20 Problems That A Web Design Agency Can Solve For Your Business

20 Problems That A Web Design Agency Can Solve For Your Business

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses face an ever-growing challenge: keeping up with the breakneck pace of technological advancements while maintaining a competitive edge. As consumer behaviors shift and online interactions become increasingly pivotal, the significance of a captivating and user-centric web presence has never been more apparent. Enter the realm of web design agencies – the modern-day troubleshooters equipped to tackle a multitude of obstacles that can impede a business’s journey to success. From grappling with mobile responsiveness and lead generation woes to navigating the intricate world of SEO and user engagement, these agencies are the guiding lights that illuminate the path towards relevance and resonance in the digital realm.

With a myriad of challenges stemming from outdated design, ineffective messaging, and the perpetual race against competitors’ superior websites, businesses often find themselves tangled in a web of complexities. While some things are being made simpler, the constant learning curve can be too costly as companies try to stay focused various other aspects of the business like HR, growth, profits etc.

The artistry of a skilled web design agency lies in their ability to untangle these intricacies, transforming problems into opportunities for growth. But the true alchemy is not just in solving these issues – it’s in understanding that businesses are not simply seeking a service; they’re yearning for a strategic partnership that bridges the gap between their visions and the ever-expanding possibilities of technology.

Below, we take a look at some of the challenges that a forward-thinking web design agency can resolve, liberating businesses from the shackles of technological stagnation and propelling them into the realm of innovation and unmatched digital prowess.

20 problems that a web design agency can solve for businesses:

  1. The Website Looks Bad on Mobile Devices: A responsive and mobile-friendly design ensures that your website looks and functions seamlessly across various devices, enhancing user experience and accessibility.
  2. Low Conversion Rates from Website Visitors: Web design agencies can optimize your website’s layout, call-to-actions, and user flow to boost conversion rates, turning visitors into valuable leads or customers.
  3. Ineffective Lead Generation: A well-designed website incorporates lead generation techniques like contact forms, pop-ups, and landing pages, increasing the likelihood of capturing potential customer information.
  4. Lack of Online Visibility (SEO Issues): Web design agencies can implement SEO best practices, optimizing your site’s structure, content, and technical aspects to improve search engine rankings and visibility.
  5. Unclear or Confusing Messaging: Expert designers can refine your website’s messaging and content hierarchy, ensuring that visitors quickly understand your value proposition and offerings.
  6. Outdated Design and Branding: A modern and consistent design refresh can revitalize your brand’s image, making it more appealing to customers and portraying a sense of innovation.
  7. Non-Compliance with Regulations: Web design agencies can ensure that your website adheres to relevant industry regulations and web accessibility standards, reducing legal risks.
  8. Difficulty in Website Maintenance: A well-structured and user-friendly Content Management System (CMS) can make it easier for your team to update and maintain the website without technical expertise.
  9. Limited User Engagement: Engaging design elements like interactive features, animations, and multimedia can enhance user engagement, making your website more memorable.
  10. High Bounce Rates: Through strategic design and clear navigation, a web design agency can reduce bounce rates by keeping visitors engaged and guiding them to relevant content.
  11. Competitors Have Better Websites: Expert designers can create a unique and compelling online presence that sets you apart from competitors, attracting and retaining customers.
  12. Lack of Trust from Visitors: Trust-building elements like testimonials, reviews, certifications, and secure payment gateways can be integrated into your website to establish credibility.
  13. Ineffective Call-to-Actions (CTAs): Web design agencies can optimize CTAs’ placement, design, and wording to drive visitors towards desired actions, such as signing up or making a purchase.
  14. Poor Website Speed and Performance: Technical optimizations can enhance your website’s loading speed, ensuring a smooth user experience and reducing the likelihood of visitors leaving due to slow performance.
  15. Unimpressive Visual Design: Aesthetic enhancements, such as professional graphics, imagery, and typography, contribute to an appealing visual identity that resonates with your target audience.
  16. Difficulty in Booking Services Online: Streamlined booking processes and user-friendly scheduling interfaces can simplify online service bookings, making it convenient for customers to engage with your business.
  17. Inconsistent Branding Across Platforms: A cohesive design strategy ensures that your brand’s visuals are consistent across your website and other marketing materials, fostering brand recognition.
  18. Underutilization of Social Proof: Incorporating social proof elements, like case studies, success stories, and client logos, can demonstrate your expertise and build trust with potential customers.
  19. Lack of Impressive Portfolio Showcase: A visually appealing and well-organized portfolio section highlights your past work and showcases your capabilities to potential clients.
  20. High Costs of In-House Design Superstars: By outsourcing to OCEANONE Design, businesses gain access to a team of expert designers and marketing strategists on-demand, at a fraction of the cost of maintaining an in-house superstar. OCEANONE Design’s commitment to excellence ensures that every project aims to wow clients and deliver exceptional results. Clients often find this approach more cost-effective and yield better outcomes compared to handling design internally.

By addressing these challenges, a web design agency like OCEANONE Design provides businesses with the tools and expertise needed to enhance their online presence, attract customers, and drive growth.

Ask about our flat rate, unlimited design packages.

Award Winning Website Design

How Exceptional Marketing Design Can Take Your Company to Another Level

How Exceptional Marketing Design Can Take Your Company to Another Level

Importance of Design in Marketing

To boost your company’s growth, exceptional marketing design is essential. I know that’s not groundbreaking news since we have all seen many examples of great design used by big brands. Apple is always mentioned as one of the all-time benchmarks of successful branding. Their consistent minimalistic approach is remarkable.

What about companies that are not at that level? We see a lot of companies that are successful despite poor branding. It’s often Okay, but not great, and they succeed because there is enough demand for their product or service but they could do so much better if they paid more attention to elevating their brand.

Enhancing your visual appeal and brand image, improving the relationship between design and ROI, and understanding the science behind good design are all vital aspects of this. In the following sub-sections, we will describe how to achieve these goals and take your company’s marketing to the next level.

Visual Appeal and Brand Image

The use of aesthetically pleasing designs is a crucial aspect in shaping the public’s perception of a brand’s identity and credibility, which can have significant effects on the success of marketing efforts. The visual appeal of designs provided to customers serves as an initial impression that establishes customer expectations for the brand’s products. Establishing clear and consistent design elements across all communication platforms elevates customers’ confidence in the brand image fidelity and quality.

Venturing further into design depth, layouts, colors, fonts, images play a vital role in representing different aspects of businesses like professionalism, creativity, sophistication or tradition. Users not only look for eye-catching graphics but also expect fonts and colors to follow their brand guidelines closely. When executed with precision through specific design principles such as legibility, symmetry and harmonious color schemes – these graphic complexities influence users’ subconscious mind leading towards better retention value.

Additional consideration must be given to factors which may hinder legibility like user-experience on screens having different sizes or resolutions since intended visuals may lose their impact if not optimized for all mediums appropriately. Businesses should consistently invest in design correction measures to ensure optimum user experiences are seen as this directly affects online user interaction ratios.

Pro Tip: It is important to keep refreshing your branding aesthetics regularly bringing new flavors into designs while ensuring compliance with your established standards acting as brilliant ways to encourage innovation and facilitate consumer engagement.

Design and ROI go together like peanut butter and jelly – without one, the other just doesn’t taste as sweet.

Relationship Between Design and ROI

Design plays a crucial role in the success of marketing efforts as it significantly impacts the return on investment (ROI). The impact of design on ROI can be attributed to various factors such as creating brand identity, increasing brand awareness, improving user experience, and generating leads.

Well-designed marketing collaterals such as brochures, websites, social media posts can capture audience attention and create a positive image of the brand, leading to increased sales. Similarly, poor design quality can confound users and result in a negative perception about the brand.

