Recommendations

Upgrade website

• Your website is the modern face of your brand.

  • Refining your brand benefits you, your current customers, your partners, and your future customers. Anyone who is helped by a relationship with you will benefit from your brand being as refined as possible.

• Your website should set you apart in every way.

  • A distinctive, polished website provides an edge and gets you found.

• Reputation and credibility…

  • …can hinge on precision and accuracy. Consistently accurate copy throughout is crucial, regardless of your audience.

    • Linguistic copy corrections have been made throughout, as a good deal of typos and inconsistencies were found.

    • Small errors are noticeable and make a lasting impression.

• Your website is an extension of YOU.

  • It’s the first impression that greets those who are looking for you, as well as those who didn’t know they were. It’s meant to be a living, breathing entity in its own right — not a static facade that you have just for the heck of it.

    • You want a site that is modern, clean, impressive, and fully integrated. That brand awareness we speak of? People knowing your name? Your reputation preceding you? If you have a website that is working the way it should, it’s a big part of that. People may see your website before they ever see or talk to you. What do you want it to tell them about your brand?

• Web presence DOES matter. And just having “a” web presence isn’t good enough.

  • Don’t make the assumption that most people won’t find you on the web. Some will. Those who work with you will definitely see your site. They could recommend you to someone else, and the site could be a difference-maker in someone’s perception. What if it’s between you and another player on an otherwise equal playing field, but they felt your website didn’t represent you well enough or make a clear enough statement about who you are and what you do? Don’t assume people knowing your name is good enough: consider your website a resume, a handshake, a tailored suit you’d wear to a meeting. It should be sharp, firm, responsive, and memorable — not vague, basic, or low-key in any way.

• Protect yourself:

  • add a privacy policy and terms of use.

• In today’s business marketplace, no matter what kind of business you run, a stunning website makes you look more professional and legitimate.

  • Many people making decisions on choosing a business to partner with think it’s odd or a bad sign if an organization doesn’t have a website (or if their site isn’t updated and impressive). The keys to this, besides accuracy, back-end set-up and integration, are visuals and interactive facets.

  • This is a site with unlimited bandwidth. It could easily support a full-scale video of you speaking at a conference without slowing down or being disruptive.

  • Your logo has been used as the favicon and a title has been entered in the meta tab
    

• Crucial to the new, family business opportunity

emphasize partnerships

You’re well-connected. Show who you know and become more well-represented:

• Separate menu nav item for partners (power players you trust, respect, and endorse)

• Linking their logos and sites is beneficial to your SEO and increases the likelihood you’ll be found by the right audience

• This may inspire you to develop a partner program, where complimentary businesses can benefit from exclusive partnership with your organization

• Promote the difference-makers: these relationships make you more resourceful, they bolster and broaden your impact. They help TELL YOUR STORY

PUBLICITY AND COMMUNITY/INDUSTRY AWARENESS

• Preparing and submitting abstracts, CFPs, and applications for speaking engagements and public appearances

• National Conference Board, SmallGovCon, and similar organizations at local, regional, or industry level

content leadership