Many business-to-business marketers avoid social media because they aren’t sure what works, what doesn’t work, and what crosses the line. It’s a common misconception that social media only works when a business is offering a product or service to a customer. B2B in the social media world is different, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Social media is for socializing—just like when a marketer attends a conference and strikes up a conversation with a prospective client.

Just because a B2B marketer didn’t get a sale instantly, it doesn’t mean that the relationship, the introduction, or the connection he or she made with a prospective client won’t pay off at one point or another. Making connections with clients, potential buyers, and peers is important. When you use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and blogs, you’re making connections, too. Social media just another way you can do this.

If you want to utilize social media to reach a specific target audience or raise awareness for a new product or service, the process for coming up with a strategy are exactly the same. Determine what your objectives are. Research your audience. Create a communication and content plan that engages your specific audience.

Most people are part consumer and part business. Most people work for a business or own a business. B2B marketers should consider the mindset of each person in relation to each platform. However, sometimes confusion arises because we are more than one audience. For example, let’s say a business owner you’d like to connect with uses Facebook. However, when he’s on Facebook, he’s not thinking of work, he’s thinking of his friends and family. Your company’s Facebook page and posts don’t even cross his mind.

Most B2B objectives include making new contacts with potential clients, raising awareness of the product or service they’re selling, and aligning themselves as an expert in their field. Generally, it’s better to consider using LinkedIn, Twitter, or an industry-specific blog to meet your objectives. Depending on your company’s field, it’s also a good idea to research to see if any niche networks exist that are similar to your industry.

Another important element of a successful B2B campaign is the same as a B2C campaign: you need to create quality, engaging, interesting content. Whoever creates your content has to be someone who is deeply knowledgeable about your industry and products. He or she should be able to contribute to a conversation with specific, knowledgeable information. He or she should provide valuable insights to existing debates around your company’s specific industry. It’s critical to avoid treating social media as another marketing channel.

The investment is well worth it. Social media is relatively inexpensive, especially when compared with big-ticket marketing initiatives like tradeshows, seminars, and conferences.
In a B2B environment, it’s important to connect with anyone and everyone who may benefit from what you’re trying to sell. Connect with them as a friend. Get to know them. You never know who you might meet.

A website can be many things. For some people it’s a personal hideaway, and for others it’s a booming place of business. Some people use websites as portfolios or resumes, and others use them as social networking tools able to connect with the whole world. By their very nature, websites are intensely customizable. With limitless possibilities, people can be extremely passionate about making their website into a creation of beauty, efficiency and unique personality. As a website designer, it’s your job to combine your expertise with a client’s vision to create a site to remember.

The first thing to remember when creating a website for a client is that this website, in one way or another is their baby.  Whether the site itself contains their work or is simply an extension of their business, they have a great deal invested in this website. Even if their questions and concerns are things you’ve heard many times before, take the time to listen as though this client were the only client in the world. That way, if you need to suggest alternatives to some of their ideas, they will be satisfied that you heard what they were trying to say and that you have a good reason for needing to change it. A website designer should handle every website they make as if that site was their baby too.

Secondly, every website designer should remember that they are the expert, and they should never be afraid to make suggestions. The client has hired you to make their website special. They may have a vision in mind, but they wouldn’t have contacted you if they didn’t believe that you were able to improve their ideas into something truly remarkable. Before committing to a final design, make sure to take the client on a tour of your firm’s previous work and show them all the possibilities out there. Don’t be afraid to explore new territory, but remember that there’s nothing wrong with tried and true.  You may come up with something that neither of you had imagined!

Finally, you want to make certain that everything you do is in pristine working order before handing the website over to the client. You may be the website designer, but your client will most likely be its most frequent maintainer. Leave them a perfectly functioning system so that your good work is sure to last. When they do updates or make minor changes, they will be reminded all over again of how much they love their website. Not only will you have one happy client, you’ll have a client who will be very likely to recommend you as a website designer to brand new clients.

As a website designer, you are part of one of the fastest-growing and fastest-changing industries out there today. Since your field is so very competitive, you need to do everything you can to impress your clients with a good first impression and a great follow-through. We at DBurns Design (http://www.dburnsdesign.com/) believe that communicating with the client, to hear what they have to say, and to allow them help design a truly fantastic site!