In addition to enhancing the visual appeal of marketing efforts, design can also improve usability and functionality. A well-designed interface or website can facilitate navigation for users making it easier for them to access information or complete their desired actions. This improves customer retention and loyalty towards the brand.

To maximize the benefits of design in marketing campaigns, it is important to consider various elements like color scheme, typography, layout, and overall aesthetics. A strategic approach towards incorporating design elements in marketing efforts can lead to improved ROI.

Businesses that incorporate effective design strategies are more likely to stay ahead of competitors in terms of branding and online presence. Hence businesses should prioritize designing appealing marketing collateral that effectively communicates their message to customers.

Don’t miss out on the benefits of good design when it comes to marketing. Incorporate effective design strategies for your next campaign & make sure it stands out from competitors!

Good design is like a well-crafted cocktail – it’s the perfect blend of creativity, strategy, and just a touch of magic.

The Science Behind Good Design

Design plays a pivotal role in marketing. It encompasses various elements that contribute to crafting an effective visual message, driving brand recognition, and enhancing user experience. The Science of Good Design lies in applying fundamental principles of color theory, typography, layout design, and graphics to create visually appealing messages that resonate with the target audience.

Good design enhances the credibility of the brand for consumers and shapes their perceptions of it. Consistency in design elicits an emotional response from its users and fosters trust between them and the brand. Moreover, good design also plays a role in influencing a user’s ability to recall information about the brand, making it essential in building long-term customer loyalty.

Whilst good design is essential for marketing success, it’s crucial to acknowledge that there are no shortcuts other than careful planning and execution. A lack of effort at this stage can lead to wasted resources, lost revenue opportunities and may undermine any branding efforts made further down the line.

A leading multinational business almost lost their significant identity due to poor design execution. It took up too much real-estate on their website’s homepage and resulted in page loading issues which led them to seek expert help urgently. By doing so, they minimized repercussions such as an unhappy user base or loss of potential clients by investing time into ironing out these teething problems proactively.

Good design is like a well-tailored suit – it should fit your brand perfectly and make you stand out, but also be comfortable enough for customers to embrace.

Elements of Exceptional Design

To take your company to another level with exceptional design, you need to master the elements of design. This section, titled “Elements of Exceptional Design,” will take an in-depth look at the key components you need to focus on. The two sub-sections, graphic design, and user experience, explore how to optimize your visual and interactive designs to create a positive impact on your brand.

Graphic Design

1. Creative Visualization of Design Elements

2.

Graphic Design Principles Examples
Typography Proper selection & arrangement Helvetica, Garamond, Futura, Gotham, Baskerville
Color Strategic choice & application Monochromatic, Analogous, Complimentary
Layout Effective composition & hierarchy Grids, White Space, Z-Pattern
Branding Consistent design language Logo, Business Card

3. Effective implementation of visual design can lead to brand recognition and customer trust. Multiple elements can work together to create a cohesive design vocabulary.

4. Don’t miss out on the benefits of exceptional design – incorporate attention-grabbing typography and color choices into your branding strategy! Good typography is like a well-fitted suit – it may not make you a superhero, but it definitely makes you look sharp.

Typography

Typography plays a critical role in designing exceptional websites. It involves the use of different font family, size, and style to enhance readability and visual appeal. Properly implemented typography ensures effective communication of the intended message.

Typography Columns
Font Family Arial, Times New Roman, sans-serif
Font Size 12px-18px
Font Style Bold, Regular, Italics

Consistency is crucial in typography as it promotes brand identity and establishes a professional outlook. Maintaining proper kerning and leading also helps to enhance legibility.

Incorporating appropriate line height allows for comfortable readability while giving enough white space between lines. The proper use of hyphens, dashes, quotes marks provides clarity and conveys intention.

Achieving optimal typography demands creativity that goes beyond choosing fonts. Typography requires intentional decisions that consider harmony with color schemes and imagery used on the website.

Make sure not to miss out on incorporating well-designed typography on your website for effective communication with your audience. Elevate your brand by implementing unique typography features that attract attention.

“Color is like spices in cooking – too little and it’s bland, too much and it’s overwhelming. Finding the perfect balance is the key to exceptional design.”

Color

Color helps to convey emotions, messages and creates overall impact. Color speaks louder than words in design and has the power to shape a brand’s identity. Choosing the right color scheme can differentiate a product from its competitors. In addition, an effective use of contrasting colors can enhance readability and improve accessibility for all users.

The psychology of color is important to understand while choosing a color palette. Different colors invoke different emotions and create various moods. For example, blue conveys trustworthiness, yellow radiates happiness while red evokes passion and energy. The use of vibrant colors can be stimulating while muted tones create calmness.

It is vital to ensure that the selected colors comply with brand guidelines and match the industry type. Color consistency in branding reinforces its recognition and increases familiarity with users over time.

Did you know that Google once tested 41 shades of blue for their hyperlinks? According to their research, using a particular shade of blue resulted in an increase in clicks by 3%. This proves that even minor changes in color can significantly impact user behavior or actions.

In summary, creating a cohesive color scheme is crucial to a successful design. The right selection generates an emotional response from users about the intended message or product without them realizing it. Thus, take time to research the psychology behind your desired message before making any final decisions regarding color choice!

Good design is like a well-planned road trip: the layout sets the path and the experience is all about the journey.

Layout

The art of arranging elements on a digital canvas for optimum visual impact is an essential aspect of exceptional design. Properly placing and proportionately aligning images, content, and typography on the webpage is crucial to creating a professional look. This requires knowledge of website structure as well as composition principles.

An expert layout includes an arrangement that creates an aesthetically pleasing hierarchy while ensuring effortless navigation for the user. Strategic use of white space can enhance a design’s readability and provide a clear direction. Moreover, attention should be given to color composition, spacing around critical elements, and font sizes.

Remember that layout plays a vital role in capturing and retaining users’ attention, leading them towards converting goals. When done correctly, it drives traffic engagement and conversion. However, conflicting layouts or inconsistent styles can drive away potential customers.

Designers who acknowledge this aspect of development are already one step ahead. In contrast, those who do not pay enough attention to layout might disappoint their target clients due to unclear messaging or poor usability—a client once mentioned reducing bounce rates and increasing conversions after improving their website’s layout and upgraded visuals.

Designing for user experience means creating a website that users won’t hate more than Mondays.

User Experience

Delivering an outstanding human-centered design for users is the main purpose of a User Experience. It encompasses all aspects of how a person interacts with a brand’s services or products, including usability, accessibility, and aesthetics. UX is concerned with empathy for the user’s needs and desires, and how these can be delivered through a digital interface.

Providing clear navigation, efficient functionality and engaging content are essential elements to optimize user experience. Employing Visual Hierarchy to create effective layouts, placing appropriate Call-To-Actions throughout interfaces, as well as optimizing for mobile-first design will also enhance User Experience.

Besides this, UX also refers to the usability testing strategies employed during and after the product development life cycle to identify any potential issues with usage. Some of the typical tools used include Usability lab testing which involves recording user interactions in real-time sessions not forgetting device browser testing.

A report by Forrester shows that a well-designed User Experience could result in conversions improving by 400%.

Getting lost has never been this fun: exceptional navigation design can turn even the most directionally challenged person into Magellan.

Navigation

Navigation is the backbone of any website, allowing users to easily browse and access content. To create exceptional navigation, consider these six points:

  • Strive for simplicity and clarity
  • Organize content logically
  • Use clear and concise labels
  • Include prominent calls-to-action
  • Ensure accessibility and responsiveness
  • Test usability with real users

In addition to these points, consider incorporating visual cues such as dropdown menus or breadcrumbs to aid user navigation. By creating a seamless and intuitive browsing experience, you can increase engagement and retention on your website.

