Don't Wait For The Translation... Answer Me Now!

"Don't wait for the translation, answer me now!" is a favorite quote from Star Trek 6 in our house.  It's funny because it's a crazy expectation but you'd be surprised how often we expect viewers to do this on websites around the world.  We want them to understand vocabulary that is specific to our trade or think like they are professionals in our field instead of stating things simply and uniformly for easy comprehension. 

One way you can help clear up anything that's lost in translation is by using clear and meaningful headings.  Here's a few tips on how...

Remove Repeating Words. 
Here are two examples of something you might see on a travel site.  Which one is more easily understood at a glance?

First:
How to Handle Lost Luggage
How to Change Your Seating Preference
How to Edit Number of Passengers
Second:
Lost Luggage
Seating Preference
Number of Passengers
It has been my experience that the second gets us to the answers we need faster.

Answer the QuestionsSpeaking of answers.  Try to think of your headings as answers to questions.  People that visit your site should be asking themselves a question.  How much is a product?  What products to they have?  Where is their store located?  How do I contact someone who can help me?  Are their any job openings? And so on... When organizing the important elements of your site keep these questions in mind.  Some people may be happy to learn that you've sponsored a little league baseball team but it's not the answer they initially came in search of.  Move that one a little lower on the list, ok?

Use Common Vocabulary
This is NOT dumming anything down.  Be honest with yourself about your target audience.  If you are an editor of the West Veranda College of Neurosurgeons quarterly publication and you are setting up a site to archive articles then fine... Neuroscience it up.  The people using your site will love it.  BUT if you are the editor of this same publication and you want to invite high school kids to apply for an internship with you than speak plainly.  Instead of a heading that reads: "Neurosurgeon Internship Applicants" try "Jobs" or "Internships."  The links will be easier to find after some 17 year-old reads the postcard stuck to the bulletin board of the local AP science teacher. 
It's easy to become overwhelmed with tips and tricks to make your website better and it's easy to give up and revert to what it is you know best (your business).  But with a little guidance, editing, and a lot of common sense small changes such as these can dramatically increase the usability of your site.  Go and connect with those around you!

So I Have a Logo, Now What?

Okay, I asked and you voted!  Here's a crash philosophy in Branding, why it's more than a logo, and what you can do to start re-thinking your marketing strategy. 

So what is a brand anyway?  In short, it's your business.  It's your best product and your worst, your best employee and your worst, it's the promises you make and the promises you break.  Before I go any further let me say this:  You can't escape your brand... either you make it or someone else makes it for you.  So where do you start?

I've done a little research and I've come up with a pretty confident square one.  What is your promise to your customers?  What  makes you stand out from your competition?  Whatever that is... that's your brand.  Now the trick is to represent that promise in everything you do.  Your employees need to buzz about it.  Your consumers need to buzz about it.  And everything you send out into the crowded world of marketing needs to reflect it. 

Branding is more than a logo but let's start there anyway.  Take Meijer for example.  "Higher Standards, Lower Prices" How does their logo reflect their promise?  Pretty well, I think.  "Higher Standards" is well... high.  And you guessed it.  "Lower Prices" is well... low.  But how else do they use this imagery?  If you have been inside a Meijer you'd see that the blue dots of the "i" and "j" are used to indicate a sale or "lower" price in the aisle.  What about something as basic as a color scheme?  What color shirts do their employees wear?  Yup, red.  Any idea what sort of font their using?  I'm not really sure but I'd wager a guess on Tahoma.  Let's see.. meijer.  Looks pretty close to me.  Visit their website:  http://www.meijer.com/.  You'll notice that it uses the same color red and blue throughout, the little blue dot makes his appearance, and whatever font their using is consistent. 

Now, I know what your thinking:

• Crap, I need to go back and read that whole paragraph again to remember what she said.  (I'll outline it again for you in a second)
• How does a color make any difference in what I promise my customer?  (Keep reading)

The truth is that a color, shape, slogan, logo, or font can reflect a lot about your promise.  Depending on your business - colors can give an impression.  Browns and burgundy are great for restaurants... they make you hungry and think of rich foods.  Blue is a terrific cooperate color for a group of office professionals.  Should your fonts or imagery be modern or retro, clean or grungy?  All of these say something about the way you do business and what you're going to offer the next person to walk in your door.  For instance, I chose blue and orange (not traditionally a great color combination so this may evolve over time) because I wanted a bled of the professional and the fun.  I also chose to put my own mug on the front because Simons Web Design is a one person show (for now).

When you decide to take control over your brand the easy start is what you show the world:

1. Logo
2. Slogan
3. Colors
4. Font

The hard part is starting the buzz.  Here are some suggestions:

1. If possible, contact a graphic designer or consult a communications professional.  They are here to help and they make this business their business.   
2. Get organized.  About.com can help you take that first step.  Follow this link to a free 6 week (at your own pace) online course on branding.  About.com What is Branding, Branding 6 Week Course

You haven't done anything that can't be undone with time, commitment, and a strategy.  Get started and feel free to use the comments section on this blog as place for discussion!