CreatingSkies

What Your E-mail Address Says About Your Business

CreatingSkies — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:22:31 +0000

In the business world of today, you can’t last a day without sending out or receiving an e-mail. Be it a message from a supplier, an inquiry from a potential client, or just spam—e-mails have completely and utterly lodged itself into how we do our work.

Given this universality of e-mails, we sometimes forget that something as ubiquitous as your e-mail address says a lot about you and your company. Very much like how people used to perceive differences between restaurants that used generic plastic spoons and forks and those which had monogrammed silverware, e-mail addresses are now being put under the same microscope.

It might seem harsh and snobbish, but a lot of people judge you right away after seeing what comes after the “@” in your company’s e-mail. Although discrimination based on pre-conceived stereotypes is not necessarily something to be encouraged since there are always many exceptions to each rule, knowing about them couldn’t hurt.

So how does your e-mail address rate, and what do they say about your business?

@aol.com

You’ve been in the industry since before the new millennium. And you haven’t tried to keep up since. Although not common for businesses outside the United States, e-mail addresses like these (with your service provider’s name as the domain), give pretty much the same impression: old, backwards, and small-time. It might be an okay e-mail address for that 80-year-old Hardware Store owner who convinced his grandson to help him with this “internet”-doohickey, but that’s about it.
@hotmail.com

Almost the same exact image as the one before. In places like the Philippines, having a hotmail account was a bit of a counter-culture choice in the early years of the internet age. But outside of the country, it’s the biggest e-mail service provider, and is about as generic and unprofessional as serving canned sardines at your restaurant—still edible, but sort of fishy.
@yahoo.com

One of the most-preferred e-mail addresses, especially since most users get it to compliment the Yahoo! Messenger that’s still dominating online instant messaging today. However, the widespread nature and the ease in registration has become a double-edged sword with this particular address: you seem less credible and genuine since anyone can make a new account, and it’s harder to get an original user name (spawning horrors such as telecom4u2009_store@yahoo.com), detracting even more from your credibility. Even the much-touted localized domains, such as @yahoo.com.ph, simply emphasize the fact that you’re a newcomer to the internet and that you had to settle.
@gmail.com

The BMW to Yahoo’s Hyundai, after its launch this e-mail address has become the de facto choice for those who haven’t bought their own domain, but don’t want to appear amateurish. Given its original exclusivity (early versions were invitation-only), gmail has remained branded with a tech-savvy, elite vibe that still persists to this day—despite the fact that it’s as easy to register an account as any other wide service provider. Featuring a cleaner interface with less visible bloatware (but it’s still there—like love handles hidden beneath a corset, the ads, features and promotions are simply waiting for the ideal time to pounce and strike unwieldy terror on the unsuspecting) than its main competitor, as well as the recent comprehensive integration with social media giants like Facebook and Twitter, having an e-mail address with a gmail.com attached at the end has become pretty much the universal ID for the modern internet citizen. Whether or not you want to be known as one of the herd—the technocrati herd, but herd nonetheless—is up to you.
@mybusinessname.com

Having your own domain pretty much tells everyone you’re on top of the game. Knowing how having your own domain precludes the fact that you shell out some cash regularly just to have the right sends out the message you want: we’re professional, we pay for our stuff, and we don’t settle for anything less than the best. It’s the difference between a salesman who hands you his number on slip of paper, and one who gives you a shiny embossed business card. It’s all about class. Snobbish? Maybe. Worth it? Definitely.

With everything being said, choosing the right e-mail address to go for, as well as deciding whether or not paying for your own domain name is still up to you. Not everyone makes a snap decision on a company’s or a person’s level of professionalism and corporate-clout based on their e-mail address, but it never hurts to have that extra edge.

Either way, knowing these notions won’t hurt. In fact, it’ll help you figure out whether your messages are ending up in somebody’s inbox, spam folder, or trash bin.

