The post Advantages of Video appeared first on PiCon Design.
]]>If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a video worth?
Are you busy? So are your prospects and clients. They are hungry for information, and they want it fast. Most would prefer to spend 2-3 minutes watching a video rather than spending 15-20 minutes reading text. Frankly, many people don’t like to read.
The use of sound and images elicits feeling and better understanding of the idea. Watching the message needs little attention and can retain people who would have otherwise opted for other things.
Here are some statistics to prove the point:
• Video increases people’s understanding of your product or service by 74%*
• 50% of users watch business related videos on YouTube once a week*
• 80% of your online visitors will watch a video, while only 20% will actually read content in its entirety*
The second biggest search engine is not Bing or Yahoo. It’s YouTube…
Video is a multi-channel marketing tool, and to get maximum online exposure you can use it many places on the internet including your website YouTube and Facebook. You can also use it at trade show, in your office waiting room, or as part of your sales process.
A client of PiCon who uses video very effectively is Molyneaux • Tile • Carpet • Wood. Molyneaux has its own video channel with over 100 advice and “how-to” and promotional videos. Click here to see the latest videos. Some of these videos have over 50,000 views.
The Advantage of Professional Video Production
You might think that it’s easy to create your own videos using a smartphone or iPad. Be careful – unless you have real talent in this area, this might be a mistake. While you might be able to use simple video editing software, that does not mean you will be able to produce professional results.
Video production companies have experts in shooting, lighting, audio, pre-production, and post-production and are often a better choice. We have worked with a local company Post Script Productions and are delighted to recommend them. Here are other examples of videos they have done:
• Savor Pittsburgh 2013 – an event
• Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh | Our Story – a non-profit example
Post Script Productions did client testimonial videos for McKee Closet Organizing, a client of PiCon almost since we opened our doors 8 years ago. (FYI: We are in the process of redesigning their Closet site, so please check back in a few months to see the facelift!)
If you would like to learn more about professional video production, call Mary Schwarzwaelder at (724) 986-3455 or email her at [email protected].
Some examples of videos you might want to put on your website are:
• Client testimonials
• How-to videos
• Videos that explain a product or service
• Interviews – these are effective in highlighting an owner’s personality
• The story of the business (especially a family business)
• Safety & training videos
Please call me at 412-563-0976 or email [email protected] if you would like to add videos to your website.
*statistics from http://www.digitalsherpa.com/blog/25-amazing-video-marketing-statistics/
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More and more mobile devices are emerging in the marketplace, and they’re getting increasingly popular, long having overtaken desktops and laptops in sales.
As of April last year, more webpages are viewed on mobile devices than desktops and laptops.
You want your visitors to have the best possible experience on your website. But you can’t control whether they are viewing it on a small Blackberry screen or a 27″ monitor. How can you make sure they are able to read your site clearly and navigate around it effortlessly and intuitively, so they experience delight rather than frustration? The answer is “responsive design.”
Responsive websites “respond” to the size of the screen, and re-organize themselves automatically, so that the same website provides a great experience everywhere.
On a smartphone, your visitor doesn’t have to “pinch and zoom” to read the page, and the flow of content is more appropriate for a smaller screen.
Responsive web design is a way of making a single website that works effectively on desktop browsers AND the over 100 different types of mobile devices on the market.
- Different Screen Sizes: The website automatically adjusts according to the device’s screen size and orientation. Large or small – landscape or portrait; responsive sites switch between these on-the-fly.
- Adaptive Layouts: The layout of a responsive website can change to accommodate the device viewing it. On a desktop a large menu bar is easy to read and use, but on a smartphone that same menu shrinks to a dropdown menu, simplifying the layout for the smaller screen.
- Search Engine Friendly: The structure of a responsive website also makes it easy for search engines to read. Google recommends responsive design for both search ranking and to give your users the best experience possible.
Below is an example of responsive design, using our own website. On a laptop, the content fills the screen:
On a smartphone, we don’t try to scrunch the exact same content into the same space, making it so small that the only way to see it is to zoom up and then scroll. The header adjusts, and the content shifts. The site responds to the size of the screen so you can still read everything easily.
Responsive Web Design: Do I need it?
Yes. It is not a question of “if,” it is a question on “when.”
If you would like to explore how you might make your site responsive, please give us a call at 412-563-0976 or email [email protected].
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Having worked only in the corporate sector for most of my professional life, and after taking time off to be a stay-at-home mom, it was exciting to join PiCon Web Design two years ago. I had known Pauline Connelly from a few years prior when I did some part-time work for her but, alas, was replaced by an accounting software program. Back then PiCon was a home-based business and has since moved to offices in Mt. Lebanon.
So what have I learned?
1. Hip to the lingo
In any business there are industry-specific terms and the web design business is no different. Learning such words as callouts, building out, scripting out, back-end, sidebars, themes, navigation bar, responsive site, add-ons and my personal favorite, widgets, has been an adventure.
2. The creative atmosphere
Being around creative people who bounce ideas off of each other is very different from the suit-and-tie or engineering atmosphere I was used to. It’s fast-paced yet relaxed, quiet yet loud, and actually a lot of fun.
3. Code is your friend
The two computer classes I had in college turned me off to programming, yet I have discovered that is essential when adding spaces to a site.
4. Web browsers are also your friend
You can find a video or information on anything, from how to generate reports in a new accounting software you are not familiar with to forms needed to file the new LST tax in your municipality. What did we do before the internet?
5. I can’t crash a site
Something I do or don’t do to a site can’t make it go down! It may look wrong but at least that can be fixed. During my first few weeks of work my hands were shaking when I was doing anything on a customer’s site until I was reassured that I wouldn’t completely wipe it out. What a relief!!
