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Kirby Media Design

Your One-Stop Solution for
Internet Presence Development,
Maintenance & Other Communication Needs

217-737-6768   info@kirbymediadesign.com

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Frequently Asked Questions

 
Why do I need an internet presence?
What services do you offer?
What do I have to do in the process of creating an internet presence?
Why do you call it an "internet presence?" Aren’t you just talking about a web site?
How much will it cost?
Why do you keep mentioning maintenance?
No, seriously...how much will it cost?
What about hidden costs?
Is there any special equipment or software I need to buy?
How can I find out more information?
 

Why do I need an internet presence?

The statistics about consumer use of the internet is well-documented. For example, a 2007 study found that 60 percent of consumers used the internet to search for information before making a purchasing decision. Having a web site with information about your business allows consumers to obtain information 24/7, perhaps after putting the kids to bed at night or early in the morning before heading to work. They can browse photos of products, learn more about the services you offer, and obtain basic information about your business…all before they step in the door. And through the use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook, you can communicate directly with self-selected customers (translation: customers who are interested in receiving information from your organization...which means they are more likely to partake of the goods/services you offer).

Kirby Media Design can create a unique internet presence for your business or organization to assist you in reaching customers.

Does your staff seem to spend a significant amount of time on the phone answering the same questions ("Where are you located?" "What methods of payment/financing do you accept?" "Do you offer [product/service]?" "What are your hours?") over and over? Having an internet presence about your business on-line allows customers to find that information on their own, thus cutting down the time your workers devote to answering such questions and freeing them to work on other tasks.

The more knowledgeable a customer is about your business and the services you offer, the better informed they will be when they visit your store. As a result, they should have a better idea of the particular products and services you offer, thereby making their shopping experience with you more positive and increasing their satisfaction.

Kirby Media Design is here to help you develop and maintain a unique internet presence that allows you to connect with customers seeking information about your business or organization.

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What services do you offer?

At Kirby Media Design, we will handle all the tasks related to the creation, development, and maintenance of your internet presence. A general listing of these tasks includes:

  • Search and register your domain name; in other words, we'll see what "names" (like www.kirbymediadesign.com) are available for your web site and set up yours for you.
  • Set up emails for you and any of your staff using your domain name.
  • Construct and upload the pages of your web site.
  • Create/shoot/edit any graphics, photos or videos for your web site.
  • Generate PDF (portable document format) files you'd like available through your website (such as forms that customers routinely complete).
  • Assign keywords that will make it easier for customers to find your web site when searching the internet.
  • Register your web site with major search engines used by consumers, as well as with any trade organizations.
  • Build your social networking media (such as Twitter and Facebook) presence.

This is a listing of many of the tasks we handle, but this list is not exhaustive. Kirby Media Design does strive to handle all aspects of developing your internet presence, but feel free to contact us if you have a question about a particular procedure that isn't listed above.

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What do I have to do in the process of creating an internet presence?

The overall goal of Kirby Media Design is to make the process as pain-free and labor-free for you as possible (sort of like the old Greyhound Bus advertising slogan of “you leave the driving to us”).

Obviously, in order to learn more about your business and what you desire in an internet presence, we’ll need to meet with you and perhaps some of the staff members on the “front line” of working with customers. If there are particular logos, photos, or documents you want included, you’ll need to provide those. And if you’re going to provide any particular content (such as a welcome statement or a monthly column about a topic related to your business, for example), obviously you’ll have to supply that.

But other than that, Kirby Media Design will handle the rest. We’ll register your domain name, set up any social media accounts you desire, create your email account(s), and build your web site. We’ll take and edit any pictures or videos, create PDF files from any particular forms you’d like to offer to customers, produce any graphics specific for your web site…in essence, we’ll handle all the work in developing your internet presence from concept to reality.

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Why do you call it an “internet presence?” Aren’t you just talking about a web site?

Not too long ago, having a web site was the by far the dominant way to reach consumers via the internet. And by having a web site, a business can effectively place information online for customers to find when they search the internet.

Suppose, however, you’re starting a big promotion next Monday, and the information publicizing it will be placed on your web site Monday morning. Maybe there’s a customer searching online Sunday evening for information about the very product that’s going on sale at your business Monday morning. Because that person searched Sunday evening, however, they won’t know about that promotion unless they happen to search again. Wouldn’t it be nice to have other, cost-efficient ways to publicize in such cases, especially if the message was going to reach the specific consumer interested in your product?

In the past few years, new technologies have emerged that allow an organization to do just that. The social networks of Facebook and Twitter are being used more and more by companies to target consumers interested in their business and its products and services. In such settings, the consumer selects to receive information, so—unlike a mass mailing campaign--you know you’re sending it to someone who is interested in receiving the information.

However, care must be taken not to abuse this means of communication. If a business sets up a Twitter account, then overwhelms followers with too many messages in a short period of time, chances are that will be a turn-off to the potential customer. Similarly, if an organization sets up a Facebook account and then posts item after item to the point that the information disproportionately clutters up the consumer’s page, the consumer will probably exclude themselves from receiving more information.

Social networking tools are an effective means of reaching customers, but they must be used with care. A balance must be achieved between maintaining a presence with consumers and bombarding them with information to the point they become annoyed (think in terms of “quality versus quantity”). At Kirby Media Design, we can help you utilize these social networking tools in addition to creating a web site, thus resulting in a multi-faceted internet presence that will assist you in reaching customers more effectively.

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How much will it cost?

Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to just put a price how much is costs to develop an internet presence.

