Supercharge your brand online

Responsive Design

Responsive web design has become incredibly popular in recent years thanks to the rise of mobile internet usage.

It’s safe to say responsive design isn’t going anywhere soon, as it represents a relatively simple and cheap way for businesses to build a fully-functional mobile-friendly site. But responsive web design does come with some issues if not carried out properly, the most important being performance.

To ensure that a responsive performs at the peak of its ability, according to Guy’s Pod, designers should:

Avoid using JavaScript and CSS image loading using the display:none tag. This still downloads the image to the device and adds unnecessary weight to a page.

Use responsive images which are defined using a percentage.

Use conditional loading for JavaScript as many of the JavaScript components used on a desktop site will not be used on smaller devices. Pay particular attention to third-party scripts such as those used for social sharing as these often impact negatively and reduce performance.

Use RESS – Responsive and Server Side

Apply performance testing into the process in order to effectively measure and optimize each site.

Performance is important not only to UX, but also to Google in the wake of the Mobile Friendly update which released in April 2015. Responsive web design is also highly compatible with minimalism, thanks to the necessity to keep page weight down. It’s also great to work with cards and responsive design as they can easily restructure in order to fit any breakpoint or screen size (like rearranging rectangular containers of content).

Generate More Followers on Instagram

Are you looking for more ways to increase your follower count on Instagram? 

Want your Instagram account to stand out from the competition?

Follow these tips! 

Post Consistently

• Those who post at least once a day are more likely to increase followers and likes

• Your follower growth rate can double just by posting up to 7 posts a week

Go live – post videos and stories

• More than 250 million people share video based stories every day

• Going “Live on Instagram” automatically pushes you to the front of the stories feed

Share User Generated Content

• Don’t be afraid to take the best content from the web and feature it on your own channel – just don’t forget to credit the original creator!

• User generated content increases the chance of turning that Instagram follower into a customer!

Collaborate with Others

• Extend your reach and increase your followers with collaborations such as partnerships and sponsorships

• If you have budget for sponsorships, consider investing in influencer marketing

Post at Your Best Times

• There isn’t a universal “time to post” – everyone has their own best time depending on followers, habits and content

• The best time to post is when a majority of your followers are active. To find this out, tap on your profile photo/tap on the Instagram insights icon (bar chart)/scroll down to “followers” and tap on “see more”/scroll down and you can see the days and hours that your followers are most active

Use Quality hashtags

• A study by Simply Measured found that the highest amount of engagement is generated from the use of #hashtags and location tags

• You can target your audience and gain larger exposure by using location tag and carefully selected hashtags

Use Your Analytics

• Increase following by posting quality content that your followers will want to engage with

• Instagram Insights gives you the data to help you understand which posts your followers like the most.  To find out what your top performing posts are – Tap on profile photo/tap on Instagram Insights icon (bar chart)/scroll down to “posts” and tap on “see more”/Your top posts will be organized by impressions/Filer your posts by tapping on the sentence at the top of the page

Engage Your Fans

• Engagement is a key component of the “Instagram Algorithm” used to decide how many people to show your post to - If you have a very high engagement, your posts could even be featured in the “Explore Tab” which reaches even more people

• Increase engagement with your followers by liking and replying to their comments on your posts

Host Contests

• Contests encourage new followers by inviting your current followers to tag a friend in the post to enter a contest

• Increase followers and engagement by expanding visibility and getting in front of new people

 Cross-post

• It’s easy to ensure extra exposure from Instagram with a simple click to share your posts on other platforms

• Studies have shown that images posted to Facebook via Instagram receive more engagement than those only posted to one page

Make it Easy to Find Your Instagram

• Make sure you let all of your customers and site visitors aware of your Instagram by placing links on your site

• Add an Instagram feed to your Facebook page for added exposure and embed Instagram photos into your blog posts.

Following these tips will lead to more followers and higher quality engagement which will help you achieve your business goals!

differentiate your brand....

Identify your identity.

Your branding is as different as your fingerprint.