Oraderm Care Clinic

CreatingSkies — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:20:48 +0000

The Client

Oraderm Care Clinic is an innovative healthcare provider which specializes in bringing personalized, holistic, and quality service to their patients. Featuring premium dental and dermatological treatment plans, Oraderm Care Clinic also stays true to its commitment of being eco-friendly with all the modern comforts and amenities.

The Goals

Design and develop a website for the clinic
Stay true to the aesthetic of the logo, as well as the concepts of clean, simple, modern, and green
Create a website that details information on Oraderm Care Clinic, its services, its promos and packages, as well as their medical team and support staff
Include a section for easy addition of patient’s testimonials
Develop a way for visitors to set up specific appointment schedules, as well as inform them about possible payment options

The Solution

Designing and developing a modern and understated website, CreatingSkies was able to successfully create a look and feel which reflects Oraderm Care Clinic’s values: simple, clean, and modern. Elegant and minimalistic in lay-out, however still featuring a robust information architecture to support the large number of sections and information-laden pages, the website is a study of synergy. Even the color choices: pastel and neon—stay true to this concept of holism. Further, an intuitive yet complete appointment scheduling section was included to more easily convert visitors to clients.

The Results

Supplementing the pre-existing Facebook page, the new Oraderm Care Clinic website accomplishes its goals with grace. Boasting a wealth of information about the clinic, its medical professionals, and their dermatological and dental services, as well as featuring testimonials from satisfied clients and a section enumerating their promos and packages, the website delivers as an information platform. Branding is emphasized with the commitment to the aesthetic designs as well as the thematic values of the clinic as a whole. Having a complete contact form that not only allows inquiries but also serves as an appointment scheduler completes the website as marketing and conversion venue.

When is it Time for a Website Redesign?

CreatingSkies — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:23:11 +0000

In our previous article, we discussed about the why’s and wherefore’s of needing a Website Redesign. We touched upon the fact that in today’s milieu of global and online commerce, websites have become the new face of the companies they represent. Gone are the days where they were nothing more than static posters with contact information, but rather are now interactive communities that generate interest and revenue just as much if more so than traditional marketing media.

So now we know why we need to redesign a website, and what things to consider, the next key question is when. What signs and symptoms would let a website owner that it’s the best time to take the plunge? There are no clear-cut laws to follow, of course. But there are some common-sense rules-of-thumb.

Has your company gone through an image-change or rebranding?

If your company has gotten a revamp recently, then your website needs to reflect the changes, too! Remember, the website serves as the face of the company, as well as the storefront in the online marketplace. There’s nothing more confusing or obvious than a website that looks extremely different from a company’s traditional media advertisements and promotions.
Is your website more than two and a half years old?

Given that your website is the first point of contact for your company, then it makes sense that it should always have the newest and most advanced features and designs. Older websites don’t have the usability that visitors might have grown used to with other sites. The internet provides an near-infinite amount of choice and near-instant gratification for visitors—it’s very easy for a potential customer to see you outdated website and quickly leave to go to your competitor’s shinier, more updated one.
Has your incoming traffic reached an apex and stayed there?

If your traffic has remained the same over-all every month, then you might have reached a plateau and started stagnating. Adding new content stimulates interests not in just human visitors, but search engines, as well. And you can never go wrong with a website that has a better SERP (search engine results page) ranking.
Take a look at your competitors—have they had a facelift recently?

Like in any business, your competitors define a great deal of the things you do, either by providing you with ideas, or by requiring you to react to their moves. If a company takes so much care with their competitors’ advertisements, product line-ups and the like, then the web should be no different. The ease with which a visitor can choose your competitors’ site over you should in fact convince you that keeping up with the pack on the net is a big deal.
Are you using an 800-pixel-width lay-out?

Older websites used an industry-standard of 800 pixel as the maximum width since most monitor screens could only go so far. That was a long time ago. These days, 1024 pixels is the minimum, more often 1280 pixels. Widescreen monitors with resolutions of 1680 pixels and higher are very quickly overtaking the traditional 4:3 ratio screens. High-resolution is becoming pretty much universal, and having a website with an 800 pixel width wastes prime real-estate and is an instant warning sign that the website is over the hill.
Do you have an easy way to add and update new content?