Pro Tip: Avoid using complex jargon or technical terminology in labels or links, as this can confuse or alienate users. Keep it simple and straightforward for optimal results.

Good design is like a well-oiled machine – it looks great and functions even better.

Functionality

Functionality is an essential element of exceptional design. It entails how well a design meets its intended purpose and how effectively it operates. Let’s explore some crucial factors that affect the functionality of a design.

Below is a table outlining critical components to consider when examining functionality in design:

Aspects Description
User experience (UX) How easy and enjoyable it is to use the product
Accessibility How accessible it is to people with disabilities
Performance and speed How fast the product runs, especially under heavy traffic
Compatibility and Cross-Browser Support Ensuring the product works on different devices and browsers
Security Ensures data protection, secure connections, etc.

It’s not just enough for a design to meet its goal; users demand an optimal experience irrespective of their device or browser. Furthermore, accessibility should be at the heart of every design project, ensuring everyone gets equal access to online resources.

One true tale that highlights how much functionality determines a successful brand outcome is the story told by Wally and Amanda Koval, creators of Accidentally Wes Anderson. Their Instagram account has grown enormously over the past few years because he pays attention to user experience through good imagery curation and navigation layout, delivering continuous utility content for his followers.

Design that’s more interactive than a toddler with a light switch.

Interactivity

The aspect of User Interaction plays an integral role in designing exceptional websites. Interactivity can be achieved by inserting responsive elements to increase user engagement. A good web designer ensures that the interactive interface works seamlessly across all devices and browsers.

Interactive Element Description
Hover Effects Mouse over effects on images or buttons to provide visual feedback
Animations Adding animations to menus or page elements for a dynamic feel
Forms Including forms to allow users to input data or request information
Chatbots Enable customers to receive instant assistance without human interaction

It is important to note that interactivity is not limited only to these aspects, but includes several other interactive designs that cater specifically according to the requirements of a website. These elements serve as an opportunity for designers to showcase their creativity and innovation through crafting unique experiences that match their clients’ brand and target audiences.

Pro Tip: Prioritizing UX when designing interactive features will lead to optimal interactivity and positive user experience, which ultimately leads to improved customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates. Exceptional design doesn’t just look good, it benefits your business like a fancy suit benefits a job interview.

Benefits of Exceptional Design

To enhance your marketing strategy with exceptional design, consider the benefits it can bring. With this section on the benefits of exceptional design in your marketing efforts, you’ll discover how it can boost customer retention, increase conversion rates, and improve overall perception and reputation.

Enhanced Customer Retention

The power of an unmatched design lies in its ability to retain customers for your business. When the aesthetic appeal is combined with functional design, it creates an unforgettable experience that customers cannot resist. With a design that is unique, captivating and user-friendly, customers are more likely to stay loyal to your brand.

In addition, exceptional design can evoke emotions and create a connection with your customer base. It establishes trust and credibility that lasts beyond a mere transactional relationship. The potential for repeat purchases is magnified when customer retention is high, making exceptional design integral to the long-term success of any business.

Moreover, investing in great designs maximizes the benefits of word-of-mouth advertising. Customers who have had positive experiences with a brand are quick to recommend it to friends and family. This translates into organic marketing and free publicity that can extend beyond what paid advertising can provide.

A famous example of excellent design leading to enhanced customer retention is Apple Inc., which has created an iconic brand through engaging product designs. Their products boast premium quality and visually appealing designs that embody the brand’s identity. This is only one example of how design can be used as a powerful tool for enhancing customer retention.

Exceptional design not only looks good, it also seduces customers into clicking that ‘Buy Now’ button like a siren song.

Increased Conversion Rates

The effectiveness of exceptional design is evident in higher rates of customer conversion. A well-designed website or product can significantly impact a user’s decision to purchase or engage with the brand. This is particularly important for e-commerce websites, where every click-through and transaction matters.

By having a visually appealing layout that emphasizes important information and guides users towards desired actions, businesses can increase their conversion rates. Additionally, incorporating trust signals such as customer reviews and security badges contribute to a more positive user experience and increased conversions.

Moreover, by implementing responsive design, businesses can ensure that their website is optimized for various platforms, providing a seamless experience for customers across devices. A mobile-friendly design increases accessibility and convenience, leading to further conversions.

To further enhance the impact of exceptional design on conversion rates, businesses should focus on creating a clear call-to-action and removing any barriers to purchasing or engaging with the brand. For instance, simplifying the checkout process or reducing form fields can streamline the process for users, encouraging them to complete their transaction.

“Design is the only place where perfection doesn’t lead to suspicion, but rather to improved perception and a swanky new reputation.”

Improved Perception and Reputation

The significance of creative design can be seen in terms of an organization’s image and credibility. With a striking and intuitive interface, companies can foster a trustworthy image, ultimately improving their brand reputation. Additionally, aligning visual aesthetics with the company’s values can significantly enhance public perception of the company.

An aesthetically pleasant design with intuitive navigation enhances user experience leading to increased website traffic and engagement such as low bounce rates while encouraging customers to spend more time on the website or app, increasing conversions and boosting sales. Unique creativity in design reflects exclusivity; highlighting a firm’s commitment to superior quality products or services.

One thing that should not be left out is the importance of incorporating ethical principles into designs: highlighting environmental sensitivity indicates a company’s concern for sustainability which resonates positively with socially responsible audiences who are consumers and investors.

To improve perception and reputation, companies must consider prioritizing functional aesthetics combined with creativity as part of their branding communication strategy to convey brand value offering top-quality solutions. Furthermore, focusing on consumer needs allows firms differentiation by delivering personalized communication through customized creatives contributing to building stronger customer relationships conducive to promoting greater brand advocacy.

Exceptional design in marketing: because a bad design is like a bad pick-up line – it’s not going to attract anyone.

Implementing Exceptional Design in Marketing

To implement exceptional design in your marketing with professional results, consider hiring a professional designer. Furthermore, designing for different platforms can attract your audience and enhance their experience. Finally, experimenting and A/B testing can help you identify the most effective design for your marketing campaigns.

Hiring a Professional Designer

Finding Skilled Designers to Enhance Your Marketing

When it comes to creating impressive marketing materials, it’s crucial to utilize the skills of a professional designer. Hiring an experienced graphic artist who understands your brand can take your marketing efforts to the next level.

Collaborating with a skilled designer provides endless opportunities for unique and stunning designs that capture the essence of your brand. But more importantly, working with a professional ensures that graphic design elements are coherent across all platforms – from digital ads and social media posts to email templates and print flyers – which helps improve the overall branding consistency.

To attract top talent designers, make sure your company culture fosters creativity, is well-defined, and consistent across departments. A good designer should align with the organization’s values before taking on any design project.

Aside from retaining qualified creatives in-house, you may also want to consider outsourcing projects for branding or web development. This approach allows organizations to tap into highly-specialized skillsets without maintaining payroll overheads while offering potentially quicker turnarounds than in-house resources.

Designing for different platforms is like designing different outfits for different parties – you want to look good everywhere you go.

Designing for Different Platforms

Designing for Various Platforms: A Vital Aspect of Exceptional Marketing

In today’s tech-savvy world, designing for multiple platforms is critical in creating an outstanding marketing strategy. Nowadays, businesses must cater to a wide audience of different devices and operating systems. Therefore, understanding the nuances of various technological platforms such as mobile screens, desktop monitors will help guarantee exceptional marketing design.

