The Importance of Website Imagery

How you feel if you logged onto your computer and your desktop background of your holiday from Barbados had disappeared? You were faced with a machine full of black and white text with no pictures…

Not great.

Companies have made millions of pounds creating user friendly interfaces for otherwise boring looking programmes, adding colour to blank backgrounds and comedy egg timers, all the make the experience more enjoyable for the users.

So why would companies forget these rules and create a website full of text and no images?

Imagery on websites is extremely important for two reasons.

Firstly it is essential to make your website as aesthetically appealing as it can be, if achieved you will be able to hold your visitors attention for longer and encourage them to come back. Visitors to your site don’t want to be face with a screen full of text so make it interesting for them, images can break up long passages of text and can add further explanation to text. In an ideal world they should complement each other, be used in conjunction to inform and entertain your reader.

The selected images need to add to the overall visual experience. Sometimes visitors can be drawn in by the use of an image which then causes them to read the text around it. However on the other extreme a website with hundreds of pictures and little text support are vague and often do not contain as much information as the visitor would like, so a good balance needs to be achieved.

Secondly, despite there being great debate, images can be used to increase optimisation of your website. Therefore images can make a difference to your ranking on Google.com. To do this however it is essential to alt tag your images, this is a 3-4 word description as to what the image is, the better the description the better results you obtain. As the famous catchphrase presenter says: Say what you see! One way to check if your description is the best it can be is to read it to a person who has not seen the image to see if they can visualise a version of the image.

Both imagery and text are important on a website and often selecting the right ones can be there hard part. You need to strike a good balance between both in order to cater to all your visitors needs and wants. One final note of warning however, it is important to remember to ensure that the images you choose are properly credited, you could open up a minefield…


Article Written by Carli Smith


Visit Inferno Designs for more on istock & Website Imagery and Company Branding.

Top Tips for Social Media engagement

Now that your company has a Twitter/ Facebook/ Flickr/ LinkedIn/ Behance account it is time to engage! Easier said than done, well not really, just remember to be SOCIAL…

S PAM – don’t do it!
Give followers what they want, if and when they want it. If they haven’t expressed an interest then don’t bombard them with endless messages full of self promotion and ‘exclusive’ offers. Engagement is a two-way communication process, if you aren’t receiving any feedback then that’s not engagement – that’s promotion. And trust me, people will get sick of it and are more than likely to ‘defriend’ you.

O pinions
By all means, give your opinions but stay out of the ‘how not to do it’ gang. It is so easy to get carried away and make your opinion know but remember on the internet the information is accessible to everyone and often misdemeanours spread faster than wildfire – so a word of warning. Understand that everything you do will be open to misinterpretation and even if you notice your error and delete the comment, it is still possible that someone took a screen shot and you could end up in hot water.

C hoose a brand personality
And stick to it! Ensure that the personality that your company projects online is consistent and fits in with the overall brand values. If you are a fun, lively office make sure that you project that. Social media offers a brilliant way for customers and other individuals to become involved with the business and feel part of your business. If they build up a relationship with the company they are more likely to remain loyal as they will feel an ‘emotional’ connection to it, often a powerful differentiating factor.

I nterest
Be interesting. People don’t engage with boring brands, so post fun links, make jokes and use ‘hot topics’ as a basis of your comments. By keeping up to date with what is happening to your customers then you can make sure what you are saying is relevant and people are more likely to respond if it something they have an opinion on. Take note of a previous point, be careful making comments on very controversial topics as you suffer negative repercussions.

A nswer
Everyone. Say a quick thank you or tell them to have a nice day, even if someone retweets a link make sure that you tweet them back to express your gratitude and they will be likely to do it again. Respond to questions, links, retweets and messages. By being friendly and accessible your company reputation will only benefit. The nature of social media means that responses can be sent quickly and from almost anywhere so there is no excuse.

L ook around
Check out your Klout score, keep track of the number of Twitter followers, measure your reach, see where your followers are coming from. There are hundreds of measurement tools out there for you to measure your effectiveness online so use them! You wouldn’t enter into any other type of communication with consumers without being able to measure its effectiveness and social media isn’t any different. Online advertising click through rates can be measured and you can even track an individual’s clicking process to see where they went.

When used correctly social media is an extremely powerful tool, it is a fantastic way to engage with consumers in a fast and convenient way. It allows consumers to get closer to the organisation and get a real feel for the company, be aware of this and harness the positives however ensure that you acknowledge the negatives and don’t become a case study online of a company who has used it inappropriately…


Article Written by Carli Smith


Visit Inferno Designs for more on Social Media Optimisation and Professional Logo Design.

