Are you losing customers before they see what you’re all about? We all know that first impressions are important and it’s particularly true on the Web.

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Here’s an oldie but still a goodie: the SWOT analysis.

• Strengths - e.g. a unique product/service, special features, fast delivery, specialist knowledge
• Weaknesses - e.g. not an established brand, lack of experience, limited distribution network
• Opportunities - e.g. competitor gone bust or had poor reviews, niche market, new technology
• Threats - e.g. emergence of new competitor, new regulations, substitute products available

1. Define your target audience - No successful business markets to “everybody”. Work out who your typical customer is and tailor your campaigns to their needs and interests
2. Don’t forget existing customers - The old 80/20 rule is still relevant: 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. Too many campaigns targeting new customers could alienate your current client base
3. Get organised - If you’re launching a new product, plan your marketing well in advance
4. Slow and steady wins the race - Don’t blow the budget on one big magazine ad, marketing is an ongoing process, not a one-off splurge
5. Get feedback - Test your marketing ideas out and get some honest feedback, i.e. don’t ask your Gran if she likes your leaflet, test it out on some “tame” customers. It’s best not to offer incentives for this, as it can influence their responses

Now, more than ever, you need a website that delivers results.  Advertising budgets are tight and a website costs money to maintain.  But what’s the point, if your website doesn’t win you new customers or keep your current customers happy? A poorly designed website can put off potential customers and lose you business - something nobody can afford right now.

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Our first ever design submission to iStockPhoto has been added to the Designer Spotlight - cool eh!

If you’re on our mailing list, you might recognise this design as we recently used it for our latest newsletter.

Pop over to iStockPhoto and review our design for yourself.

On our travels around the Web, we see the same common (and easily fixed) mistakes time and time again. Over the next few weeks we’re going to keep adding to the list, so keep checking back. Have you seen any of these, or maybe you’ve come across something that really bugs you about websites - if so, tell us about it.

We might even get around to putting the full list into a PDF for download, if enough people are interested.

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