It’s vital to recognize how users interact with varied devices based on the distinct platform before planning and designing marketing materials. For instance, computer users are accustomed to more extensive displays that offer details without sacrificing clarity or organization. In contrast, mobile user preference tends towards less detailed designs as they navigate with smaller touchscreens. Consequently, adaptable designs that can account for both sets of audiences become necessary.

Before publishing material across multiple platforms such as websites or social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, ensure that the design renders correctly on each device’s unique requirements. Prioritize clean designs, faster loading times and URLs which insure design consistency all around.

Designing an excellent responsive website utilizing engaging visuals along with suitable typography can work wonders in retaining customer engagement while conveying themes clearly. Another crucial aspect is ensuring image resolution works across multiple networks such as LTE/guaranteed Wi-Fi connection areas so that images load quickly across varying environments.

Trying new things isn’t always easy, but A/B testing is like being a mad scientist without the risk of becoming a supervillain.

Experimenting and A/B Testing

With regards to continuous improvement of marketing design, creative implementation through testing variations is always crucial. By running Experimenting and A/B Testing, we can effectively identify what works best for the audience.

Here are five points discussing Experimenting and A/B Testing:

  • It allows us to test variations on different elements such as call-to-action buttons, visuals, headlines, and content.
  • The process helps to determine which variation appeals more to the target audience by presenting them with a choice among them.
  • A/B Testing monitors campaigns analytics which informs future decisions.
  • Relying on subjective opinions doesn’t produce the desired results rather it helps in data-driven decision-making based on past response patterns.
  • Finally, Experimenting broadens our understanding of user demographics and preferences when their responses are analyzed.

Moreover, Experimenting and A/B Testing imbues the team with data that can optimize future designs while also striving towards improved efficiency.

A memorable example of this comes from an online retailer who wanted to improve their product page conversion rates. The retailer presented two versions of its product page to its users: one design had a shorter form whereas another had a longer form designed for users not rushed for time. A/B testing showed the longer-form page was non-invasive but created more engagement resulting in increased sales.

Because who needs a mediocre design when you can aim for exceptional? These marketing designs are proof that standing out is always in style.

Examples of Successful Marketing Design

To give your marketing a boost, check out these examples of successful marketing designs featuring Apple’s sleek and minimalistic designs, Nike’s bold and consistent designs, and Coca-Cola’s timeless and classic designs. These companies have created designs that not only look great but also have a lasting impact on their audience.

Apple’s Sleek and Minimalistic Designs

Apple’s designs are characterized by their sleek and minimalistic approach, with a focus on simplicity and elegance. The clean lines and understated aesthetic of their products have become iconic in the tech world. This design philosophy extends beyond just the physical appearance of their devices, as Apple also prioritizes intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.

From the iPhone to the Macbook, Apple’s minimalist approach has proven effective in creating a strong brand identity and user loyalty. By creating a consistent visual language across all of their products, they have cultivated a sense of trust and reliability among consumers.

In addition to its design philosophy, Apple is known for its attention to detail. Every aspect of an Apple product is carefully curated to ensure a seamless user experience – from the packaging to the accessories included. This commitment to quality has contributed to its success as a global leader in technology.

According to Forbes, Apple was named the world’s most valuable brand for the eighth year in a row in 2020, with an estimated worth of $241.2 billion.

Nike’s designs are so strong, they could probably convince me to run a marathon…in the middle of a heatwave…uphill…in flip flops.

Nike’s Bold and Consistent Designs

Nike’s marketing designs stand out with their confident and consistent aesthetic. From bold typography to striking imagery, Nike has created a memorable identity for their brand. Their designs are not only visually striking but also convey a sense of athleticism, energy and empowerment. Nike’s use of color, graphics, and typography maintains consistency across all its products and marketing campaigns, which helps in building brand identity.

Furthermore, Nike has demonstrated adaptability in its marketing strategies over the years. Starting from Michael Jordan’s partnership in the 80s to Colin Kaepernick’s “Believe in Something” campaign recently, Nike has taken risks by aligning with figures who champion social issues they support. Their risk-taking abilities have only helped in adding more dimensions of appeal for customers.

One such example is Nike’s collaboration with India-based graphic designer and typographer Anil Sinha who created prints for the Air Max Day 2019 campaign. His unique desi-style (Indian pop culture) designs covered iconic sneakers like the Air Force One and Air Max ninety-seven silhouettes adorned by catchy slogans like ‘The future is mine’ & ‘Slaying since birth’.

Overall, these branding examples highlight how successful marketing designs play a pivotal role in a company’s ongoing success story – they increase customer awareness about your business/product by creating differentiation amongst competitors. Companies must focus on developing distinctive campaigns that remain consistent along various channels while continuing to innovate to maintain customer engagement with their products/services.

Coca-Cola may have changed their formula, but their marketing designs have remained refreshingly consistent.

Coca-Cola’s Timeless and Classic Designs

The iconic designs of a world-renowned soda brand have stood the test of time. The sleek, dynamic imagery employed by this brand deserves recognition for its lasting impact on the global landscape of marketing design.

Intriguingly, even though the actual colour red is used for all their can and packaging designs, it comes in diverse shades that vary in different countries around the world. For instance, in Thailand, a much deeper shade of crimson is used as opposed to a lighter one often seen in Europe or America.

This renowned soda’s rise to familiarity is not without its fascinating history. From humble beginnings in 1886 to its current status as an immensely prosperous corporation, the backstory behind this widely consumed beverage only adds to its overall intrigue.

Conclusion

To conclude with the article on ‘How exceptional design in your marketing can take your company to another level’, you have been presented with various significant ideas about design and its impact on marketing. You must have understood by now the importance of investing in exceptional design for your marketing strategy. As a quick recap, we will go over some key points before wrapping up. Furthermore, we will emphasize the importance of investing in exceptional design to boost your marketing efforts. Lastly, we will present our final thoughts and recommendations to help you apply these concepts to your marketing campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is exceptional design in marketing?

Exceptional design in marketing refers to the use of highly innovative and creative designs that stand out from the norm to create a lasting impression on customers. This design has the power to shift the perception of your brand in the minds of your customers.

2. Why is exceptional design important for my company’s marketing?

Exceptional design in marketing elevates the aesthetic appeal of your brand or product, making it more attractive and memorable. This can significantly boost brand awareness and increase sales.

3. How will exceptional design help my company stand out from competitors?

With exceptional design, your brand will stand out from competitors by communicating a unique value proposition through engaging and memorable visual cues. It creates differentiation that sets you apart from competitors, making customers more likely to choose your product or service over others.

4. Can exceptional design improve the effectiveness of my marketing efforts?

Absolutely! Exceptional design can boost the effectiveness of your marketing efforts by communicating messages in a visually appealing way to your target audience. This makes the information more attractive, memorable, and engaging, leading to higher conversion rates.

5. How can I integrate exceptional design in my marketing strategy?

You can integrate exceptional design into your marketing strategy by focusing on visual aspects such as logos, packaging, website design, and advertising campaigns. Work with an experienced design team that can create designs aligned with your brand identity.

6. How much does it cost to create exceptional design for marketing?

Costs vary depending on the scope of the project and complexity of the design. However, investing in exceptional marketing design is worth the cost as it provides high returns in the form of higher visibility and engagement from customers.

The Power of B2B Marketing Automation – How it works…

The Power of B2B Marketing Automation – How it works…

Technology is changing so fast in today’s world and marketing is one area that can be extremely complex, time-consuming and costly. It can be overwhelming for small and medium sized businesses so companies are looking for ways to streamline their processes but still grow their business.

If you’re looking for ways to improve and streamline your marketing efforts then marketing automation might just be the unicorn you’re looking for. It will take some planning and effort to get started but once it is performing you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.

