Creating the right impression…
Today’s newsletter is about developing your company brand. Many people think of a brand as a logo - the little graphic you see on a pair of sneakers or a T-shirt. The truth is, your brand is much more than that. It’s the overall impression people develop of your company through their interactions with your products, your services, your website, your employees, and, of course, you. Let me show you what I mean.
As some of you know, I’ve recently been working on a piece of writing. I’ve done a lot of research, and if you were to come over to my house today, you’d find piles of books and papers all over my dining table (which I’ve converted into a temporary desk because it’s bigger) and spilling onto the floor. With so many bits of related information, piecing it together has taken up a lot of my time. Finally, yesterday, I decided I needed to get some help.
I searched the Internet and found some mind-mapping software that could help me put all my ideas together and help me see the relationships and links between them. The software is appropriately called the Brain, and it has revolutionized how I organize my information. I’ve taken all the bits of information and categorized them into neat sections, all beautifully displayed on the screen and dynamically generated through the interactive interface. Now it all makes sense.
When everything is in its place and easy to find, it just feels good, doesn’t it? You know that feeling you get when the house is clean and the lawn is mowed. It just feels good to be there. The same is true for your website. If it’s messy, disorganized or stale, it creates an impression about your company, your ‘brand.’
Have you ever been to a website that has so much information crammed onto one page that you get a headache just looking at it? It’s likely got flashing arrows, blinking headings, or neon signs to tell you where to look. What’s your impression?
What about the site that seems broken? Some of the links don’t work, some of the information is out of date, and some of the images don’t load properly. What’s your impression?
I know these examples are extreme, but I wanted to show how easily impressions are created. Now what about a website that loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and has lots of interesting and helpful information. What impression would that give about the company ‘brand’?
Here’s my point: It’s important to pay attention to the impression your site is creating because it’s influencing your ‘brand.’ Consider the audience, then choose the colors, layout, navigation, and content that fit. Also make sure it is technically sound so that everything displays the way it should, no matter which browser or operating system your visitors are using.