“Responsive Web Design” is a design technique: for a more in-depth definition and understanding of the term Ethan Marcotte has written an insightful article about the way to approach “Responsive Web Design”.

I look at this as a forward thinking approach to web design for the future; as technology pushes the limits so should our thinking. It’s not all about screen resolutions and scalable images on a website.

Understanding Responsive Web Design

Basically a website should “respond” to the device it’s being viewed on, this is a definition of what a ‘Responsive Web Design’ is. There are 3 key elements to ‘Responsive Website Design’:

1.       Flexible Layouts
   1. Create a separate CSS style sheet or media enquiry
   2. Adjust different screen sizes, from widescreen desktops to smartphones
   3. Choosing what to hide and show for smaller screens or devices, and simplifying the page for specific usage of a device
2.     Flexible Images
   1. Scalable images to screen resolutions
   2. Don’t create graphics to a particular device ie. iphones
3.     Media Queries
   1. Use of CSS, CSS3, javascripting
   2. CSS Scalability – apply a different page styling according to certain parameters ie. min-width, device-width, orientation, color, geolocations, etc…

In Conclusion

The concept is simple, the motives are logical, the technology behind it is basic and the results are extremely satisfying.

One thing to always keep in mind is Touchscreens vs. Cursors, I’ll explain more on my next blog.

The bottom line is when creating your next website I recommend you consider a “Responsive Web Design” site, you could argue that this is a just a trend, but it does solve a design problem that I, as a designer, face every day: designing for different resolutions. Who is going to debate making a website more pleasurable and easier to navigate?

Responsive Web Resources

There are a lot more factors in involved. If you want to learn more advanced techniques or complex layouts here are a few articles to read:

Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte  – The Responsive Design movement and how it started.

A tale of two viewports – Article about CSS and how viewports work in mobile devices

Media Queries. The official W3C spec

Responsive Web Design Examples

Note: All of the images are linked to their designated website.

Earth Hour

In the online marketing world, we are all familiar with the adage that content is king and for certain, content is the pillar on which any strong marketing campaign is built.  There is no question that the inclusion of well branded whitepapers, interesting blog articles and fresh content is paramount for our online assets considering our social media driven landscape, but video offers a unique opportunity for growing our brand and achieving our goals. More and more, we are finding that video marketing is essential for businesses looking to grow their brand through an effective, progressive medium. The ability to show someone what you are trying to convey through movement, sound and context opens the door to a much greater impact and better chance of succeeding in delivering your message.

The use of video will increase visitor retention and provide a greater conversion opportunity. A visitor is much more likely to extend their stay on your site if they become engaged watching an entertaining two to five minute video demonstrating a solution or explaining an offering than reading the classic text wall page.  We are aware of a number of success examples of companies utilizing video to achieve conversions and nurture their prospects experience significant growth as a direct result. From an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) point of view, you can target long-tail keywords to further improve your rankings. Videos are being given increasing value on major search engines. There is a high probability that if your businesses website has an article and a video posessing the same keyword phrase that the video will receive a higher ranking regularly. Opportunity for exposure through popular social media mediums such as Facebook and Twitter is higher as the online community is more likely to share an interesting video clip than an article in many cases. Online Video is a tag-able, shareable content type that is rich to the senses.

Video marketing technology is moving fast. We aren’t just talking about commercial video spots, pop-up ads, webinars or instructional videos anymore. Interactive video is set to be a major marketing tool, especially as businesses transition to cloud based business models and need to streamline sales processes. Visitors have the ability to self direct themselves through demonstrations, training and qualifying processes leveraging the advantage of one too many communication. Consumers have shown an appetite for navigating through content at their own timing and convenience. With fresh ideas like the use of breakout ads and the arrival HTML5 video, a new standard for viewing video through the web, we are starting to see some creative examples of how it may be used for campaigns allowing user interaction. In addition, increased analytics and targeting will allow for greater marketing effectiveness.