What is the Shelf Life of a Company Website?

To put it bluntly: it depends!

For many companies their website acts as the face of the organisation, a perfectly built website full of relevant, up to date information for customers and the media. However other companies have let their websites slip, when they were first launched their websites were everything they could have wanted and more, but times have changed and so have needs and wants. Whilst this is the cheapest option it is a dangerous tactic as you run the risk of looking outdated and your website putting customers off rather than enticing them.

With increasing numbers of companies joining the market place in all sectors it is difficult to shine out through all the noise created by your competitors – what better way than with a well crafted and professional website? Don’t get left behind, guaranteed your competitors won’t be missing this trick…

Content itself is subject to change. Staff may get new Twitter accounts and phone numbers may change therefore it is essential to keep these details up to date. Also when consumers/ potential suppliers or the media access your website they are keen to see new content including client case studies and new pictures. One way to ensure an area of your website is constantly updated is to include a Twitterfeed, therefore every time you tweet it will appear on the site. By providing new content visitors to the site are more likely to come back to check for new information and see you as a credible source.

As well as the content the design of the website itself is important. As everyone knows fashions change and websites are the same. Depending on the design you choose it might quickly go out of fashion or it might remain timeless and just require little tweaks. Either way you will need to assess your website periodically and ask yourself if it is giving the best impression of your business that it can. Remember to keep your website integrated with other elements of your business and ensure that logos, fonts and pictures are used across all mediums. It is useful to build up good relationship with your website designer to create a design that you are happy with and that matches your business personality.

When it is so easy to keep websites up to date and designs fresh and professional, don’t let the face of the organisation slip. The cost to your reputation could be deadly.


Article Written by Carli Smith


Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Web Design.

Twitter - I'm Set up, Now What?

You’ve heard all the hype and have now taken the step and to join the social media crowd, but what next?

Before you start it is important to develop an online personality so that people know what to expect from you. If your twitter feed swaps and changes from being formal to informal followers will be confused and won’t know how to engage with you as they will be unsure of how it will be met. It is essential that you ensure the personality you choose is integrated with the rest of your business and fits in with the morals and values it follows. This not only keeps communication integrated it also ensures that more than one member of staff is capable of being responsible for the companies social media. If you are an extremely corporate business such as a bank, formal and professional in style you wouldn’t/shouldn’t really be tweeting the same sorts of things as a business in a more informal sector as undoubtedly your target audience will differ.

The next step is to build up followers, one way to do this is to follow individuals and organisations of interest and they are likely to follow you back. Another way is to take part in tweetchats, there are lots out there, depending on your sector, so have a look! If there is make a virtual appearance and get involved, this is one way of building followers who are relevant and who are keen to engage online.

It cannot be stressed enough to: ENGAGE, ENGAGE, ENGAGE! There is little point in joining social media if you do not engage with your followers, in fact it could be said that having a site with no movement on it for the past 5 months is worse than not having one at all. Tweet at least once a day - more if you can - reply to any messages you receive, say thank you to anyone who retweets you and make sure that you retweet any links you find interesting.

For those that claim there is not enough time in the day to do everything you need to, you’re right, everyone wishes there were more hours in the day. However social media is something that is worth spending some of your time on, it gives you a chance to gather direct feedback from your customers, engage with them directly and make connections with others who could benefit your business. For those at a desk all day aim to check it 3 times a day – in the morning, at lunchtime and just before you leave – if not more.

The nature of social media means it is extremely easy to use and can be used on the go using a smart phone meaning so there isn’t much of an excuse not to use it. Give social media a chance, don’t just set it up and leave it as you won’t build followers and a positive online presence with no effort.


Article Written by Carli Smith

Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Company Web Design.

What does a marketing plan involve?

The importance of having a well crafted marketing plan is stressed again and again but what is it and what does it involve? Does it include adverts? What about customers? Is it my product? How do I know when I have finished?

Firstly it is important to note that different businesses will place emphasis on different parts of the marketing plan and might not include all the points mentioned. However the 10 main factors listed should at least be considered when approaching your marketing plan:

1. Background analysis
Whether you use PEST (political, economic, social, technological) or SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) or even PRESTCOM…don’t ask…there are thousands of variations that businesses use to remind themselves the factors to think about when analysing the business environment. If abbreviations aren’t your thing just remember: to look at what affects your business both internally and externally.

