Clint's Web Marketing Blog

A whole lot goes into creating a website and online marketing strategy. There are also a lot of factors involved in measuring the success of a project. Did we meet client expectations? Did we get the project done in time? Does the website get more traffic from the web? Most importantly, does it drive patients and clients into the practice? When working with our clients, we always try to set realistic expectations.

Setting the right expectations upfront can make or break any project. You must clearly communicate everything they can expect throughout the course of the project. At Page 1 we have a team who is handpicked for every project and we must let our team know exactly what’s expected of them - what they should be designing, building, or writing. If your team doesn’t have a clear vision of what they’re doing, or if our client doesn’t understand what we need from them, the project will inevitably fail. If we build something that we like but don’t take the client's needs into consideration or we don't discuss their vision, we will fail again, wasting valuable time and resources. Also, make sure everyone is clear about what’s next, and that they have everything they need.

Setting expectations isn’t difficult, but it does take time and knowledge. We need to marry our knowledge and expertise with the client’s wants and needs. We get a lot of people who are so focused on the imagery of a site that they can't see the whole scope of the project. Imagery alone does not make a website do well on the search engines. That’s where our knowledge and the setting of crystal clear expectations comes into play. We set these expectations in place with the client up front, before the project is even started.

We use a questionnaire form and a few surveys to start setting expectations and getting the clients creative juices flowing. We always encourage the client to ask questions if they don’t understand something. This initial step can seem long and tedious, but it’s laying the foundation for the project's development over the months to come. You need to take this time to clarify the unknowns and draw out hidden objectives.

Throughout the project, it is this initial set-up and consistency that will make or break a project. I can’t emphasize enough the important of communication and putting everything on the table before you just dive in. In most projects things change as you go, but by not setting these expectations, these changes have the potential to be disastrous, wasting time, money and resources. If you take the time to lay the foundation, the hard stuff won’t be so hard, and you’re almost always guaranteed to keep clients happy and successful.

If you have any question or want to discuss your current project, I would love to hear from you.