Running a business isn’t cheap, especially if it’s in the early stages or if a new project is just beginning. Every penny must be accounted for, and it’s absolutely vital that every penny is spent where it will count the most. At this vital stage of a business, it can be tempting to cut corners and avoid spending money on things that feel like cosmetic improvements. One of the most common areas that new businesses will choose for cutting corners is their website. Hiring a website design firm can be a pricey proposition, and in this day and age most people have the computer knowledge to set up a very basic website on their own. However, this is a bad idea, and here’s why.

When you go to look for a new service, or to find out whether a new product is a good investment, where do you look? It’s likely that you would ask your friends or associates first, but even if they have a good recommendation to make, you’ll want to make up your own mind, and for that, you will most likely look online. That means that you will be perusing a website, or more likely a variety of websites, to see what suits your needs. What you just did, looking online, is what everyone is doing, and it’s how people are most likely to find your business: through your website. A website design firm will make sure that your website will create a good first impression for your whole company.

 That is, most importantly, what a website design firm does: they make you look good. It’s not just a matter of making your website look good. In the mind of a customer who is surfing the net for the services you provide, there is no difference between your website and your company. Whether they realize it or not, they will make their decision based on what they see online. If your website is neat, clean, interesting and professional, you stand a much better chance of being noticed than if your website looks like it was thrown together by someone who barely knows their way around a computer.

Of course there’s more to making a website work for you than just convincing customers to stay on your site. An expert from a website design firm will know all the latest tips for making a website into an invaluable moneymaking tool.  A professionally designed website can offer secure online purchasing software that allows you to expand your client base as far as you’re able to deliver your services. Consulting with a web design firm will show you that your website is so much more than just a pretty face.

When you’re kicking off a new business, or even a new phase in a business plan, you need all the assets you can gather, and these days, there is no better place to gather those assets than the Internet. Your website is your gateway to success. Let an expert from a website design firm, like Dburns, show you what your website can do for you!

It’s true what people say: Los Angeles is a place like no other. The weather, the culture, the people – all of it creates a surreal mix that really can’t be matched anywhere else. And the rich and interesting history of Hollywood makes it an all-the-more alluring place to visit or even attempt to move to. Of course if you want to move there, generally you likely want to work in the film industry. And we all hear about the challenges people face when they are trying to break into that area of work. We’ve all heard the stories of out of work actors that have to support themselves by waiting tables while going on fruitless auditions that get them nowhere closer to their dream. But at least in this digital age, getting your name out there is a lot easier than it used to be. Especially with Los Angeles web design firms that help your build up a brand and profile for yourself through a personal website that outlines your skills and introduces your face to the world!

Back in the day, when one wanted to “make it” in Hollywood, they physically had to carry their portfolio of work and headshots around with them to show to casting directors. But in most cases now, that’s no longer necessary. Now, a person can create their own professional website, like a digital resume, that highlights their accomplishments, describes them as a person, and outlines what kind of work they’d be interested in. And there are specific Los Angeles web design companies that will help you out with getting your name, work, and experience out there. One such site is Dburns Design Company, which has completed professional websites for the likes of Queen Latifah and Gloria Gaynor.

Much like Hollywood, Los Angeles web design companies promote an interesting mix of culture and trendiness. Since LA is a city of constant motion with its own unique vibe, web design firms can’t just be like any other design agency. Just like LA and its people, web design firms have to stand out! LA web design firms have to be up on the latest trends. They also have to appeal to a diverse mix of cultural backgrounds, since people of all ethnicities swarm to LA. Creativity and passion are both a must within the film industry, so LA design firms have to have those qualities as well. Many hire skilled and talented staff members that have expertise in a variety of areas to ensure that clients get well-rounded services. But most of all, they strive to learn as much as they can about their customers. They want to give you a shiny and glossy finished product that reflects you as an individual and will be successful in getting the real you out there!

Struggling to get that modeling or acting audition? Want to write the next indie screenplay or produce the music for it? Well don’t miss out on getting your name out there! Get in touch with a Los Angeles web design firm like DBurns Design(http://www.dburnsdesign.com/) and get that portfolio up! There are millions of agents and casting directors in that wonderful city just waiting to meet someone like you!