NSFW: Tipp-Ex interactive video & breakout example. Make sure to select an option.

The use of video marketing is advantageous for growing brand recognition and extending visitor retention. If you haven’t started video marketing yet, it should definitely be considered as an option for improving your website presence.

Split testing in email marketing is not a profoundly new concept, but I am consistently surprised by how many of our clients follow the status quo without understanding that a minor tweak could significantly improve their email marketing performance.

This is not just theoretical, below are a few examples of how I have used split testing  to increase our email marketing performance.

Email#1 – Testing HTML Email Design

Which HTML layout would drive you to click through to the offer?

Option A – Basic Design with Expert Picture

Option B – Strong 2 Column Layout

While both of these HTML email design layouts have been used in the past, we were able to leverage the best of the two designs through recognizing Option A produced a 6% greater click-through rate than Option B.  The open rates were similar, but remember open rates can be deceiving because many email clients automatically open or will register back as open without the contact actually clicking on the email.

Email#2 – HTML vs. Plain Text Emails

Consider using plain text personalized emails over the heavy graphics and code used for HTML emails.  The personal touch can break through the clutter in today’s marketplace.  When split testing the same copy and subject line between an HTML email and a plain text email, the plain text email outperformed its competitor.

Do you prefer to receive HTML or plain text emails?

Option A – HTML

Option B – Plain Text

The results from this split test were resounding.  Option B boosted a 51% greater click through rate than its Option A HTML counterpart.  Personalizing your emails to come from a living, breathing individual instead of a computer generated email blast can mean the difference between connecting with your potential clients and missing the mark completely.

Email#3 – Subject Line Testing

Subject line testing is one of the easiest and most impactful tests one can perform. MarketingProfs will tell you there are easily 7 Dirty Words You Can’t Use in Email Subject Lines and Easily 100 More You Shouldn’t Use Either. Email subject lines can affect more than your open rate and click through rate…it can actually affect your deliverability.

Does a final offer peak your curiosity?

Option A – Last Chance

Option B – Register

Letting your prospects know this is the final opportunity for the offer always peaks their curiosity; they need to know what they are potentially missing out on.  As you can imagine Option A outperformed Option B by a 28% greater click through rate. This is significant when it could be your only foot in the door.  Subject lines should taken seriously, not just an afterthought of the email message.  Consider your subject line the title of your self-published masterpiece…give it some thought and test, test, test to ensure it becomes a best seller.

Remember…Split Testing is for Everyone

Just when you think you have the right formula for email marketing try a few more split tests; it can only reinforce your methodology or make it better.  For more resources on split testing and email marketing check out these resources:

1. http://www.clickz.com/

2. http://www.marketingprofs.com/

3. http://www.meclabs.com/

Image Source: eConnect Email Marketing

A call to action is a prominent section on a web page that we want to guide the user’s attention to. The focal point is the eye-catching centerpiece of the page; it stands out and is distinct than other components. By designing certain areas on the website, we create and emphasize on the areas we want the user to focus on and get the message across.

It’s best to have a single call to action. Whether it’s a form to collect the information or a button to lead them somewhere else. Find the most important thing on the page, and then accentuate it. Your call to action should relate directly to the goals and priorities of the website.

It’s possible to have more than one call to action, but I recommend focusing on one main focus point. Putting a lot of call to actions on a page is the same as having none at all because, then, users won’t be able to differentiate which one’s the most important.

If there are more than one call to action, they should be distinguishable, differentiate them from one another with variety in size, color, position, visual weight and other distinction techniques.

Location of Call to Actions

The obvious choice is on the homepage. I would agree but most people tend to forget about the other pages in a website. All web pages should have call to actions that gives the user quick access to the most important piece of information on the page.

Also if your website is lengthy and users have to scroll up and down, I recommend placing the call to action in the header. For websites that don’t have to scroll, you can be a bit more creative on placement and imagery of your call to action.