~ Debbie
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The Mt. Lebanon Police recently unveiled their new website at pd.mtlebanon.org. The web site was developed so the police to can update their easily – either from a desk top computer or from a smart phone. This allows the police to keep Mt. Lebanon residents up to date with the latest public safety news.
“It’s state of the art,” says Police Chief Coleman McDonough. “The website gives us the ability to quickly share important information with the community, as well as provide an interactive resource for all that the MLPD has to offer.”
The home page is designed so Mt. Lebanon residents can quickly gather information on crime alerts, road closures, and upcoming public safety events.
Among the many feature the website has is a “I want to…” section which allows resident to quickly get information about how to get fingerprinted, how to request a hearing or pay a traffic citation or a parking ticket, get permission to park on the street overnight, or schedule a car seat inspection. Residents can quickly obtain contact information and email addresses for every police officer and support staff in the department.
This site was designed by Pittsburgh web development firm PiCon, a company whose office are at 615 Washington Rd, Pittsburgh PA – just a half block away from the Mt. Lebanon Public Safety Building which houses the Police department. The Police department has been delighted by their new web site.
“What the folks at PiCon were able to create exceeded our expectations. Pauline and Meesha were a pleasure to work with; their creativity and responsiveness energized everyone involved in the process,” says Chief Coleman McDonough
PiCon was launched in 2006 by Pauline Connelly, a graduate architect who went on to study web development at the University of Pittsburgh and Art Institute Of Pittsburgh.
What distinguishes PiCon Web Design from other Pittsburgh web development firms is their design process, which guarantees your satisfaction.
- PiCon will meet with you to review your graphic standards and look at sample websites together in order to get a clear vision of the visual look you desire for the site.
- PiCon then creates a non-interactive home page mock-up, which we upload to the web for your feedback.
- PiCon will make as many revisions to the home page mock-up as necessary until you are 100% delighted, at which point you will sign off on the home-page design.
- PiCon will then create one typical non-interactive interior page mock-up which we upload to web for your comments.
- PiCon will make as many revisions to the interior page mock-up as necessary until you are 100% delighted, at which point you will sign off on the interior page design.
- These two documents, along with the final site map, constitute the blueprint for the site.
- Once we have the above, this phase of the work is complete, and PiCon is ready to build out the site & populate with final content.
In addition to this, owner Pauline Connelly offers a money back guarantee. On the PiCon website, Connelly states:
“We work hard to delight each and every client, and we have seen some amazing results. Investments of $5,000 have repaid themselves 10 times or more within 2 years of site launch. While we cannot guarantee that every client will see those results, if you work with us, we are confident you will see a marked increase in business from the web.
“If you follow our advice and you do not see an increase in leads from the internet we will refund you 100% of the fees you have paid to us, and then give you 3 months to have your site redesigned before we deactivate it.”
PiCon Web Design specializes in medium and small business web development needs, as well as providing services for local non-profits and government agencies.
You can reach owner Pauline Connelly at 412-4563-0976 or contact her through the PiCon website at http://piconwebdesign.com.
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]]>By following website conventions – tried and true design strategies - you ensure that your users find information where they expect it to be, and therefore can move through your site as easily as possible. Don’t make them think. Remember, the less effort, the better.
- Use the words “Contact Us.” It may sound unimaginative, but the phrase works. People don’t read your site — they scan — and they’ve been trained over time to instantly recognize those two words.
- Place contact info and phone number at the top, right corner of the page, where it’s expected. Don’t make your visitors click through your site looking for your contact info – they often won’t
- Make sure your phone number is in live text, not an image. That way, a mobile user can tap the phone number link and launch into a call immediately. Mobile browsing is expected to eclipse desk top browsing within 2 years.
A visitor is already reluctant to share her personal contact information. Your job is to remove as many obstacles as possible so that she makes the leap.
- Keep contact forms simple. While it may help to ask tens of questions, it can be very intimidating for the user. Ask for as little information as possible and require only that person’s name and email address. If you seek other information, such as phone number and address, make it optional.
- Create one-column form fields for quick contact. It helps to put form labels directly above form fields. Usability studies show that users who filled out these types of forms saved time by only having to move their eyes vertically, not laterally.
- Give visitors a clear action button. Because people read from left to right and top to bottom, place the final action button in the lower-right of the form. Give the button plenty of weight with a standout color.
Trust goes a long way with online clients. People fear that their contact information will get dumped into a huge database that marketers can access at will. By making your contact form unique, fun and reassuring, your user will know there’s a human on the receiving end and, therefore, be more likely to share.
- Have some fun. Nothing eases people’s worries better than good humor. Why not spice up your contact form with some personality? Not only will it give your users a laugh, but it will also make your contact page more human. Consider a witty introduction or quirky photo.
- Make a promise. Tell your users that their information is safe, that you won’t share it with any third party. Place this promise right next to the submit button; that way they’ll experience a nice aftertaste upon opting in.
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]]>“People choose not on the basis of what’s most important, but on what’s easiest to evaluate.”
You would think that if you were given a list of choices, you would choose the one that is most important to you. In reality, humans usually choose the one that is easiest for them to understand and evaluate. Very often we do so because we don’t have the time to put in the research necessary to make an informed decision.
The more choices we have, the more difficult we find it to make any choice at all – and we often give up and choose nothing.
What does this mean for your website? Keep in mind that your visitor is busy and has hundreds of decisions to make every day. Make the decision to learn about what you offer easy. Make your copy straight to the point. Don’t waste your time on graphics, bells or whistles or anything that doesn’t drive your key points home.
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