Hi guys, in the past 6 months, the majority of my design projects have come from people who needed help fixing up blogs or sites designed by other geeks who either...
- didn't really know what they were doing
- didn't give a sh#t about what they were doing
- or took so long to reply to simple requests that the client gave up and moved on
When you hire someone to design or maintain a blog or website, you're trusting them with your business and your image.
Turning over your $$$ and passwords to someone you probably don't know very well takes a huge leap of faith.
This might seem like a really small detail but one of my pet peeves and a sign of what you can expect from the geek you're about to hire is what they throw together as a "Coming Soon" page for new blogs/websites.
The Bad
The example above is about as bad as it gets. You register a domain and while you're site is being put together, your "coming soon" page is filled with advertising and assorted other stuff that you probably don't want to see.
The Ugly
The example above is a "coming soon" page from a site I just took over for someone who has been waiting almost 2 months for their blog designer to get the work done. The typical response is "we're working on it, it should be ready soon". (yeah right!)
Duh! 2 months later and still nothing has been put online except this generic graphic.
A sign of things to come...
A few days ago I started working on a new project for Feng Shui consultant Laura Cerrano and her new website FengShuiManhattan.com
One of the first things I do when starting a project (once we get the domain set up and connected to a webhost) is to design and put up a decent looking coming soon page even if no one will ever see it except my client and their friends/family.
What's my point? You can tell a lot about the people you might hire for a project by their attention to detail. If your geek doesn't take the time to...
- respond quickly to questions
- answer your technical questions in plain simple English
- go the extra step to make sure you, your site and your biz look as good as possible online
...then you're having a preview a things to come. I know there is good and bad in ever industry but I'm really tired of hearing how badly some people are being treated by their techies. Before you sign up with someone to handle your tech stuff...
- see how quickly they respond to questions
- see if they respond to your tech questions in language you can understand
- ask for references that have sites/blogs live online
- contact their clients to see how they feel about the geek or company you're about to hire
- if all else fails, take a look at their client's "coming soon" pages to see if they give a sh#t
On that note I have to get back to work. Have a great week ya'll...
What Detroit Can Learn From the Apple Store by Eliot Van Buskirk
To rise from the ashes, automakers must think like Silicon Valley — blow up “stores” in favor of experience centers. Let people buy what they want, when they want and how they want. read...
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Tooting Your Own Horn Without Sounding Off-Key by Alyssa Gregory
One part of success is being proactive about exploring new opportunities, forging new relationships and positioning yourself in a positive light. You are your biggest champion, especially if you work for yourself. There is, however, a thin line between promoting yourself effectively and overdoing it. read...
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Digg Shakes Up the Advertising Game by Mike Phillips
Digg just took online ads - particularly social advertising - to a whole new level. Advertisements will soon be integrated into regular Digg content (the 'river'), appearing similar to a regular submission. read...
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Al Gore wants to save advertising, too. by Caroline McCarthy
According to former Vice President Al Gore, the importance of sustainability doesn't just apply to the environment. It also is key to the future of advertising. read...
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21 BlackBerry Apps for Professionals by Alyssa Gregory
I love my BlackBerry Bold. It’s almost like my mobile office because it lets me stay in the loop without being tethered to my computer. Here are 21 BlackBerry applications you may want to add to your device to make yourself more accessible and productive. read...
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GM: Here are the top 5 marketing ideas for your reinvention by David Meerman Scott
The new site at GMreinvention.com is quite good. However, from the marketing perspective, the whole reinvention rollout seems to be typical GM, which leaves me a bit sad and depressed. I fear for your long term survival, GM. Here, then, are my top five things that you can do right now to accelerate this reinvention. read...
The posts listed below are just a small sample of the news , ideas a nd resources from the past few days by some of the sharp cookies that hang out in The Art Of Marketing You group
- ActiveRain Community Search - HGTV’s "House Hunters" Is Now Casting Brad Andersohn
- How To Maximize Indexing (RAINdexing) on your Outside Blogs Brad Andersohn
- Welcome to Real Estate 2.0~ Home of the Soft Sell! Jeremy Blanton
- Yes....I can be an arrogant SOB.... But not when I'm working Bryant Tutas
- The Flattened Life - the Impact of Digital Natives in a Traditional Realty World Lola Audu
- How Averages Can LIE to You - Are Home Values Really Dropping THAT Much? Penny Hull
- How Would You Answer This? Did the REALTOR® Lie? Is That Even the Issue? Lisa Hill
- Buyers and Sellers at the Inspection Together - What? Anna "Banana" Kruchten
- Don't Leave YOUR Clients Hanging Out to Dry! Debe Maxwell
- Tweeting or Blogging or Meeting Face-to-Face? Margaret Rome
- The Real Tragedy of General Motors Bankruptcy Russell Lewis
- Google is Not a Scraper Site, Part II Missy Caulk
- If You Do Not "Get" Twitter... Harrison Painter
- Defining Blogging Success Sally Cheeseman
- Positioning Yourself...or Repositioning Yourself... Liz Moras
- SERVICING SPECIAL NEEDS OF LONG DISTANCE BUYERS Allison Stewart
- All It Takes Is 1 Degree Of Seperation: Are You Boiling? Lisa Udy
- The FSBO Marketing Hype - FSBO Statistics Don't Lie - Or Do They? Ryan Shaughnessy
- Send All Your Listings to Twitter with Tweetlister! Bill Gassett
If you're wondering how to customize your blog , take a look at our group's guidelines page for tutorials a nd graphics that you can download a nd use on your Active Rain blog .
