Two Words: User Experience

When your customers land on your website’s home page, what awaits them? With any luck (and a whole bunch of research and design expertise), they will be pleasantly surprised to find something both visually pleasing and easy to navigate. User experience is everything when it comes to building a website … but many times we forget the who, what, why and how of website design.  

Design your website for a supremely satisfying user experience 

Not every single company who claims website design and development expertise actually understands designing something specific to your target market. It may be up to you to keep everyone moving in the same direction. Whether you use someone in-house or outsource your website building and design, there are a few things you need to keep in mind in order to offer a great user experience: 

Avoid clutter 

Who doesn’t love the old K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) strategy? It is good for everything from website design to vacationing with children. Clutter and complexity are not what your target market wants to stumble upon when they head to your website. Instead, make sure the visual presentation looks balanced and clear. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to adopt a minimalistic approach, but keeping things simple and straightforward will make customers more likely to peruse your site.  

Design for mobile first 

Some web designers get the heady idea that their beautiful site will be viewed on a large desktop screen. However, more than 50 percent  of web visits occur on mobile devices, with that number steadily rising. Make sure your website is optimized for viewing (and USING) on those handy computers we carry in our pockets. Your customers are much more likely to purchase your product or service if they can do it easily from their phone instead of waiting until they reach their desktop or laptop.  

Encourage scrolling 

As your site becomes a reality, it is important to make sure you offer the chance for consumers to scroll. Needing to click from page to page and product to product is difficult for users and increases loading times. That doesn’t mean you should give everything up on the landing page and forget about the rest of the site, though. Just give them tidbits of information in a format that is easier to scroll through (especially on mobile) so they can spend more leisurely time exploring your brand. Check out the site we built for our client, Martin Overhead Doors, for a great example of offering enough info on the first page that consumers will only need to click through a few times before knowing what they want. 

Be intentional with your visuals

As a strategic marketing firm, it is painful to see websites that do NOT align with the brand’s vision and voice. Make sure you have a solid understanding of the image you want to portray to your customers. That means being intentional about all visuals and images (even stock photos) that you stick onto your site. The more consistent everything is, the better the user experience and the more trustworthy your brand will be.  

Building a website is complicated. We could write many more blogs about the trimmings and trappings of getting it up and running. If you feel overwhelmed even thinking about it, check out our Entrepreneurial Pathway Program for more information on website development options we offer. Whether you just need someone to help with finishing touches or you need it built from the ground up, we are here to ensure your customers get that great user experience that will bring them back time and time again.   

Public Relations: It’s Not Dead Yet

In today’s digital-heavy environment, you would be hard-pressed to find a successful business, even a small one, that doesn’t have some type of online presence. From social media to websites, newsletters and blogs, companies are connecting with their customers nearly 24-hours a day. As important as these highly targeted efforts are, don’t take the place of a strong public relations effort. In a world of constant messaging that begins to all sound the same, PR may be a leg up on the competition. 

Public Relations is the secret sauce 

Companies generally use PR services to create a strategic communications plan and develop a trusting relationship with their customers. According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”  

And in this climate in which consumers are being inundated by information, messaging and marketing, being succinct and on point is vital.  

Think of brands you trust and consider yourself loyal to. What do they all have in common? Do they deliver on their promises? Maintain the same message on all platforms and marketing? Hold themselves with integrity when things get uncertain or go south? That is because they have all worked diligently to have flawless and intentional PR. 

Long live PR 

It may be a challenge to translate a major brand’s public relations efforts to your business. Does your company warrant a public relations plan? Absolutely. Check out some of the reasons your company should start focusing more energy on PR this year: 

Build credibility 

Building credibility with your customer goes right along with everything we have already discussed. We can’t stress enough how important that is right now, as consumer attention becomes scarce. With so many things to look at, why would they pay attention to your brand? Because they are loyal to you, your message fits in with what they like, and you have gained their trust through consistent communication. 

