Commentary on Effective Marketing Communication - Violet Bedelis

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These days, the key to building effective relationships between companies and their clients is through high-speed communication - the rapid exchange of information. Increasingly, companies are using websites to both deliver required information to and gain information from their clients. I can't even remember the last time I used a printed directory to look up a phone number. Why pick up a big, heavy book when you can find the information on the screen in front of you?

Information on demand is, of course, the all-pervading trend. Recently I read that more and more small and medium-sized businesses are going online. And in June this year, the Australian Government has announced a $2B plan that aims to make every fast broadband (12 megabits per second) accessible to 98% of Australians by June 2009.

This made me realise that our website relaunch comes at a very appropriate time. While our previous website effectively provided key information, there was definitely room for improvement when it came to using available technology that would help us become a better partner to our clients and business partners.

During the planning process for the website relaunch, my team and I took the point of view of our clients, viewing the overhaul as though we were the audience. We also looked at what we thought were effective corporate and business websites. I noticed that these sites share some common elements.

I found that the best home pages look clear and inviting, not crowded or confusing. I found that the best websites don't intimidate you with too much information too soon. They make their offering clear right there on the home page, which invites you to explore the rest of the site.

I don't think this first element can be overestimated. Research consistently shows that first-time visitors are not likely to come back to sites that don't deliver on users expectations. Obviously this is something that should be taken seriously.

I also discovered that that best sites are easy to navigate. There's nothing more frustrating than spending ten minutes navigating a site for information you know is there, and then not finding it. The tabs are clear and lead to where they're expected to lead, and users aren't led through a maze of links before they find what they need. Once, I actually had to leave a site after searching through it for a good while, go to Google, and type in the information I needed. This was the only way I got the information from the original site.

The third element involved ease of interactivity. Whether you just want to sign up for an electronic newsletter or e-mail a question or comment, an effective site make it easy for you to communicate with the company and tell them what you need. Interaction is also key to making you feel like you're part of a community. It's important for clients to feel that there's a forum that allows them to offer their input, and there's a structure that actually allows that input to be heard and considered by the website sponsor, and by other clients.

I suppose that all of these elements add up to make the sites user-friendly, to use a rather cliched term. In the end, I really think they were mindful of the basic principle of developing every aspect of the website with clients in mind. And at the end of the day, we hope we've achieved the same through our website relaunch: a site that's easy to use, has the information that you need and allows your input to be heard. It's also a site that, as a client accessible information portal, allows us to be friendlier to the environment, by making our literature available online instead of printing and distributing brochures and other materials.

In the months to come, we'll add enhancements to the site, all of which we expect to be of value to our clients and business partners. You'll see many more improvements in the near future, so come and visit us again soon. In the meantime, let us know how you feel about our re-launched website by posting a comment. Happy surfing!

Violet Bedelis is the Marketing Director at ADP business services

ADP Employer Services accounting service is the worlds largest provider of payroll and HR solutions for SME's. The product - 'Payline' services organizations ranging from 4 - 150 Employees. Services include; payment of employees, payment of PAYG Withholding Tax, payslips, payment summaries etc

4/08/2008

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