If you have questions about technology , blog design or building web presence , let me know a nd I'll try to answer them in a future post !
http : / /twitter .com / garaughty
If you'd like to participate in any of our upcoming marketing partnerships or to stay on top of all the new graphic goodies we'll be giving away , please subscribe to our blog using the button below . . .
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The bottom line is that if an agent doesn't check the work as if they were a consumer searching -- looking at their site etc -- these errors continue. Too many times I meet with agents and brokers that don't really know what is on their site and how they can improve as they just took someone's word for it.
Scott... well said, which is why if things suck at the beginning, they probably won't get any better over time.
Ouch....good one. Scary too to give your password away. Hi marti, hope all is well.
Wtihout a doubt...our online presence (websites etc) is without a doubt important and has to be in trusted hands. (mine lol) Great tidbits on what to watch out for! Thanks for the mention marti....what kind of cookies you into this week? I have kona coffee mac nut. :)
Without a doubt you are not just good but the absoulte best to work with. You respond instantly are over the top creative, sensitive, talented beyond belief and a joy to know!
You practice what you preach ".... you're trusting them with your business and your image.You can tell a lot about the people you might hire for a project by their attention to detail" This can be said for any one of us.
Marty, I like those Experience stores. More companies should look at that concept.
It matters to you because you're a professional ... and a class act. Two very important things to consider when hiring a site designer IMO.
Marti..You are so right on..Sometimes I have more marketers calling me trying to sell me products and when i look and tell them my area isn't listed on the site they argue with me..Their product is S#iT..Thanks for all the great articles..and Sharp cookies...
HelpfulHannah your friend in Philadelphia
Missy... giving password access is a necessary evil in tech, that's why it's a good idea to be really sure who we're doing biz with.
Sally... or to be married to a geek. ;-) This week I'm in a donut mood. ;-)
Mmmmmmargaret... it's not that difficult to make people happy, a little clear communication goes a long way. After working with you I know you're the same. You made my part real easy.
Gary... I have tech war stories that would scare most people away from the net forever, will save those for another day.
Carol... thx but it's just good for biz. Like you in real estate, our reputation carries a lot of weight and brings in referrals.
Hannah... tell me about it. I also get calls from SEO companies offering to help me get in a top 10 position on Google. They don't bother to check that I'm already there.
Irene... very cute. ;-)
Hi Marti, How goes it? I expect you are really busy these days designing sites. I loved some of the news articles here and the list of writing is and always been something so special you provide. Your post is one of the most resourceful and valuable here in the Rain. One of these days I will write again. We still have one of the best sites on the entire Internet.
PS, Coming Soon pages are useless. In fact I doubt I would ever return to one. Patiece is not one of consumers virtues and to me it would better if there was no access to these.
William... hi there, life is good but way too busy. Re Coming Soon pages, we have to put them up once a domain is connected to a webhost, otherwise we'll see the generic junk that I mentioned in my post. So I try to go the extra mile. Nite.
Hi Marti..References and testimonials are as import with hiring tech people as it with our profession.
Another great Post Marti..Thanks :O))
mart: donuts are not good for this 'mature' woman's figure lol. fly me an email...you're due for some kona coffee :)
Fred... even more important is to talk to actual customers. I breath tech on a daily basis and I still can't believe some of the stuff I hear going on.
Sally... I'm on my way to your blog, will leave you a note there. ;-)
Smart points, Marti. I would add that you should never work with a tech guy who doesn't want you to have access or an understanding of what's going on with your site either. I've had many clients come to me who have had their site customized to within an inch of its life. However, when they wanted to be able to go into their back office and do something themselves, they were met with the classic "Moooove" from the IT guys on SNL. You are the boss. If you don't understand what's happening with your site and can't have it explained clearly to you, it may be time to move on to someone else.