With the emphasis on adding and updating new content, an easy system for maintenance is a must-have for your website. Interactivity is now required, and if your static website feels more like an online poster rather than a thriving community, then you might need to reevaluate a few things.
Is your website plagued by clunky and non-intuitive navigation?

In the olden times of 5 or 6 years ago, we were just happy to have something online. Nowadays, the denizens of the web are a bit more discerning, and want websites that feature ease-of-use in navigation. The practices and concepts, as well as the implementations, have changed drastically in the past few years, and you’d do well to make sure you with the times.
Does Google ignore your website during searches using basic keywords?

A newly redesigned website can be developed with SEO (search engine optimization) in mind—a requirement these days. There are numerous techniques to make your website more appealing to search engines like Google, and a lot of them are built-in. Of course, having new content goes a long way, too!
Do typos, mistakes and old information riddle your website’s content? Do you have broken or misdirected links?

Old websites, being static—were quite hard to edit if an error or a bit of wrong info slipped through the cracks. New websites however are easier to revise and polish—and this level of perfection has become the bread and butter of the online world. Having these mistakes in your website is a big turn-off to the perfection-acclimated web.
Was your website designed with page and file-size optimization in mind?

When the internet first became accessible, feasible and available as a means for marketing, people were a lot more patient and understanding because of the inherent limits of the technologies involved, allowing old website some measure of negligence in this area. Modern designers, however, are more mindful of web-optimization, since we no longer measure load-time in minutes, but in seconds.
Does your website have code-errors that affect cross-browser compatibility?

Website designers used to have to worry about only two things—Internet Explorer, and Netscape Navigator/Communicator. Now, there are a variety of different browsers to fit everyone’s tastes, and a myriad of functions, plug-ins, and doodads to take into account. Cross-browser compatibility is now no longer just an annoyance that can be disclaimer-ed away by a “best viewed with Internet Explorer 6.0”, but a big design consideration.

With these things in mind, you should be able to tell if your website is in need of an overhaul. If you feel that a website redesign is in the stars, then your answers to the above should also give you some starting points, and end-goals for your design and development process.

Staying on top and being on the cutting edge are one and the same in the worldwide marketplace known as the internet. Website design and development has gone through some major changes in the past few years—and the innovations keep on coming. We’re now in the internet age, where your website is more important than the façade of your office building, as far as attracting and retaining customers goes. If you feel like your website is in need of some changes, then it might be time for some innovative renovation.

To read more on Website Redesign and why your company’s website needs the change, see our previous article!

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Do You Need a Website Redesign?

CreatingSkies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:35:54 +0000

How do you know when it’s time to redesign your web site? If you’re a website owner, it’s a common occurrence to be approached by web-design companies seeking to offer you their services. However, how can you tell a sincere appraisal from a sales-pitch? If your website still receives a consistent flow of targeted traffic, earns you revenue, and gives you a few leads now and then, is a redesign unnecessary? Maybe. However, even if your website is still functioning the question might be how well it’s doing its job, and if there’s still room for improvement. With the increasingly web-centered status quo, the website is no longer just a nifty gimmick—it’s your storefront—and no self-respecting grocer places stale and spoiled produce for display. Making the big decision for a website redesign however might be a bit daunting, so knowing why it’s necessary might make the choice easier to make.

The Need

Statistics prove that viewers are more likely to navigate away from a website that looks either old or not regularly updated with content. The reverse of course is demonstrated by websites like Twitter or Facebook which are updated multiple times a minute in terms of content, and given a new look and features every month or two. This might be common sense, but unfortunately most website and business owners either don’t believe in it, or are don’t think that the benefits are worth the costs of an overhaul. However, as previously stated, websites are no longer just a repository for contact information, but now serve as the face of your company. In the same way that you’d require your receptionist to wear stylish and unwrinkled clothing, so too should your website be coiffed and polished.