One of the first things you learn entering into the professional or corporate world is to “market yourself” or “create your own personal brand.” Although these sounds like tired clichés (and they kind of are), they really do point to useful advice. No matter what industry you’re in, marketing who you are and what you can do in a way that seems appealing to others is what lays the foundation for networking and possible business connections down the road, whether you are acting as a business or individual professional. Even personally, marketing yourself and creating a certain brand or image for yourself will likely help you make social connections, and stand out as a confident and unique individual. The question you’re probably asking now is “how do I go about marketing myself?” Well, today, the easiest way to do so is online. Especially if you are a business, you really should have a website. Through a professional web design firm, like DBurns Design Company, you can learn how to market your business and your website in a number of ways.

The first, and arguably one of the most important, is social media marketing. Because social media is so prevalent in today’s society, any company who doesn’t market through this medium is really missing out. There are many different kinds of social media sites out there. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the list goes on. But how do you go about marketing on them? Well, that is where a professional web design company will come in handy. These companies will fill you in on what social media sites reach your target audiences and which ones will be most beneficial for your business.  They will help you focus on the right social media techniques so that you can create a trendy, effective, and beautifully designed socially media campaign that will appeal to your target demographic.

Of course, professional web design firms can help with other marketing strategies as well, such as SEO marketing. SEO marketing is crucial for a website, because it is the first step to getting your company’s name out there in the world of the internet. These companies will customize ongoing SEO campaigns to ensure your website shows up in search rankings, and is therefore applicable to millions of internet users around the world. There is also email marketing that can be a powerful marketing strategy as well.  This type of marketing helps you maintain an updated client list, and can be an ongoing campaign that reminds client of your services. This increases web traffic to your site, and therefore results in a higher profit for you in the end!

A professional web design firm can also specialize in sponsored search placement, or pay per click marketing. This allows you to buy ad space on major web platforms, and allows you to pick select specific keywords that will target ads at a certain audience in a certain geographic location. This will direct even more traffic to your site!

Marketing yourself and creating your own brand is not always an easy tasks to accomplish. Which is why you need all the help you can get! Don’t underestimate what a professional web design firm, like ours, can do for you. Once you start using one, you’ll never understand how you could have functioned without it!

Phygital marketing is the future of digital marketing

Getting “phygital” will become of the biggest marketing trends of 2013. The term “phygital” is a mash-up of the words “digital” and “physical.” It’s a type of marketing plan that focuses on building integrated marketing campaigns that exist effortlessly between both the digital and physical worlds. The phygital phenomenon has changed the one-directional flow of communication. Whether a company is aiming to build brand awareness, consumer recruitment, volume driving, or brand-loyalty based campaigns; phygital’s recent marketing results can’t be ignored. The speed of change in the marketing world due to the success of phygital campaigns has started to cast huge doubts of the relevance of traditional marketing models.

Phygital is about understanding that marketing success is dependent on the bridge that connects both the digital and physical space. If used correctly, a company can reap the rewards. For example, 1-800-Flowers profited by taking their flower ordering service to Facebook. When someone wanted to wish their friend a “Happy Birthday,” friends could each contribute one flower in a bouquet to the birthday girl or boy. The flowers would be wrapped in paper featuring the profile pictures of all the friends who contributed. Before the digital era, this would have been impossible to do.

In the phygital world, it’s all about timing. A company needs to ensure that their brand is available at the right place at the right time.

Granata, a pet food company in Germany, is a good example of a company who profited from a phygital technique. Granata placed a billboard at a high traffic area where pet owners regularly walk their dogs. The billboard was for GranataPet Snack Check. The billboard dispenses a small amount of Granata dog food when the owner checks in at the billboard’s location via Foursquare.

In Korea, Tesco (known as Homeplus), has taken the phygital paradigm even further. Homeplus has significantly fewer stores than their top competitor, E-Mart. However, Homeplus believed it could become the leading supermarket retailer without increasing their number of stores. Homeplus conducted research and acted on their findings: the working Koreans dreaded their weekly shop. So, Homeplus decided to take their store to their customers on the platforms in Metro stations. People waiting for their train were able to shop using their smart phones. Their goods were delivered after they returned home from work. Now, Homeplus is the number one online retailer in Korea.

The phygital world has created multi-dimensional brand communication. Companies are telling stories, providing entertainment, and building great relationships with their consumers, and their profiting from it too.

Whether or not the term “phygital” survives to become an everyday vocabulary word, there’s no doubt that the concept is here to stay. Globalization made the world smaller and brought both businesses and people closer together. The phygital phenomenon could potentially close the gap between the physical and digital worlds completely. It could change the way we think, the way we buy, and the way our society functions.

