Author: JaRel Clay

Note: If you are seeking medical advice or need medical attention, please close this window, make an appointment to see your doctor, or head to the nearest hospital.

As the world is monitoring developments regarding the novel coronavirus, our top priority is ensuring the safety of our families and extended network. We also aim to ensure our partners are broadly adopting new norms and focusing on how we can help continue to make a difference in their communities.

As a 100% virtual company, nationwide social distancing and remote work protocols have not affected our workflow at clay+group. Now more than ever, partners continue to embrace Uber Conference, Asana, and the C+G client portal to coordinate on projects and adhere to editorial calendars while teleworking. We encourage our teams to use our workflow as an example of how it can be done throughout your organization during this time.

As news continues to move quickly on COVID-19, we’re offering a free training to current partners on how to collaborate remotely. Please send a note to our technical support team to register for the training.

As our primary focus is servicing the needs of our current partners, we are not accepting new partners for the foreseeable future.

We are happy to take free consultation calls and refer potential business to firms we typically recommend. Otherwise, check out our latest blog posts on how your business can excel while weathering the corona storm:

• How to Launch Your New Website without Breaking the Bank
• These 3 Trends Can Impact Design, Email, and Marketing Strategies in 2020

All the best,
Your C+G Team

I was chatting with an old friend who is looking for a firm to redesign his website. He wanted a completely custom site built from scratch, AI bots for customer service, an interactive homepage, custom-built connections to his accounting and project management software, CRM integration, a robust SEO and social media strategy, and world-class security and accessibility standards.

His initial budget was $4,000. For the type of site he described, that is not even half the cost of the deposit for a site Clay+Group would build.

Sidenote: Our projects can range from $1,500-$50,000 depending on your needs. Check out our pricing and service guide or inquire about our pro-bono program.

My friend felt a bit discouraged after hearing that he’d need a few more dollars to be taken seriously by firms who design unique websites without the help of existing WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace templates. But after our chat, he had a better idea of what it will take to get him online with his budget while creating a plan to include all his must-have’s and a few optional wins.

Create a list of needs vs. wants.

Before reaching out to a firm, write down a list of everything you’d want for your website. This is typically done by organizations who have written RFPs. After you’ve created your list, highlight the top 5-10 features that are critical to get you online. That could include things like:

• An SSL certificate
• A contact form
• A blogging feature
• 5-7 subpages
• Social media integration
• Mobile responsive and accessibility standards
• A user-friendly backend with training

When talking with firms, ask if they’ll present you with two options: your ‘critical for launch’ estimate and your ‘wish list’ estimate. Both estimates will help better inform your decision to move forward with your project as quickly as possible.

Plan to launch your website in a 2-3 phases.

Part of the sticker shock that comes with website projects is putting everything on your wish list in the first phase of your website redesign. While a reliable firm like Clay+Group can handle a large project upfront, it is often a smarter budget choice for partners to phase out the work so you’re not frontloading costs for the site. When your new site launches, I guarantee that you’ll want to make changes to existing features while also expanding on nice-to-have design and function. Designing your site in phases will help absorb some of those hindsight expenses and give you the flexibility to make investments in the site as it is helping you increase your organization’s revenue.

Ask about the firm’s capacity beyond website development.

Whether you are creating a new website or redesigning an existing site, there are several tasks that your firm may not have capacity to complete. This could include video production and editing, social media strategy and implementation, search engine optimization, photography, creative writing, and copyediting—all tasks that can easily double your project estimate if you have budgeted only for the website. While some firms have all those roles in-house, others will either outsource the work or refer you directly to boutique firms or freelancers for an estimate. We typically save our partners money by building in costs for these deliverables to handle the work in-house or by hiring a freelancer within your existing budget to help support the work.

Hire the right firm the first time!

I cannot tell you how many clients come to C+G saying, “I was working with another freelancer and was completely disappointed in what they delivered.” Unfortunately in design industry, you typically do not get a refund or “store credit” for work you do not absolutely love. It is important to research your preferred vendor before you hire the firm. Look at its previous work, but also ask to see projects it may have worked on but cannot publicly disclose its involvement. Ask for references! Any firm can perfect its pitch, but there is nothing like an endorsement from previous happy customers. Meet with the firm over the phone or in person to get a better idea of its responsiveness and how it will communicate with you throughout the project. Overall, an experienced firm like C+G will be able to gain the insights necessary and advise you on budget-friendly options. Feel free to consult with 2-3 firms to get a range of options and can assess who is the best fit for your business.

We have been humbled over the last 12 years to support organizations and entrepreneurs doing great work in their communities. Clay+Group (C+G) strives to create user-friendly, sustainable solutions for all partners, especially those who manage their own website and social media. For many of our partners, there is no dedicated webmaster, social media manager, or digital strategist who have capacity to focus on upcoming trends in digital marketing and web design. After we’ve passed the torch on projects, we like to inform them about new industry trends that may impact how they engage with their communities online.