Is it Worth It?

Do the pros justify the cons? Redesigning an existing website is a very involved process, and—like all transitions—come with some growing pains. Proceeding with a website redesign can cause some degree of alienation for loyal visitors. The mentality of “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it” does hold some wisdom, after all.

On the flip-side, having a website that looks current and well maintained drives home the message that you take care of the details and your image. If your current website is working within your expectations, then you have to start thinking that you might have stagnated and reached a plateau. An outdated website does not take advantage of the new emerging technologies, coding techniques and revisions, and the host of new services and features that appear on the web constantly. A website redesign could also prove to be the best opportunity to work out the kinks and glitches that might exist in your current website.

A website redesign is more than just a logo-design or a font-change. Most times, it’s a more arduous operation than starting from scratch. Having the current website as a basis and skeleton may seem like a great thing—but it might also end up as a crutch, limit your imagination, and narrow your vision. A website redesign involves having some goals that you would wish to achieve: it might be a simple as improving usability or updating your color palette and artistic directions since you went through a rebranding. Afterwards, the designers would work on the nitty-gritty: changing the navigation menu setup and sitemap or switching from curves and neon colors to clean-cut lines and pastels.

Making the Decision

When all is said and done, it’s really up to you whether to believe that the potential good that would come from doing a website redesign would outweigh the amount of time, money and effort it would take to do it right. The worst thing you could do is decide to do it just because someone said so or doing it without any clear objectives or goals. A website redesign might in fact cost you loyal visitors and a significant acclimatization period for both you and your customers, without actually improving the usability of the site. Even the most cosmetic of changes should have a good reason behind it, and major revisions such as rearranging the sitemap shouldn’t be done without a clear rationale justifying the change.

In the end, the best piece of advice would be to treat website redesign like any major business decision—evaluate where you are, evaluate where you want to be—then close that gap as best as you can with the tools you have.

Read more about Website Redesign in our next article about the signs and symptoms of an outdated website!
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Jo Rubio

CreatingSkies — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:34:09 +0000

The Client

With an ever-expanding niche market, Jo Rubio is couturier based in the Philippines. Focusing on sophisticated, classic yet avante-garde couture wedding gowns and barongs, both his satisfied clientele and the casual observer can undoubtedly agree on the beauty of his work.

The Goals

Design and develop a couture website to showcase Mr. Rubio’s portfolio of sketches, bridal gown photos and testimonials from clients

Expand on the aesthetic concept found in the original Multiply homepage, adding functionality, customizability, and more room for content

Develop a website with a simple but powerful Content Management System (CMS) in mind, for easy web maintenance and management

Include social media features to build on the power of word-of-mouth marketing

Create a website that further functions as a dynamic and interactive photo gallery and catalog of designs for couture wedding gowns and accessories

The Solution

Using a specifically configured framework to allow simple but powerful web maintenance and management features, CreatingSkies set out to completely design and develop a website for Jo Rubio from scratch. With the original Multiply page as a starting point, beauty, style and sophistication were major considerations during the creative process. Structuring the website to allow easy navigation amidst the numerous photographs, sketches and testimonials as provided by clients, the design was organized to give the user-experience of reading through a portfolio or design catalog. Social Media plugins ensured a consistency that links the newly designed website to its Multiply roots.

The Results

Beauty is the word to describe the new website for Jo Rubio. Whether talking about the streamlined interface, the user-friendly organization of a treasure trove of photographs, or the simplicity of the CMS backbone, the website is a shining example of how the internet can be used as marketing and community-building venue. Featuring modern yet subtle functionality, social media compatibility, and robust site organization, jorubio.com is, indubitably, a success of web design and development.

Dr. Margarita Holmes

CreatingSkies — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:37:06 +0000

The Client

Dr. Margarita Holmes is a well-known celebrity Filipino psychologist. An educator, TV-personality, and best-selling author, she embodies the quintessential modern woman.

