How will you communicate? 

It is one thing to have a plan, but if no one else knows the plan it will not be effective.  As you are developing your website and your online marketing plan, consider your communication needs. 

• Do you want to hear from your customers? 
• Do you want to give them updates, current information and news? 
• How can you most effectively deliver information to them?

Online communication strategies are diverse and effective.  Each method has benefits and drawbacks so understanding them is essential as you decide on your communication strategy.

The Web at Work team can help you develop the right communication strategy for your target audience. Contact us to talk about the tools you can choose.

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!

Small Business 101

The Web at Work Team is here to help you prosper and thrive in a difficult economy.  We realize that small businesses are often operating on a slim to non-existent budget and that the “need to do” list  is frequently much longer than the “can afford to do “ list.

Because we focus on small businesses, we are skilled at  helping you prioritize the development of your website to match the needs of your business right now and in the immediate future.  Many companies are not interested in working with small businesses because the scope of the work is so limited. 

We take a different view; we believe in our clients and we’re  here to help them achieve their goals as they grow and develop.  Most of our clients will see their needs change as their businesses evolve and this requires an evolution in the website as well.  We are here for the long haul and we’ll help you change your site as your needs change and your budget hopefully grows. 

Don’t be discouraged by your budgetary limitations.  Your website is a dynamic tool designed by us to help you be successful.  It is not something that is designed, launched and then forgotten.  The Web at Work team is here to help you continually assess your needs and we’ll partner with you toassist you in further developing your site as the goals for your on-line presence change.