Marketing automation is the use of software and technology to automate marketing tasks and processes, such as email campaigns, social media management, and lead generation. It allows businesses to target, engage, and convert their audience more efficiently, freeing up time and resources that can be used for other tasks.

Here are some marketing automation statistics gathered by StartupBonsai:

B2B Marketing automation statistics

A lack of clear instructions makes building an online presence challenging for B2B companies. To be successful online, your business must have clear goals and understand how online marketing works.

This post will give you some clarity and help you decide whether automation is what you need.

There are several benefits of marketing automation for businesses of all sizes:

  1. Increased efficiency and productivity: It saves time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, such as sending emails and social media posts. This allows marketers to focus on high-value tasks, such as analyzing data and creating strategic campaigns.
  2. Improved targeting and personalization: Marketing automation allows businesses to segment their audience and create targeted campaigns based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This level of personalization can help increase engagement and conversion rates.
  3. Enhanced lead generation and nurturing: It can help businesses generate and nurture leads through targeted campaigns, such as email drip campaigns and lead-scoring programs.
  4. Better analysis and measurement: Detailed analytics and reporting are a big benefit of automation software. This allows businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

The ROI of a successful marketing automation campaign can be significant. According to a survey by the Data & Marketing Association, businesses that use marketing automation see an average ROI of around 300%. This is because the automation allows businesses to reach their audience more effectively, resulting in higher conversion rates and increased revenue.

To get the most out of it, it is important to have a clear strategy in place and to use the right tools and technology.

When it’s done wrong, a campaign can also fail miserably. Do testing on a small scale first and then scale it when you have it fine tuned. It is also important to continuously test and optimize campaigns to ensure that they are delivering the desired results. With a well-executed campaign, businesses can achieve significant growth and success.

What does marketing automation actually do?

By automating and streamline marketing tasks, companies can find more time to put into actually closing deals and building relationships. Automated tasks can include a wide range of activities, such as email marketing, social media management, lead generation, and customer segmentation.

Some specific tasks that automation can perform include:

  1. Email marketing: It can send targeted and personalized emails to specific segments of a business’s audience. This can include newsletters, promotional emails, and automated drip campaigns.
  2. Social media management: Marketing automation can help businesses schedule and publish social media posts, as well as track and analyze the performance of these posts.
  3. Lead generation: Marketing automation can help businesses generate leads through targeted campaigns, such as lead-scoring programs and landing page optimization.
  4. Customer segmentation: Automation can segment a business’s audience based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This allows businesses to create targeted campaigns that are more relevant and effective.

How does marketing automation work?

Marketing automation works by using software and technology to automate and streamline marketing tasks and processes. Here is a general overview of how automation works:

  1. Set up: The first step is setting up the software and defining the goals and strategy for the campaign. This includes selecting the appropriate tools and technology, such as email marketing software or social media management platforms.
  2. Audience segmentation: Marketing automation allows businesses to segment their audience based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This allows businesses to create targeted campaigns that are more relevant and effective.
  3. Campaign creation: Set up email drip campaigns and social media posts. These campaigns can be triggered by specific actions, such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
  4. Delivery and tracking: Delivers the campaigns to the appropriate segments of the audience and tracks the performance of the campaigns. This includes measuring metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
  5. Analysis and optimization: The detailed analytics and reporting, allows businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions. This includes identifying what is working well and what can be improved upon.

What does marketing automation mean for the customer journey?

Automation can have a significant impact on the customer journey, as it allows businesses to deliver personalized and relevant experiences to their customers throughout the entire customer journey.

Here are a few ways in which marketing automation can enhance the customer journey:

  1. Lead generation and nurturing: Marketing automation can help businesses generate and nurture leads through targeted campaigns, such as email drip campaigns and lead-scoring programs. This can help businesses guide potential customers through the sales funnel and convert them into paying customers.
  2. Personalization: Marketing automation allows businesses to segment their audience and create targeted campaigns based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This level of personalization can help increase engagement and conversion rates.
  3. Customer segmentation: Marketing automation can segment a business’s audience based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This allows businesses to create targeted campaigns that are more relevant and effective, improving the overall customer experience.
  4. Customer service: Marketing automation can also be used to provide customer service, such as answering frequently asked questions or providing personalized recommendations. This can help businesses improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

By following these best practices, businesses can ensure that their marketing automation campaigns are successful and deliver the desired results.

What are common problems that marketing automation can solve?

Automation can help businesses solve a variety of problems, including:

  1. Lack of time and resources: Aave time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, such as sending emails and social media posts. This allows businesses to focus on high-value tasks, such as analyzing data and creating strategic campaigns.
  2. Lack of personalization: Businesses can segment their audience and create targeted campaigns based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This level of personalization can help increase engagement and conversion rates.
  3. Inefficient lead generation and nurturing: It helps businesses generate and nurture leads through targeted campaigns, such as email drip campaigns and lead-scoring programs. This can help businesses convert more leads into paying customers.
  4. Difficulty measuring and analyzing campaigns: Marketing automation provides detailed analytics and reporting, allowing businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions. This can help businesses identify what is working well and what can be improved upon.

 

When asked why they think they’re not utilizing their tools properly, marketers identified the following barriers:

  • 39% of respondents said they lacked the training to fully utilize marketing automation software.
  • 32% said they did not have the resources to manage the automation process.
  • 31% of respondents reported that maintaining their tools was beyond their budget.
  • 25% of respondents cited a difficult setup process as the issue.

According to another study, respondents identified several challenges when implementing marketing automation:

33% of surveyed companies identified a lack of expertise as the biggest obstacle

33% of surveyed companies identified a lack of expertise as the biggest obstacle preventing them from implementing marketing automation.

Overall, marketing automation can help businesses solve a variety of problems by streamlining repetitive tasks and allowing marketers to focus on high-value activities, such as analyzing data and creating strategic campaigns. It also helps businesses reach their audience more effectively and increase conversion rates, leading to increased revenue and growth.

At OCEANONE Design our marketing platform of choice is VBOUT. It’s a comprehensive online marketing application that really has no limitations since it can easily integrate with all other modern applications that use an API. For instance, if our client likes to use the popular  Hubspot CRM, we can easily connect to it so that leads from Facebook, email or any other campaigns will be sent directly to the their CRM. We can also alert them via text message if they prefer.

Many clients tell us that the high cost of software and complexity are the barriers that hold them back from going all-in with automation. If that’s the case for you, we can help. We can set you up using our software to run the campaigns and connect to your free CRM. That way there is no software cost to you. As you grow, you can invest in your own system and hire staff to run it.

Don’t get left behind, contact us anytime for a free consultation.

Effective Online Marketing Strategies for Manufacturers

Effective Online Marketing Strategies for Manufacturers

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Manufacturers and distributors have very different marketing strategy challenges than B2C companies. Ultimately, your goal is to convince other businesses to work with you and marketing efforts fail if you cannot accomplish this goal.

The time have changed and using the internet to contact more companies and grow your business has never been easier. If you’re looking for modern, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturer marketing strategies, look no further.

The following industrial marketing solutions have been compiled to help you reach more potential partners online. Even if you don’t have much experience with digital marketing, you can follow these steps written in plain English.

Let me explain to you why internet marketing is so successful for manufacturers and other B2B businesses.

The Internet made it easier for retailers to conduct research on potential distributors and their products. Within seconds, they were able to view detailed photos or specs, read reviews, and view customer feedback from a larger number of companies and products.

Due to this change in preference, your marketing must adapt as well. You’re likely missing most of your potential customers if you don’t use the Internet to reach them. Fortunately, you can use this to your advantage. The ROI is much, much easier to track with online marketing than with traditional marketing methods.