2. Marketing objectives
What exactly do you want to do? Do you want to get consumers to go to a website? Feel an emotion or think differently about your product/service? Don’t embark on a campaign before you know what you want to do – it is almost like setting off on a long journey without knowing where you are going, you will never know when you have got there or whether you are going in the right direction! Pointless…and not fun when it costs money.

3. Budget
It’s usually a good job if you check whether you can afford what you are setting out to do. Otherwise go back to level 2 and reassess. Different companies have different methods of setting their budget, all have their advantages and disadvantages. It is a good idea to find one that works of everyone in your organisation, however acknowledge the limitations of certain methods. One to definitely avoid in my opinion is matching the competition, this is unmarked territory, you never know their full situation and they may well have financial backing from somewhere else. One of the best methods is ‘objective and task’, pick your objective and find out how much it will cost, then check if you can afford. That way you have the best chance of achieving the set objectives because you have sufficient resources.

4. Target market/audience
Your target market is who the product is designed for, the user. The target audience is who you are aiming your marketing communications at, other members of the decision making process, they might not be users of the product but they might have purchasing power. It is important you make this distinction and alter your message and media accordingly.

5. Set communications objectives and message
Decide exactly what you want to say to the identified audience. Make sure it fits in with in them and will help you achieve your overall marketing objective.

6. Strategy
Where will you focus your efforts? You could push your product through the system by convincing wholesalers or retailers to stock your product or, you could pull it through by advertising to consumers and getting them to hassle retailers to stock your product. However focusing on just one strategy can be risky, especially for new products, as there is no point having a retailer stocking your product if no-one wants to purchase it.

7. Develop campaign
Now is your time to choose how you get your message across. Get into the minds of your target audience and focus your efforts where you think they are likely to see your message and acknowledge it. In other words don’t focus on building a strong social media presence when your target audience is aged 80+ and they don’t use the internet. Different methods are better suited to certain tasks so use your knowledge of the different methods strengths and weaknesses to make the most of the tools available to you.

8. Test the mix
This stage can be approached with varying degrees of formality. If there was an endless budget and no timescale then in-depth market research would be useful to see how consumers would respond to the communications tools of your campaign however this is not always an option. Other methods to test your communications mix include informal focus groups, asking friends and family for objective feedback or even placing yourself in customers shoes.

9. Co-ordination and integration
Some businesses contract out some of the work to agencies whilst others keep it all in house, some make the use of both. However no matter how your campaign is run it needs to remain integrated and cohesive so check how it is being co-ordinated. Have regular meetings and keep on top of all the big decisions.

10. Monitor and Evaluation
How do you know if you have been successful? Go back to step 2 and 5 and place a big tick by the side of them if you have indeed achieved what you set out to. You have permission to pat yourself on the back too. If you haven’t then look back and see what you could do differently.
That’s it, your marketing plan. There is of course more involved, this is a blueprint, however if you use this as your basis and adapt it for your individual business then you won’t miss out anything important.


Article Written by Carli Smith

Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Company Web Design.

Marketing to a local audience

When marketing to a local audience it’s all about the personal touch. Make sure you are seen in the right places, at the right time and with the right people. Often PR is a more useful tool than marketing when appealing to smaller communities…

It is important to make connections and build relationships with journalists at local publications including newspapers and glossy magazines. Ensure you know their deadlines and printing times in order to produce content at the right times. If they are given good quality content, when they need it then they are more likely to provide you with beneficial coverage, which is in effect free advertising.

Engage with the community as a whole, this could be by sponsoring a local football team or helping out a local school sports day and even litter picking. Businesses need to make sure they are giving something back to a local community and ensure they do not have a detrimental effect.

Word of mouth is extremely important within communities, with individuals talking between themselves on a daily basis. It would be a big mistake to ignore the effectiveness of word of mouth marketing and also the consequences of negative comments.

You could encourage positive word of mouth recommendations by offering a referral incentive, offer discount for people who have printed out a voucher from the website or cut it out of a local paper or for those who live within a certain radius of the business itself. Deal with negative word of mouth by engaging with the individuals, meet with them at public meetings or send a letter/email responding to their comments.

Keep up to date with local opinion and ‘hot topics’ by building relationships with local people, taking part in community engagement and act as a member of community yourselves. By doing this, businesses can make sure they are in the loop and not missing out on anything important. Another way to do this would be to monitor local press and follow any topics that may affect the community.