The Goals

Update, develop and expand Dr. Margie Holmes’ online presence

Streamline the forums and website to focus on Dr. Holmes’ professional side

Emphasize the calls to action – to purchase books, to schedule personal consultations or engage Dr. Holmes for a lecture

Establish and cultivate an eCommerce website section for Dr. Holmes’ books

Create a venue for interaction and intellectual discussion via an established Social Media persona

The Solution

A comprehensive plan was drawn and CreatingSkies proceeded to tackle Dr. Margarita Holmes project on three fronts: establish a feasible eStore, redesign and search engine optimization of the margaritaholmes.com website into a professional portfolio with calls to action, and expansion of Dr. Holmes’ Social Media presence. Her social media presence was established through the well-maintained and integrated Facebook and Twitter account. Awareness, increased website traffic and recognition were the fruits of the restructuring and subsequent management of Dr. Holmes’ online presence.

The Results

With a current count of 1,525 likes and 1,448 followers on Facebook and Twitter respectively*, Dr. Holmes’ online presence is now established and recognized in her fields and beyond. Both social media venues benefited greatly from integration, monitoring, and management. A consistent flow of lectures and consultations, as well as multiple completed book sales through the eCommerce section give credence to the assertion that the above objectives have been achieved, and very much like the good Doctor herself, her online presence shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

* as of September 21, 2011

Resorts World Manila Chinese Website

CreatingSkies — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:27:28 +0000

The Client

Resorts World Manila is the premier tourist and entertainment destination located in Newport City, Pasay. Having reaped the benefits of a successful rebranding and redesign of their website by CreatingSkies, they now seek to capture a larger market with localized version of their current website.

The Goals

Translate all current content – both texts and images to Traditional Chinese

Modify the current Content Management System and Framework to allow encoding in Chinese characters

Develop and maintain the Chinese website to reflect the English website as much as possible

Create a feasible system for language-switching between the two websites, whilst allowing the possibility of future language additions

The Solution

Revising the current Content Management System and framework to operate flawlessly with Chinese characters, CreatingSkies created and developed a mirror of the English website. A team of highly-qualified Chinese translators and proofreaders painstakingly honed their craft on all content found on the site, as well as setting a regular Chinese translation and encoding phase after the initial build guaranteed that the Chinese website would remain updated and reflect all recent changes to the English site. A language-switch system was then added to allow seamless shifting between the two.

The Results

Online and live, the Resorts World Manila Chinese website is now fully operational and updated, capturing the previously-untapped market of Chinese tourists and browsers. With its near-total content translation and seamless front and back-ends, adding future localized website is not a far-off dream.

NPK Medical Trading, Inc.

CreatingSkies — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:58:23 +0000

The Client

Based in Quezon City, Philippines, NPK Medical Trading, Inc. is one of the largest distributors of medical equipment in the country. With a diverse catalog of healthcare apparatuses, the company is a major player in the local medical equipment industry.

The Goals

Reconceptualize the design and information architecture of the old website by focusing on the ideas of professional and corporate

Display a diverse catalog of all available and offered medical equipment, complete with the most recent product images and descriptions

Streamline the website and allow avenues for easy correspondence via the website for potential consumers

Redesign the medical website to provide it with a more modern and dynamic look and feel

The Solution

Using NPK Medical Trading’s visions of an ideal look as well the old website as basis, CreatingSkies redesigned a website that incorporates simplicity and user-friendliness, as well as modern features and effects to give a more polished feel. The information architecture was also retooled to reflect a more intuitive structure, as well as providing viewers many avenues from which to contact the NPK Medical Trading for their products.

The Results

With a completely redesigned website that sports modern features and effects while retaining the simplicity and grass-roots strengths of the original, NPK Medical Trading, Inc. has now taken the steps needed to expand and grow as a market leader. Professional, corporate, yet with user-friendliness in mind, the new medical website reflects a readiness to enter the online playing field and perform on par with the best the industry has the offer.

