You have newly designed site, courtesy of Sisarina. We thank you for choosing us and we ensure the usability of PICO, our integrated content management system. However, there's more work to be done. With Sisarina's custom CMS, uploading documents, photos and images is a breeze, but how can you manage their quality so as to best represent your company and brand?

Sisarina offers a few easy ways to help you, even if we didn't build your website.

Post a PDF

It's customary that most documents posted to your site should be in a Portable Document Format (PDF). Not only can you guarantee that your content won't be misuse, you can also make sure that your customers and clients can access the document. Not all users have access to Microsoft Word, Excel or other specific document formats. PDF readers are standard on most computers and can be easily downloaded. Be sure to provide a link to a PDF reader, like Acrobat, for convenience.

Using PDFs can also be a great way to maintain your brand. Always include your logo and company information within the document so that users can have your contact information handy.

Most desktop PCs come with capabilities to create PDF from within the Microsoft Office Suite. As well, there are free tools you can use to create PDFs, like GoogleDocs and www.cutepdf.com

Make Your Photos Beautiful

You don't need to have Photoshop to enhance your photos. Try using free web-based photo editing platforms, instead. Because it's web-based means that you can access it anywhere.

Aviary offers multiple design platforms from which to create and edit photos and images. You can also upload photos to edit directly from Picasa and Flickr, as well as any website. If you're familiar with Adobe's Creative Design Suites, you'll have no trouble finding your ways around Aviary Phoenix. If you're new to photo editing, Aviary provides support and training via forums and tutorials.You can auto-correct your photo or do it manually, using layers or adjusting the brightness or contrast, among others. www.aviary.com

Speaking of Photoshop, another great free web-based tool is Adobe Photoshop Express. It lets users upload photosf from your desktop or photo-sharing site and select the desired visual enhancement. It auto-corrects it on the spot. www.photoshop.com

Create Consistent Content

With Sisarina's CMS you can create new content quickly and efficiently. But making your content speak to your audience can be tricky. However, once you learn how to identify the characteristics of your content, you can begin to write content that can attract visitors and business.

Take the time to identify the following:

• audience: Who is your targeted customer? How old are they? What kind of experience do they have? Have they used your product before or are they new to the industry?
• company: are you an authority or resource? Are you conversational or matter or fact? Do you like to tell stories or provide the facts?
• message: are you promoting education? selling a product? encouraging new behaviors?

Once you have identified these characteristics, it will be easier for you to create content that speaks for your organization. It will help you guide the words you use, the way you explain things, and how to provide information.

Sisarina has launched a new Web site for information technology products, solutions, and services company Betis Group, Inc.

Betis Group’s new site was designed to update the agency’s look and feel, refresh its online image and create a more user-friendly experience that reflects the scope of the extensive work Betis Group produces for its clients.

The new Betis Group (http://www.betis.com) homepage includes a news feed that features the company’s recent achievements, like winning the FAA eFAST Contract in October, a quick links menu for those in the federal, corporate, healthcare and educational business sectors, and an employment forum with an online job application. The site was built using Sisarina’s pico-based Content Management System (CMS), which allows for easy updates of pages and on-page Search Engine Optimization.

“We were very happy with our new website,” said Hernan Cortes, Betis Group president and CEO. “The team at Sisarina worked diligently with us to develop what we think is one of the best Information Technology services sites on the Web.”

Betis Groups’ new site went live on Wednesday, November 25th. "I know this site comes close to showcasing the great work Betis Group delivers,” says Sisarina’s Principal and Project Director, Melanie Spring. “I'm proud to work with Hernan and his team."

Everyone loves and hates a to-do list. It just sits there and stares back at you as a reminder of the things left to do. But if you view the to-do list as more than just a nag, and rather, as a tool that empowers people and facilitates communication, the to-do list can become a necessary, and sometimes lifesaving tool.

A new book, The Checklist Manifesto, addresses the way to-do lists influence our lives and how they make us feel. At its core, the book’s author, Atul Gawande, reveals that it takes more than just one person to do a job well. He profiles his personal experiences as a surgeon and a variety of other professions to show that a team is only as strong as its checklist. While it’s certainly not life or death, managing a website’s content is an area that can greatly benefit from a checklist.

While Sisarina empowers our clients to manage and update their newly designed sites with our easy-to-use content management system, we know that it takes due diligence to keep a website continually refreshed and up-to-date. Many organizations and small businesses don’t have just one person maintaining the site. Often it’s a big part of everyone’s responsibilities and as a result, things can fall through the cracks.

Here is a checklist of sorts that can be used to help streamline tasks for updating and managing websites.

• Headlines and Introductions
  The headline and very first sentences should get the readers attention and make them want to keep exploring.