This year, I’ve decided to share the wealth of knowledge with our social media community. I know your time is precious, so I’m highlighting just three of the 10 trends we’ve noted our partners that could impact the function of your website and online engagement.

Goodbye, Flash Player. Hello, HTML5.

A few years ago, Adobe quietly announced that it is ending its support for Flash Player. Fortunately, there is a web standard called HTML5 that implements viable alternatives to Flash features. Flash has historically been one of most prolific sources of vulnerabilities for malware attacks (far more so than vulnerabilities in browsers). Beginning in 2015, C+G has used HTML5 to ensure every site we build is secure and accessible.

Not sure if your website uses Flash? Find out today. If you need an alternative solution for your current Flash site, please contact our team.

Twitter is exploring a limit to user engagement.

Twitter is releasing a new engagement feature that limits how many people can see your replies. You may be thinking that this is counterintuitive for your engagement metrics, but for organizations, it puts the true power of engagement in your hands and helps weed out trolls attempting to deceive and misinform.

The new reply feature will have four options: “Global, Group, Panel, and Statement.” Global lets anybody reply, Group is for people you follow and mention, Panel is people you specifically mention in the tweet, and Statement simply allows you to post a tweet and receive no replies. This feature is being released at a time when millions of Americans are getting their news and opinions from the platform. We’ll continue keeping track of how this plays out over the 2020 general election.

Dark Mode is your friend… but it will change user experience with email.

Dark Mode is an alternative mode on your mobile device that can be used to display mostly dark surfaces. Our phones give us the option to use the feature, but mobile apps are now automatically switching to Dark Mode in low-light environments. There are a lot of advantages to the feature, and we’ve created websites and social media graphics that work in any mode. But it’s now time to start considering Dark More for your email design. As we’ve seen in the past, an email that looks great in one app might look broken in another. Dark Mode adds yet another layer of complexity to this age-old issue, but there are various ways a developer can write flexible code that works for both normal and Dark Mode.

As you are thinking more about your #2020Vision, it is worth using this time to reflect on which strategies to leave in the last decade and what new trends can empower your business in the new decade. Whether you’ve been working with us since 2008, a new member of the C+G family, or just passing by, I appreciate your time, and I cannot wait to see what amazing things we all accomplish in 2020.

Unless you own a Blackberry, it’s difficult to remember a time when smartphones had physical keyboards. Technology has evolved faster than any other revolution in history. Considering that more than half of the global population will be using the Internet within five years, tech companies are rethinking its product capabilities for the developing world. Research from Alphabet Inc. suggests that “the next billion” mobile users will replace typing with video and voice. Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri are poster children for the benefits of voice-only search, and when used appropriately, they have helped us organize our schedules, save lives, and order a pizza.

But what happens when QWERTY inevitably disappears?

Poor literacy — both domestic and international — will contribute to a growing market of illiterate Web users. That is one more reason to avoid the comments section, but it also a key opportunity for us writers by trade to think about how we deliver messages that reach any segment of the world’s 3.75 billion Web users.

Keyword research still matters.

The industry has adapted to longer keywords and tags as more Web users search using sentences. Thankfully, search engines have evolved with the trend, but websites need to literally answer those questions. A healthcare company may rank high in search results, but if a lower ranking site better answers a search user’s verbal question, they are more likely to earn the user’s traffic. Today’s most effective keyword strategies thrive at the intersection of relevancy and conversation. But even after using an effective strategy, what happens to the voice-only user once they find your website?

Voice-only users are as significant now as mobile users were a decade ago.

Mobile content was an afterthought until it became the single most important element of any website redesign. Accessibility, specifically voice command, will soon take its place. There are Chrome extensions, AI bots, and companies like Voxer that help incorporate voice commands into the user experience. The next step toward a viable ‘voice strategy’ is crafting content and UX for voice commands. For a company like Samsung, a voice-only user might end up on Samsung’s homepage, grant microphone access, and say, “show me options for your latest TV.” Samsung will soon need to display this page with a relevant voice query.

Replace 1,000 words with imagery, but don’t sacrifice page load and metadata in the process.

The industry has strategically adapted to audio-optional content in order to accommodate mobile users. Infographics, images, and short videos are dominating ad placements and work well when uploaded directly to a social media account. But social algorithms are now following in Google’s footsteps to deliver content quickly to its users. Facebook now considers page load time as a metric for which content to feature higher in its news feed. While “content is king,” it should also be prompt, or the king will have no referrals from social media.

Technology is becoming better and faster for billions of new Web users. How will your audience engage with your brand without typing? Will they be able to find your content? We are charged with creating strategies that raise the standard for effective storytelling. Using tools made available by the technology revolution, we have the resources to meet the demand. There is no better time to begin thinking about life without QWERTY.