Moreover, because online marketing costs are relatively low, manufacturers or distributors are able to experiment more freely, with little or no risk to their business.

With a wide range of options, you can try things and fail without worrying about losing a great deal of money or damaging your reputation. Actually, testing is not only recommended, it’s an important part of the overall strategy as you will soon see.

Here are ways to you can use online marketing to reach more potential customers

Let’s talk about some of the tactics you should try now that you know why digital channels are so beneficial for manufacturer marketing strategies. Here are some of the best marketing strategies we’ve used to reach more potential customers at the lowest cost possible for manufacturers and distributors.

1. Make your website rank for the right keywords

Taking steps to ensure that your manufacturer or distributor website can be found easily by potential customers – and outranks your competitors – should be the first step in your marketing strategy. In search engine optimization – also known as SEO – this is accomplished.

Here’s a quick explanation for those unfamiliar with SEO. When someone types in a keyword related to your business into a search engine, SEO is one of several methods to make your website more likely to show up and rank highly. Choosing the right keywords to target is key.

The easiest way to get started with SEO is to brainstorm words or phrases potential customers would associate with your business. It can be as simple as a phrase or a single word. If you manufacture hardwood flooring, for instance, you might consider everything from “hardwood flooring” to “how to choose hardwood flooring”.

IMPORTANT – DON’T DO THIS…

This is where we see other marketing companies giving bad advice. Let’s stay with the “hardwood flooring” example. If you manufacture hardwood flooring, and try to rank # 1 in Google, you will be in direct competition with every large retailer like Home Depot and Lowes. It will cost a fortune and it won’t help with sales unless you sell directly to consumers.

It is extremely important to understand search intent. Google is all about providing the best results for the assumed intent of keyword search. If someone searches for “hardwood flooring”, Google assumes someone is looking to buy hardwood flooring and wants to see choices. Sure enough, if you do search “hardwood flooring”, all the top results will be from flooring retailers.

As a manufacturer, you should focus on optimizing your site to rank for site search terms that retailers and distributors would use to find your products. Target keywords like “hardwood flooring manufacturer” and “what is the best hardwood flooring”, “wholesale hardwood flooring”.

Take time to brainstorm terms for your industry, and then create content that is optimized to rank high for those terms. We won’t go into an SEO tutorial here but once you understand keyword intent, you can move forward with a successful SEO strategy.

2. Advertise using pay-per-click

Manufacturers also use advertising as one of their top marketing strategies, but not the kind of advertising you’d expect. A pay-per-click ad is one that appears on search engines results pages (SERPs) and other websites.

Manufacturers or distributors can achieve very high returns on investment with PPC ads, which are generally inexpensive. You only pay for them when they are clicked – not when they are viewed – and they contain just a sentence or two of copy with a link to your website. Even if people don’t click on your ad, you are still getting brand exposure for free.

The use of PPC ads, which allow you to control the amount of money you spend to appear in search engine results, can be a tremendous benefit to your brand if you are not ranking highly in search engines. The reports are a huge benefit because they will detail what people are actually searching for and you can do a lot of testing to find out what works best for your company.

Results from PPC are instantaneous, which is one of the major benefits. You can start sending targeted traffic to your website and attract qualified leads as soon as you click to go live with your ads. You will be able to generate leads quickly without exhausting your budget.

3. Find out what converts on your website

We mentioned earlier that online marketing gives you room to try out different methods and to fail if necessary. The conversion rate optimization method, also known as CRO, encourages testing and failure with the goal of increasing conversions and ultimately revenue for your company.

CRO is based on a very simple premise where you test changes on your website and discover what changes provide more conversions. Whether your successful conversion is measured as a phone call or request for quote, a simple change of wording like  “Contact Us” to “Get Started” or “Learn More” on a button can sometimes be the answer to significantly boosting your conversion rate. You can try different Headings, images, color schemes etc. The challenge is not to implement this permanently and risk losing all your leads if your gut feeling turns out to be incorrect. With CRO, you can test ideas without losing all your leads.

A/B testing is a method that is implemented to show version “A” of your landing page to one group of website visitors. Then a “B” version of the page is set up to show a different group of visitors. Once the winner is discovered you stick with that page. An experiment can be made safer this way since a drop in conversions in the “B” version immediately causes the test to be dropped. If you make a substantial leap, you can reap immediate benefits and more profit!

4. Develop engaging media and content that ranks well

When retailers search online for products to carry in their stores, they may be seeking photos, videos, or more detailed information than what they might get from a basic summary. Create engaging content and ensure that it ranks highly in search results to capitalize on this desire – and attract more potential B2B customers to your content.

Links to websites are no longer the only result in search engine results. In addition to receiving search results for any query, the searcher can also receive videos, images, locations, and shopping results. Good engaging content that you can get ranked is likely to attract visitors to your website where they can learn more about your products.

Here are some content suggestions and ideas for manufacturers:

  1. Are there any products you would like a video of in action? Host the video on YouTube (with a link to your website in the description) with a keyword-rich title and description.
  2. The images on your website should have relevant keywords in their filenames and alt text explaining what is in the image. This can increase the chances of them ranking high in Google Image search for those keywords and lead viewers to your website when they click on it.
  3. Provide answers to customer questions in your content, like blog posts and videos. Having answers to these questions are likely to rank well on search engines, causing potential customers to read them, then peruse your website for more information. Answer questions on Quora.
  4. Repurpose existing content. Content repurposing is very effective when you take good quality content and repurpose its structure and message to get more use from your valuable information. You might turn a video into blog posts or slide presentations. Create downloadable cheat sheets or ebooks and use them to build an email list.
  5. Use surveys to find out what people think about your products and gain insights so you can make improvements to existing products or get ideas for new ones.

5. Establish a strong social media presence

Social media marketing can be slow to take off among B2B companies. For manufacturers, however, social media marketing is a very effective tool. Create a social media profile and your manufacturing company will be exposed to decision-makers and engage with potential clients.

Manufacturers can increase their brand recognition and make meaningful connections through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

As well as sharing product photos, setting up competitions, and creating brand ambassadors, social media can be used for many other things.

YouTube can be a great marketing tool for B2B companies. It’s an excellent opportunity to showcase products and distribute informative content using video.

Social media can also be utilized by manufacturers during product development to get feedback and ideas.

Your marketing strategy can be adjusted based on customer feedback using social media listening tools. Additionally, product forums can be used to discover what customers think about your product.

6. Make it easy to contact you

Last but not least, we suggest making it extremely easy for potential clients to get in touch with you. A simple way to achieve this is to have your phone number prominently displayed on your website, add a dedicated contact form, or utilize social media.  Here are some examples of excellent industrial websites.

It may seem obvious but some sites make customers has make it a hassle just to find the contact email or phone number. Take a look at your website and make sure it is very easy to get in touch with your company.

If you want people to call, keep the phone number visible at all times while they are on your website.

You will get more leads. Also, being active on social media can increase your chances of getting in touch with them, as many will reach out to you with questions there so be prepared with answers.

Would you like help with your  manufacturer marketing strategy?

Manufacturers often find it challenging to develop and implement marketing plans in-house. Every need is different, and every method must be just right. If you’re struggling to balance your marketing efforts with the demands of running your business, we can help!

We have been working with manufacturing businesses since 2000. Every business is unique and we have the experience to look at the big picture, figure out ways to reach your ideal customers and build a strategy to meet your goals.

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    Also check out our post on “The Power of B2B Marketing Automation – How does it work?

