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	<title>BrightCite &#187; Design</title>
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	<link>http://www.brightcite.com</link>
	<description>Make your business SHINE online...</description>
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		<title>Social Networking Continues It&#8217;s Rapid Growth</title>
		<link>http://www.brightcite.com/social-networking-continues-its-rapid-growth/</link>
		<comments>http://www.brightcite.com/social-networking-continues-its-rapid-growth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:47:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.brightcite.com/?p=96</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What does social networking mean for your company?  It changes how people can and will talk about your brand.  It changes how you can and hopefully will create community and value around your brand.
Is this important?  Review the report below and decide for yourself&#8230;

 &#124; View &#124; Upload your own


Post from: BrightCite
<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What does social networking mean for your company?  It changes how people can and will talk about your brand.  It changes how you can and hopefully will create community and value around your brand.</p>
<p>Is this important?  Review the report below and decide for yourself&#8230;</p>
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<div style="font-size:11px;font-family:tahoma,arial;height:26px;padding-top:2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img style="border:0px none;margin-bottom:-5px" src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" alt="SlideShare" /></a> | <a title="View this slideshow on SlideShare" href="http://www.slideshare.net/techcrunch/internet-trends031808meeker">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload">Upload your own</a></div>
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<p><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bT*xJmx*PTEyMDk*MTUwNjA4ODgmcHQ9MTIwOTQxNTA3MDM1NyZwPTEwMTkxJmQ9Jm49Jmc9Mg==.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="0" height="0" /></p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Inspiration:  Form &amp; Function</title>
		<link>http://www.brightcite.com/inspiration-form-function/</link>
		<comments>http://www.brightcite.com/inspiration-form-function/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:59:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.brightcite.com/inspiration-form-function/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At BrightCite, we&#8217;re always on the lookout for products and services that exemplify our guiding principles.&#160; Here is one such example:&#160; MILK.&#160; 
It&#8217;s an elegant, solution rich work desk .&#160; It features customizable boxes that hold everything from fish tanks to your garbage can in discrete, space saving and productive ways.&#160; It&#8217;s a great example [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>At BrightCite, we&#8217;re always on the lookout for products and services that exemplify our <a href="http://www.brightcite.com/page-drafts/brightcite-guiding-principle/">guiding principles</a>.&nbsp; Here is one such example:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.milk.dk/">MILK</a>.&nbsp; </p>
<p>It&#8217;s an elegant, solution rich work desk .&nbsp; It features customizable boxes that hold everything from fish tanks to your garbage can in discrete, space saving and productive ways.&nbsp; It&#8217;s a great example of design simplicity without sacrificing function or usability.&nbsp; Just like a great website.</p>
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.milk.dk/" target="_blank"><img width="300" height="200" align="middle" src="http://www.brightcite.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/Milk_full_macsetup.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<div align="left"><img width="300" height="450" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.brightcite.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/Milk_trashcan.jpg" /><img width="300" height="200" alt="" src="http://www.brightcite.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/Milk_aquarium.jpg" /></div>
<p></p>
<div align="left">How does your business apply elegant design to its products and services?</div>
</div>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Small Business Marketing: Great Ideas Become Better With The Web</title>
		<link>http://www.brightcite.com/small-buiness-marketing-great-ideas-become-better-with-the-web/</link>
		<comments>http://www.brightcite.com/small-buiness-marketing-great-ideas-become-better-with-the-web/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:20:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.brightcite.com/small-buiness-marketing-great-ideas-become-better-with-the-web/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Here&#8217;s an innovative marketing idea a personal fitness trainer uses to get noticed.&#160; 
His business card is actually a piece of fitness equipment.&#160; 
Not only does the texture of the card incite you to pull it apart to read it &#8211; when you do, you get a taste of the actual experience behind using the [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2><img width="400" hspace="5" height="558" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.brightcite.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/PTBuscard.jpg" /></h2>
<p>Here&#8217;s an innovative marketing idea a personal fitness trainer uses to get noticed.&nbsp; </p>
<p>His business card is actually a piece of fitness equipment.&nbsp; </p>
<p>Not only does the texture of the card incite you to pull it apart to read it &#8211; when you do, you get a taste of the actual experience behind using the fitness trainer&#8217;s services.&nbsp; Brilliant!</p>