Examples

Personally I like using typography for use of call to actions. Like sizing, coloring, spacing (between characters and lines) and typeface are the factors that can be manipulated for increased emphasis of textual elements.

Typography is the easiest way to grab the attention of your visitor. Also your basic buttons and banners work as well, just make sure it stands out and it’s emphasized. An example of typography use: http://www.coreymade.com/

Buttons are the most popular elements used for call to action. Big buttons are almost on every website because of the high visibility and the descriptive labeling. They are the best way but don’t over use this method as they might lose its effectiveness. An example of button use: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Graphic illustrations are used without needing a lot of description. The visual components are an obvious hook for the visitor to the site. An example of this here: http://carsonified.com/

The use of Whitespace is the simplest way to draw your visitor’s eye to the call to action. Apple executes this perfectly. http://www.apple.com

Conclusion

Every website and all the pages in it, should have a call to action that’s useful and attractive to its users. There are many of methods of getting your visitors attention these are just some.

While many sites are built for 1024×768, the actual safe viewable area is often much smaller when one considers the browser and operating system being used. The safe area takes into account screen real estate used by operating system elements (Vista’s widgets, Apple’s dock) and the browser itself (address bar, search field, buttons, scroll bars, etc).  Some rule of thumb safe areas:

Source: Designer’s Toolbox

Our partner site has very little Mac traffic so if one removes Mac safe areas from that list, one is left with a total safe area of 849×608 due to the widgets in Vista – and, yes, though it may be hard to believe, the site gets 13.63% of its traffic from Vista users so it is something to consider when you start to think about your next website redesign.

So why does this matter? It matters because it can hit you in your most important web statistic – conversion rates. What if you design a squeeze page (landing pages created to solicit opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers) and the giant glowing red button the poor sap, ahem, “prospective subscriber” is supposed to click on is nowhere to be seen?  You may have thought it was visible, but alas it is off screen because it sits outside the safe area.

Sadly this was the case with our partner site.  In figure 2, the call-to-action button is below the bottom of the form in the right-hand column.  It is unlikely a user will click on the button if they can’t even see it.

The solution?  Always keep your calls-to-action within the safe area where they will grab the most attention.

Who knows, your conversion rates may skyrocket, getting you noticed by the VP of Sales who promotes you and gives you a raise and unlimited use of the corporate jet and twice as much holiday time and women love you and men respect you and babies hardly ever throw up on you – all because you played it safe.

In the last few months, most of design time has consisted of designing HTML email for our clients and ourselves. Whoever predicted that email was going the way of the dinosaurs couldn’t be more wrong.

At this point, after many rounds of trial and error, I’d like to think I have a very good grasp on designing emails for successful delivery. Developing artfully designed emails to implement across the most popular marketing automation/email marketing programs has been challenging. Overcoming that challenge to see a flawlessly designed email delivered right to your inbox does provide a great sense of satisfaction.

Designing for Email Deliverability

However, this success does not come easy. There are numerous factors that come into play with email design and its impact on deliverability. To begin, like all marketing activities, you need to know your audience. Find out which email program your audience utilizes most, such as Microsoft’s Outlook 2010 or Google’s Gmail. This exercise will not be made in vain, as email clients render HTML emails differently; making a big impact on how you design and code your emails.

Utilizing CSS in Emails

A component of email design to pay particular attention to is using CSS in your emails. CSS is the code that makes HTML emails visually pleasing, but it can also be the most frustrating part of designing for emails. A terrific resource for utilizing CSS in email is the Guide to CSS support in email clients.

Best Practices & Design Guidelines

Based on my frustration and heartache designing HTML emails, here are a few best practices or guidelines I would advise you follow to develop the artfully crafted, successfully deliverable emails you desire:

I. Strategic Use of Tables

For using tables when coding, most email clients don’t support CSS layouts.