Before people can engage with your company, there needs to be something tangible and real with which they can relate. We can take your list of adjectives, your mood board, your inspirations, and your brand visions and turn them into something tactile. Whether you are an entrepreneur bringing your new company’s vision to market or an international conglomerate penetrating a new country, we will add new dimension and meaning your product, service or brand by developing a full suite of marketing materials that are impactful. We will work with you to design logos and taglines, identify collateral needs and facilitate production that will make a statement.

Branding is everything... and we can ensure yours is on target so you can reach your target.

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free your inner butterfly

social media

The time is now to become a social butterfly...

The largest and most successful companies on the planet have deployed social media strategies, creating a direct, personal connection to their admirers. Social media creates awareness and demand while allowing for a more intimate, personal connection to potential and existing clients. Every business is different. Whether you are a start-up company or a multi-national corporation, a local-based operation or command a global presence, we can lift and expand your brand via social media. There is no one-size-fits-all social media marketing strategy and we can assist in developing one that is right for you.

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web design hot tip

The Proliferation of UI Patterns

One of the side effects of responsive design has meant that a lot of sites look similar. However, responsive design isn’t solely to blame. The rise of WordPress sites and the booming theme market also have a hand in it.

And some folks, such as Matthew Monbre, have copped to being guilty of following everyone else’s look with his company’s site.

But having a similar look isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That’s because we’ve changed the way we consume the web, which has resulted in a lot of common UI design patterns. Design patterns have matured and as such, there’s little in the way of innovation when it comes to UI patterns.

In other words, a checkout will still be a checkout and should function as such. Same with a login model. There’s no real reason to reinvent the wheel. UI patterns must guide users through a smooth experience.

- The honos creative team

honos+vineyards featured in: VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog - April Edition

VINOGRAPHY®: a wine blog

If you are looking for an intimate, off the grid, winery experience then look no further. The valley is full of small production, family-owned, boutique-style wineries. 95% of Napa Valley wineries are family owned and 67% of Napa Valley wineries produce fewer than 5,000 cases annually.

It was a hard task to narrow this down, but if we had to choose, these are the best small wineries to visit (be sure to make an appointment before you go):

1. Crocker & Starr Winery
Found in St. Helena, Crocker & Starr produces a very small production of wines from their historic organic vineyards that they have been farming since the 1870’s. Try their Al Fresco tasting experience that includes vineyard views with cheese and charcuterie.

2. Chateau Lane Winery
This newly opened winery is hidden deep within the Coombsville District. They feature a beautiful outdoor terrace with spectacular vineyard views. Take a horseback ride through their vineyards prior to your tasting or try the cigar and wine pairing.

3. honos+vineyards
In the heart of Stags Leap Appellation on Silverado Trail right outside of Yountville, taste your way through their delicious wines in the beautiful tasting room and terrace. Take a full tour to see the caves and learn how the family makes their wines.

4. Judd’s Hill Winery
The Finkelstein’s started producing wine in the 1970’s and now their son Judd and his wife Holly are at the helm as they continue to handcraft their delicious Napa Valley wines. You can find them right on Silverado trail in Napa.

5. Eleven Eleven Wines
This modern yet unconventional tasting room is nestled in the town of Napa among the vines. Come taste through their wines with a little cheese pairing and enjoy their beautiful new tasting room. 

6. Salvestrin Winery
The Salvestrin’s have been growing grapes on their historic St. Helena vineyards since 1932. They produce organically farmed grapes and quality, handcrafted wines. Currently three generations are living on the 26-acre property. 

7. Holman Cellars
This small winery at the southern end of Napa produces a limited number of wines ranging from Cabernet Blends to unusual 100% varietal selections. Taste wine with the owners and learn about the beauty and the challenges of small production wines where all wines are processed by hand.

8. Elizabeth Spencer
This small red brick tasting room on Rutherford road features a beautiful outdoor terrace for seated tasting among their gardens. Sample through a variety of their wines or try their Cabernet Appellation tasting to sample through their five different Cabernet Sauvignons.