Planned updates, regular reviews, and constant maintenance are the key to a successful website or app. Do not procrastinate on redesign—waiting too long can have a negative impact.

Managing and maintaining an effective website is hard. Technology evolves. Organizations grow (or shrink). Users come and go. The website that you designed a few years ago might not work well now. But redesign is a lot of work. So, you might have changed a few things here or there. You might have added a couple of features. You probably did just enough to increase your sales or increase your signups without doing too much extra work. You and your co-workers put off the redesign project until the issues get too hard to ignore. However, by then, it might be too late—you might be too busy to take on an arduous design project. When many designers get to this point, they have no choice but to turn to an outside agency. Ouch.

Effective redesign doesn’t mean you have to do everything at once. A large project can overwhelm your resources and create something that’s too big to tackle in a reasonable amount of time. If you approach redesign this way, something or someone will ultimately lose. Equally important objectives will have to compete to get the full attention they deserve.

At huge, bureaucratic companies, resource and budget allocation are so heated and so politically charged that it is nearly impossible to get something you want done without making a huge fuss to get it. A site manager might have to renegotiate their budget for the next 5 years to get adequate funding. By making such a huge deal of it, you bring on the unwelcome effect of promising that this redesign project is the answer everyone has been looking for—and that’s a lot of pressure.

When you only have one chance to “make things better,” critical pieces of the design process will inevitability get lost. Sometimes the only way to move forward is to defer redesigning the application or website so the impact can be realized by the organization, silencing any critics of “if it works, why change it?”

Massive redesign usually ends when the deadline hits and the money runs dry. If you plan ahead, you can avoid the tension and friction ahead of time by splitting up tasks at the project level. Create individual projects for each aspect of your site—content, backend, visual design—as equally important objectives on a timeline. By focusing on a single priority at a time, you’ll keep each step manageable and observable.

Don’t allow your redesign attempts to become a massive single project that targets only one objective. Don’t set yourself up for failure by promising to address every single risk at one time. You might be able to do it—but you won’t be able to do it well. Focus on one priority at a time—you’ll find that some problems might even fix themselves. And you’ll save yourself a lot of unnecessary stress in the process.

It’s important to let your users who know you are what your site is for.

A lot of websites have great content. They’ll have impressive features, great navigation, interesting design, and provide an experience that’s worth a user’s time. However, most websites don’t tell the company’s story. They don’t talk about the people who work there or about the CEO who started it all. By “telling the story,” we mean teach the user what your company is about, what you are selling, why you are selling it, and what your product and service can do for the user. And most importantly—you need tell the story fast in a visually impressive way. It’s not easy…but if you do it right, you can reap the rewards. There are several ways it can be done.

Many great designers have utilized screen captures to visually show a user their app. You could even have an illustration or model to show the user your process. A great introductory statement could work too—just be careful not to be too witty, too clever, or too obnoxious—anything over the top can work against you. The key here is to be engaging and descriptive. You want the user to like you.

Good copy, clear navigation, and ease of use are all important parts of the “awesome app” equation. But those are all things that happen after a user finds your site and decides to act on something. Good design isn’t enough. Hook your reader first. Once they take a bite, you can reel them in. But you can’t reel them in if they’re not interested in what you’re offering. A clear explanation of what you’re about is vital to the success of your website or app.

Here are 5 examples of websites that tell great stories:

1) Apple. Yes, Apple is awesome. Regardless of what your opinions on Apple are, Apple is successful for a reason. They are master storytellers. They have embedded video and images of people using their devices on their iPad page to showcase what the iPad experience is all about.

2) Square. The website for their credit card reader device shows images of a people using the reader to tell what the Square credit card reader device can do. Portraying an “everyday person” using the product is an effective way to show new visitors what it is and how they can use it, too.

3) Workfu. Workfu is a talent finding website that places multiple views from inside its application for users to see.

4) Disqus. The Disqus blog comment system app places a live working version directly on the home page. People can start using it immediately. By allowing users to use it as soon as they land on the home page, Disqus’s home page tells the story while a user experiences it.

5) Shape. This web design company uses intriguingly clever illustrations to portray the story of what services the company provides. It sets the stage for what Shape is as a business.

Before a user visits your website, they need to know that the experience won’t be a waste of their time. It’s important to earn the trust of your visitors both before and after they visit your website so they’ll keep coming back.

