The Sisarina bookshelf holds a wide variety of books. While we all work towards engaging our users and positioning their brands successfully in the marketplace, it doesn’t mean that we approach design and marketing from the same direction.

Earlier we discussed the different ways we find inspiration. The books we read cover a wide array of topics and interests, but essentially they all have the power to awaken us professionally, steer us in new directions and provide alternate perspectives.

Here are just a few of the current reads that have reveled the Sisarina staff.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Daniel H. Pink

Pink cites a dizzying number of studies revealing that carrot and stick can actually significantly reduce the ability of workers to produce creative solutions to problems. What motivates us once our basic survival needs are met is the ability to grow and develop, to realize our fullest potential.

World Orders Old and New
Noam Chomsky

Marshaling meticulous scholarship, this leading critic of American foreign policy  argues that Washington's support - open and covert - for repressive regimes in Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Angola and elsewhere has undermined attempts to create meaningful democracy, thus exacerbating poverty and misery.

Crisis Counseling: A Guide for Pastors and Professionals
Scott Floyd

Provides a much-needed resource for the professional, pastoral, and even lay counselor.  Providing a spiritually based framework for responding to a crisis event and the following times of trauma, loss, and grief.

How We Decide
Jonah Lehrer

The author arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of deciders and shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence.

Breaking Into the Boys' Club: 8 Ways for Women to Get Ahead in Business
Molly D. Shepard, Jane K. Stimmler, Jane K. Stimmler

Why do women still have so much trouble making their way into the upper echelons of corporate America? According to the authors, it's not quality of work that holds them back but something more insidious. While women try to get ahead by logging long hours and working to become experts in their fields, their male counterparts are easily included in corporate culture (golf, drinks, lunches, etc.) and get inside information and more face time with superiors.

Woman of Influence: Ten Traits of Those Who Want to Make a Difference
Pam Ferrell

The author helps women see the call to mentor other women as part of the spiritual maturity process. By developing ten character traits, all starting with "I": impassioned, individual, intimate, idealistic, interdependent, initiative, integrity, intense, inquiring, and infectious, she tells stories from great women of the past, and those living today.

Share Your Bookshelf

What books are currently by your bedside? On your iPod or Kindle? Please share with us.

1. Who are you?

Marisa Peacock, Sr. Marketing Manager

2. What do you do?

I facilitate marketing and branding efforts for our clients. I help them tell their story. It’s much easier to market a brand when there is a story to tell. I also help our customers engage with their clients via social media platforms. There is an art to engaging with others online.

3. How did you get here?

I’ve worked for non-profits and independent schools, helping them to develop interactive web strategies. I also write for CMSWire.com, an online magazine that covers information management initiatives across the enterprise. I love that I’ve had the opportunity to work with different industries. It has helped me learn more about how they work. There are more similarities than there are differences.

4. Twitter handle:

@marisacp51 & @sisarinasays

5. Favorite blog:

Smashing Magazine. No matter if you’re a designer, developer or marketer, there is something for everyone.

6. What are you currently working on?

Redrafting content for various clients’ websites; developing marketing strategies for prospective clients; it’s safe to say that I’m always strategizing…

7. Favorite Muppet:

Sweetums

8. Guilty Pleasure?

Lady Gaga

9. Coffee or tea?

Always coffee. Never tea.

10. What do you covet the most?

A Dyson. The DC25 Animal, to be precise. Or an iPad.

1. Who are you?

AJ Pircio

2. What do you do?

Whatever Melanie wants. (I am a web developer and build web sites for Sisarina and our customers.)

3. How did you get here?

I wanted a new job and Melanie was nice enough to help make that happen. True story.

4. Twitter handle:

I don't believe in Twitter.

5. Favorite blog:

the nothing blog - ha!

6. What are you currently working on?

a lot of web sites. Workiing to perfect their functionality and user optimization.

7. Favorite Muppet:

Elmo

8. Guilty Pleasure?

Schadenfreude

9. Coffee or tea?

Cappuccino

10. What do you covet the most?

People with uninterrupted work days!

1. Who are you?

Alan Harris

2. What do you do?

I am a professional web developer, author and IBM's Polyglot Developer

3. How did you get here?

I stumbled across Melanie's Twitter account by accident one evening and decided to say hello; being involved in the IT world I am always on the lookout for interesting new people and opportunities. The rest is, as they say, history.

4. Twitter handle:

@anachronistic

5. Favorite blog:

"Signal vs. Noise" by 37signals. There's not enough opinionated software out there. I admire a company that takes a stand even if it's not always in line with convention or consensus at the time.

6. What are you currently working on?

Currently I'm developing a couple of .NET sites and finishing up a book for Apress on building content management systems in .NET 4.0. I'm also working on a pet project of mine to provide Ruby on Rails-type functionality to streamline the typical ASP .NET application model.

7. Favorite Muppet:

Animal. I've been a drummer for more than 20 years, and this guy has always had my heart. He played next to Buddy Rich for crying out loud!

8. Guilty Pleasure?

Mountain Dew Amp. It's a rare day that you'll find me without a 16oz can on my desk.

9. Coffee or tea?

At the risk of being tarred and feathered, neither. See number 8!

10. What do you covet the most?

My books. I have a fairly substantial library of reading material at home. I love to read and I love to learn; take my books away and I'll be a pretty miserable guy, actually.

1. Who are you?

Eryn Willard

2. What do you do?

While most of my family thinks I draw pictures for money, my real job title is Graphic Designer.

3. How did you get here?

I started my career at a young age (5!) with a very large reference file of paper scraps and images cut from magazines. I didn’t realize until I got to college (Western Maryland/McDaniel) that what I’d been working toward was to be a designer. I have the greatest job in the world – I get to use my brain and hands to make things that help businesses make more money!

