cultureblog

Years ago when I was a high school wrestler my coach Jeff Perkins used to recite this poem. It has stuck with me ever since and I keep a copy in my wallet at all times. It is something to truly live by in all aspects of life personally and professionally.

THE GUY IN THE GLASS

by Peter “Dale” Wimbrow, Sr.

When you get all you want and you struggle for pelf,

and the world makes you king for a day,

then go to the mirror and look at yourself

and see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your mother, your father or wife

whose judgment upon you must pass,

but the man, whose verdict counts most in your life

is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please,

never mind all the rest.

For he’s with you right to the end,

and you’ve passed your most difficult test

if the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,

And think you’re a wonderful guy,

But the guy in the glass says you’re only a bum

If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world,

down the highway of years,

and take pats on the back as you pass.

But your final reward will be heartache and tears

if you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

Imagine this if you will; you have an amazing vision for a new restaurant. You decide on the cuisine, the décor and ambience is nothing short of fabulous, you hire a world famous Chef, you bring in only the finest ingredients, your wine selection is filled with the crème de la crème, yet you don’t have any patrons. What happened you might ask yourself? Then you realize that the location you have chosen to open your restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and in the back of an old strip mall where all the other stores are closed down. You have no visibility. Sure you can pay for advertisements but that will only get you so far. Location, location, location this is perhaps the most important factor to any brick and mortar businesses success. Life isn’t different on the World Wide Web either. So many people have great visions of creating an online business or presence and put in an amazing effort to produce a beautiful web site, only to find that they don’t get any traffic. With the amount of like businesses to be found on the web what are you doing to stand out in the crowd? This is where SEO “Search Engine Optimization” comes in to play. Although SEO is not a new term, you maybe hearing more and more about it everyday when it comes to your online presence. The term, which was first used back in 1997, is one of your greatest weapons when it comes to exposure of your web site. Research will tell you that the majority of “searchers” will skip over the paid for placements and go right to the top of the Organic listings. This is where you want to be. The good news is that you can get there; the bad news is that it will take more effort than simply adding a few choice key words to your code. Durrani Design being a San Diego based business we know how much competition is out there. The quality of your work may be the best around but if people can’t find you then the opportunity to be noticed is drastically reduced. Our suggestion is to take pride in every aspect of your business, don’t be fooled by people claiming they can get you to the top of the listings by just adding 5 key words to your site. This would be like claiming you have the best burger in town all the while using frozen patty’s from your national food distribution chain. When it comes to SEO there should be no backing down, it’s full time job making sure that you not only get to the top of the list but that you stay there as well. Just like anything in life the more you give to something the better results you will get.

What kind of additional value or experience do you provide to your customers? This is a question that everyone in business should be asking themselves on a daily basis.  With the amount of competition out there anything extra that you can possibly do will help you get a leg up. The funny thing is that many people feel that creating a unique experience to their customers on-line is not an important part of their business model. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only is it important to take pride in your on-line business, it’s a necessity. When potential customer’s visit your site do they leave feeling like they wasted their time or do they leave feeling as if they just experienced something fun, entertaining, educational, or unique. When they get these great experiences they are more apt to not only stay on your site and buy but also to return and refer their friends and colleagues onto your business. First impressions are so vital to the interaction with your customers. If you had lights out in your store or chipped paint would you leave it that way or would you take pride in your space and invest in improvements so that your customers enjoyed their overall experience. Walt Disney got his inspiration for Disney Land when he used to visit the carousel on the Santa Monica Pier. He was always fascinated with the way it looked at night. When all the horses would be jumping up and down with all the lights twinkling and the music playing he found the carousel to be magical. When it stopped he noticed that only some of the horses actually moved and that the paint on them was chipped and worn down. From this he developed his vision for Disney Land, that all the horses would jump and there would be no chipped paint.

Lastly in order to create that great experience you can’t stop visually, there has to be great functionality and flow. Just as you wouldn’t crowd your store with racks and shelves that are hard to maneuver around you shouldn’t want your on-line business to overly busy and cumbersome. The flow of it should be easy for the customer. Easy to find information and have questions answered, easy for them to get to specific product pages and most importantly easy for them to check out. So much business is lost abandoning the cart because your visitors find it tedious and difficult to look at and navigate through your site. Think back to anytime you have been in a purchasing situation, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The ones that you that gave you the best experience you usually feel good making the decision to buy. The ones that gave you the bad experience you usually regret making that purchase. The two go hand and hand. When you add something more to the buying experience you not only will add to your revenue stream but the more repeat business you will receive. Remember that the investment you put into your online presence will produce the type of return you receive.

