

December 2007 Company News \| From the Desk of \| Industry News Special Offer \| In-Depth Learning Zerion announces program to train up-and-coming talent In today’s fast-paced, cut-throat world, we often think employee loyalty is dead, and turnover makes us hesitate to invest in development. But building leaders from within can create an environment of trust, loyalty and growth, not to mention a long-term plan for success. Zerion is pleased to make a management in training program available to our clients. A formal program is a great way to identify high potential talent and build a development process that encourages them to stick around; however, organizations often don’t have the time, experience or resources to institute one. Zerion has over 20 classes in our curriculum that can be customized to suit your company's needs, while providing central management and direction, and a focus on aligning development with business objectives. If you would like to find out more about the program please contact Alonzo Williams at alonzo.williams@zeriongroup.com or 321.239.4509. Back to Top Brad Riley This month, I would like to touch upon strides that Zerion is making to continue providing the excellent service our customers have come to expect. Throughout the realm of software consulting and installation, it is necessary to plan a project from start to finish and, at any moment, convey exactly how the project is proceeding. Zerion is continuing to improve itself by utilizing practices and software to better suit the customers’ needs. Just recently, Zerion implemented a new Web-based software called QuickArrow that allows us to better manage installs, schedules and training. There are many facets of this software, but most notably is the ability for the customer to also become involved in the project planning aspect. If a customer requests, we can create a secure login and password that allows the customer to simply login through the Internet and follow along with the project as tasks become completed. It is even possible for the customer to control the project plan, if desired. By placing this power and information in the hands of the customer, it keeps project costs down, people meeting deadlines, tasks being completed on time, and ultimately, projects on schedule. Back to Top What’s happening with distribution, software and business? Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting: Business Travel: What's Changing IT Spending to See Slow Start in 2008, According to New Survey SAP Puts a Web 2.0 Spin on CRM Upgrade Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html Back to Top Get a FREE 2-hour Webinar of your choice ... Haven’t used us before? Try us free with a 2-hour Webinar of your choice. Offer good through January 31st. If you have used us, last month’s referral offer is still good through the end of the year. Contact Tony King for more information. Back to Top December White Paper The Internet has consumed our society. It is by far the most common resource people call on for information, education and purchasing. But not all businesses have kept up with the pace of digitization and have an ineffective Web presence, or lack one altogether. Zerion has helped clients in developing an effective Web presence and this month, we’ve prepared an educational white paper that outlines seven basic strategies for how to do it. Seven Considerations for Developing an Effective Web Presence It’s no secret that in today’s world of instant information, an effective Web presence plays an integral role in the life of your company. For many of us, the Internet is our primary source of information. From simple driving instructions to complex research questions, the Web is a powerful tool with the potential to provide significant leverage for your business. In order to maximize the power of the Internet and its impact on your target audience, you must pay careful attention to your online presence and the image it projects. In the eyes of a great many, who you are on the Web is who you are in the real world; your virtual presence is a direct reflection of your brick and mortar existence and understanding this is the first step in developing a successful site. Message Often overlooked in the Web development process, messaging is one of the most important facets of your site. Developing key messages and goals that your site is built around are critical if you want to compel your target audience to take action. Before even thinking about the design of your site, you should define the words that represent who you are, what you do and what makes you different. Your site should be focused on communicating that message, with primary focus on your position in the marketplace. You should also determine what your goals are for the site – are you trying to sell something online, get someone to contact you, collect leads, or something else? Your site goals should later result in specific calls to action that are strategically placed throughout your site. Framework Before beginning any Web development project it is important to understand the goals behind the build in order to develop an appropriate framework. 1. Who is your audience? Who are you trying to reach and what will it take to get their attention … and keep it? 2. What are they looking for? Some websites are built to sell; others are built to inform. Which is yours? The navigation, copy and technology will all be dependant on answers to these and other questions surrounding your audience and their needs. 