9. Nichelini Winery
This serene, rustic winery was established in 1890 and is one of the oldest family-owned wineries in the valley. Nichelini wines are so rarely offered to the public, that purchasing their small lot wines from the property is a very special treat.

10. Villa Ragazzi Winery
Specializing in Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon based wines, this winery is sure to impress. Right off Silverado trail, be sure to make an appointment to try the Sangiovese wines, which isn’t often found in the valley.

Click here for more information on honos+vineyards and punk'd cellars

4 Ways Drones Are Changing The Marketing Industry

4 Ways Drones Are Changing The Marketing Industry

Drones are an emerging technology. Only in the last few years, have marketers been able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by drones in advertising brands and products.

Even in such a short amount of time, marketers have been able to figure out different ways to use drones in their marketing strategies. Some of these ways, while still in their infancy, show a huge potential for the future of marketing. Find out which ones!

How Are Drones  Being Used In The Marketing Industry?

Drones as a physical medium: they are used to physically reach consumers in new and innovative ways. Disruption potential: medium

Drones as actors: they are used by marketers in video commercials as surprising flying objects bringing the “wow” factor. Disruption potential: low

Drones as videographer tools: they are used in commercials to produce innovative video content and offer new perspectives. Disruption potential: high

Drones as a hub of emerging technologies: integrated with other technologies (such as VR/AR*, cloud, IoT* etc), drones are opening the path to disruptive ways to gather data and market to target audiences. Disruption potential: huge!

#marketing #advertising #tech #drones #drone #dji #dronefly #dronephotography #dronelife #dronegear #aerialphotography #aerial #quadcopter #camera #film #dronestagram #gopro #fpv #freeflysystems #videography #djiglobal #djiphantom #dronesdaily #startup #startups #creative #webdesign

What’s the difference between CX and UX?

The difference between CX and UX? You Better Know

Customer loyalty has changed significantly in the last decade. Businesses exist in an increasingly customer-led environment: the rapid evolution of technology, along with a coming-of-age of millennial consumers has had a transformative effect on customer expectations. And one of the biggest components of this expectation is the idea of customer experience.

Customer experience (CX) is the sum of all interactions a customer has with your business, and should be distinguished from user experience (UX), which is the experience that the user (your customer) has with a specific product or service of yours.

When we talk about user experience (UX) – using our tech startup in Manchester as the example – we’re talking about desktop software, mobile apps and the website browser that your customer encounters and interacts with. We need to ask the following questions: How intuitive is the interface? Is it easy to use and navigate? Is it clear in its information architecture? Does it solve the correct problem? Does it provide the right service?

Any business that wishes to remain competitive in this new landscape needs to understand the difference between customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX), and be able to adapt their business practices accordingly.

So, why is customer experience more important than ever? Research from former Gartner analyst Esteban Kolsky has suggested that 55 percent of customers are willing to pay more for a guaranteed good experience. Only 1 out of 26 unhappy customers complain. The rest churn. Absence of feedback or complaints doesn’t necessarily mean satisfaction – indifference really is the opposite of love. Sixty-seven percent of customers cite bad experiences as reason for churn and it is six to seven times more expensive for companies to attract new customers than to keep existing customers.

Whatever your business, be it a burger joint in Manhattan or a small tech firm in Manchester, you need to provide value and differentiation. That’s how you stand out in any market – even the most crowded. And today, it seems that customer experience is the last source of differentiation. So, be outstanding.

Let’s look in more detail at how CX differs from UX and why that matters to you, and more importantly, to your customers.
As stated previously, CX takes into account the entire experience that your customer has when they deal with you and your brand, not solely the product. Yes, in the old days that meant walking into your burger place and rating the food, the service and the price. This would be the whole of the customer experience, right? It’s the same basic principle, but now what a customer can rate you on is much broader, and crucially they can decide not to walk into your business way before they even see the restaurant or the menu. Points to consider are: What is the first point of contact for your potential customers? How easy is it for customers to find answers to their questions? How pleasant and professional is the interaction process? Do they feel positive about their overall experience and everything associated with your organization? What role is new media, like Facebook and Twitter, having on your customer points of contact?