Congratulations to Encinitas Foreign & Domestic Auto Repair! Their website, at www.runcarrun.com, has just been named one of  the Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites by industry leading magazine Auto Inc.

The Auto Inc. “Top 10” contest includes submissions from companies all over North America, and the results were just published in the January edition of the magazine, in an article called “Cream of the Crop.” The start of the article reads, “As usual, we were overwhelmed by the number of entries we received this year for Auto Inc.’s 12^th annual Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites awards,” and goes on to say that the sites were evaluated using the following criteria: First impression, visual design, appearance, navigation, consumer friendliness, technical, objective/ purpose, innovation, credibility, interactivity, and encouraging action.

The EFADAR site was designed with user-ease and interactivity as a top priority. Aesthetically, we created the graphics with EFADAR’s neighborhood, the southern-California beach town of Encinitas, in mind. “Very unique-looking site,” said one of the contest’s judges. “Nice use of color and design to reflect the surrounding community.”

EFADAR co-owner Julie Macaluso said, “Our Web site combines innovative design with user ease, large iconic buttons, easy-to-understand graphics and all vital information at the customer’s fingertips. We had a lot of fun with the redesign and are extremely happy with the results.”

We would agree – this redesign was a particularly fun and rewarding one. The Macalusos found Durrani through the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce, and they came to us seeking a complete overhaul of their online presence. The thing that made their project so fun was that, after discussing their goals and branding, they stepped aside and let us go to work – no interjections or rounds of massive edits. They hired us for our expertise, and they took full advantage of it. Too often, a creative agency becomes a captive of a business-owner’s own personal creative ideas, and the whole reason behind hiring an agency is lost. Design can be seen as subjective, but marketing-driven design is a finely-tuned science, and the EFADAR website is a perfect case study of what can happen when a client trusts the experts.

We are honored to be a part of the EFADAR family and to count them among our clients, and we’re excited that their website has been chosen for this award. Check out the full article online at: www.asashop.org/autoinc/jan2010/topten.htm

Call us cliché, but we think that with the coming of the New Year comes an opportunity to look back on the year that has passed and forward to the year ahead… to realize the things that we have done well and the things we could do better.  On this last day of 2009, each of us at the Durrani office has named one or two of their New Years Resolutions:

I really want to improve the "no reason" surprise gifts and spontaneity so my wife knows how much I love her.  I also want to get in the water and surf way more than I did in ‘09 and just get in better overall shape so I can keep up with my new little girl.” – Matt Harding

My New Years Resolution is about more quality and focus personally and professionally.” – Elise Harding

My new years resolution is quite simple, workout and be active. I did a lot of sports growing up and into high school, but in college for 5 years I didn’t do anything.  Now I want to get back to being active, whether it be sports, karate or working out.” – Tyler Boettcher

Budget, body and burrito detox!” – Michaela McNamara

I’m not shaving my armpits for a whole year.  Just kidding!  I’m not dyeing my hair for a whole year – seriously!” – Brooke Kellestine

In 2010 I will try new things, meet new people, and go new places.” – Carrie Sinclair

Delegate more, work less, and start cycling again.” – Joe McDonald

We’re excited for what the New Year holds… All the best to you in 2010!

Have you ever been to a tradeshow, corporate event, or retail shop and marveled at the creative and innovative designs surrounding you?  We certainly have… and that’s only one of the reasons that we’re thrilled to announce the newest addition to the Durrani client family: DisplayWorks!

DisplayWorks is a premier exhibit house with over 30 years experience, an award-winning portfolio, and client list of high-profile companies spanning a wide range of industries.  They create custom-designed themed environments, including tradeshow exhibits and booths, interior environments for retail and corporate spaces, and event decor.  DisplayWorks operates under the motto Listen. Analyze. Create. which drives their service-oriented approach to each client and each project. 

DisplayWorks came to Durrani to redesign their website, and  we are excited to create the new site to be an online showcase of their extensive portfolio as well as a tool to show potential clients all of the services and experience that they provide.

Durrani Design + DisplayWorks.  We think this will be the beginning of a beautiful partnership.

Our very own Durrani Design website was recently chosen by the website Reencoded.com, which is a resource for web designers and developers, as an example of great background design!  At Durrani, one of the things we’re proud of is our intricate, detailed background images.  And as Reencoded.com notes in their post, “background images are one of the core features in web design that help  make a website design visually interesting.”

We’re excited to be recognized for our design, and to be a part of this collection of great websites.  Check out the article at http://www.reencoded.com/2009/08/23/website-background-images-examples-and-implementation/

Want more business?  Of course you do.  What better time to focus on taking your business to a new level than a new year – and a new decade?  Read on, and make it your resolution to follow these tips in 2010:

1.  Be your own editor.  Read through your site.  Does it contain statements that are outdated?  Is your sales pitch lackluster?  Are your product descriptions descriptive enough?  How about the Copyright date… at the very least, that should changed to 2010.  It shows your visitors that you’re on top of your online presence.