Most importantly however make sure your marketing has a local focus, focus on issues or problems that are prevalent in the community. Just like you wouldn’t approach a women’s magazine with a story about a new item of gym equipment for men, you wouldn’t market to a local community with a campaign with no relevance. Take a moment to find the angle.

If it is a larger corporation who are looking to market on a local level it is important to ensure that the campaign remains integrated with the rest of the businesses marketing efforts and non of the elements contradict each other.

As with marketing to any market – know your audience, what they want and tell them you can provide it!


Article Written by Carli Smith


Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Web Design.

Ways to Build Loyalty Online

The great ‘social’ media.

For many of us we have added all our friends on Facebook, our business contacts on LinkedIn and keep followers regularly up to date with our actions, pictures and funny quotes on Twitter. But what’s the different for businesses and does it actually matter?

Believe it or not, having fans on your Facebook page, likes on your activity updates and retweets of your link is rather important and a good indicator as to the general feeling towards your brand. It is all fine and dandy having them, but how can you make sure they keep coming back? Did they just join your fan page by chance or are they loyal to your brand?

One of the ways to increase loyalty online is to give visitors reasons to come back. Engage with them, make them feel welcome and comfortable in the knowledge that if they leave a comment you will follow it up with a ‘thank you’ or engage into a dialogue with them. There is the famous phrase of, ‘It’s like talking to a brick wall’ and we all know that it’s unfair to expect that.

By building up an emotional connection with customers your brand/business will be differentiated from competitors.

They are called ‘social’ media platforms for a reason!

Allow the company to have a personality, a persona that ties in with the rest of the business and its main objectives. However do ensure that various members of the team are able to keep the sites updated and keep it integrated. Otherwise your loyal fans will notice the difference and might not be loyal anymore!

It is important to note that the ‘personality’ of the brand needs to be cohesive with the whole business and is better suited to certain sectors of business than others. For example Citigroup are unlikely to post an update on Twitter giving their opinion on the latest Katie Price/Jordan scandal, whereas a public relations company might.

Another top tip is to make sure that up to date information is posted when and where it is needed. Main websites should be easy to navigate and updated on a regular basis. There is nothing worse than sites where nothing changes for months or in some cases brands have had inappropriate and brand damaging pictures posted on the site by external spammers.

Customers want to see new content and pictures, something to come back and look for. In terms of navigation, there is no point in having to search through hundreds of subtitles and links to find something that should be on the front page, customers are likely to get bored and go elsewhere. One of the great advantages of online content is it is fast and easy – so make sure yours is.

Customers often find it easier to make repeat purchases so give them what they want and they are likely to stay loyal!


Article Written by Carli Smith


Visit Inferno Designs for more on Company Branding and Company Web Design.

Objectives and toolkits…

When working with a business all day and everyday, often your focus is on making it successful, that’s the whole point isn’t it? You know you need to sell more products or provide your service more often in order to get money in the till, to pay fixed costs and your homes mortgage/rent. However often, taking a step back and looking how things connect together can be extremely beneficial.

The importance of setting objectives is paramount. How do you know if you have achieved what you want to if you haven’t got anything to aim for?

Most businesses have the same overall aim, which is to be a success. The interesting part comes when looking at how different businesses approach this…

By setting a marketing objective such as: ‘Increase sales of my product by 10% in the next 3 months’ it gives your business something to aim for. It also allows you to set marketing communications objectives as ways to help you achieve them. To sell more products, more people need to know about them. Therefore your marketing communications objective to help achieve the above marketing objective would be: ‘to increase brand awareness by 30% over the next 2 months.’

Still not getting it? No…

Your objective: To get to the other side of the river. Marketing communications objectives act as your stepping stones to get to the other side without getting wet – you wouldn’t just jump in the water now would you?!

What has a website got to do with it?

Your website is one of your stepping stones, in fact it could even be a rowing boat depending on how good it is. A website offers you a fantastic opportunity to communicate with your customers. You can advertise your products, share information, discuss topics of interest, review your products, share information and engage with customers. A website is often a face of an organisation as it is possible it’s the only element of the business customers will see or it is the first contact they will have with the company, hence the importance of getting it right.

Marketing communications has many tools to help achieve the task. Just like a mechanic needs spanners and torches, marketers need personal selling, advertising, public relations, direct marketing and sales promotions. When used together and for their correct use, the marketing machine will work in harmony and the products will fly off the shelves and objectives will be achieved.

So reassess your toolkit – if things are missing it might be a good time to check and replace.


Article Written by Carli Smith


Visit Inferno Designs for more on Company Branding and Company Web Design.