To ask, “How much will a web site cost?” is similar to asking, “How much does a house cost?” or “How much does a car cost?” With a house, there are all kinds of considerations that figure in to cost, such as size and materials; a one-bedroom, one-bathroom house is going to cost significantly less than a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom model. With a vehicle, several factors influence price as well: size, engine size, accessories, and options; an economy car is going to cost significantly less than a luxury vehicle with a larger engine and all the whistles and bells.

The same philosophy can be applied to the cost of a web site. A site that is only a few pages with mostly textual information will be quicker to build than one with lots of images, videos, and animated graphics.

Some web development companies charge “per page” or “per task,” but that isn’t the philosophy at Kirby Media Design. If we’re on the clock working on your web presence, then we’re on the clock…period. We’re not going to charge you more to edit a digital video and place it on your web site or to develop a customized, animated graphic for you. And we’re not going to bill you in rigid intervals of quarter-hours or half-hours; if we work on something that takes five minutes, shouldn’t your cost only be for five minutes of labor? The same thing goes for maintenance and upkeep of your internet presence: some companies will charge a certain amount to maintain your site, but then offer a lower rate if you utilize some other particular service of theirs. If they can charge you the lower rate and still operate profitably at that cost, then why don’t they simply charge that rate to begin with?

Our prices are our prices at Kirby Media Design, no matter whether we are involved in building your initial site or, just as importantly, working on maintenance of your internet presence.

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Why do you keep mentioning maintenance?

In a recent survey, over 40 percent of consumers indicated that they were frustrated with a lack of information when searching the internet about a particular business, product, or service. This frustration comes not only from a deficiency of information, but also from inaccurate or outdated information as well.

How many times have you gone online for information about a particular company or product only to find something out of date? Suppose your company changes its hours of operation, and a customer visits your store only to find you were closed because your web site showed your former hours of operation. How likely do you think that customer is to come back after such a frustrating experience?

One of the most common mistakes with developing an internet presence is that people think of it as a product rather than as a process. In other words, people mistakenly believe that once a web site is put online, it’s “done.”

However, businesses grow and change, whether it’s by offering new products and services, or by running a particular promotion or sale. If you don’t update and maintain your internet presence with current, correct information, what is the point in making it available to customers?

It bears repeating: developing an internet presence is a process. Compare developing an internet presence with owning a car. Suppose someone buys a car but does nothing to maintain it-—never changes the oil, never rotates the tires, never checks the fluids, etc. That car will probably function well initially and for awhile, but after a period of time, it will start to become less and less efficient. Eventually, significant issues will arise to the point that it will be costly to repair or replace.

The same will hold true for a company's internet presence. If an organization develops an internet presence but does not maintain and update it consistently in a timely manner, it will also become less and less effective over time. The more outdated information becomes, the more customers generally become frustrated and dissatisfied.

At Kirby Media Design, we are just as concerned with the maintenance of your internet presence. If your web presence becomes outdated and doesn't reflect well on your business or organization, then that doesn't reflect well on us. When clients utilize Kirby Media Design to maintain their web presence, we will check with your business on a regular basis to see if any updates are needed based on new products or services you offer, promotions you are running, or feedback from staff and customers.

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No, seriously...how much will it cost?

As mentioned above, without knowing the scale and specifics of the web presence you desire, it is virtually impossible to determine a cost. Also, as previously stated, not only is it important for a web presence to be appropriately developed, it must be properly maintained.

The cost of developing and maintaining an effective web presence is also unique in that, during the initial development, significantly more time is spent on developing the initial internet presence than is required for its maintenance and upkeep. Consequently, the comparative cost for the initial development is much higher than the expense for maintaining the internet presence.

Kirby Media Design understands that it is difficult for any business owner to come up with a significant capital outlay to cover the costs associated with developing an effective internet presence. Due to the disproportionate difference between costs in between initial development and maintenance, Kirby Media Design has created a plan to help businesses be able to afford these costs.

Click here to contact Kirby Media Design for more information.

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What about hidden costs?

As mentioned above, Kirby Media Design is your one-stop shop for developing a unique internet presence for your business or organization. And, as also mentioned above, we won't charge you anything extra for the different tasks related to the development and maintenance of your internet presence.

The price you are quoted will be valid for the duration of the agreement. When we quote you a price, that is the price you'll pay. We won't add costs for editing pictures or converting documents to PDF files as we create your web presence. If you agree to have Kirby Media Design maintain your web presence, we won't add charges if you want new pictures added to your web site or your social media presence revised.

We can't say it any more plainly than this: there are no hidden costs.

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Is there any special equipment or software I need to buy?

No, we aren't going to sell you any computers, monitors, printers, or software. As your one-stop shop for developing your internet presence, Kirby Media Design already has all the necessary resources--computer, scanner, cameras, software.

We're in the business of developing your internet presence, not selling computers or software. If you have computer questions or needs, we'll be glad to offer recommendations. But the goal of Kirby Media Design is to make the development and maintenance of your internet presence as as pain-free as possible.

As with the questions above in regard to hidden costs, the response here is in the same vein: no, there are no computers, software, or other equipment you need to buy in order for us to develop and maintain your internet presence.

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How can I find out more information?

As mentioned throughout our web site, each business or organization is different and has unique needs and requirements for its internet presence. The needs of a restaurant, an automobile dealership, a veterinary office, and a community service organization will all have different and specific needs for the development and maintenance of a web presence.

To find out more about what would be involved in developing an internet presence for your business or organization, click here.

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This site was last updated 3/14/2010 12:32 am

webmaster@kirbymediadesign.com