    Good Design Matters for Your Business – Here’s Why…

    Good Design Matters for Your Business – Here’s Why…

    Design affects everything we do, from how we communicate to how we work. Great design unites a company and sets it apart from others. It can make the difference between a company that thrives and one that struggles.

    Great design helps people, not just machines. It impacts their emotions, their empathy, their understanding of the world. It is important for your business too.

    Design matters for your business in many ways. It is not just about look and feel, but how it makes people feel, what it does to their emotions, empathy, and understanding of the world.

    What is Good Design?

    Good design is a process. It’s a way of looking at the world that shapes how we see, understand, and interact with it.

    Designer Stefan Sagmeister says “It’s not just about look and feel. It’s about empathy. It’s about understanding people, not just computers. “Great design matters for your business it doesn’t just affect how something looks; it affects how people feel.”

    To make sure you have great design, you first need to understand what great design really is. That means defining what good design is for your company and why it matters to you.

    It’s important to not let your brand look dated. It needs a refresh once in a while.

    You need to figure out what your company stands for and what values it embodies in order to shape those values into good design principles. It’ll make a big difference for the long term success of your business.

    Quality design is priceless. Every business should care about it.

    First Impressions Matter

    People form opinions about your company in about 50 milliseconds, based on visual signals. The visual identity of your company includes all the elements that make up your branded products and their packaging.

    Good design is about more than just making a good first impression. It’s about taking into consideration the needs of your customers, and creating products, services and experiences that are relevant to them. It’s about getting to know your customers better, in order to give them what they really need now and in the future.

    Good DesignBranding is not a one time project. It needs to grow and evolve over time to stay relevant.

    Design matters for consumers because their preferences affect the brands they buy, how long they stay loyal to a brand, what products they demand in the future and how much money they are willing to spend on these products.

    The number one reason consumers choose a product or service is based on its quality.

    Good design makes it possible for you not only to create eye-catching visual elements but also to improve user experience. That’s why having great design in your marketing collateral matters so much for any campaigns or communications that you publish.

    Great design provides a quick and effortless way for customers to recognize your products, evaluate them and decide whether or not they really want them.

    The visual identity of a product adds value to it by creating a more appealing appearance, increasing its perceived quality and even making it more functional.

    An attractive package is one that attracts potential buyers because it shows the value of the product, its richness in content, or because it forms an emotional connection to the buyer’s desires.

    Design Thinking

    In Design Thinking, the approach is to understand the problem(s) before looking for solutions.

    This is especially important in sales and marketing, where many professionals rely on their instincts, or their past experience, or even on the latest trend to build their sales and marketing strategies. There’s nothing wrong with that, as it sometimes works; but there’s a better way.

    That way is design thinking.

    Thinking as a designer involves asking a lot of questions and looking at things from the customer’s point of view. It may sound like common sense but it’s not common practice.

    It’s easier to start with your company goals and set a sales and marketing strategy from there, but consumers today want organizations to relate to them in a personalized way — they want to have more choices, they want to have control.

    Well designed branding can increase customer satisfaction in many ways:

    Unlike traditional advertising strategies, good design is a part of every aspect of your brand communication with customers and prospects including packaging, infrastructure, web pages, marketing materials and any other place where you communicate with them. Design thinking is more likely than advertising & marketing to generate repeat customers.

    How to Achieve Good Design

    Achieving good design is not about trying to be a designer. It’s about understanding the principles of good design and applying them to your business. It’s about understanding and appreciating the value of well-executed design.

    The key to achieving good design comes from three sources: empathy, simplification, and storytelling. You need to empathize with your customer, simplify their lives, and tell them a story that connects with them on an emotional level.

    Good design is intuitive and thoughtful. It helps people, not just computers understand the world around them. Great designs are those that make people feel something or care about what they see before them. The best designs are those that make you feel like the designer understood you before you even knew you needed anything designed!

    Good Design Is Simple

    Great design should be simple, clear, and functional. It’s not about decoration, it’s about communication. A good designer is a thoughtful collaborator who will ask the right questions to help you achieve your goals.

    Emotional Design

    Great design will create an emotional connection between the business and its customers.

    Design ThinkingDesign connects with emotions, which helps people feel more connected to your company. For example, Starbucks cups are a big part of the company’s identity. The design of the cups evoke feelings in people—ones that they connect with Starbucks because of. We can see this as one way that great design matters for your business.

    Designers have a lot of power in a company, and that power should be respected and taken seriously. Often companies think design is just something on the side or something extra to do if they have time or money left over at the end of a project.

    Designers have the power to create a great experience for customers; they have responsibility to do their best work to make sure their vision is executed well and creates an emotional connection with customers. Great designers are passionate and driven; they want their designs to be successful so that people will use them and love them. They care deeply about their work and want it to be great.

    User-Centered Design (UCD)

    User-centered design (UCD) is the process of designing products with users in mind. UCD has been a huge success because it is a UX methodology that provides insight into what customers want, need, and expect. It helps companies understand how to build products that people value and love.

    Moreover, UCD gives you a competitive edge in differentiating your products from others. It focuses on empathy, the user’s emotions, their understanding of the world, which all help businesses grow. The bottom line is that if you have a better understanding of your customer’s needs, you can create better products for them.

    The Importance of Clear Communication

    Communicating well is a complex process. You need to be clear and concise in your messaging, but also manage to show personality at the same time. A lot of this is based on how you design your message and how you present it.

    You may want to consider hiring a professional designer who understands the nuances of communication. Professionals understand typography, color theory, aesthetics, layout, and more. They can help you craft messaging that effectively communicates your message without being overdone or cluttered.

    Designers can help with everything from logos and layouts to infographics, websites, and social media graphics. They can advise on what language is most appropriate for your audience or suggest new ways for you to communicate better with customers as trends change.

    Conclusion

    With a clear sense of what is good design, you can create a design strategy that will help you achieve your marketing goals and reflect your brand.

    1. Good design is anything that solves the problem that it was intended to solve.
    2. People are more likely to be interested in a product if it looks aesthetically pleasing.
    3. The best design results are achieved by understanding the user and designing accordingly.
    4. Good design is simple because simplicity is elegant and timeless.
    5. Emotional design is based on the idea of creating an emotional response in the user through visual and interactive design elements.
    6. UCD is a user-centered approach to design, where insights from the users themselves guide the design process.
    7. Clear communication is important in effective design because it helps people understand the message with minimal effort.

    Interested in having us build a customized marketing strategy for your company?

    12 Best Web Design Tips for Building a Local Business Website

    12 Best Web Design Tips for Building a Local Business Website

    Updated May 11, 2021

    Every company, no matter what size, needs to have a professional looking website. It can be overwhelming to those who have not gone through the process before. It is essential for your business so whether you intend to develop a website in-house or outsource it, gaining a good in-depth understanding of what’s important from the web design and technical perspectives is certainly worth your time.

    Getting a small company site can be among the greatest obstacles that small company owners need to deal with. The job ends up being a lot harder as the choices are seemingly endless and the expenses can easily getting out of control. The web designer needs to be able to produce a website that is not only aesthetically pleasing but can drive significant and appropriate traffic to your organization to produce more leads or sales and decrease the issues that users commonly experience like slow load times, broken links, poor mobile experience etc. The possible technical problems are extensive. We won’t go into depth here but just be aware, your designer needs to be experienced or you could be in for some real unforeseen headaches.

    So, let’s get into our top 12 suggestions to rock your local business website.

    1. Simple but Elegant Web Design

    A small company website design needs to be basic yet visually appealing. It represents your business and should therefore make a great first impression. It’s your online store front so make sure the shelves are clean there’s no letters missing on the sign LOL. Your website absolutely must convey that your company is trustworthy and professional. People instinctively pass judgement in about one second give this some attention. Get a few designs done and get feedback from people before you launch the website.