Heather... absolutely. If it's your blog/site you should have total access, admin password, etc... And contrary to what many geeks/techies tell people, there isn't much that can't be explained in plain English. Just read my blog for a ton of examples. Thx for the input.
Oh yes , the yellow construction page -- how awful.
This is the problem I have run into and the reason I am out looking for alternatives.
Hi Marti! Good to see you....when a web developer is busy, busy, that is good indication along with references, etc. Through the years I have encountered a couple that really did not know what they were doing or if they even cared. Fortunately, I have found one of the best now! Hope I did not miss the Word-Press blog!
Bob & Carolin... nothing says I don't care like a generic graphic. ;-)
Christine... that seems to be contagious, reliable people in any field are hard to find & worth holding onto.
Dona... really glad to hear that, especially after all the horror stories I've heard this past month. The WordPress series is on the way if ever I can get time to start it. I've been flooded with projects so even my own stuff is on hold right now but it's definitely coming soon. Nite...
Marti
You are a giving guy. I know I would use you, and will use you when I make my change soon.
My nerdy geek does give a CARE. He's one of the few that says what he'll do, and does what he says.
He gets a great sense of pleasure from bumping off the other people in the SEO ring. Maybe it's a dude thing? But, I've been happy with him for years. Rare.
I do understand your point. I found my nerdy geek when his predecessor was a tad too sensitive. As if he was Leonardo, and I was asking him to make a few changes to the Mona Lisa! It was ONLY a website!! GEEZ.
And thanks for your list of blogs. I've actually read them and posted comments when they hit -- gosh, I feel so CONNECTED to each and every little living thing now.
Love your blogs!!
Hi Marti, I can certainly see what you mean. But I also know you let things sit months on end for your clients, unlike some others. Your design is excellent but would there be some reason why at least contact information could not be included. Maybe even a tempting call to action of getting an early preview of the site in exchange for their contact information to notify them when it is ready. Something like that was what I was getting at and but I wasn't very clear. I guess I was tired and read more into my comment than was there, LOL. But I also failed to compliment on you on your superb job. ( going the extra 100 miles I'd say)
Marti - YOUR Under Construction page and Coming Soon are MUCH more pleasing to look at and, like you already said, gives the visitor an idea of whats to come. Much better strategy than a page with mucked up advertising all over it. You have some good choices for reads this round, too - thanks for that!
Great advice as always. I have a friend that all he has on his site is a open flash page. His designer billed him 1500.00 and wont let him see his pages.
HI Marti ~ hope your morning is off to a good start - or at least a good strong cup of coffee. I have to chuckle at this post as our webmaster is our son! His company CoalMarch designed and hosts our site. I best not be seeing any under construction views! Your clients are very very lucky to have someone as creative as you doing their work. Great info as always! Faites-en une grande semaine!
You had me at plain simple English. I don't want to know the technical details, for me technology is a tool, not an end in itself. As Realtors we can be guilty of using Realtor speak just like technies wanting to impress us with big words. I like your style.
Great Blog Marti - sometimes the nerds leave you with crap in the dust. What good it that...
Thanks Marti.....it's so hard sometimes to know who to trust. As the owner I get hounded constantly to do this or do that....blah blah blah. I don't know this people or their reputation. I only work with folks that I know, like and trust and have earned our business with their professionalisum and expertise.
Oh which clearly you've got it going! Let's do talk.
Sounds like you do a great job. Now I know two things I like about the Quebecois...they make great video games (UbiSoft QC), and they make great websites. Good to know.
THANK YOU! I can't tell people enough times "I know you want a site NOW but until you can launch the entire site, it's traffic suicide" People won't come back and you've lost that traffic.
GOOD ONE!
BTW, I like your art!!!
Tom...hi there, I'd love to work with you. Just shout out when you need something & as always, say "hi" to Lars for me. ;-)
Carla... I'm glad to hear that, hold onto him cause they're hard to find. ;-)
William... yes, I could add anything a client wants including contact info. Fortunately my blogs/sites usually just take a few weeks to get up and running so it's more of a formality than anything.
Leesa... definitely, I hate the ad filled pages, it doesn't take much to put something decent together.
Laura... yikes, that's exactly what I'm talking about and in the past few months I've heard even worse, no excuse for that at all.
Lee & Pam... until the coffee hits my brain not much happens here. Having your son as a techie is a definite perk. Merci mes amis.
Joe... re "You had me at plain simple English", exactly! Every industry has it's lingo... tech, real estate, etc... But all it usually does is confuse clients so plain English works well. ;-)
Kathy... very well said and it's pointless for them to do that. No one benefits.
