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Sarah Worsham

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Is Your Website SaaS(y)?

SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service, is software that is hosted, updated, and supported by a vendor and that software is usually accessed through the Internet (either through a website, or widget, etc.).  When you’re considering adding services to your business website, you will probably run across SAAS vendors and it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages before you make a decision:

Advantages

  • No software and hardware to maintain – The SaaS vendor provides all the support.
  • Frees up internal support resources for other tasks.
  • Ongoing fees mean you can quit using the system at any time.
  • Usually get enterprise-level services for much lower costs.
  • Often SaaS vendors have a large customer base to provide feedback, which can be beneficial for quality assurance.
  • SaaS vendors are often able to roll out new features (and bug fixes) very quickly since the software is running on their systems.

Disadvantages

  • No control over updates – The software will automatically be updated by the vendor, giving you little control over whether you want those updates.
  • Harder to maintain change control – If you have other systems that interact with the SaaS product, updates and changes to it may cause problems when the changes are unexpected or unexplained.
  • Little control over new features – While SaaS customers certainly have some input, you will have much less than software developed in-house.  But about the same level of input over vendor software installed and running internally.
  • Ongoing fees may be difficult to budget compared to one-time fees.
  • No ownership of software – must continue investment with ongoing service fees.
  • Lack of flexibility – You are at the mercy of the vendor.  Jeremiah Owyang has a good article with more information and a good discussion – The Problem With SaaS – Lack of Flexibility.

If you use SaaS services, what has your experience been?  Any advantages or disadvantages I missed? Please share in the comments below.

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Branding is Branding, Offline or Online

My post about branding on Monday got me thinking more about branding.  Many of our clients get very concerned about what they should do for online branding. I don’t think online branding and offline branding should be treated as different types of branding. Here’s why…

You may think you don’t have an online brand.

Even if you don’t have a business website or an online branding strategy, you probably already have an online brand.  With publishing online being open to anyone these days, your customers are probably already talking about you online.  You might be surprised what you find with a google search or two.

You are no longer sole keeper of your brand.

Because it is so easy for people to communicate and write online, your customers can say whatever they want to whoever they want about your company and products.  Especially for expensive business products and services, people are likely to turn to co-workers and associates for opinions during purchasing decisions.

Offline branding impacts online branding (and vice versa).

Whatever you do offline affects your online brand (and vice versa), so managing online and offline should be part of one branding strategy.  Keep both in mind while putting together branding and marketing strategies.  All offline branding campaigns should include website addresses (preferably unique landing pages for tracking purposes).  Use online branding to

Your brand is constantly evolving.

With online and offline branding feed off each other, your brand is now in a continuous evolution.   Understanding how your brand is evolving should be part of your tactical, daily plans, so you can be a part of the evolution process.

The speed of change is increasing.

It used to be that you would have days to strategize PR to combat negative branding offline.  Now, you need to respond quickly online, even if it just to say that you’re listening to concerns and will address them soon.  Lack of response = negative branding.

The best way to approach online and offline branding is in one overall branding and marketing strategy because they are so intertwined.  Viewing them together will present opportunities for positive branding influence and keep you out of trouble.

What are your experiences with branding? Please share in the comments below.

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How to Get Your Brand Noticed

Jeremiah Owyang has a post on his blog worth a read – How to Get Noticed – about how to get yourself (and your work) noticed both online and offline.  I’d like to expand upon Jeremiah’s ideas and add a few how-tos to his list to expand it for business use.  Here’s a summary of Jeremiah’s points:

  • Have a goal
  • Develop a unique brand
  • Get personal
  • Attend local events
  • Lead events
  • Be interesting
  • Archive your achievements

Jeremiah’s post is mostly about how to get yourself noticed, but these also apply to your business as well.  Starting at the top:

Have a goal

One of Jeremiah’s most important points is to have a goal, which is something I think many businesses forget about when they develop their websites and use online services.  Anytime you’re taking a look at a new feature for your website or looking at a social network or online service, keep in mind your business goals.  If you understand how something new is going to help you reach your business goals, you’ll be able to properly plan for its implementation and budget for any expenses.

Also, keep your business goals in mind with the content on your website.  You’ve probably heard that content is king.  Think about how can you continue to improve and add to the content on your website to help reach your business goals.  Your customers and potential customers come to your website looking for information.  If they can’t find what they’re looking for, maybe you need to create a few more pages to help them out.

Develop a unique brand

If you don’t have a strong brand, think about what you can do to make it stronger.  What does your business stand for?  Once you have a good branding idea, stick with it and make sure it is obvious in everything you do.  But don’t be afraid to step out of the box – brands don’t have to be boring.  Brands with personality (especially that matches your own) are easier to promote and have an honesty about them that is enticing.

Get personal

There’s nothing wrong about having a distinctive voice on your business website.  It’s also important to connect to your customers and have a conversation which is both listening and talking (remember to listen!).  Social media makes this much easier through blogging, twitter, social networks, etc.  If you have a personal voice when speaking with your customers, they will appreciate your openness and honesty.

Attend & lead events

Events are a very important networking tool.  However, even if you have a national audience, don’t overlook regional and local events.  Getting to know other local business people can be important when you’re looking for partners and new contacts.  Leading events is very important to establishing credibility for your business.  By sharing your knowledge with others, you may find new business in unexpected places.

Be interesting

This one may be a little bit difficult if your industry is fairly static (not many new changes, etc.), but there isn’t any reason why your business has to be static.  Be interesting in what you say and how you say it.  Being interesting while networking and attending events can also be helpful.  Sometimes just having a catchy t-shirt or business card can set you apart when customers look for a new vendor.

Archive your achievements

It may feel strange to toot your own horn, but if you don’t, who will?  Either through a blog or a news section on your website keep your customers updated on what you’re up to.  It’s cheap publicity, keeps your customers involved, and provides a great historical archive that shows that your business has continued to expand and achieve.

How do you get your business brand noticed?  What works for you? Please share in the comments below.

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Need Help with Branding?  Get started with a free website analysis or contact us for a quote.

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