What makes your users ‘users’ (or the person eating at the burger restaurant) is that they are involved in using your product. What makes them customers has to do with everything else. What’s important to keep in mind is your customers’ entire journey with your organization. In fact, your customer may not even use your service before they are turned off: CX takes in potential customers and their experiences before they put hands near wallets. The customer journey now begins much sooner than it might have even five years ago. Thanks to things like social media and the digital transformation at large, customers can now encounter your business in a wider variety of ways and can be delighted or put off before they even get near your product.

If UX is one important pillar under the roof of CX, then both are very important. If your UX is poor, then people will think twice about your services. However, even if your website is fast and well signposted, your app convenient to use, your burger the best in town, if you have an ill-tempered or unprofessional customer service team at the helm when someone calls to inquire or complain, you are going to struggle to attract the numbers your product deserves, or to cement such loyalty as we mentioned above.

So, like any complicated relationship, UX and CX need each other in more ways than we might at first realize. Both are vital parts of your business’s growth, so don’t mix them up: treat them with the attention that they deserve, and you’ll reap the benefits.

original article

#webdesign #socialmediamarketing #design #website #branding #graphicdesign #marketing #webdesigner #web #brand #socialmedia #graphicdesigner #business #entrepreneur #seo #digitalmarketing #art #webdevelopment #inspiration #startup #contentmarketing #entrepreneurs #startups #creative #technology #digitalmarketing #social #brand #smallbusiness #thehonosgroup

How design can boost clients' profits

How design can boost clients' profits

For a client, the success of a design project usually hinges not on acclaim, but sums. No matter how many Yellow Pencils, social media mentions or column inches a project tots up, it’s hard for a client to see true value for money unless the work boosts their profits by generating cold, hard cash.

According to a 2013 report by the Design Council, for every £1 a client spends on design, they reap over £4 in net operating profit, over £20 net turnover and over £5 in net exports. The same study also reveals that two-thirds of companies that ignore design have to compete mainly on price, whereas that’s true of only one third where design is integral to the business.

Earn more with the designer's guide to money!

To designers, the benefits of creative work are obvious, but convincing a client that it will yield a return on investment requires tangible statistics from previous outcomes. However, whether it’s a commercial campaign that shifted a larger than average volume of products, a charity campaign that raised a considerable sum of money or a high-profile rebrand that can be credited for helping reverse the fortunes of a business, measuring effectiveness can be a slippery task. 

Part of the problem is that design work rarely exists in a vacuum. Separating the power of a well-timed rebrand from the appeal of a good product or service, and the consumer trends surrounding it, is often nigh-on impossible. It might be possible to measure a packaging design overhaul's impact on sales figures, but a rebrand is an investment that could take years to pay off – and sometimes in ways that aren’t immediately apparent or easy to measure.

Laying the right foundations

Dedicating some time to assessing brand health before you even start thinking about the creative side is an investment that will pay dividends when it comes to measuring how much you’ve improved a client’s bottom line. When it comes to qualitative data, interviews and focus groups that establish desirability, satisfaction and aesthetics are the keystones of ROI measurement – but when calculating bang for buck, quantitative metrics need to be finely tuned to the client’s business objectives. 

“I think where design fails a lot is where it doesn’t connect to organizational goals,” says Hulse & Durrell partner Greg Durrell, whose rebrand of the Canadian Olympic Team led to overwhelming financial and social success. “If you start with aesthetics and style, it’s not going to create meaningful change. Knowing where the business needs to go can really help define your path.”

The strength of a brand overhaul isn’t just in the finished outcome

How you define success – as well as your approach, and most likely the creative itself – is going to be different depending on whether your client wants to sell more products, break into a new market, increase its attractiveness to sponsors or buyers, cultivate brand loyalty or amplify social media clout. But remember, the strength of a brand overhaul isn’t just in the finished outcome, but in helping clients see their strengths and weaknesses, and streamlining their operation throughout the process. 