Anna... the trust thing is a BIG issue in tech, usually people only discover they made a bad choice after it's too late.
Ian... in Quebec we grow hockey players & techies. ;-)
Billie... hi and thx, absolutely re traffic suicide, not a good idea to launch anything part way. Doesn't look good for you or them.
hey Marti!
Can't wait to see what you do with Laura's website..... she's an amazing young woman (takes after her Mom ((-; )
thank you for the abundance resources you're forever coming up with and for being such an amazing talent....
Jo
marti, I got all excited when I saw the headline because I thought you were going to share some of the dark side of my own blog's past. But, you are so right. And, you do everything right. I know I can trust you with all of my passwords and as you say with my livelyhood!
Marti, I can't say enough about your work and the amount of TIME and ENERGY you put into everything you do! That is why I trusted you not only with my outside blog (which I LOVE!) but also with Laura's site. You respond to everything when you say you will and you do such beautiful work; you are a PLEASURE to work with! Might I add to the person that thinks this doesn't make a difference on what your "under construction" page looks like: Laura was contacted already for a magazine article. I believe this made her look much more professional right from the start and we both can't thank you enough!
Hey Marti,
Thank you soo much for working on my web site...Marti is great, very professional and very dedicated to his work! :) He takes great care in detail with what goes into a web site. The "under construction" page makes a big difference, it is a sample of what's to come. It also shows the person constructing the site pays attention to EVERY detail because it will make a difference in the end:)
Jo... absolutely, it's a pleasure for me to work with people who also respond quickly to my questions. Hope all is well in your neighborhood.
Diane... I should write that post one day soon, it's on my to do list along with a million other things. ;-)
Carole... you're too kind and as I said above re Jo's commet, you make my life easy as well by responding so quickly to things. We make a good team. ;-)
Laura... awesome to see you here on AR and thx for such a nice comment but it really works both ways. The coming soon page is just a preview of some very cool stuff you'll see next week.
Thanks for the helpful tips, Marti. I'm in the process of trying to find a good geek to revamp my site and better place to host my site. It's an overwhelming process but a very important one. I value your advice and appreciate you sharing.
I agree we need to check and see how week look on the web , weather it is on our site or otherwise.
Good Day Blog Artist...
Sorry I missed this post. I've been so busy and trying to make up for all the time I laid around getting better. Quick story for you...When we hired someone to put up one of our sites it took six months to get it up. Soon after the site went live we got caught in the middle of a fall out between biz partners. The whole thing really sucked. It sucked because nobody gave a sh$% about us lowly peons :)
P.S. The arrangement with the site happened before you and I met. If I had it to do all over again I'd be cutting you a check :)
TLW...ROAR!
Mary... totally my pleasure, general geekiness is why I'm here . ;-)
Elizabeth... definitely.
Billie... 6 months??? Unfortunately I hear stories like that all the time, not sure how people like that stay in biz. Later...
Aloha Marti,
I like your work and hope we can work together in the future.
Steve
Steve... hi/bonsoir/aloha. My project list is pretty long right now but I'd love to work with you in the future. Have a great weekend.
Marti - Great post and I love the summaries... I have a few of those coming soon pages for domains registered but not used yet. I would like to talk next week if you have time.
Ryan... absolutely, let me know when is good or since I'm crazy busy, just send me a quick email thru my Rain profile or direct... marti (at) garaughty.com Later...
Hi Marti! I hope you had a wonderful week! I'm glad to hear that you're busy and am right there with you! I don't have time to BREATHE right now! You do such amazing work and I only wish I had known you before my sites were done. The next one--YOU will be doing the work (I hope you'll do me the honors)! Like TLW, one of mine took months and it is extremely frustrating when you're hands are tied and you just HAVE to wait. You did an amazing job on our NC site and I am SO glad that you did that job. We are MOST grateful to you for your wonderful work.
Thanks, too, for the mention! That post's client had wonderful resolution and I am back to trying to get a good post in before the week's end--it's just been CRAZY!
Have a GREAT weekend and congrats on the featured post...
Debe... happy to hear all turned out well. Great to your you're crazy busy as well, seems to be a lot of that going around. Would love to work with you one day. I have some very cool stuff coming out soon if I ever get time to finish things up. Have a great weekend.
Excellent post Marti.
I came across this as a result of reading Carole's blog and she's right on the money......You've got a great talent and your designs are clear, clutter free and very appealing to the eye.
Well done!
Criag... hi and thx for the nice feedback, much appreciated.
Marti - I just got back from visiting Laura's site. It is awesome; you are so very talented.