Here’s an example:

<table border=”1″>

<tbody>

<tr>

<td>row 1, cell 1</td>

<td>row 1, cell 2</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>row 2, cell 1</td>

<td></td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

For a reference on tables visit W3Schools to get more detailed information. If you require more information on coding, go to Quackit. This website will generate tables for you.

Also, using “Nested Tables” when coding makes the code a bit messier, but will help you overcome the margining and padding issues you may encounter. A “Nested Table” means to put a table within a table which will help you achieve the right look when dealing with complex graphics and/or copy.

II. Utilizing Inline CSS

As stated earlier, most email clients do not support CSS layouts; however, they will support some basic CSS elements (refer to guide from Campaign Monitor) using inline styles. This requires that you embed the CSS within the code. Note: you cannot use external CSS files in emails like you can on regular websites.

Here’s a basic example of inline CSS

Sample text here.

There are many tools online to help you with inline styles. The most useful inline style site I have found is Inline Styler. This site has saved me numerous headaches.

III. Maintaining Email Width

Most marketing automation/email marketing programs limit the maximum pixel width of your email to accommodate the variety of email preview panes, like in Outlook and Gmail. As a rule of thumb, its best to stay under 600 pixels when designing for emails.

IV. Images & Graphics 

Images and graphics are where email designers want to spend most of their time and have the most fun, but this can also be the most difficult to master. The illustration element of emails is what really makes emails standout, but not all email clients support background images. Some viewers will specifically turn-off images until the reader elects to show “pictures”.

Given this, I recommend limiting usage of images in HTML emails. Limiting images does not have to hinder the design of your email as layout and formatting can be just as powerful as images in email design. Don’t forget to test your layout with the images disabled, since many readers will only view the email in this format. Just as Robert Browning, the notable poet/playwright, said “Less is More”.

Outside of images and graphics, other ways to enhance your email design is using background colors to convey your core design. Keep in mind, it is important to maintain readability to the viewer while utilizing background colors.

Another best practice is to never embed your images in the email. Always have your images hosted on your server. This will also save you time if images need to be changed quickly in a multiple part email series.

Lastly, remember to optimize your graphics to a suitable file size. No one likes waiting for images to download. While everyone is on hi-speed internet these days, where there is little patience with delays in loading.

V. Unsubscribing

It’s common practice that most HTML emails are only sent after an opt-in process. However, keep in mind that you need to make opting-out just as easy as you made optin- in, or the ramifications could be detrimental to your email deliverability. If you make it hard to unsubscribe, you’ll surely lose respect from your audience.

VI. Viewing Options

Give your readers other ways of viewing your email. Simple text is always best for the minimalists. For others, you can enhanced the experience by having a link that will take them to a browser, in which case you can go all out because you can use all aspects of HTML and CSS, like on a website. As best practice, I usually put a text link at the top that allows users to view the HTML version in their preferred web browser.

VII. Don’t Over Complicate the Content

Companies use emails and newsletters as a way to keep contact with their clients and nurture their prospects. It cannot be stressed enough that you shouldn’t overload your emails with too much information, as no one wants to read a multiple page email. Your content should have descriptive headers and concise copy that entices your readers to act on the “calls to action” you have identified in your emails.

VIII. Test, Test & Test Again

Similar to designing a website, you must test amongst various browsers and operating systems, in this case in multiple email clients and versions. There are over 20 popular email clients, each with their own standards, without considering the outliers.

With these standards in mind, I suggest you check out the “Email Standards Project” website. The information on this site is always being updated with email client standards and potential problems you may encounter.

That’s a Wrap

With these best practices in mind, ensure your emails are: designed with tables; inline CSS; under 600 pixels in width; using minimal graphics and copy. And remember, make it easy to unsubscribe and test, test and test again!

First off, I am new around here so let me introduce myself. My name is Cameron. I enjoy long runs in the rain, loose-leaf black teas, the occasional Trojan bunny and floors free of small particulate matter. I do design work. I am not anal-retentive (all the time). I am also not a writer.