3. How do you intend to maintain your site? Some sites are built, launched and then left to slowly fade away in the infinite sea of virtual information. Keeping your Web presence relevant means keeping your site fresh and your content updated. But before you can commit to doing that you need to know how it’s going to get done. Do you want to use a content management system? Do you want to bring it in-house with your own Web developer? Do you want to outsource to a third party? 4. Is your business positioned to grow? This may not seem like an architectural question, but the future growth plans of your company can have a great impact on the design of your Web site. If you anticipate expansion in your brick and mortar operation, you need to plan for it in your virtual operation so you don’t wind up with a site that’s irrelevant and outmoded after 12 months. 5. What is your hosting arrangement? An important part of the development process is choosing a host, or a place to house the files that make up your site, so that they can be accessible via the Internet. Sometimes this is done internally, and sometimes (primarily for small or mid-sized businesses) this function is outsourced. You need to make sure you understand the specifics of your hosting agreement, including space and bandwidth, and that you are partnered with someone you can trust, as well as the technologies available to you BEFORE you begin the build. Design Once the architecture of your site has been laid out you can begin to address the design phase; this is when you take your framework and give it an exterior that will motivate your audience and inspire them to act. Layout How you lay your site out is as important as the content you put on it. Why? If your layout is not user-friendly, it won’t get used. Your content won’t be seen and your time and effort will be all for nothing. The layout should be clean, navigation should be logical and intuitive and it should never take more than two clicks to get anywhere on your site. Flash The use of Flash for animated graphics and other interactivity can add value and visual appeal to your site; but it should never be used as a stand-alone platform. Sites that are built entirely in Flash are incredibly difficult to index and that can hurt your search rankings. Flash is nice, but keep it to a minimum. Graphics People love great pictures. So don’t build a site that doesn’t have any. If your site is visually appealing, visitors will stay longer and look around. If the images relate directly to your unique selling proposition, they will lend more weight to your argument. Video Video is not a necessity, but it has been shown to enhance retention and usability. If you have videos that make sense, talk to your Web developer about getting them into a format that can be embedded directly onto your page for easy viewing. Development If there is one lesson to be learned here it's that content is king. You can never spend too much time on crafting your message and developing your calls to action. After all, that’s why you have a site in the first place. When it comes to your site map and navigation, you must always keep in mind the ease of use and the logic behind pages and names. If the names or descriptions don’t make sense and the links are hard to find, no one will visit the pages. Content that is to be included in your site should never be viewed as finite. Always develop a site with room for additions or subtractions. What is relevant to your customers one day may not be the next, so prepare yourself ahead of time and you will save in the end. Optimization In a nutshell, optimizing your site for search means developing the architecture and content in such a way as to make your site easy for search engines to index. Developing targeted key words, writing content and keyword rich copy, following search engine best practices rules and updating your site regularly with relevant information will help boost organic search rankings and minimize the need for paid search marketing campaigns. Launch Once your site has been developed, optimized and tested, the final step is launching. There is indeed such a thing as launching too soon and it should be avoided at all costs to minimize the risk of leaving visitors with a bad first impression. Your site should be thoroughly tested in a secure location, away from prying eyes until it is ready for the world to see. Once that happens you should aggressively market your new online image to everyone in your contact list. Driving traffic to your site is one of the most effective ways of getting it seen by decision-makers likely to convert into a customer base. Maintenance Now that your site is up and people are coming to see it – and hopefully hanging around for a while – you need to keep your content relevant and up to date. This will keep the search engine spiders visiting and will aid over time in boosting your rankings. Since you addressed how this will be done in the architecture phase, all that’s left is implementing the plan and making sure it remains a high priority. Another important piece of your maintenance plan should be tracking – does your host provide a way to get reports on your site’s traffic and do you have a plan to utilize them to refine your Web presence? If not, re-evaluate your host. As we said in the beginning, developing an effective Web presence for your business is critical in today’s technology driven world. But by following a few simple steps and finding a partner than understands your needs, you can translate your real world business into the virtual realm in a way that will inspire. Back to Top	This month’s tip gives you quick access to searching in Eclipse’s E-term. .. – Shows the last order you worked on . – Shows the last search conducted / - Include to search for products within a certain price line // - Include to search for products within a certain buy line