    2. Check Out the Competition

    We always recommend that our clients have a good look at what other successful competitors are doing with their web design. One should not just look at the site but really think about what is appealing about it. Then like magic, you will likely start to realize what the website is lacking and you’ll start to come up with ideas to beat your competition by doing it better.

    3. Don’t Go Overboard on Style and Content

    Complex style can overwhelm your audience and don’t over do the amount of text – at least on the home page. There is a temptation to please Google with a lot of text but you need to be strategic about.

    One of the best strategies, which will also increase engagement, is to put an excerpt of a given topic and require the viewer to continue reading by clicking through to another page. Sidenote – this will help your “bounce rate” which is counted when someone comes to your website and doesn’t click on anything. An uncluttered overall style communicates professionalism.

    Focus on web design that will give your visitors a great user experience.

    4. Make it Easy for Google

    An uncluttered website, clear material, appropriate URLs, sitemap, and pertinent keywords will enable online search engine like Google to index your small company site with ease. Website design for small company must consist of at least minimal SEO optimization.

    Getting listed in Google My Business so that you can show up on Google maps on a local search is also essential.

    Our web platform of choice is WordPress for many reasons and it’s Google friendliness is among the top reasons. You get a great selection of amazing SEO plugins to choose from like Yoast SEO or our new favorite “Rank Math

    5. Mobile Friendly Web Design

    After Google’s statement of mobile-first index, it would be practically self-sabotaging not to have your local business website be responsive. This simply suggests that your website will adjust and reorganize the page layout when seen on mobile phones. A simple explanation would be that your multi-column page layout will re-flow into a single column layout. That may make it sound simple but sometimes you can spend many hours making sure that all your pages look good on all sizes of phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.

    Making a website mobile friendly can be quite daunting and there are many tools available to help with the process. One of the tools we like to use that gives us a quick preview of how a page will look on multiple devices at once is Responsinator.

    6. Optimize for Incoming Leads

    One of the most crucial functions of any small company site is to concentrate on the incoming leads and capture as numerous as possible. Normally prior to buying an item individuals like to do a preliminary research study and contrast, and might not be all set to purchase right away. Put some effort into finding ways to obtain your visitor’s email address. This way you can follow up with them or retarget them with ads so that if they are not ready to buy now maybe they will be later. Sometimes popups work for getting people to give you their email but it is becoming less effective. Popup Maker is a good Popup Plugin for WordPress that’s easy to use. One of the best strategies is to give away something, like a useful information, in exchange for their email.  You don’t want to irritate people so don’t be too aggressive with this.

    We recently discovered a powerful new pop builder tool from Adoric.  It has Machine learning features, Interactive templates and tons of other features like Email collections, lead generation, content promotion and more. It’s an excellent solution for marketing leads and Conversion Rate Optimization.

    7. Keep your contact information in Plain Sight

    This might seem obvious however this oversight happens all the time. Your telephone number and e-mail address need to be shown plainly on the site and, if possible, at the top and bottom of every page. Develop a ‘CONTACT’ page at the end that includes not simply the contact numbers however e-mail address, physical address of the business, and a map, together with instructions to and hours of operation of your business. Make sure it gets done and you can forget about it.

    8. Professional Branding is a Must

    Concentrate on communicating expertise and be consistent about it. Developing a brand strategy will help you get control of this. A solid brand strategy will keep On track by providing you with a roadmap for consistent usage of messaging and the appearance of all your imagery etc. Your brand is it just your logo it is the overall feeling that people get when they interact with your company. Our company can help you with developing your brand, read more about brand strategy here.  Once you have your branding in place just be consistent with all your fonts and graphics.

    9. Style Should be Simple but Distinct

    Whether you are developing your site by yourself or working with a small company website design business, your objective must be to produce a site that shows your brand name. The impression is the most crucial and will either draw in or fend off audiences. If you utilize any ordinary design template and your site looks like countless others on the web, you will never ever have the ability to make a lasting impression in your audience’s mind.

    A bad home page could cause visitors to bounce immediately. The home page  is extremely important so pay a lot of attention to getting that right and it will help to set the tone for the rest of the website.

    Visitors expect a smooth easy navigation that can take them from Point A to Point B flawlessly so make sure you give that to them. Make your website work for you, not against you. A basic, easy to use, and tidy website design without unneeded gimmicks is the strategy for success. You can experiment with gimmicks later but build something solid first.

    10. Showcase Products and Services Beautifully

    Several small company website designs are not able to display their items successfully or they overload it with too many product or services on one page and mess it up. Keep in mind that you just have of a couple of seconds to win or lose a possible customer so work on making an irresistible first impression. If you are a business selling items online then the item images and descriptions ought to be crisp and concise. If you have a fantastic website design but don’t display your products or services well, there’s a good chance your visitors will move on to look somewhere else. NextGen Gallery is a nice plugin for displaying images in different types of gallery styles.

    11. Fast Page Load Time

    Viewers get restless if a website takes excessive time to load. Guarantee that your small company website design has the best server facilities and bandwidth to support it. A website that is rich with graphics and photos can take a long time to load. There are many tools and techniques to reduce the page load time and it is certainly worth the time and effort to address this right away. A good caching plugin can go along way to help and it’s fairly easy to implement. One caching plugin we use regularly is W3 Total Cache

    12. Relevant, Quality Page Content

    Last however not the least is the importance of the content on your local business website. This is a significant factor in getting indexed by online search engines. The more relevant your material, the simpler it is for online search engine to discover and index your website. Content relevance will play a major role in attracting the right visitors to your website. Headings are extremely important in letting your readers and Google quickly understand what the content is about so pay close attention to all your headings.

    Research study reveals that there are more mobile users than desktop users now which is why it is vital to have a company site that loads quickly and presents a pleasant mobile experience. Google also uses page speed as a crucial ranking factor. According to specialists, a small company website should less than 3 seconds to fully load. The Google Page Speed Tool is an excellent way to find out if your website passes the test.

    The absence of a good website can adversely affect your company. Without a site you might loose business to your competitors. For someone to purchase a product or service from a company they don’t already know is a big leap. They will usually want to know and see more about your company before committing. Always keep that in mind and it will help guide you to build a platform to showcase your company in a way that will make people feel comfortable with the idea of being your customer.

    Extra Web Design Tips!

    Index Your Website

    Search engines such as Google, Bing and others search for particular elements to help them determine where your site should rank in a search result. There are actually over 200 ranking factors in the Google algorithm but some of the most important are Page Title, headings, structure, quality of material, keywords, URLs and sitemap. Pay attention to these to get the ranking you deserve. Check out the Google Webmaster Guidelines to understand what you must do to boost your search ranking.

    There are several things to setup when you want to get into tracking all of your online activities. You’ll need Google Analytics, Google Console, Facebook Pixel and more. There is a great plugin called Site Kit by Google that makes things easier to get setup is a real time-saver.

    Keep Your Website Safe

    It’s truly mind boggling to know how many sites get hacked every day. There are bots just going at it all the time – it’s insane and thinking about it too much cold make you crazy.

    There are solutions. First implement a backup strategy so that in case your security does fail, you will always have an up-to-date backup so your site won’t be down for long. For this we recommend a plugin called UpDraft Plus.

    Now for the security, there are 2 plugins that I like to use. Wordfence and Sucuri are both excellent options and easy to setup.

    We hope that the suggestions above will assist you in your web design process to build a successful Local Business Website.

    OCEANONE Design offer a full range of design and marketing services so get in touch with us if you need help.

    We were voted in the Top Digital Agencies Of 2020 according to DesignRush 

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