Over here at Digital Boutique, we make much ado about communication & process. In our minds, these two elements are key to a successful design project – whether it be print, identity, web or something else.

A while ago, I made up an infographic detailing our process. The purpose of this infographic was to give our clients a quick overview as to how we work, from meeting through launch, so they know what to expect in a design project. We haven’t really used this infographic yet – our own marketing materials are constantly being pushed to the backburner – but I thought some people may find it interesting. The end version will likely see a few changes to better reflect the direction we’re heading as a business, but overall the process remains more or less the same. Here’s the graphic (click to view large version):

Our process is generally broken down into these elements:

Meet (the client)
Research
Sketch
Concepts (graphic says 3; it depends on the project & budget though)
Present
Revise
Deliver, and
Launch.
Nothing groundbreaking, but if you’re at a loss as to how to maximize your efficiency and keep your projects on point (scope creep is bad! Boo!), give this process a try.

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’re starting a website design project, and the client wants to tackle their own content – or maybe there is an outside copywriter. So as to keep the project moving along, you decide you will just jump into design using lorem ipsum (or perhaps bacon ipsum) before you get the real content; after all, when the content comes in, you can just swap out the placeholder copy with the real copy.

Then the real copy comes in.

All of a sudden, the spot you’ve allotted 150 words for has 500 words, the headline you’ve allotted 100 characters for has 100 words, and so on. Either your design goes to hell, or you end up hacking up copy to make it work in your design. Either or – not the best end result.

That’s putting design blindly before content, and it doesn’t work. After all, a website, in nearly every case, is a vessel for content.

But what about the flip side? What happens when you put content before design, without any consideration for or communication about the latter? You can’t just send the content creator off into the sunset with a sitemap and a blank Word document either; chances are you’ll end up with a few grammatically sound paragraphs that aren’t really optimized for how they will be laid out and read by the audience. That’s not good either.

So, if design before content ends up in a less than effective design, and content before design ends up in less than effective content… what do we do? What comes first? Should we just retire and become garbagemen?

DESIGNING CONTENT STRUCTURE
What we’ve found success with, after making all of the above errors, is to design the content structure first. This sets the table for effective copywriting, which in turn sets the table for successful design. By following this path, design and content can work together towards a successful end project. Let me explain.

Wireframing is an important, yet oft-overlooked, part of the design process. I don’t know about you, but I love to design – which means I can sometimes jump too early to the visual design stage. But wireframing (and/or clickable prototypes, depending on the project scope) is where big decisions about the project are made. It is here that content needs to come in to play: during or immediately following the wireframing phase, hopefully with open lines of communication between designer and copywriter throughout the process.

It starts, of course, with understanding our clients’ needs, audience, goals and more. Effectively doing that means we, as designers, can create effective and descriptive wireframes that describe where key content elements (value statements, optimized headings, end user benefits, etc) should be placed in the design. An effective wireframe such as this – the above image gives a basic snapshot example – gives the copywriter structure. They know what they need to do and how their copy will be used in the greater context.

Placing content at this step in the web design process is setting your copywriter, and in turn your end design, up for success. The designer (or creative director) makes the calls about general layout and strategy, which is part of being a good designer; the copywriter works within those decisions to create content that is right for its context.

If possible, bring the copywriter in on the wireframing process too. Let them know what you’re thinking, why you’re making the decisions you are, and see if they have any suggestions or see any roadblocks being built that will impede their success. After all, communication is the designer’s most important skill.

THE SUCCESSFUL PROCESS FOR DESIGN AND CONTENT
Since everyone, myself included, enjoys tidy lists, here’s a basic summary of how we tackle the design-vs-content issue. We break it down like so:

Wireframe (with open lines of communication) that descriptively states what content is going where
Content creation, review and revision, based on the wireframe structure
Visual design, review and revision

Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? Where things go wrong is when we give our copywriters a blank Word document, a site map, and a due date – either before or after we start the visual design process. That’s a recipe for failure. But if we design the content structure first and create effective wireframes, we can lay a road map out for successful content creation, effective design, and a great end project.

That’s what we’ve found works best. What about you?

The concept of networking has evolved over the years. Companies spend huge amounts of money sending executives to expensive seminars and conferences to learn and more importantly network with other professionals and business owners. The right connections with the right people, is a crucial pre-requisite to building a successful business. Although, it takes time, money and effort to attend these events and interact with prospects, companies invest in being present at events which could generate opportunities. Just sitting in an event and being passive does not produce results, one must be the exact opposite i.e. active and present. Similarly, social media networking thrives on the same base. Lets discuss.