December 2007

Company News | From the Desk of | Industry News
Special Offer | In-Depth Learning

Zerion announces program to train up-and-coming talent
In today’s fast-paced, cut-throat world, we often think employee loyalty is dead, and turnover makes us hesitate to invest in development. But building leaders from within can create an environment of trust, loyalty and growth, not to mention a long-term plan for success.

Zerion is pleased to make a management in training program available to our clients. A formal program is a great way to identify high potential talent and build a development process that encourages them to stick around; however, organizations often don’t have the time, experience or resources to institute one.

Zerion has over 20 classes in our curriculum that can be customized to suit your company's needs, while providing central management and direction, and a focus on aligning development with business objectives.

If you would like to find out more about the program please contact Alonzo Williams at alonzo.williams@zeriongroup.com or 321.239.4509.

From the desk of Tony King Brad Riley
This month, I would like to touch upon strides that Zerion is making to continue providing the excellent service our customers have come to expect.

Throughout the realm of software consulting and installation, it is necessary to plan a project from start to finish and, at any moment, convey exactly how the project is proceeding. Zerion is continuing to improve itself by utilizing practices and software to better suit the customers’ needs.

Just recently, Zerion implemented a new Web-based software called QuickArrow that allows us to better manage installs, schedules and training. There are many facets of this software, but most notably is the ability for the customer to also become involved in the project planning aspect. If a customer requests, we can create a secure login and password that allows the customer to simply login through the Internet and follow along with the project as tasks become completed. It is even possible for the customer to control the project plan, if desired.

By placing this power and information in the hands of the customer, it keeps project costs down, people meeting deadlines, tasks being completed on time, and ultimately, projects on schedule.

What’s happening with distribution, software and business?
Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting:

Business Travel: What's Changing

IT Spending to See Slow Start in 2008, According to New Survey

SAP Puts a Web 2.0 Spin on CRM Upgrade

Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html

Get a FREE 2-hour Webinar of your choice ...
Haven’t used us before? Try us free with a 2-hour Webinar of your choice. Offer good through January 31st.

If you have used us, last month’s referral offer is still good through the end of the year. Contact Tony King for more information.

December White Paper

The Internet has consumed our society. It is by far the most common resource people call on for information, education and purchasing. But not all businesses have kept up with the pace of digitization and have an ineffective Web presence, or lack one altogether. Zerion has helped clients in developing an effective Web presence and this month, we’ve prepared an educational white paper that outlines seven basic strategies for how to do it.

Seven Considerations for Developing an Effective Web Presence

It’s no secret that in today’s world of instant information, an effective Web presence plays an integral role in the life of your company. For many of us, the Internet is our primary source of information. From simple driving instructions to complex research questions, the Web is a powerful tool with the potential to provide significant leverage for your business.

In order to maximize the power of the Internet and its impact on your target audience, you must pay careful attention to your online presence and the image it projects. In the eyes of a great many, who you are on the Web is who you are in the real world; your virtual presence is a direct reflection of your brick and mortar existence and understanding this is the first step in developing a successful site.

Message
Often overlooked in the Web development process, messaging is one of the most important facets of your site. Developing key messages and goals that your site is built around are critical if you want to compel your target audience to take action. Before even thinking about the design of your site, you should define the words that represent who you are, what you do and what makes you different. Your site should be focused on communicating that message, with primary focus on your position in the marketplace. You should also determine what your goals are for the site – are you trying to sell something online, get someone to contact you, collect leads, or something else? Your site goals should later result in specific calls to action that are strategically placed throughout your site.

Framework
Before beginning any Web development project it is important to understand the goals behind the build in order to develop an appropriate framework.