Build more brand awareness 

With social media, there are plenty of ways to get your brand in front of more people. PR makes use of these platforms while not missing a beat with other tactics like media outreach, events, and sponsorships. Creating sustainable brand loyalty requires more than an online presence. Being entrenched in and engaged with your community — regardless of the size of your business — is key. When you have a consistent message and brand that is repeatedly and consistently delivered, you are making a powerful impression. 

Grow through partnerships 

Instead of focusing on ways you can generate revenue through paid media (advertising), PR (sometimes referred to as earned media) helps you reach further into the community and make use of influencers, sponsorships and other industry organizations. Leveraging partnerships is also a great way to get in front of an audience, grow your brand following and get the word out that you care about your community!  

It’s a beautiful time to focus on PR 

A funny thing is happening in our culture right now. While many people are tuned in to social media, there is also a bit of an exodus; as users are exiting various platforms citing “overload,” they focus attention to the connections and relationships in their communities. What a great time to get your message out on multiple platforms! 

Since launching in 2010, our clients have appeared on front pages, in national magazines, television and radio news segments, talk shows, podcasts, and videos. We’ve represented companies in their most shining moments and their darkest hours; we’ve worked on grand openings and painful closings; celebrated high-profile accolades and managed high-profile legal challenges. The common thread: A consistent message, based on truth and transparency. That is public relations … a valuable asset in 2024.  

Think an experienced public relations expert is the missing link in your marketing efforts? Learn more about P&A’s PR efforts, and if you’d like to chat about putting our public relations expertise to work for your business, send me an email at pat@pickettandassociates.com!  

Why Strategic Public Relations is Imperative to Your Business

We often talk about strategic public relations. It sounds impressive, but what is it, really? Strategic public relations is an approach grounded in research, followed by planning, implementation and evaluation. And it’s how we approach every client project. Allow me to explain why.=

I used to sit through client meetings where the ideas were coming forth like water out of a firehose.

I’d leave those meetings feeling like we’d really accomplished a lot, and I KNEW the client was going to LOVE this great idea!

Six months later, the client was asking, “Why aren’t we seeing more customers/clients/donors/volunteers/revenue?” Stutter, stutter, stutter. Throw out more great ideas, rinse and repeat … which became the communications version of Whack-a-Mole.

And then, I learned the right way to do things. <Enter sub-heading, Old Dog Learns New Tricks>

Admittedly, I came to this profession via journalism; certainly, I was hired because I could write well and navigate the media landscape, because I used to be “one of them.” And for a while, my sole purpose was to garner a “media hit.” That worked for a while … and for a couple of agencies. But then I started questioning myself and my “media hit” tactic. Because despite the media hit, the client was still asking that question about return on investment.

I got serious about my profession. I joined PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and joined a study group to prepare for the APR exam which I subsequently passed (Read Four Reasons NOT to Hire an Accredited Public Relations Professional). And I realized everything I had been doing wrong. Every PR engagement should begin with research — a communications audit, finding out about their customers, their product, their competitors — followed by identifying measurable objectives (that include an identified increment within a certain time) on which one’s success can be based. The tactics — all those great ideas we used to throw around the table — should be developed solely to support the measurable objectives. Regularly evaluating the project against those objectives may result in a “tweaking” of the tactics … but it’s done proactively and not when the team is in the “hot seat.”

When I took this new-found information back to my then-employer, I was admonished that, “Clients won’t pay for research. They don’t want to spend that money on a strategic plan.”

Shortly thereafter, I found myself launching Pickett and Associates and developed a tagline, “Strategic Approach. Measurable Results.” And clients do spend money on research and a strategic plan. These days, everyone needs to validate their worth and justify return on investment.

It doesn’t work for everyone. Occasionally, we find our selves being put in the position of “an order taker” versus a strategic partner. It’s not our favorite thing. And, honestly, it’s silly to spend money outsourcing a strategic marketing team if you’re ignoring advice gained through research and marketing expertise. Those are difficult conversations to have with clients, but ones we have from time to time. It’s just part of doing business.

There’s no doubt that creativity and great ideas play a big part in public relations and marketing. But to ensure the bottom line results clients desire, the engagement must be approached in a strategic way. Is your communications team providing you with a strategic plan? If not, it may be time to sit down and have a chat.