Before we get to the advantages of social media networking here are some stats that highlight the importance of a social media engagement :-

43% of marketers have noticed an improvement in sales due to social campaigns
72% of marketers who have worked in social media for three or more years said that they saw a boost in turnover due to social channels (the longer you’re working in it the better you get)
91% of experienced social marketers see improved website traffic due to social media campaigns and 79% are generating more quality leads
It is clear that marketers have re-routed their strategies keeping social media in mind. It has been gradually understood that being online, is more than just being connected. It is more about being present and engaged on social networks.

Infact we will take a step further and even say that when you log off, you are simultaneously cutting yourself off from an entire network, a SOCIAL network of people. Your presence online determines the online visibility you choose to create for your Business. Think if it as a 24 x 7 gigantic conference where all your peers, target customers and stakeholders are constantly participating and your presence there makes all the difference.

If you’re not actively listening to conversations within those networks, communities and online groups, if you’re not participating by sharing, commenting, discussing, answering or conversing regularly within these active social networks, then it’s just like not turning up for an event. You can’t expect people to come up to you and talk to you about an opportunity if you’re not in the room. Likewise you can’t expect to generate opportunities online for your business when you take a back seat and don’t proactively participate on social networks.

The more actively you participate in discussions and groups online whether its on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or niche communities, the more visible you become within that community and you will be amazed how responses and business opportunities can come your way as you put yourself out there consistently. Makes us think why spend large amounts of money on conferences and seminars when you can have it all ONLINE with real people and discussions. Welcome to the New Age.

Call, or Email us today to get your Social Media Strategy started.

To complement your organic online marketing and social media engagement efforts, online advertising or digital marketing campaigns offer a quick way to tap into existing traffic networks, get attention, drive clicks and traffic and leads. Paid marketing via PPC campaigns and search marketing campaigns can be highly effective for certain internet marketing strategies and offer rapid and measurable results if that is a priority.

We can work with you to research, structure, configure and manage ongoing PPC and SEM campaigns whether you would like to use them exclusively or along with an organic social media marketing plan.

Magic Turns WordPress Into A Membership Site and accepts CC Bill

CCBill has proven to be an excellent credit card processor for many WordPress websites.  Integrating CCBill doesn’t have to be difficult, as long as you are using software that streamlines the process.  It allows you to automate the entire credit card processing process, while still ensuring the highest levels of security through rigid fraud checks and screening.  CCBill continues to expand and perfect their services which makes them a perfect partner for many WordPress websites.

Benefits of Integrating CCBill with WordPress Websites

There are a number of features that makes CCBill an excellent choice.  They offer extremely high performing real-time processing speeds to make sure that your customers are never late waiting around for your products.  You will be able to accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and any cards with a Visa or Mastercard logo, such as bank debit/credit cards.  They even offer the option of processing payments that have been made over the phone.

CCBill also offers electronic check processing services so that you can accept paperless checks via your website.  Using their automated ACH processing services, all paperless checks can be approved within 2 seconds.  This ensures that you will always get paid.

CCBill offers a very high level of security that protects both you and your customers.  Fraud protection has been integrated throughout the payment processing process and risk management systems have been put into place to help keep everything secure.  Their system is always kept up to date with compliance issues from card association regulations and requirements.  Since processing echecks creates an added level of risk, CCBill automatically performs additional verification, along with the standard fraud filters, to minimize the chance of fraudulent transactions and returns.

If, for any reason, you need to access CCBill’s support staff, they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Their staff is a combination of support engineers and operations professionals to make sure that your problem is resolved quickly.

CCBill also offers subscription billing so that you can charge for recurring expenses, such as access to a membership site or online newsletter.  All of the data is stored in Visa CISP-certified data centers to eliminate any risk to the merchants.  Since all of this is done automatically, merchants decrease the risks associated with human error and ensure a more predictable cash flow for each website.

CCBill has proven to be an effective solution for many WordPress webmasters.  Integrating CCBill with WordPress websites has made it easy to sell digital/downloadable products as well as create membership based websites with automatic recurring fees.  CCBill also offers the peace of mind that comes with fraud prevention and a high level of automation, to decrease the chances of human error.

I was asked several times by clients, “should we upgrade to Magento 1.7.0.0?”

These clients run big eCommerce businesses and they put value to things that are worth only. So we did a lot of research to see how it would benefit the businesses. I personally think, I loved this version.

First of all, it takes nearly no issue to be updated. Gets updated just like anything!!! I remember we struggled a lot to update Packages relevant to mobile version of Magento from 1.5.1.0 to 1.6.2.0. There were some other packages which were dependent on the mobile package. Therefore, it was nearly a nightmare in several cases to update Magento from 1.5.1.0 to 1.6.2.0. Thanks God that Magento 1.7.0.0 takes it just like magic.

Then and most importantly, the version is equipped with a good many strong features, which we usually had to customize or use plugin to enable. For example: optimized layered navigation for pricing, cash on delivery or bank transfer facility etc. Click here to learn more.

