And now, it's time to build a website

My company website needs an upgrade.  Bad.  We've talked and talked and now it's time for action.

I'll give you a sneak peek into my side of the conversation.  These are the things we should be striving for when we get to building...

+Wear our personality on our sleeve.  Our business is seldom based on the work alone.  It's based on relationships and compatibility.  Don't sign up clients and then give them surprises.  In other words, don't sell neck ties and deliver cargo shorts.

+Stand for something.  An attempt to stand for the same things any potential client stands for would be a fool's errand.  Have a point of view, Be ferocious with our convictions and seek out clients on a similar plane.  Or better yet, make it easy for clients with similar beliefs to find us.

+Take the opportunity to build our brand.  Do what we should do, build a website that is only a part of a larger marketing mix.  Stay on message, and expand past home base. 

+Let our employees join the conversation.  Don't make this a top-down exercise.  A company is built upon the needs, desires, opinions, insights of the entire staff.  Give them a piece of the action through blogs, podcasts and community involvement.

+Don't be a business drone.  You can find a thousand agencies that will work to increase business efficiencies, ignore the status quo, push the envelope, and think outside the box.  Don't bullshit.  Find what makes us different and revel in it.

+Build buzz from the ground up.  Get involved with the community.  Don't recruit by accepting resumes.  Recruit by joining and assisting in learning and creation.  Open the dialogue and obsess about talent.

+Create utility for our current clients. How can technology make both of our lives easier?  How can we partner, discuss, collaborate with the most ease?  How can this website make our conversation easy?

+Design with simplicity and usability.  F THE FLASH INTO. 

And for repetitions sake, I'll say again the most important thing we can do for ourselves and our clients, find what makes us different and better and revel in it.  And talk to the people that we are different and better for, and revel with them.

There you go.  Sorry if I've gone list-a-rific lately.  But, I'm turning into a big fan of the list lately.  I'll try to mix it up a bit in the future.

Happy Friday!