When it comes to working in Digital Media, there is a lot to consider that most people wouldn't realise. Many Web Designers (although not all) have the necessary training, skills and experience needed to enable them to carry out the work required when a business asks them to design an affordable website from scratch.
However, not everyone has the 5 P's, and with the software available to us today, I believe these 5 P's are just as important as all the training courses out there - if not more.
1 - Personality
You will struggle to get new business or maintain good working relationships with your clients, if you can't crack a smile, offer a hearty handshake or make a comment on their business logo without breaking into a sweat and stumbling over your words! Building relationships with key business clients takes a lot of time, and people like to spend time with people they get on with - they also like to work with people they trust. So at Signpost Media we often find ourselves having several discussions with our web design clients whether by phone, email or zoom, before offering to help with any ongoing Web development issues, giving SEO tips or looking at the next affordable website design option.
2 - Passion
There are many times I have heard people say "if you're not enjoying your job - then leave!" And I have to say I agree entirely with that statement. It is important to enjoy your work when you are creating new websites, because not only are you working for hours on end on the same project, but just like a dressmaker, artist or even a high end sports car designer, you are creating a product for someone other than yourself. You want the world to see your product and get the same feeling of joy that you do when you look at it. At Signpost Media, we also believe in sharing our passion and experience, by training new website business owners on how they can continue to maintain their website themselves, if they so wish.
So when it comes to affordable web design, you can rest assured that Signpost Media has the energy and the passion to see your project through to the finish - and beyond.
3 - Patience
Many businesses will have used a web designer, but how many of them can say that their web designer saw their project through to completion? How many of the client's edit requests were listened to and applied?
Once the main design brief has been discussed, it is up to the designer to stick to this as much as possible. Each business knows it's brand well, and they are paying us to provide the service of showcasing this the best way we can. This takes time; once the design process has finished there are all the background processes to be accounted for, such as detailed SEO plans to ensure that search engines find your business above all others, linking external information and documents, sometimes even writing several blogs to start clients off on the right foot.
If you do not have the patience to sit through hours of the technical bits, then you won't be providing the best website for your client - and you certainly won't be able to cope with the endless changes that the client might ask for just when you thought you had finished...
4 - Perfectionism
Anything wrong with this picture?
As a website designer, it is my job to ensure that the client's site is perfect before going live. This means every line needs to be in the exact position to match the next line. Every photo frame needs to be exactly the right width, and every text box must not cover up any images. Why? Because I am a perfectionist. Well, also because my design is a reflection of your business - and therefore a reflection of how your customer will view you.
At Signpost Media, we treat our clients' websites as if they were our own project, and we care very much what people think of us - so we need to make sure that people like our work! The small details like spelling and grammar, using high quality images that showcase products well and ensuring information is up to date, might not seem important to some, but they are the things that could put potential customers off - like the picture above, the hangers aren't all the same shape, nor are they equidistant apart. You may call it OCD, I call it perfectionism - which can lead to potential future customers realising how professional you are....
5 - Professionalism
At Signpost Media, we offer several services, all delivered by different members of our team. Verity and Scott are our Business photographers, taking beautiful, inspiring photos for our clients to use across all their digital media. Verity also takes care of any Social Media requirements. Adam looks after our Graphic Design, creating everything from a simple business logo to a full re-brand. I manage online advertising, design websites, plus offer a business mentoring service.
The reason we have several services offered by different members of the team, is that none of us would ever pretend to be experts in any other field than the one we know. At Signpost media we believe in having an open and honest policy when it comes to our skills, experience and our pricing.
We never 'promise the world and deliver an atlas' as the saying goes, and if there is a service we believe you could benefit from that we do not provide - we will find someone else for you who can. This means our clients are always happy with their quote, their experience in dealing with us, and their final product, which means they recommend us to other businesses. That's why we like to consider ourselves professionals - and hopefully you'll be finding this out for yourself soon...
If you would like more information on how Signpost Media could help you, please contact us to have a quick chat!