I like working here, or did until they said, “Guess what?!? You get to write for the blog!” I thought this was some sort of n00bie hazing ritual but alas, they were not kidding. I figure I have two options, either write something so terrible that I am never asked to write another blog post, or try and come up with something of at least minimal value; you be the judge as to which has been achieved.

We have created many websites for clients, but there came a time when we had to take a long hard look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that our current website was, well, not being all it could be. We had to become our own client.

We had to step back and ask if our website was easy to use? Could users find the information they needed quickly? Did it have the functionality we needed? Did it look like the year 2011 or 2007? Did it have vaguely glowing stock photos of happy businessmen and women on every page?

The answers were shocking – well, aside from the stock photo thing because we knew they were there all along. We are now in the process of addressing these issues, which means stripping everything down and starting from scratch. No sacred cows (or Trojan bunnies for that matter). It means a complete reorganization of the pages on the site to make it easier to find information. It means refreshing all content and redesigning all graphics.

Was there grumbling? Maybe a bit. What client is perfect after all? But in the end we will have a better user experience. We may even stay for breakfast.

• Marketing PersonI have a great lead for you. This prospect is perfect, etc., blah, blah…

• SalespersonWhat a waste of my time, this company is not even close to being serious about looking for a new business application…

• Business ownerWho is right and why does this happen?

Consider the Life Cycle for a Business Application (CRM or ERP) at a typical mid-sized company.

Lifecycle for Business Applications

During Phase One and Phase Two are the only times when a company would likely even consider listening to your marketing message about replacing their existing business application. I like to classify companies in either of these two phases as being “open to buy”. By this I mean that given the right message, the right sales strategy, the right budget, etc., these companies would be willing to buy from you or someone like you.

Companies that are currently in Phase Three or Phase Four are likely NOT interested in hearing from you, so let’s focus only on companies in Phase One and Phase Two for the sake of this discussion.

Marketing & selling to companies currently in Phase One is considerably different than those companies that are in Phase Two. This difference is where I often see a huge “language” problem that can surface in many of the partners I have engaged with.

As smarter partners are learning that the use of web-based marketing tends to produce far better results than traditional marketing tactics, and these very same partners are experiencing this “language” issue I refer to more than ever before. Yes, the web exasperates this problem even more. Let me explain.

Phase 2 = Actively Looking

Companies who are currently positioned in Phase Two are actively looking to replace their business application. When your marketing or sales department bumps into this type of prospective company, the conversation is quite simple and very comfortable for most partners. You know the prospective customer company is looking for software and they know they are looking and so the dance begins… By the way, the majority of partners first bump into a prospective company in this second phase.

Phase 1 = Aware of the Problem, Not the Solution

If your marketing team is doing a good job, they are consistently bumping into companies who are in this first phase. Companies who are in early on in Phase One of this life cycle likely do NOT yet realize that they need to replace their existing business application, and this is where the disconnect occurs.

Early in this first buying phase, a company realizes that something is not working and they have some form of business pain. However, they do not necessarily know that to solve their issue often requires replacing their existing business application. This is the source of the problem.

Phase 1 = Marketing, Phase 2 = Sales

If your marketing team is projecting pain-based messaging, they are attracting companies early in this first phase. The company likely bumped into your pain-based messaging and they are interested. BUT, they are interested in solving the business problem / removing the pain, BUT they are NOT necessarily interested in buying new software; this is a huge difference. (BTW, these companies are the “very best” type of potential customers to uncover, but more on that later).

If you want to make a very short sales call with an abrupt ending simply call the prospect and ask if they have a software selection project in progress or just vomit on them about how big / important you are as a software reseller.

If you would prefer an engaging conversation, and hope to stand any chance of progressing this potential deal, you should start the phone call with tell me more about <insert business problem here>…

When your sales team first contacts this type of prospective customer your message needs to be one of I can help you solve your problem. I can get rid of the pain you have. The approach should be focused on what is causing the pain, the impact the pain is having on the business, the cost of having and dealing with this pain, etc.