Trust is the assured reliance on the character, strength, ability or truth of someone or something. Trust is what makes us vulnerable. Before a user visits your site, they trust you by believing that your site is going to help them somehow—whether it’s to buy a product, learn something, or for entertainment purposes, they are coming to your website for a reason. They are investing their time. If they don’t find what they’re looking for, or if they aren’t happy with the website, you can guarantee that they won’t be back.

So how do you establish trust with users? First, make sure your website is usable. If a user can’t figure out how to navigate your site, they won’t be able to accomplish their goals. Second, aesthetics do matter. Let’s assume you’re shopping for a backpack. You found two backpacks you like, for the same price, on two different websites. If one website has interesting graphics, a nice easy-to-use layout, and a quick checkout option, while the other has a plain white background with odd formatting, chances are you’ll buy from the first website. Why? Because the first website is more trustworthy.

When it comes to trust, consistency and familiarity are also very important. Everything about the website you build is a promise; from the font, the content, and the layout. Consistency is important because it tells your users what to expect through every step of the process. Unexpected messages or a lack of a confirmation message can throw a user off. If a user is expecting a “thank you for your purchase” message to pop up on their computer after they bought something and it doesn’t show up, it’s going to leave them confused and uncomfortable. Those messages and e-mails confirm their trust in you.

Many of us hesitate when we see websites that ask for a user’s credit card information for a “free” trial of a service or product. We need to know that it’s going to be worth it. Money makes people vulnerable. If you’re selling a product, you need to make sure your user feels comfortable buying it. Are there a lot of pictures of your products? Can a user zoom in? Have you provided measurements, materials, and reviews? Do you accept returns? All these things can build trust.

Effective communication is essential in relationships. Once a user has given you a chance, you need to communicate with them and treat them with respect. The most successful websites use a friendly, conversational tone that’s almost like reading an email. Listening is important too—a user will bash you over social media if you don’t. If they’re extremely unhappy, they’ll write bad reviews wherever they can. Keeping a user’s trust is just as important as earning it.

Get to know your users. Learn from them. Follow through on the promises that your website makes. Take advantage of every single opportunity you have to make it clear to your users that you are worth their investment of time, attention, information, and money. If you can help them accomplish their goals, you’ll both get the return you want.

In order to create great experiences, you need to put yourself in your user’s shoes. You can’t do that if you don’t empathize with them. Knowing your audience is a basic first step. It’s usually one of the first questions we ask when we start designing. Empathy on the other hand, is the heart and soul of user-centered designed. It’s the path to understanding the users you are designing for. Empathy and sympathy are not the same thing. Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is experiencing or feeling because you have felt it or experienced it at one point yourself. Sympathy on the other hand is simply recognizing feelings of distress and sadness in other people and offering comfort or kind words to them. So how can you empathize with your users? Consider utilizing method design.

Create empathy through method design

Think of method acting. If you’re familiar with the concept, actors like Christian Bale, Marlon Brando, or Daniel Day Lewis might have popped in your head. Method actors use effective sense memory and in-depth character research to effectively play the characters they portray on screen. By putting themselves through the intense process, they develop a deep sense of empathy for the characters that they play. As a result, they yield outstanding performances. Designers can do the same thing—if you design methodically, you can learn to empathize with your users.

Engage in thorough research

Method actors do a ton of research—they read books, watch movies, surround themselves with similar people, and will even put themselves in the a similar position. Sometimes it’s dangerous. Many actors today will starve themselves to know what it feels like to be hungry. Some will spend weeks at a hospital to know what it feels like to be a doctor. Actors do this just so they can understand. As user experience professionals, we should be engaging in similar research (with the exception of unsafe scenarios). The first step is observation. Look at your user’s face, their posture, and their eyes. These simple observations can tell you more about your user than words can.

Employing empathy

In order to effectively empathize, you need to play the role of the person you want to empathize with. As designers, that means we need to play the role of the consumer. Are your users on a mobile device? Where are they when they’re accessing your website? What is your main concern when you’re trying to complete a task on a mobile device? Can you remember a time you couldn’t make a transaction on a mobile device? How did it make you feel? You can even take it a step further—seek a website or an app similar to the one you’re creating. Go to the mall and try to use the interface. Notice what works and what impedes the process in the tasks that you’re attempting to complete.

Dig past the demographics. Learn your user’s backstory. Find opportunities to empathize for the people you design for. If you do, you’ll understand your users more than you thought you could. Without direct observation, research, and understanding, it’s impossible to empathize with your users.