4. Twitter handle:

@Studio_22

5. Favorite blog:

If I have to pick just one, it is Post Secret.

6. What are you currently working on?

Website interfaces, annual reports, trade show graphics and event materials – yes, all at once!

7. Favorite Muppet:

Gotta go with Animal.

8. Guilty Pleasure?

Reality shows

9. Coffee or tea?

Both, but tea first thing in the morning.

10. What do you covet the most?

Expensive outdoor gear

1. Who are you?

Amanda Huffman, Web Project Manager

2. What do you do?

Every day is new to me! Some days are filled with working with clients—from new business owners just crafting their missions to experienced companies redesigning their websites—and others are spent drafting proposals and making sure our creative designers and techy developers are all on the same page. Each day is fresh and exciting and I love that!

3. How did you get here?

I find my current role at Sisarina to be a result of a strong entrepreneurial spirit and obsessive desire to control things. (I kid!) I seek small, fast-paced businesses and have worked in operational roles at two law firms and an investment firm prior to Sisarina. My background is more management, less marketing, so I am working double-time to learn as much about marketing, branding and design as I can!

4. Twitter handle:

@manderhu223

5. Favorite blog:

Democracy Now!

6. What are you currently working on?

Several different tasks at the moment: checking the status of a few current projects to plan my next move, preparing some development spec emails, and drafting one rather lengthy proposal.

7. Favorite Muppet:

Definitely Cookie Monster. My first word was cookie; my second was monster.

8. Guilty Pleasure?

Ugly Betty

9. Coffee or tea?

Coffee!

10. What do you covet the most?

iMac…not practical for me, just a dream :)

1. Who are you?

Teresa Thomas, Project Administrator

2. What do you do?

I help the cogs of Sisarina Inc run smoothly. From name tags, to accounting, to content entry to washing dishes, my job is to make sure everyone at Sisarina can do their jobs without having to worry about anything and to pick up the slack when things get hectic.

3. How did you get here?

After 7 years of teaching preschool, I was ready for a change when I was offered this position with Sisarina. As Melanie took on Sisarina Inc full-time she quickly realized that success meant more work than she could handle on her own. I was brought on staff to take care of the smaller jobs that took up so much of her time. As my position grows and changes, I am slowly piecing together a wide knowledge base that allows me to effectively help wherever I’m needed.

4. Twitter handle:

@themamateresa

5. Favorite blog:

Pajamas and Coffee. As mother of 3, this blog lets me laugh at almost all aspects of parenting and life in general. (also Failblog.org, but that may go under “guilty pleasure”)

6. What are you currently working on?

Researching online Project Management platforms, adding photos to Sisarina.com, keeping all our bills paid and redefining my role to better meet the needs of our ever-growing staff.

7. Favorite Muppet:

This is, seriously, the hardest question on this list! Rolf? Beaker? Gonzo? Statler? Waldorf? I love them all!

8. Guilty Pleasure?

The Twilight book series. Really. Try not to judge me. :)

9. Coffee or tea?

Either one, but I lean more toward coffee when given a choice.

10. What do you covet the most?

A maid. Full-time. Preferably live-in.

At Sisarina we spend a lot of time getting to know our clients. We like to understand their personality as well the persona of their business, so we can design a website or marketing campaign that best represents them and tells their story.

However, to be fair, we want our customers to learn more about Sisarina and her staff so that they can better understand how we work and what we do. Web marketing and design is meant to be a conversation not a lecture. By learning more about us we hope that you can approach us more openly. From advice about marketing and social media to inquiring about our services, Sisarina’s door is always open.

Today, we bring you the first of 7 profiles of our staff. We hope you enjoy learning about us. We had fun putting these together for you.

1. Who are you?

Melanie Spring, Principal & Project Director

2. What do you do?

I run a successful web marketing company, setup kick-butt networking events, make sure that Sisarina’s views & personality are being spread the way they need to be and give clients an initial marketing meeting with tips on how they can improve what they’re doing or start what they are pondering.

3. How did you get here?

I started designing websites in college while working on my Communication degree.  After college, I moved into a sales role to learn the ins & outs of entrepreneurships and Fortune 500 companies. This helped me work with businesses of all sizes to fix many different kinds of pain. Once I got into the marketing field as a coordinator I quickly moved my way into a Director level position with the knowledge that businesses needed to help them grow. Now I help my staff help others.

4. Twitter handle:

@sisarina

5. Favorite blog:

Women Grow Business

6. What are you currently working on?

What am I not working on… setting up a fashion show, getting quotes to clients, updating our portfolio, setting up a CMS site for PICO, writing out a business plan (finally), working on state proposals, etc…

7. Favorite Muppet:

Big Bird – he’s just tall.

8. Guilty Pleasure?

Sleeping in on a Saturday with nothing to do.

9. Coffee or tea?

Hate coffee unless it’s a caramel latte – love tea but typically only if there’s caffeine in it otherwise I only do water.

10. What do you covet the most?

A Mercedes CLS-550. Makes me drool.

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.

For many of us the places where were have moments of creative genius are unconventional to say the least.

A quick poll of coworkers, friends and family indicate that our inspirational moments happen in a variety of ways—whether it be in the shower, washing dishes, reading or as of recent—while shoveling.

Are super smart ideas generated from the mundane, or is it that we need to be more mindful of how our actions can influence our ideas? Maybe it isn’t that routine work frees up space in our creative brain, but rather we feel less constrained or pressured at that moment, so we are free to let our mind wander and play.

Being more mindful of what it is that brings creative enlightenment may let us recreate it elsewhere. Yet, perhaps it wouldn’t make doing such “mindless” tasks as productive for our right brains.

What do you think? Tell us where your creative insights come alive. Do you think they happen during those moments on purpose?

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.