Who should be your website developer?

Who should be your website developer?
The best websites appeal to the rational and emotional side of the brain. Here are some stellar examples that prove this point conclusively. In a nutshell, they are useful and beautiful.

That a great website must appeal to the rational and emotional parts of the brain is…well, a no-brainer. The rational side seeks the functional aspect of the demand-supply equation between website and visitor. The emotional part looks to bond with the consumer and generate return visits. One without the other is not enough to nourish the web presence. Keep this in mind when looking to establish a property on the web to make the most of the burgeoning digital marketplace.

Can your web developer give you a web presence that is useful and makes people love it irrationally? What kind of provider is best equipped to deliver this complete solution? Should you go to a software company or a communications specialist?
Our considered view is that a communication specialist is the best party to turn to when you want to effectively communicate your brand promise on the web.

Why not a software development company?

The difference between a software-focused web development company and a communications specialist is the ability to communicate creatively. The question you need to ask yourself is can you afford to be un-creative about your offering in this day and age of product parity and intense competition and information overload?

What you should be going to a software company for is what a software company is good at: creating software. And  when you want to communicate benefits, build bonds, create unique content, tug at heartstrings, go viral, make it look attractive, make a persuasive case to buy, talk to ordinary consumers, make them remember your brand for the right reasons – all of which you have to nail to establish a web presence – it’s best to go to the communication experts.

To reiterate, get your software from a software company and communicate how great that and everything else you offer is with the assistance of a marketing communications expert. No, not just an ad agency, but an ad agency that is smart enough to have evolved with the times. Many haven’t. Choose wisely.

Why else not a software development company? 

Your web presence is an extension of your brand personality. With all due respect, software development companies are novices when it comes to concepts like brand personality and brand building. If you wish to build your brand on the web, talk to people who can build you a website and, and this is really important, know how to build brands. Software specialists don’t. Communications specialists do.

Finally, it’s about people first 

Once you know why you want to be on the web (something a brand agency will be able to tell you best), you’ll realise that communicating effectively with web audiences is, above all, about connecting with people. Unlike software companies that are all about the technology, communications specialists know how to talk to consumers. Offline or online, the latter is what your brand needs to go places.