The beginning of the website development process at Imagebox is exciting – but it is also filled with a lot of unknowns for our clients. We often meet with people who have never been part of the website creation process. In contrast, some of our clients have worked with many agencies to design many websites, and they have seen the process done many different ways.
We like to kick off website projects with an in-person meeting at our Garfield office. After a little tour of the office and a trip to our beloved Keurig coffee maker, we will sit down to map out everything that the project will include, what you need from us, and what we need from you.
But what can Imagebox clients bring with them to that initial meeting to get the project going on the right step? A few simple things that you probably already have!
Your Decision Makers
The more people involved in creating a website, the more complicated it can get. Our team consists of strategists, designers, writers, and developers, and we work best with a single contact or small group of contacts who are in charge of making the big decisions. Think about who has the final say in the website and who wants to take charge of getting tasks done on your end. This is the person/people who should come to the kickoff meeting!
Your Elevator Pitch
You knowing your business is vital to us knowing your business. We can’t craft the right look and sound for your new website if your mission and goals change everyday. It’s good practice in business to have an elevator pitch, or a summary of your business that you explain, in full, during an elevator ride. This short explanation should include only the most important details of your business.
Print Materials
Many clients don’t realize that what they’ve already done in terms of messaging and design for their business can be extremely helpful in terms of taking your website to the next level. The copy will help us get a better understanding of the purpose and tone of your company, often in your own words. Old print design can give us a feel of your style and colors.
Competition and Inspiration
We need to get a good feel for your industry, and that means taking a look at your competition. Names, websites, and why they are successful are all important things we will need to know. But we won’t just take a look at other websites in your industry. We want to know which websites inspire you, whether it’s because of their content, design, or functionality. This list will help us make sure that we do our research and get your website where we, and you, want it to be.
Special Requests
Those of us who are not developers have a difficult time gauging how difficult adding functionality or fixing a technical bug can be. A problem or addition that may look small to us could take days of a developer’s time. In the same vein, something that we feel may be difficult may be a simple fix for them using code or automation. It’s important that you share any special requests for your website with us during this initial meeting so that we can work them into the scope of the project and make sure that we have a complete understanding of what the final product you hope to have includes.
Some Personality
We like to have these meetings face-to-face so that we can really get a feel for your personality and the personality of your business, so be sure to be open with us! I like to ask clients to give me some adjectives to describe their business, so that we take them and incorporate them into the copy and design.
USPs
What makes your business stand out from the crowd? What would make a customer choose you over the guy up the street? What are you offering that no one else can say? These items are your unique selling propositions, or USPs, and they are important to include on your website. We will help you figure out where each one should be mentioned and the right way to say it, but bringing a list of what you think makes you unique will help the meeting along!
We look forward to meeting with you and learning what your business is all about!