2. NEW NEW NEW! New banner graphics, promotional boxes, and details on your website will show your audience that you’re investing back into your business, and it will keep them coming back for more!

3.  Start (or ramp up) your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts.  At Durrani we say that having a great website without SEO is like throwing a huge party and not inviting anyone.  The goal of Search Engine Optimization is to capture your target market and lead them to your site – SEO gets people to your party.   In 2010, invite more people to your party.

4. Put your email account to work.  Email campaigns are one of the most effective and inexpensive marketing methods out there.  With a professional, branded design and targeted, concise messaging, an email campaign can create a sustained connection to your audience, and get the word out about important news, offers and promotions.

5. Here, take my card…  Even in an era dominated by all things digital, there’s still something to be said for strong print marketing.  Consider business cards – being able to hand out a well-designed, branded business card adds credibility and makes a good impression.  And print collateral – including brochures, one-sheets, and postcards – gives your target market something tangible that will remind them of your services.

6. Everyone loves a “deal.” You know it’s true, we all love a good promotion.  Getting something for free is even better.  We encourage our clients to offer incentive, especially for e-commerce business.  Promo codes in an email campaign, free shipping, or even a referral incentive program can go very far in getting that business that’s been sitting “on the fence”.  

7. Blogging: not just for the young folks anymore.  When a blog is built and maintained properly (read: often, but not too often), it can be instrumental in Search Engine Optimization efforts as well as steady viewership.  It can also give your business an easy and quick outlet for your press releases, news, and promotions – one that you can update yourself.  Durrani can create a blog that is fully integrated with your existing website design, so that it looks professional and thoughtful – and we can be as hands-on or hands-off as you’d like in your blogging adventures. 

8. Get social with your media.  Whether you love them or hate them, social media outlets are here to stay.  LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr… they can be used to your advantage in business, if they’re done specifically and surgically.  We can help you assess which of these avenues would work for you, and help you get started.  At the very least, one media outlet that every business should utilize is press releases.  Press Releases help with SEO as well as public perception, and we can handle the writing and release for you… no-hassle PR!

9. Educate yourself.  What’s new in your industry?  Are you keeping up with the metaphorical “Joneses” or are your website, your branding, and your marketing falling behind the times?  It’s always a good idea to keep a finger on the pulse of your business in relation to your competition – and to know when to make changes or additions.

10. Give your brand a facelift.  Every company needs a good makeover once in awhile.  Is 2010 time for yours?

Overwhelmed?  Don’t be… Durrani is here to help!  We want to assist our clients in growing and expanding their businesses.  That could mean designing a new marketing piece, launching an SEO campaign, or re-branding… it could also mean sitting down and creating an effective marketing plan involving many of these pieces.  We want to make 2010 the best year ever for our clients!

Durrani is excited to announce that KiddieCorp, a national provider of high quality children’s programs at corporate and special events, is teaming up with us for their website redesign and development project!

KiddieCorp has been operating in San Diego since 1986 and has over 175 clients—making them a highly visible and trusted name in the meeting planning industry for over two decades. Their focus on safety, fun activities, consistency and complete service has made them a trusted name in their industry, but now they’re ready to bring their website into the new decade! They came to us looking for a fresh, professional makeover to their site that stays true to their existing corporate branding. For a company that combines a professional service with fun child care, we’ll be creating a new design that really showcases KiddieCorp’s expertise on both!

We’re looking forward to working with KiddieCorp president Chris Tempesta the rest of the KiddieCorp team to take their business to the next level!

Growth in a business is a great thing.  So is the ability to adapt and transform based on changing needs.  Often, we focus so intently on growing and transforming our clients’ businesses that we neglect the active and outward growth of our own.  In the past few weeks, however, we’ve been transforming our "look".  Literally. 

What we’re trying to say is… we’ve gained a few pounds, and we’re planning on gaining a few more.

So far, we’ve put up walls to create a separate work area as well as an area for private meetings, and painted and finished it’s interior.  But we still have a few projects left to complete, including creating a space in the front of our office to accommodate our retail division S.A.W., and changing up our color scheme in here with some new paint.

So if you come in for a meeting, don’t be alarmed by the lumber sitting atop a spare desk or the power tools huddled in the corner of the room.  It’s all a part of the process of adding to our office to transform it into a more effective space that will allow us to grow in new ways.  And we’re excited for that growth!