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I Need A Website But Don’t Know Where To Begin
Advice Column
(start a conversation)
Sometimes the best way to address an issue is to admit that you need help. Sure, anyone one can set up a website. With all the DIY solutions available, it’s easier and cheaper to set up a site without the aid of a professional.
However, with website design, the adage “You get what you pay for” couldn’t be anymore true.
In all honesty, website design is not for the everyday person. If you’re not familiar with what you’re doing, you could end up spending more time and money fixing up what you create than if you had hired a professional designer/developer. But before you even get to the point of website creation, there’s a few things you should keep in mind so that you better informed when it comes to making decisions.
Design Inspiration
It’s easy to get caught up in the aesthetics of a site’s look. Before you commit to any design or designer, you should spend some time looking at other websites. Not only will you get inspired for the look of your site but you’ll also get ideas for layout and content. Places that are great for design inspiration include:
Know Your Options
Using CMS is a great way to facilitate website development and upkeep. Unless you’re willing to learn HTML, a CMS is your next best alternative. You’ll be able to manage all the content on your site in a user-friendly interface. This includes text, graphics, photos, video and audio. There are many open-source CMS solutions. Several I recommend include:
Understand the Working Parts
You don’t necessarily have to learn advanced coding to understand the core concepts. Words like CSS, XML and RSS should not be foreign. You can do some Internet research and know why a Flash site is bad within a few minutes. Educating yourself on the processes of web design/development will not only save you time, but also money.
The last thing you want is to hire someone who’s incompetent, to then have to redo your entire website months later. The best way to avoid such mishaps is to be an informed consumer so that when you’re scouting help you’ll be able to pick someone who’s well versed in creating the best site specific to your needs.
Hope this helps!
Are Micro-Payment Newsletters Trending?
Advice Column
(start a conversation)
Some will say that email marketing is dead. I love hearing these people. They make it easier for me to advocate email marketing. The less emails they send, the better mines have a shot at getting read!
Email is the one piece of collateral we all use. Before and after the social media bubble, email will continue to thrive.
Facebook has tried to get a piece of the pie. Given how they don’t prioritize the user experience, it would be wise for us to stick with the brands which focus on product like Gmail, Hotmail, hell even AOL and Yahoo.
The point is, so long as we’re online we are going to use email. So to assert that email is dead is short sided thinking.
To show how this is so far from the truth, let’s take a look at a growing trend: micro-payment email newsletters.
What are these?
Simple. These are emails delivered to an opt-in group of subscribers who pay a nominal fee to receive exclusive content. Examples of those using this include Kevin Rose with Foundat.io/n and Gary Vaynerchuck with Daily Grape.
These newsletter models are not new. The concept of monetizing email newsletters has been around for some time. What makes this stand out is that micro-payments are becoming a great way to capitalize on your value in a cost-effective way. Anyone can use this a way to build even a small stream of revenue.
The key is to create value with what you’re offering. If you don’t have something worth paying for, then no one is going to buy into your offering. Lower price points are not only struggling-economy friendly but they give potential customers/clients a low risk introduction into your service offerings.
Websites which offer paid newsletters services:
MailChimp: http://mailchimp.com/features/paid-newsletter-subscriptions/
Tiny Letter: http://tinyletter.com/
Recurly: http://recurly.com
So my question is, will this be something you’d take advantage of?
I’m a bit of an Introverted social butterfly. If that’s not an oxymoron, I don’t know what is! No worries though. I am active on social networks and I promise to be authentic!
If you would like to spark a virtual conversation, I can be found at the following digital playgrounds:
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I tweet, a little bit about everything. Underneath my personal brand is a TV & film aficionado who's unapologethic, snarky, pro-choice and occasionally whimiscal. Follow with caution.
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