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” adds Durrell. “Foundational branding work is largely about the long-term goal, but what rebrands can do is be that rallying point for an organization to change.”

Next page: discover four ways in which design can help contribute to a client’s financial health...

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10 Perceptions Outdated Websites Create That Damage Credibility

10 Perceptions Outdated Websites Create That Damage Credibility

1. “They’re going out of business”

Where’s the latest blog? Press release? Social media status? Upcoming sale? New product release?

“No news is good news” is certainly not applicable here.

This silence gets people wondering if the company is dying a slow death (even if their books show skyrocketing profitability!)

2: “Their customer support will be terrible”

If customer support is imperative to an organization, don’t you think their website should make it easy to get that support?

“78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience.” (Source: American Express Survey, 2011)

Outdated websites come laced with wrong phone numbers, hidden email addresses, broken contact forms and confusing navigation — all red flags, especially to a prospective customer.

3. “The company must be OK with the status quo”

Consumer expectations are high, especially in retail. “Shoppers want to experience a brand online as they do within the store.”

A company OK with an outdated website feels like a company OK with just doing enough to get by. Technology companies in particular might be labeled “status quo” which cheapens their products/services.

4. “They just aren’t with it”

Though being “with it” is difficult to translate into practical meaning (and sounds like teenager speak), it’s still a gut reaction that damages credibility.

Being “with it” could mean a variety of things, but my guess it’s related to the website’s design — a factor with significant persuasion.

Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab found that almost half (46%) of people say a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning credibility.

5. “They have technology incompetence”

We all live in the Digital Age, but using technology isn’t always easy.

A recent WSJ study found more than half (54%) of small to mid-sized businesses are concerned with “technology outpacing their ability to compete”.

Technology can’t be ignored. Especially on a website.

Outdated websites typically run old technologies (e.g. Flash, Frames, Hit Counters) and give the impression the company hasn’t left 1999. This creates the perception that the company faces similar technology incompetence — which impacts almost every single aspect of today’s business.

6. “They won’t keep my data safe and secure”

An outdated website tends to forget about the details, even the critical ones like keeping their SSL certificate renewed (which allows the URL to securely shift to https://).

Negligence with security (like an expired SSL certificate) leads to skepticism when giving up sensitive information such as name, email address, phone number and — especially — debit/credit card information.

7. “They must not be proud of their company”

When you interact with an updated and lively website, you can almost feel it. The company’s executives (especially if there’s thought leadership) and their employees feel proud to be part of things.

The website is an extension of their organization.

Outdated websites don’t represent organizations well because they send an apathetic message — which might not be an accurate measure of pride within the organization.

8. “There’s no buzz”

Most people like to buy from companies that are exciting and have a “buzz” to them. I’m sure you’ve heard of Apple?

This buzz is especially important in the B2C (Business to Consumer) sector where emotion has a dramatic role in marketing. Existing and prospective customers want to — sometimes unknowingly — be part of something buzzworthy.

This brand excitement is hard to see and hear without an updated website.

9. “They’re not good enough for my money.”

This perception feels a bit harsh, but I’m getting the impression that consumers just don’t care anymore. An organization with an outdated website is simply, bad business.

This study found that 35% of consumer walked away from a small business because of its poor website. Let me repeat. Over 1/3 of them WALKED AWAY.

The old fashioned business approach can only go so far without a solid website

10. “I could never work for a company like this”

An outdated website will impact a company’s ability to attract, recruit and retain talent. I know this perception exists because I’ve seen it first hand with my clients

One client’s leadership was galvanized because a hot recruit verbally trashed their outdated website, and another (Stanford Careers) made it clear that it was the #1 reason for hiring ProtoFuse.

An amazing work culture and competitive pay may, in fact, be a reality for a recruit, but this perception stops the conversation from even starting.

original article