Learn From
The Best:
Our Featured Guests
There are a number of new
web design firms in North Dakota. They're creating web pages for companies
in this state and around the world. Beyond putting together a web
page, these companies look at the big picture: does the Internet fit
into your marketing plan, and what do you want to accomplish?
They say those who can't
do -- teach. Our featured guests prove that those who can do -- teach
even better. One way to improve your web marketing skills is to check
out the best of what's being done today on the web.
Sundog
Interactive
"In just a few years the
Web has evolved from a new medium embraced primarily by researchers
and computer enthusiasts to an entrenched business and communications
tool utilized by nearly 30% of the U.S. population. As the Web changes
the way business is done, it becomes increasingly important for companies
to develop a sound Web strategy, starting with the basic question
of whether a Web site makes sense."
"If you determine a Web
site can indeed provide an advantage to your company, you should create
a project vision which includes clear, measurable objectives. Once
your objectives are identified, the most important predictor of your
success is the depth and quality of your project planning. Much as
a comprehensive business plan can successfully guide the development
of a new location or business division, a well developed Web site
plan will address your marketing, sales, communications, customer
service, technology and business goals and provide a clear blueprint
for building and growing your company's Internet location."
See the benefits of
careful planning at these web sites designed by Sundog Interactive:
inet
Technologies
"PPPPM. A stuttering P?
What is this?"
"The "4 P's and an M" is
a broad-based paradigm to web development. The paradigm uses an integrated
approach that emphasizes the importance of Planning, Preparing, Producing,
Promoting, and Maintaining a web site to ensure the site's success.
These stages are not-mutually exclusive and require a concentrated
effort of a designer's and developer's time, energy, skills, and knowledge."
"Planning, in a very basic
sense, is the time spent thinking about the goals of a company and
how a web site can be used to accomplish those goals. This is a somewhat
nebulous brainstorming stage that is necessary for considering the
"big picture" perspective of what the site is to do. It's a time to
consider the current practices and procedures a company follows each
day and dream about how a web-based interface combined with technology
could improve those processes."
"Preparing is the actual
gathering of tangible material and putting "pen to paper" so to speak.
The preparing stage is a time when the site architecture is established
which is the "blueprint" for the site development. This process entails
organizing the content of a site in a format that is meaningful to
your particular audience and reflects the goals of the site. The site
architecture outlines the content, form, function, navigation, and
visual design of the site."
"Producing is the point
at which content, design, and programming come together -- the implementation
of the site architecture created in the preparing stage. This is the
stage of development when the intangible ideas described in the site
architecture document are turned into a functional site that puts
into motion the goals established in the earlier stages."
"Promotion of a site is
imperative if a company expects its site to be successful. Promotion
begins with the planning and preparing stages. For example, domain
names are more than a technical consideration. A company needs to
think of how a domain name will be integrated into its total marketing
plan including the traditional mediums of promotion."
"Maintenance of a site's
content is like maintenance of a house. Even before investing in such
an endeavor, it is best to consider the upkeep needed to maintain
the residence, both short-term and long-term. The reasoning applies
with web sites as well. How the maintenance will occur and how often
it occurs are questions that should be answered in the planning and
preparing stages. Answers to these questions are considered in the
site architecture and carried out during the development of the site."
"To conclude, the "4 P's
and an M" web development paradigm is general enough to be understood
by the novice developer. However, the extent of the depth pursued
within each of these stages is the determining factor between persons
who create ho-hum pages taking up space on the web and professionals
who design and develop outstanding sites to which targeted audiences
return frequently and enthusiastically."
To see these ideas in
action, visit these web sites designed by inet Technologies:
Digital
Vision
"Predicting trends in the
Internet business is worse than predicting the weather. There are
so many products and ideas competing for the market's attention that
it's difficult to know which will win out."
"One that is almost sure
to grow in stature is the use of "flash" on a Web site, or
things like animations, visual effects, sound and video. As the capacity
and speed of the Internet grows exponentially, it will be feasible
for a wide variety of companies to implement these types of effects
into their site. As it is now, flash is not for everyone. When deciding
whether to add these features to your site, consider whether your
target audience is the type that will wait the extra time these things
will wait to download, how much they are influenced by the "cool"
factor, and whether the effects add anything to the content or message
of your site."
"Other trends that seem
sure to have a gigantic influence in the near future include intranets
(Web-based networks only accessible within a company or organization),
extranets (Web site that, for example, give a company's business customers
access to internal inventory and purchasing capabilities), and ecommerce
(purchasing goods and services over the Web). All of these technologies
have the potential to affect large changes in the way people operate
and do business on a day-to-day basis."
Check out some of the
latest trends at these sites designed by Digital Vision:
cookies
for you
"In our continuing efforts
to expand our business to a national level, I feel it is important
we are on the web and readily accessible to these potential clients.
It is where we see our future business growth happening. Our website
provides an "economical store-front" that ties into our overall marketing
strategies enabling us to reach a much larger audience at an affordable
price. Within our website, we are able to build a database of consumers
interested in our product and generate leads for potential business
clients coupled with a directly targeted mail campaign with far less
expense than traditional print & mail marketing strategies. Our
product is readily available and easily shipped within a minimal amount
of time, making it a perfect item for e-commerce. We see the future
of products and services "going the way of the web" and we are willing
to adapt to this changing environment in an effort to "grow" our business."
To see web sites designed
by the small business owners themselves, visit these web sites designed
by YaYa Productions:
Funding
for Net Profit is provided by a grant from USDA Rural Development
and by the Members of Prairie Public Television.