Building Your Case

By the way, is this starting to sound like we are building a business case as to why the company should consider replacing their existing business application? Absolutely!

Over a relatively short period of time the prospect will begin to realize that their system is the source of the problem and you can present to resolution to the problem, which often they will have to replace an old system. If you have done this well… When they say they can’t afford a new system, you respond with here is the cost of doing nothing about it…. And now a whole different dance begins…

Next time we can talk a bit about why I say prospective companies in the early parts of this first phase make the very best prospects. If you just can’t wait to find out, let me know – bruce@salesworks.com.

Consider the Life Cycle for a Business Application (CRM or ERP) at a typical mid-sized company.

Are Traditional Marketing Tactics Extinct?

In this digital day and age, many companies have done away with many methods of traditional marketing, including direct mail. Many felt the traditional market was too saturated, others wanted to hop on the web-based bandwagon and some even threw their hands in the air and stopped marketing all together.

With the average number of corporate emails projected to be 228 sent and received by a worker a day in 2011¹, are your online marketing tactics as effective as they used to be?

The Saturated Digital Market

Talks about saturation, before the days of mainstream corporate email, were you sending and receiving over 200 letters or other correspondence a day? The barrier to entry in the online marketplace is nonexistent these days. It has become difficult for your suspects/prospects to differentiate an email from a reputable company versus an email from a spam engine. It’s time to differentiate your business.

Romance vs. Cheesy Pick-Up Lines

Marketing is somewhat of the courtship, a romance, to your prospective buyers. You wouldn’t pitch one pick-up line (“Do you have a Band-Aid? Because I skinned my knee falling for you.”), and expect to propose marriage directly after. So why do you think one email or one Google ad is going to seal the deal with your prospects?

They need to be romanced – flowers, chocolates, love letters, phone calls and dates – the whole bit. They need to know you are serious about starting this long-term relationship with them, that you are invested. Sound familiar?

Here is where traditional marketing comes back into play.

You need a mix of tactics to show your prospects that you are the right business/solution provider to take care of their needs. This means don’t just stop at the email campaigns or paying to show up as the right choice in the search engines. Show them you understand them, you want to help them and that they need you.

Expand Your Bag of Tricks

Don’t be a one-trick pony. Use all the weapons in your marketing arsenal to get their attention:

1. Website – The first-impression. These days this is the first thing a prospect sees; don’t make it be their last. Represent yourself well with a clean design, optimized and relevant material, while giving them a reason to keep coming back (e.g. weekly blog, valuable white paper offers, event registration).
2. Emails – The love letters. Nurture; send them valuable, unique information that your competitors aren’t offering.
3. Pay-Per-Click Campaigns – The referral from a friend. Let them know you are the right choice, showing up when they don’t even know they are looking for you.
4. Direct Mail – The flowers and chocolates. Remind them what you do and why you care; high-impact mailers delivered via courier get you the most attention and differentiate your offering from the competition.
5. Phone Calls – The late-night calls. Following up on emails and direct-mail pieces is a must. Don’t let too much time go by without them hearing from you – include a date invite in the conversation (webinar, briefing or demo).
6. Webinars/Executive Briefings/Product Demos – The dates. Exclusive webinars, executive briefings or scheduled product demos is where the rubber meets the road; you are arranging an event you know would interest the prospect to build your relationship (e.g. Inventory Management Webinars for Manufacturers and Distributors, Utilization Tracking and Management for Professional Service Firms).

Just remember, you’d never expected a marriage proposal after your first encounter, so don’t expect a good response from your prospects either.

Have you had success with romancing your prospects? I’d love to hear your story – erica@salesworks.com.

Until next time, don’t forget about the “flowers and chocolates” – your prospects will appreciate them just as much as your dates do.

_{¹ Email’s Friendly Fire. The Wall Street Journal [Internet]. 2007 November 27. Available from: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119612732031704719.html}