• Clear and Concise Content
  Explain the what, why, where, when and how of what you’re describing or offering.

• Consistent Voice
  Speak in a clear consistent voice throughout the site. Be consistent with pronouns (e.g., our, we, us).

• Enhance Keyword Usage (SEO)
  Know and use important keywords throughout your body copy. Circulate a list of appropriate and significant key words to use in your content.

• Spell & Grammar Check
  No typos, spelling or grammar errors: Eliminate all errors throughout your text.

• Link Internally & Externally
  Look for opportunities to link to other pages and content within the body copy. When appropriate link to authoritative outside sources.

• Include Date Published on Articles/News
  Timely articles should contain a date in which they were published and/or updated.

• Make Documents Accessible
  Convert MS Office documents into PDF documents or HTML for easier accessibility.

• Resize and Upload Photos
  Save bandwidth on your server and help photos load faster, resize photos to web-appropriate sizes, usually 600-800 pixels.

• Label Photos & Documents Internally
  Be strategic when naming photos and documents. Make it so that you can identify them without knowing the context.

• Add Photo/Image Captions
  Photo captions should give context. Photos and other images tell a story, independently of the article. Be precise and concise.

To say what you mean and mean what you say is a very basic concept and one that’s been used to describe a wide array of strategies, from parenting to relationships. But what about when you’re building a brand?

The world of brand marketing and web site design is one that is based on collaboration. Without input, the process doesn't get anywhere fast. That’s why clear communication is a key component of successful marketing. At first it starts with communication between company and client, and then it evolves into the communication you have with your customers. If you’re not being honest, you’re not helping your brand or your bottom line.

Luckily, Sisarina can provide a few tips to guide you through the process.

The Request for Proposals

Recently, CDG Interactive blogged about how to Write an RFP for Results, advising that an RFP is “an opportunity for you to outline your needs, identify your challenges, and articulate your goals.” We couldn’t agree more.

If you’re not upfront in your RFP, chances are the entire process will be clouded with inaccuracies and miscommunication. However, we understand that as a company seeking marketing and design expertise, you may not know exactly what you’re looking for. That’s why it’s even more important that you say so.

As CGD says, the RFP “should give potential vendors a solid understanding of what you want to achieve with the project and what their role will be.”

You’ll get the company that’s right for you by saying what you mean. Too many times RFPs are full of carefully crafted sentences that leave more questions than answers. Designers are people too and they don’t need superfluous language to guide them.

The Contract

Once you’ve met with and selected the agency or firm with whom you want to work, you’ll be sent a contract outlining the goals and timelines of the project. Most contracts have some flexibility that allow for organizational hiccups on both sides, but generally it’s an outline of what to expect. If you have questions or concerns, asking sooner than later will help keep the project on track.

At Sisarina, our customers are assigned one project manager who will guide them through the whole process and serve as their point of contact. This ensures that customers get the attention they deserve as well as the consistency the project needs.

Identity Development

Before the project enters the design phase, many agencies will take the time to get to know the client so as to decipher likes and dislikes and enable them to tell their story. At Sisarina, clients are given a worksheet designed to elicit responses to help us design and build the best website for you.

Clients are asked to name characteristics of their company and tell us about their favorite customer interactions. These exercises engage our clients with the identity of their brand.  Helping you to define your true identity helps us design with you in mind.

***

Part 2 of this blog will continue on Wednesday. Stay tuned for more tips that will keep your project on track. We will cover the remaining parts of the process: design and development process, the design and development of your website, as well as content management and website launch.

Part 1 of our blog post outlined the need for clarity as web design projects begin. We covered the RPF process, The Contract, and Identity Development, three crucial elements of the design process that rely heavily on input from the client. Knowing how to say what you mean and mean what you say can help guide you smoothly from soup to nuts.

In part two, we explore the four remaining parts: the design and development of your website, as well as the content management and website launch.

The Design Process

Design composites developed during the design phase are meant to reflect the personality and history of the customer. If you’re not entirely upfront, the accuracy and clarity of design can be compromised. As well, supplying the design team with company style guides before the process starts will ensure that the proper fonts, logos and other necessary style elements are used. This can save you lots of time and money.

As design comps are offered up for feedback, this is an excellent time to tell us what you don’t like and what you do like. Using the clear communications established in the RFP phase will come in handy. Explain what you mean when the logo is “too green” or “it doesn’t look right.” Designers are highly skilled at what they do, but they aren’t mind readers. If you don’t speak up, they can’t refine the design appropriately.

The Development Process

After the design has been selected and finalized to represent the customer’s true identity, the designs are sent to the developers so that they can make the site come alive. Any functionality included in the site will be developed during this phase.

Although much, if not all of the functionality and user capabilities were spelled out while the contract was being drafted, adding or revising the specifications can be done along the way. However, if it’s not added during the development process, changes can be quite costly and slow down the project considerably.