Over the last week, you’ve probably received about 500 “notice of privacy policy” updates. If you’re a marketer, you’ve sent a couple yourself. 

 

Finds deserted island

a message in a bottle washes onto the beach

*opens bottle*

We’ve updated our Privacy Policy

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 24, 2018

Today, the EU has enacted its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and U.S. brands from every industry have rushed to comply with the law to avoid a penalty equal to four percent of their annual gross revenue. Others have decided to block all European users. Regardless, the EU remains “committed to leading in the digital age.” 

 

This is it.
Today, our EU #DataProtection rules enter into application, putting the Europeans back in control of their data.
Europe asserts its digital sovereignty and gets ready for the digital age.
Read our statement → https://t.co/P19IRPWfqv #GDPR pic.twitter.com/hwCKSj2TjE

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) May 24, 2018

The nature of our business is built on data-driven strategy. We instinctively want to know more about interests and behaviors so that we’re making the right assumptions about our clients’ target audience. GDPR doesn’t prevent that – it just makes our jobs challenging. But one aspect of the law is undeniable. 

GDPR will actually improve user experience. 

Users around the world will appreciate that your acquisition techniques are straightforward, transparent and respectful of their personal space. When those same users return to your content, they will feel more comfortable providing a deeper level of engagement. Think of it as you getting a new neighbor: 

1. The first visit will land you a greeting at the door. 
2. The second visit may warrant a longer conversation at the door with personal contact information exchanged in an open, simple form (something like, do you mind if I call you something to setup a playdate for our kids?). 
3. The third interaction might be an event or designated time to learn more about each other. 

Before you know it, you two are venting about life over a bottle of cabernet, sharing personal details that will ultimately help you become a better neighbor and friend. For many brands, that is the goal. Companies will now have to be a bit more patient with establishing (and in some cases, re-establishing) those relationships. 

I’m interested in how this will affect the industry’s approach to AI, especially with new developments on Alexa recording private conversations. If you have any thoughts on that, let’s chat in the comments section below or on Facebook. 

When you’re born in Steeler Country, you are given a Terrible Towel at birth. 9.5 out of 10 newborns in Western Pennsylvania bleed black and gold. That might be a fact.

Football is life for people like me, but with Roger Goodell and the NFL’s decision to penalize and silence national anthem protests, loyal football fans have been forced to ‘take a stand’ on an innately political issue. By attempting to take politics out of football, they backed a semi-truck full of political manure right on the 50-yard line.

When terrible PR moves like this happen, my instinct is to think about perception, changes in audience behaviors and attitudes, and ultimately how it affects my own marketing strategies.

Four Things to Consider

Momentum is growing among those who support the movement to hold law enforcement accountable for the deaths of unarmed African Americans. While Goodell’s statement validates ugly truths about capitalism (this is mostly about money – don’t kid yourself), it could be a blessing in disguise for social marketers looking to crack the code on engagement.

1. Those who boycott the NFL receive 15 hours per week in free time.

True football fans do not miss a game – especially if they’ve joined a fantasy league. Every time a once-loyal fan abandons the sport, your target audience has gained an extra 15 hours per week. That’s 15 hours to learn a new skill, plan a vacation, binge watch a series on Kweli TV, or get involved your next campaign.

2. If you can’t beat them, join them. If you can’t join them, at least acknowledge they exist.

If you have any involvement with social strategy, you know that engagement algorithms are ever-changing. But one thing that doesn’t change is the value in human interaction. Users join social platforms primarily to engage with each other (not brands). Understand that you are coming into their ‘personal space,’ and they owe you absolutely nothing. The best strategies have personable themes that resonate emotionally with your audience. That’s how you join them. But if human interaction through online tools isn’t your thing (it isn’t for everyone), then you must at least acknowledge the fact that your new users have newfound free time and money. Give them some options on how to use it.

3. It is almost never worth remaining silent.

From companies remaining silent in their decisions to continue providing benefits to the NRA, to celebrities catching heat for not voicing their opinion on Kanye’s questionable publicity stunts, brands have started feeling the financial consequences of disengagement on issues affecting the lives of all consumers. It will help to find a diverse team of stakeholders who will provide honest feedback on tactics, but brands must find clever ways to remain engaged with their audience on social issues. Dictionary.com has mastered the art of staying true to their mission while weighing in on national topics appropriately.

4. Think beyond the fan.

It’s possible that the fan has siblings, a spouse, and maybe children. Your messaging to this audience should take into consideration the emotional response of the fan’s family to the free time. In some cases, they may be overjoyed that their Sundays can be spent at the zoo or a new restaurant. Other families may need help encouraging the fan to find another excuse to hide in the man cave. The family’s attitudes and behaviors are just as important as the newly disappointed fan.

I am simultaneously thinking about how to best captivate some of the newfound 15 hours per week for C+G clients and what I’ll do with my own family members over Thanksgiving – since I know the issue will spark a debate over what we’re watching.