It is no secret that the rise of the Internet has affected the business world for good, and many companies are looking for ways to tap into the vast information-sharing power of the World Wide Web to reach out to customers, other businesses, and spread advertisements, promote deals and discounts, and more. Anything from blogs to videos to even social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and more give companies many new ways to communicate, and the success or failure of digital marketing and promotion may make or break a company, especially smaller or more obscure ones. However, the in house staff at a company may not have the computer and marketing skills to create an effective company website or social media presence, so outsourcing this labor may be the best option. A design agency, for example, will have staff who can easily create and maintain an online presence for a client company. Website development, in the right hands, can be a major asset thanks to a design agency’s work.
Customer Behavior Online
Customers behave in some ways similar online as they do in person. An average customer has a relatively short attention span and is picky about what he or she buys or even looks at, given the plethora of options and typically limited spending power, so a digital agency has to work with a customer’s mindset. Web development may begin with making the client company’s website visually appealing, with rich colors, alluring patterns and lines, and an easy to use layout for convenient navigation. If customers have trouble loading a website or if a video takes several seconds to start playing, customers often lose patience and simply leave. A design agency may work out any kinks on their software to make sure that a website works well, and fast.
Customers also want proper visuals, rather than large paragraphs of text (aside from blogs, where such text is expected). A company’s website, including its online catalog, should make use of large, clear, and attractive photographs to grab the customer’s attention and clearly show what is being sold, and why it is so appealing, anything from cleaning services to clothing to home electronics. If images are relevant and large, and load easily, they can go a long way to keeping a customer’s interest. This is especially true in a catalog, where not only a good search engine and price catalog, but good images are vital for selling an item. The packaging on a digital catalog’s product may help as well, using the same visual power that the product would use on a physical shelf. Anything from coffee bean bags to dog and cat food bags to children’s toys can have appealing packaging to draw customers in, whether online or at the store.
Other Strategies
A design agency will probably also expand its web design services to social media. It is increasingly common for companies and other brand names to create Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to each out to the many people who use these platforms, complete with the company’s name and logo, as well as basic information. Limited time deals and promotions, new products, discounts, and more can be advertised with these platforms, and the company can even create polls or “ask us anything” features to boost customer interest and satisfaction through interaction. In this way, a company’s social media can act as a hybrid of a regular company website and a real person’s Facebook or Twitter account, using the options and strengths of both. Another, more subtle way to boost a company’s traffic, especially on a traditional website, is to make use of an SEO agency, or Search Engine Optimization. Search engines often make use of keywords in text to find relevant material dense in desired keywords and phrases, so the employees of an SEO agency can cooperate with a client company to make their product or brand name easier to find.