<div align="center">
<h2><font color="#000080">My only gripe:&nbsp; <br />
WHERE IS THE WEBSITE?</font></h2>
<p></p>
<div align="left"><font color="#000080">I<strong>nnovation Wasted</strong></font><br />
To have this great business card not display a website address is an unfortunate waste of the innovation behind the card.&nbsp; </p>
<p>A website&nbsp; could transition the reader&#8217;s attention from the novelty of the card to the action of becoming a client quickly.&nbsp; </p>
<p><font color="#000080"><strong>Interest Diminished</strong></font><br />
Instead, the reader of the card is forced to use the phone. &nbsp; </p>
<p>This more than likely leads&nbsp; to a &quot;We&#8217;ll get back to you message&quot; that diminishes the reader&#8217;s motivation for the services.</p>
<p><font color="#000080"><strong>Untapped Potential</strong></font><br />
What if the reader of the card is directed to a strong website with solid copy and design? </p>
<p>Chances are it will turn the spark of interest the card stimulated into a flame of purchase motivation.</p></div>
<div align="left">&nbsp;<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<div align="center"><strong><font color="#000080">Moral:</font>&nbsp;</strong> If you want your marketing to produce more sales, connect ALL of it to your website&#8230;</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Is Your Website The Same Yet Different?  Hot or Not?</title>
		<link>http://www.brightcite.com/is-your-website-the-same-yet-different/</link>
		<comments>http://www.brightcite.com/is-your-website-the-same-yet-different/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:08:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.brightcite.com/is-your-website-the-same-yet-different/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The picture below represents a visitor to your website.&#160; She&#8217;s your potential customer.&#160; She is the same person, yet a different age in each picture.&#160; How does her age shape how she perceives your company?&#160; At one age she may be your customer.&#160; At another she may purchase your products or services for her children.&#160; [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The picture below represents a visitor to your website.&nbsp; She&#8217;s your potential customer.&nbsp; She is the same person, yet a different age in each picture.&nbsp; How does her age shape how she perceives your company?&nbsp; At one age she may be your customer.&nbsp; At another she may purchase your products or services for her children.&nbsp; What is her lifetime value to your company?&nbsp; How many people will she refer to you?&nbsp; How can you keep her loyal to your business for life?&nbsp; I suggest the place to start is making your company the same yet different for her.</p>
<div align="center">
<div align="left">
<div align="center"><img height="500" alt="" width="458" align="middle" src="http://www.brightcite.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/AgeQuadrant.jpg" />&nbsp; </div>
<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><strong><font size="5">Does this woman think your website is Hot or Not?</font></strong></p>
<p align="left">&nbsp;</p>
<hr width="100%" size="2" />
<p align="left"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">How To Become the Same Yet Different</span><br />
<strong>1.</strong> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Define your brand promise</span>.&nbsp; What is the essence of your brand?&nbsp; How do you define its value in words?&nbsp; Walmart is Low Price, Always.&nbsp; Disney is Happiest Place On Earth.&nbsp; What&#8217;s yours?&nbsp; This is what will always remain the same.
</p>
<p align="left"><strong>2. </strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Create customer segments around consumption similarities.&nbsp;</span> How do customers consume your brand?&nbsp; Create different segments using their needs, frustrations and preferences as a guide.&nbsp; For instance you can group segments by: 
</p>
<div align="left">- <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Buying type</span> &#8211; Active (buy for themselves) Passive (buy for others)<br />
- <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Age group</span> (What ranges?)<br />
- <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Demographics</span> (Define the dividing lines)</p>
<p><strong>3.</strong> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Define the Needs, Frustrations and Preferences of each segment.</span>&nbsp; How does your product, service and company need to be positioned to accommodate the main customer differences that represent each segment?&nbsp; This is how your company becomes different for the customer.</p>
<p>A health club can provide the <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">SAME </span>cleanliness, high quality instruction and convenient hours of operation for members <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">YET DIFFERENT</span> results, programs and music for membership segments.</p>
<p>A museum can offer the <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">SAME</span> diversity of exhibits, effective layout and design, <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">YET DIFFERENT </span>audio tours, tour guide presentation approaches and length of tours based on their visitor segments.</p>
<p>A Plantscaper can provide the <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">SAME</span> streamlined service, invoicing and money back guarantee for their maintenance services <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">YET DIFFERENT</span> methods of client service interaction using, e-mail, phone, fax, in-person based on their customer segments.</p>
<p>What would happen if you applied these same yet different insights to the design and content of your website?
