I am a consultant in Internet strategies and I usually give my clients advice. In this I say, that if possible, count on the best of graphic designers or web designers for the development of your presence on the Internet. Sure, this can be expensive, very expensive, but I'm saying it because good graphic design can make the difference between a successful or mediocre and / or unsuccessful internet presence. The reality is that there are many designers on the market (some use this term improperly) and you will find all kinds of solutions, from very good to very bad.
But before hiring the best web designer, I tell my clients that they must analyze what they really want on the Internet and how they are going to do it. That is, from the point of view of the Strategy of your company, that define exactly what it is that they want to obtain with this presence. Many companies are clear that they want to have, for example, a Web page, a Twitter account and a Facebook page, but it is rare for those who on the one hand know why they want it (in terms of content, form, indicators and others) and second, which implies for the organization. This is when the topic of Internet Strategies comes in, a vital topic that should not be ignored.
In the past I have had clients who want to have a presence on the Internet and they give me reasons such as, for example, "The Internet will help me raise the level of sales." This type of conclusion is obtained when they see that other companies, competition or non-competition, local and international, have already done so, so they think that they can replicate the situation. Although this is a good intuition, it is important to analyze the implications and whether the company is prepared for what it means to "be on the Internet".
The technologies are wonderful and the Internet is a great example of this. However, technologies are truly successful when whoever uses them, be it a person or a company, manages to match them to their needs. In this way, sending "make a Web Page" does not guarantee a company that it will achieve its objectives. Taking up the previous example, creating a Web Page does not automatically guarantee that a company increases its sales. The potential exists, but it is necessary to understand how the presence of the firm on the Internet will contribute to this objective, something that is often not carefully analyzed.
For this example of the company that wants to increase sales, I have suggested in the past that before hiring whoever designs and assembles the page, the 360 ° of the human and organizational factors that understand how the company is prepared to analyze is analyzed. an eventual presence on the Internet. In this case, for example, it could be detected that sales do not increase in the physical world because the company has problems with distributors or employee turnover is very high and is affecting sales. For this, the first thing would be to "put the house in order" and then analyze the internet access.
Another aspect that is important to analyze is what that Internet presence implies for the company. On the one hand, who will update that presence and who will respond to comments. If you decide to create an online store, how will stocks and costs be updated, will someone do it manually or will it be automated? In the case of entering Social Networks and this is a key point, who or who will be responding to the comments, complaints and concerns of users. This last point is vital, because in Social Networks the user is very demanding and expects that their comments will have a response in a few hours.
By analyzing all these components, it can be concluded that the company is not ready, at least for the moment. If this is the case, there are two paths to take: the first is to stay still and do nothing. The second is to make the organizational changes that allow the Internet requirements to be coupled to what the company wants to achieve.
It is important to understand that the Internet is constantly expanding and evolving, so that what is now a reality in a few months or years may have been radically transformed. Under this premise, companies should always be doing this study and how their organization will face the new challenges that the Internet presents. In some cases, only minor changes will be required, for example in the roles of Internet managers. In others, changes will be required in the vision of the company and in how its units and business areas operate.
Given the complexity of the Internet model, it is important to be very clear that graphic design is a vital component, but that in order to respond to market requirements, it usually becomes an element to be included in a second stage. Always make sure that the company is prepared at its different levels to serve the Internet, that it defines what it wants to achieve with this presence and how it will achieve it. With this defined, proceed as I said, to hire the best designer (or design company) to assemble the best possible solution. It is better to take this issue calmly and with a lot of analysis, to avoid mistakes and spend (but not invest) money on an Internet solution that is not the right one and that can bring problems in the future.