Resorts World Manila

CreatingSkies — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 07:22:15 +0000

The Client

Resorts World Manila is a luxurious integrated tourist destination in the heart of Newport City in Pasay, Philippines. The Philippines’ answer to Resorts World Sentosa, Resorts World Manila aims to be a premier hotspot situated in the heart of the Metropolis.

The Goals

Completely redesign and rebrand the website to attract the modern and cosmopolitan market

Develop and implement an entirely new information architecture that capitalizes the diversity and range of the attractions offered by Resorts World Manila

Support the website with a robust, intuitive and effective Content Management System for easy web maintenance and management

Redesign the website for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Maintain the redesigned website with a comprehensive Web Consultancy and Management service.

The Solution

An overhaul of major proportions, the new website was planned and crafted with the brand in mind: cosmopolitan, exclusive, trendy high-end and diverse. The new structure of the website emphasized the myriad of offered attractions and services, while also adding a user-friendly flow while browsing. The CMS allows easy updating of the content of the site, as well as management and maintenance. Further considerations for the website redesign was to make it as search engine-friendly as possible, as well as allow Per-Per-Click campaigns relevant landing pages.

The Results

With its sleek new look that exudes sophistication; the Resorts World Manila website enjoys a steady and consistent flow of traffic. Bolstered by superior design that maintains excellent SEO rankings as well as a comprehensive Pay-Per-Click campaign, this luxurious destination finally has a website that measures up.

Words To Live By: Social Media Rules for Companies

CreatingSkies — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 06:30:53 +0000

In many organizations, rules and regulations aren’t often uttered in the same breath as social media. But for some companies, professional engagement in social networks is a must. It’s a great idea to set clear guidelines for employees to follow whenever they blog, post updates, and interact with other people on different social media channels.

A few days ago, the CreatingSkies team took some time out to sit down and discuss what sort of practices could help a business use social media to the best effect. Here are a few principles we came up with:

Be professional. Be personable but not exceedingly personal. Represent the company in a way that reflects positively on the organization. Exercise due care in talking about clients and partners.

Respect others’ opinions. The internet community is composed of individuals with a wide spectrum of opinions. Be courteous and open-minded, and you’ll be accorded the same respect.

Add value to the social sphere. Share relevant interests and perspectives on your area of expertise. If you’re passionate about exciting new technologies and emerging ways to communicate, pitch in when you learn something interesting in the field.

Participate, don’t broadcast. Don’t tag all your friends in a Facebook post or photo, and if you #FollowFriday, make your recommendations worthwhile. Meaningful conversations trump announcements any day. Make your online community a place where other people will be keen to dip into the discussion.

Build relationships. Get to know your colleagues, strike up a bit of banter now and then about your common pursuits. Invite friends and professional contacts to drop in and chat on Facebook, or exchange tweets on Twitter.

Be positive. If your company advocates a work environment where people can give and receive support, inspiration, and encouragement – this should extend to social media as well.

Balance transparency with privacy. Use your real name to identify yourself as part of your company. However, be astute and protect your private details as well – know what to disclose and what to keep off the search engines. Remember, the internet has a long memory.

Be a critical thinker. Confirm facts and verify sources before posting anything. Check if anything is in conflict with internal legal guidelines.

Some organizations have further guidelines that govern crisis situations, public relations, and work policies. Here are a few that are applicable to all kinds of companies:

Refrain from participating in discussions during what may be considered a crisis situation, and defer on commenting on legal matters. Refer any crisis social media activity to the company’s public relations director. When in doubt, ask. Use disclaimers appropriately.

Disagree agreeably. When the situation threatens to be explosive, don’t abruptly abandon the discussion. Feel free to ask advice from the PR director first, then clarify your position and extricate yourself politely.

Respect copyright laws. Cite, link back, and ask permission when needed.

When talking about a competitor, be tactful, fair, and truthful.

Don’t let social media get in the way of excelling at work. IBM keeps it short and simple: “Don’t forget your day job.”

Does your organization go by any unique social media practices? Share your thoughts in the comments below.