There are still a lot of opportunities of improvement. However, I am impressed that Magento is counting the People’s demands and gradually serving those.

The music video premiere of ‘I Think She Ready’ featuring FKi, newly-signed Interscope rapper Iggy Azalea and Grammy-nominated Diplo debuts exclusively on SSENSE. The video was shot and produced in LA by founder of What You Steal, Alex 2Tone, whose previous video credits include Iggy Azalea’s “My World” and work with Dizzee Rascal and Danny Brown. The video was styled entirely by SSENSE, where you can shop Iggy’s, FKi’s and Diplo’s looks using interactive hotspot technology from wireWAX – every item featured is available to purchase directly through the video.

Steps to creating a Wikipedia page

The steps outlined below provide a brief overview of the Wikipedia page creation process. You’ll find much more detailed information on Wikipedia’s Help pages as well in the articles and guides mentioned below.

1. Do your research first. Before creating any content on Wikipedia, learn about the Wikipedia community and how it works. Learning the ins and outs of being a good Wikipedia citizen will help ensure your page won’t be deleted or challenged after you’ve submitted it for review. I read a number of articles before creating my client’s page, including How to Game Wikipedia, by BNet, and MarketingSherpa’s, How to Get Your Company Listed on Wikipedia, Part I.  I also found Eloqua’s, The Grande Guide to Wikipedia, very helpful.

2. Create an account. You must be a registered user to make changes to existing Wikipedia pages and articles, as well as to create your own. Creating an account is pretty straightforward. I advise using your real name and email address.

3. Start small. It pays to start by making small edits to existing pages to test your skills before trying to create new content. I started with pages with which I was already familiar. My son’s fencing coach, for example, is an Olympic medalist and has a Wikipedia page. I updated it by adding some biographical information I found on the internet and added a link back to his fan club’s website.

By making these small changes, I was able get more familiar with the site’s content management system and build my Wikipedia user profile. Once you create an account, every change you make on Wikipedia is recorded on your user page, which anyone can access — anyone being Wikipedia editors and other users. With enough editing and creating activity under your belt, you can become an “auto-confirmed user.” This gives you permission to perform certain restricted functions, such as uploading images and moving pages to the public space.

4. Gather your sources. While you’re feeling your way around Wikipedia, begin gathering sources for the page or article you want to create. This will save you a huge amount of time once you’re ready to create your page.

Sources are tremendously important in Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia (not another marketing channel for promoting your product), and this means everything on your page needs to be verified. I can’t stress this enough.

Even if you’re a notable inventor or a famous person who rowed across the Atlantic in a plastic tub, you can’t simply sit down and write a Wikipedia page based on your experience. Sorry, but you’ll need third-party sources such as printed material (books and magazines) and online material such as websites, articles, or video to support the information you provide.

Your content must be factual and unbiased. When creating my client’s technology page, I had to include information about competitors and their technology, as well as links to their sites. You’ll want your facts to be straight so you’re not accused of any misrepresentation.

Also consider including images. You’re only allowed to use images you own or images not subject to copyright. I learned this the hard way — I had to delay the launch of my client’s page while I walked them through the process of uploading their copyrighted images.

5. Write the copy. After all those other steps, you are finally ready to get down to the writing and posting of your Wikipedia content. I wrote my client’s page in Word first, cut and pasted it into the Wikipedia interface and then formatted it from there. You can add your page to the Sandbox, where you can format it or you can add it to your My Talk page (part of your user account), which is what I did. I chose the My Talk page as content is regularly cleared out of the Sandbox; keeping it in My Talk ensured it wouldn’t be deleted.

Formatting the page using “Wiki code” took a little while. It’s a tedious process even if you’re HTML savvy, which I am, so be sure to allow time for this or hire someone to do it for you. You can learn more about Wiki Code by reading Wikipedia’s Help Pages.

6. Submit the page for review. Once your page is complete and error-free, you will need to submit it to Wikipedia for review. This process can take as little as a few days or as long as a few weeks or more to get a response.

After waiting about 12 days for a response, I saw that other pages that had been submitted around the same time as mine had gotten their approvals, or challenges, or had been deleted. Eventually, I assumed mine was fine and went ahead and moved it to the public space.

However, shortly after it went live, I noticed that an editor had changed the title of the page and made other edits (but, thankfully, nothing substantial was changed). I now monitor the page and update it as needed (for example, my client recently introduced a new technology-advancing product, which warranted a Wiki page update).

Having gone through this process, I’m now a confirmed Wikipedia admirer , which before this experience  I was not. True, I wanted to tear my hair out at times, but it was well worth the effort.

What has your experience been with Wikipedia? Have you created pages or articles? Have you run afoul of Wiki editors? Have you had problems correcting erroneous information posted by others? Post your comments below.