Usually once developed, the site remains on a temporary server, which allows for user testing. This is the best time to get familiar with your site. Bring in other people from your company to play around the site and use it much the same way you expect your customers to. Any questions or infrastructural changes you have can be made easily now by the development team.

Content Management

Websites require content. Although Sisarina’s content management system (CMS) is easy to use and ideal for adding and editing content, customers are encouraged to supply any or all content while sites are in development. Taking the time the upload content after the site has been developed can further delay the process.

If you don’t have content or need content rewritten, it’s best to work that into the contract, so that the marketing team can write new content specifically for your site.

The Website Launch

Establishing clear channels of communication at the beginning will ensure that your site will launch on time. However, there are many tasks that customers must complete before a site has launched. If it is a new site, has the domain been secured? Do you need to set up a PayPal account for ecommerce? If the site has been redesigned, current customers may need to be updated about any anticipated downtime or content reorganization. Of course, your project manager will guide you through these steps, but preparing for them ahead of time can make a difference.

Finally, before a site is successfully launched, it’s strongly recommended that several employees or administrators be trained about how to manage the web site. While customer support is always available, Sisarina works to empower its clients so that they can own and manage their sites confidently and masterfully.

Customer training is built into our contracts to ensure that enough time is allotted before the site is launched.

Conclusion

Web design and other marketing campaigns aren’t hands-off projects. Their success depends on the input and decisions of our clients. Being involved in the process helps to maintain clarity and keep expectations within reach. Being open and honest throughout all the phases described will help keep your branding and marketing messages on track. Best of all, staying on track will assure your customers that your website is open for business.

Undergoing a website design or redesign is an exciting process. It can also be daunting for many businesses and individuals who want to get every detail of the site “just right” before launching.

At Sisarina, we take pride in our website designs and work with every client to ensure that their new site appropriately represents their brand and marketing strategies.

Change is Possible

However, we often advise our clients to let their websites evolve. We remind them that the beauty of the web is that change is possible. Thanks to our intuitive and easy-to-use content management system, PICO, users can update their site whenever they want, making it easy to upload photos and content.

Unlike print design, a website can be edited and updated over time. If you’re not sure about a certain photo or heading, there’s no need to wait until it’s perfect. See how your audience responds to it. If you are able to refine a sentence or locate the perfect picture, you can update it later.

But Not Too Much Change...

Of course, we also advise our clients not to change everything. Users need to see consistency. They need to trust that a site isn’t just catering to the latest whims and desires of a few people. A website is an extension of the company or individual that it represents. Refreshing content or uploading new photos of your work is one thing. Changing what you stand for and what you offer, is another.

Strive for Growth, Not Perfection

No website is perfect. There are elements that are always evolving and changing, based on customer feedback or the expanding nature of business. If you wait until it’s “just right” you will have lost valuable time in the marketplace. The web thrives on experimentation and innovation, and so does your business.

The design process is not meant to overwhelm, but rather to inspire and invigorate. If you find yourself bewildered by the process and driven to perfect every last detail, take a step back and ask yourself what would happen if everything wasn’t exactly right.

A business that refuses to grow will not succeed, so it’s unreasonable to think that a website is any different. As a business owner and dedicated professional, commitment to perfection has helped make you successful, just don’t let it hold you back.

As you’ve probably noticed, Sisarina has been a little busy on the social scene. We’ve been hosting networking events and fashion shows through our DCTweetup & DCTwixer, setting up swanky parties for TEDxPotomac, and being interviewed by CNN (on TV soon!). We've even been back in business for one year today. (Happy Birthday, Sisarina!) Although we have a lot to show for what we’ve been doing, our primary business is marketing, branding and web design.

Over the last few months you’ve seen our trade show booth work for Health Research & Analysis and Design to Delivery at tradeshows. You’ve also seen us launch websites for:  MSA Incorporated, Federal Resources, Ontario Knife Company, Jerry’s Seafood’s Crab Bomb, Boyd Roofing, and many others.

Our design & development team led by Sisarina's project manager, Amanda Huffman, have been hard at work putting together marketing materials and websites for numerous area companies and it seems they’re all ready to launch at once!

Sisarina proudly presents you with new websites launched this week for:
Mary Beall Adler – Creativity coaching
Georgetown Bagelry – Bethesda bagel shop
Law Offices of Peter Enslein – DC law firm
M-Art – DC area design firm
Pet Groomerie - FL-based pet grooming shop
Wild Rose Creations - NorCal ostrich & emu egg gifts
 

Lots more to come as our portfolio grows! Let us know what you think of our latest projects - our clients would love your comments about their websites.

Is your website ready for a Sisarina revamp?