Step #1 - Don’t Hire a Designer

So you are starting a new business eh? You’ve done your research, the demand for your product or service had been thoroughly documented, you have capital funding and your marketing and advertising strategies include a full web presence: site, blog(s), social media strategy and implementation, etc.

You say to yourself, heck I’ve been to thousands of web sites, I know what a good site looks like and I’ll design my own site and blog, nothing to it … lemme just find some kid who can program it and I’ll save lots of money.

So you sit down, in your home office, and take out a big piece of paper and your choice of writing instrument and begin thinking about how you want to design your site.  You first think about those “cool” looking or functionally frenetic sites that have caught your eye (not realizing they cost big $$$).

It is just you and that big piece of white paper.

While you can chew up huge amounts of white paper with amazing calculations and key details about your business model, your ability to present your company’s marketing message is untrained, unfocused and ultimately, unsuccessful.

The point is you should try and draw up a design of your own making. You should try and stare at a blank piece of paper (or blank computer screen) and come up with a graphic representation of your company vision with :

• a logo
• a branding tagline
• content presentation
• target marketing
• client feedback and integration
• etc

And after you’ve started and stopped on a half dozen ideas, a few hours go by and you don’t have much so you cruise the net looking for inspiration. And what do you see? An overwhelming number of boring, unattractive, unfocused and unprofessional (read unmotivating for user/potential client) ” same as the next guy’s site.”  It does not project confidence and credibility in the market place.

It is like wearing your shorts and torn t-shirt to a job interview, instead of your sharpest suit.

Although wonderful design and a focused message don’t guarantee more business, they do intrigue the user to stay and find out more. A poorly designed site will quickly frustrate and lose potential clients.

Bottom line, if you want your company image to represent the best you have to offer, then: Step #1 - DO Hire the best designer you can afford and one who matches up well with your vision and position your business image for success.