</div>
<div align="left">
<hr width="100%" size="2" />
<p><em><font size="2">Distance your business from competitors.&nbsp; Increase qualified leads and make more profit per customer by creating a web presence designed to be the same, yet different for visitors.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.brightcite.com/contact/">Contact BrightCite&trade; to learn how.</a></font></em></p>
</div>
<div align="center"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Show Me The Money (Page Views)</title>
		<link>http://www.brightcite.com/show-me-the-money-page-views/</link>
		<comments>http://www.brightcite.com/show-me-the-money-page-views/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:01:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.brightcite.com/show-me-the-money-page-views/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By: Curt Conrad
President, BrightCite Inc.
Great websites have a purpose.&#160; In business that purpose should be tied to measurable results.&#160;&#160; Many small businesses don&#8217;t measure the results of their website.&#160; Those that do typically quantify results by transactions made on the site.
While transactions are an important metric they often fall short of providing overall website performance [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><font size="1">By: Curt Conrad<br />
President, BrightCite Inc.</font></p>
<p><img width="350" vspace="5" hspace="5" height="189" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.brightcite.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/money.jpg" />Great websites have a purpose.&nbsp; In business that purpose should be tied to measurable results.&nbsp;&nbsp; Many small businesses don&#8217;t measure the results of their website.&nbsp; Those that do typically quantify results by transactions made on the site.</p>
<p>While transactions are an important metric they often fall short of providing overall website performance results.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Online transactions do not represent how your website influences business done with your company through other channels.</p>
<p><strong>Do You Measure Money Page Views?</strong><br />
At BrightCite, we feel a key measure of overall website performance is the viewing of &quot;Money Pages&quot;.&nbsp; &quot;Money Pages&quot; are those that require a specific action from the visitor.&nbsp; It may be &#8211; buying, registering, contacting, referring, submitting or any other relevant transactional verb.<br />
<strong><br />
It Doesn&#8217;t Matter If They Convert</strong><br />
A high number of &quot;money page views&quot; indicates your website is functioning in a healthy way even if the money page is abandoned before a transaction is made.&nbsp; It shows interest in your offering as evidenced by a visitors willingness to follow an information trail (click stream) to the end.&nbsp; Analyzing this trail provides plenty of insight on what&#8217;s working on your site and what&#8217;s not.</p>
<p>If your money page views are strong but are not converting that&#8217;s easy to fix.&nbsp; Test adjusting the offer, reducing the number of registration fields, etc.&nbsp; Getting people to the money page is the much more difficult task.</p>
<p><strong>The Hidden Value Of Money Page Views</strong><br />
Another reason money page views are a strong indicator of your website&#8217;s performance is they can usually be traced to a visitor doing business with your company offline.&nbsp; Many people use the web as a research and information tool.&nbsp; They want to learn, compare and get comfortable with your offering.&nbsp; Once done they prefer to transact with you on the phone or in person.&nbsp; However, your website was still a key part of their sales cycle.&nbsp; Money page views show you that prospects are consuming your information.</p>
<p>An example can be seen with a recent client we redesigned.&nbsp; They are making an online offer for a free week membership.&nbsp; One of their money pages was a five field registration form&nbsp; They were disappointed the registration form was not producing the results they expected.&nbsp; I explained that the form was only one results indicator of the online offer.</p>
<p>At that point the client said their walk-in traffic was picking up.&nbsp; A quick look at their analytics showed their money page as the number two most visited page on the site.&nbsp; I asked the client to ask every walk-in if they had been on the website.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Answer Was Not Surprising.</span><br />
90% of the walk-ins had visited the site and commented positively on it.&nbsp; They used the site to gather information but preferred to get their free membership in person at the club.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Time and Money Never Lie</span><br />
One way you can be sure about a consumers behavior is when they pay you.&nbsp; They have essentially voted with their dollars. Their vote was for doing business with you.&nbsp; </p>
<p>The second way consumers vote is with the clock.&nbsp; If someone spends time on your site it shows a commensurate level of interest &#8211; they are voting with their time.&nbsp; Money page views let you measure those votes .</p>
<p>So focus on guiding your website visitors to your money pages.&nbsp; Remember, when it comes to &quot;money page views&quot; &#8211; time means money for you.</p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.brightcite.com">BrightCite</a></p>
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