http://marleedesign.com/dtw/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.24 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://marleedesign.com/dtw//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://marleedesign.com/dtw/ http://marleedesign.com/dtw/index.php?itemid=2 The following is an article I wrote for COSE Update magazine. Hopefully it will be the first in a series. It was originally targeted toward Arts Network members, independent artists starting small businesses, as advice for managing online marketing but I find that it is very similar to the advice I give all small businesses looking to build a solid web presence. Enjoy!

A MYSPACE PROFILE IS NOT A WEBSITE (and other helpful advice for building your online empire)

No matter what your medium, chances are you didn’t go into the arts just so you could sit in front of a computer for hours and hours, sifting through code and making yourself bald one fistful at a time. Unfortunately we live in a world where people don’t even own phone books and attention spans have hit an all-time low. Without a website you may as well be invisible, and a bad site is worse than none at all. Worse yet, as a creative professional you face even more scrutiny than other endeavors. People will look at your site as a direct reflection of you, your artwork, and your business, so you need it to be as professional, interesting, and creative as you are. Now take a deep breath, accept the inevitability of your website, and then let’s sift through some of your options.PLANNING FOR WORLD DOMINATION…
Before you even look at a computer sit down with a pen and paper. Make a wish list, get a good idea about what your needs are, have fun, don’t think about practical things like cost and conceivability just yet, and, most importantly, be creative (you are an artist after all.) Obviously you’ll want to include things like your portfolio, reel, bio, and contact information but what else? If you do commissioned work you may want to have an area for your clients to view proofs or works-in-progress. Do you have any pet projects that deserve some spotlight? Think of ways you are different from others in your field and how you can show off not only your talents but also your personality. Maybe you want to post a new sketch every day or keep a blog. Content that is periodically updated, such as blogs and articles, will serve to add interest and give people a reason to bookmark or link to your site.

Once you have your wish list you need to prioritize. Decide which things you need right away, which things can wait a bit, and which things can be scrapped if need be. Start thinking of your site as a process rather than a product. Even after your site is “done” you will periodically have to revisit it, so don’t worry about getting everything you want included right at the beginning. This is also the time to come up with a budget. I know, it hurts, but even if you do everything yourself you’ll need to spend at least a couple hundred dollars to get started, and coming up with a basic budget now will help reign in the rest of the process.

SECRET LAIRS AND HENCHMEN…
Now it’s time to implement your master plan. At first glance there appear to be millions of options out there but they basically boil down to three routes: do it yourself, use a template service, or hire a pro. Depending on the amount of time and patience you have, and the size of your budget, you will probably use a combination of all three. Below I’ve outlined some of the pros and cons of each option as well as the cost and commitment levels you can expect.

Do it yourself is the most budget-friendly of all three, but it’s going to require lots of time and you will most likely have to scratch the more complicated items off of your wish list. There are scores of books on web design so I won’t go into further details here other than to offer this advice: if you’re doing it yourself, keep everything as simple as possible. The more features you try and include the more likely it is that your site will have errors. The whole project can quickly get out of hand. Nothing will turn away potential buyers and clients faster than a confusing, complicated site with errors on every page.
COST: Expect about $200-$500 in software, books, domain registration, and hosting setup plus $150-$250 per year for recurring registration and hosting fees. TIME: Plan to spend hundreds of hours reading and searching for help as well as hundreds of hours actually designing and building your site. KNOWLEDGE: Lots. Use of Photoshop or other design tools, site building tools, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as other web technologies.

Template services such as portfolios.com offer a quick cost-effective way to get a professional-looking online presence. The downside is that you are stuck within the confines of their templates, and, because it is a template, your site will tend to blend in with others. These are also usually site-lease programs so if you become unhappy with their service and decide to go somewhere else you have to start from scratch. Also be skeptical of services that make claims such as “hundreds of commercial and fine art buyers search here daily.” Although their intentions might be good, the reality is they are probably doing very little to promote the artists that use their service.
COST: Expect set up fees anywhere from $200-$1000 depending on the service plus $30-$75 monthly lease fees. TIME: Plan to spend 40-100 hours of searching and comparing services, digitizing and uploading your artwork, and customizing your template. KNOWLEDGE: Some. You’ll have to be able to use whatever online tools the service offers. Also, basic HTML knowledge is helpful since many services allow you some manual control over your templates.

Hiring a professional will have, by far, the most up-front cost but will allow you to get exactly what you want. Plus once you’ve built the site it’s yours forever. You also have the benefit of having someone on your side. A good professional will work with you closely to answer all of your questions, give you ideas, advise against unnecessary features, and optimize your site. They can also help you with promoting your site as well as your other marketing materials. Look for someone you like and can talk to, someone who’s interested in showing off YOUR artwork and not just THEIR design skills and who can work within your budget by helping you cut costs while maintaining quality. Beware of pay-by-the-yard services, such as logoworks.com, that offer “custom” design at bargain basement prices. You tend to get very little personal service and end up with little more than a glorified template.
COST: Expect to pay $2000-$10000 depending on what kind of features you want. You’ll also have yearly domain and hosting fees of about $150-$250. TIME: Plan to spend 20-40 hours searching for pros and comparing estimates, meeting to discuss designs and functionality, browsing through test runs, and approving the final site. KNOWLEDGE: Little to none. If you know what a website is you’re pretty much all set. However, it is helpful to know a little lingo in order to communicate with your pro of choice.


WOW, THAT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION…
The fluid nature of the web is both a blessing and a curse. Although you will constantly have to update, enhance, and promote your site in order to keep up, it allows for your site to grow with your business. You can afford to start small and add things as you have the time and money. Come up with a plan that fits your needs by doing some work yourself as well as using some online services and calling in a pro for the tough stuff. Be reasonable and realistic about your budget, time, and skill limitations and build up your online presence slowly.

You’ve got your wish list, you’ve set your budget, and you’ve got a firm grasp on what your options are. Now all you have to do is start this ball a rollin’. It really is easier than you think, just take it one step at a time.
]]> Design Your Business http://marleedesign.com/dtw/index.php?itemid=2 Wed, 9 May 2007 07:37:09 -0500