So what’s the difference between web designing and web development ? Glad you asked... This question is best answered by the ubiquitous “It depends...”. It depends on what the expectation from a website is. If the desired outcome is merely communication a message and a high conversion rate, web design will usually suffice; but when more is expected from the website, like user experience design, online shopping (e-commerce), sales force automation, constituency and consumer relationship management and basically anything that would require technical complexities and a portal (back or front-end), our Code Monkeys enter the fray and do a job of uncomplicating the required outcomes.

eCommerce often occupies a very strange place in most people’s minds; somewhere between a swear-word and a bad idea. The frustrations that come with e-commerce; from merchant accounts, postage, payment gateway integration and sales tracking; often stem from poor planning and worse execution.

Here at Digital Voodoo, we just love Content Management Systems (CMS) for their ability to empower the client long  after we leave the scene of the crime. In days of yore, clients used to have to call web developers whenever they needed content amended, removed or added. With CMS, the client is able to keep their own website updated via a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) word-processor like interface, without the need to have any technical knowledge and knowhow. With a little training, some of our clients have made massive strides in internal data management and ensuring the ability and capacity to perform updates exists in house.

Arguably the most important relationship your organisation has is the one it has with its customers / constituency (Just don’t let the bank manager hear you say that). It is of critical importance that this relationship is properly managed utilising the best available tools. When most Digital Practitioners talk of CRM, they only address Customer Relationship Management and pay no attention to the lesser known Constituency Relationship Management. Difference ? That’s easy... Customer Relationship Management seeks to automate the numerous processes involved in your sales process; from lead generation, sales, sales force automation, billing, support, project management, group communication and contact management.

Online PR is akin to press releases and involves blogging, podcasting, social media releases, online surveys, viral campaigns, competitions, RSS feeds, stunts, advertorials, micro-broadcasting (twitter etc) and the submission of keyword-rich articles online to improve website credibility, reputation and rankings. This PR strategy is implemented hand-in-hand with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Strategies. Online PR is all about being highly responsive to the market and having your finger on the pulse. Content must be fresh, relevant and informative to get the desired result and conversion goal. With correct implementation, the results are higher traffic, increased awareness of your brand and ultimately, sales.

Interactive marketing is the implementation of any technology that seeks to create a “funnel” that draws your target market closer and begins a conversation with them. It usually involves platform convergence resulting in interaction and data mining. An example would be the convergence of web and mobile where a web banner or advert directs those who click on it to a website where some or other activity with incentive will entice the participant to register and part with their contact information. This contact information now forms a part of your arsenal of qualified leads and with nurturing, can result in sales.

Even during the recent recession, online advertising spend far outstripped print advertising globally. It therefore goes without saying that this is a critical medium and over the coming years, should form the cornerstone of your marketing efforts. Online presents many advantages over print, most notably, the ability to use rich-media in your creative. Technological advances have brought a whole new level of interactivity to campaigns and it has become possible to envelop your message in an online activity. Online also offers the distinct advantage of measurabilty.

A campaign without a strategy is like a boat without a rudder - we carefully map the course; highlight the benefits, pitfalls, cost-cuts as well as predictable reaction to your campaign, in line with clearly defined objectives. Digital Strategy is not to be confused with Marketing Strategy or Online Strategy because it goes far beyond the development and placement of your online assets; with Digital Strategy, we aim to change the entire end-user experience of your company and products - how product is bought and how communication flows between you and your customers.

It is all well and good to have a beautifully designed website, but if nobody can find it, you should have rather spent your money on offline marketing initiatives. How do you get your site seen by more of your potential consumers ? SEO is the first step.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the Science of optimising web content to be easily indexed by search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. Search engines regularly “crawl” the internet and index as much web content as possible so that, should someone search for certain content, the information is available on demand.

The mark of a successful PPC campaign is a sustained increase in conversions and a gradual decrease in acquisition costs. Ok; now that we’ve gotten the jargon out of the way; let’s talk about what this all means for your business and your bottom line. PPC (Pay Per Click) is essentially an internet marketing formula used to price online advertisements.