1. Who is your audience?
Who are you trying to reach and what will it take to get their attention … and keep it?

2. What are they looking for?
Some websites are built to sell; others are built to inform. Which is yours? The navigation, copy and technology will all be dependant on answers to these and other questions surrounding your audience and their needs.

3. How do you intend to maintain your site?
Some sites are built, launched and then left to slowly fade away in the infinite sea of virtual information. Keeping your Web presence relevant means keeping your site fresh and your content updated. But before you can commit to doing that you need to know how it’s going to get done. Do you want to use a content management system? Do you want to bring it in-house with your own Web developer? Do you want to outsource to a third party?

4. Is your business positioned to grow?
This may not seem like an architectural question, but the future growth plans of your company can have a great impact on the design of your Web site. If you anticipate expansion in your brick and mortar operation, you need to plan for it in your virtual operation so you don’t wind up with a site that’s irrelevant and outmoded after 12 months.

5. What is your hosting arrangement?
An important part of the development process is choosing a host, or a place to house the files that make up your site, so that they can be accessible via the Internet. Sometimes this is done internally, and sometimes (primarily for small or mid-sized businesses) this function is outsourced. You need to make sure you understand the specifics of your hosting agreement, including space and bandwidth, and that you are partnered with someone you can trust, as well as the technologies available to you BEFORE you begin the build.

Design
Once the architecture of your site has been laid out you can begin to address the design phase; this is when you take your framework and give it an exterior that will motivate your audience and inspire them to act.

Layout
How you lay your site out is as important as the content you put on it. Why? If your layout is not user-friendly, it won’t get used. Your content won’t be seen and your time and effort will be all for nothing. The layout should be clean, navigation should be logical and intuitive and it should never take more than two clicks to get anywhere on your site.

Flash
The use of Flash for animated graphics and other interactivity can add value and visual appeal to your site; but it should never be used as a stand-alone platform. Sites that are built entirely in Flash are incredibly difficult to index and that can hurt your search rankings. Flash is nice, but keep it to a minimum.

Graphics
People love great pictures. So don’t build a site that doesn’t have any. If your site is visually appealing, visitors will stay longer and look around. If the images relate directly to your unique selling proposition, they will lend more weight to your argument.

Video
Video is not a necessity, but it has been shown to enhance retention and usability. If you have videos that make sense, talk to your Web developer about getting them into a format that can be embedded directly onto your page for easy viewing.

Development
If there is one lesson to be learned here it's that content is king. You can never spend too much time on crafting your message and developing your calls to action. After all, that’s why you have a site in the first place.

When it comes to your site map and navigation, you must always keep in mind the ease of use and the logic behind pages and names. If the names or descriptions don’t make sense and the links are hard to find, no one will visit the pages.

Content that is to be included in your site should never be viewed as finite. Always develop a site with room for additions or subtractions. What is relevant to your customers one day may not be the next, so prepare yourself ahead of time and you will save in the end.

Optimization
In a nutshell, optimizing your site for search means developing the architecture and content in such a way as to make your site easy for search engines to index. Developing targeted key words, writing content and keyword rich copy, following search engine best practices rules and updating your site regularly with relevant information will help boost organic search rankings and minimize the need for paid search marketing campaigns.

Launch
Once your site has been developed, optimized and tested, the final step is launching. There is indeed such a thing as launching too soon and it should be avoided at all costs to minimize the risk of leaving visitors with a bad first impression.

Your site should be thoroughly tested in a secure location, away from prying eyes until it is ready for the world to see. Once that happens you should aggressively market your new online image to everyone in your contact list. Driving traffic to your site is one of the most effective ways of getting it seen by decision-makers likely to convert into a customer base.

Maintenance
Now that your site is up and people are coming to see it – and hopefully hanging around for a while – you need to keep your content relevant and up to date. This will keep the search engine spiders visiting and will aid over time in boosting your rankings. Since you addressed how this will be done in the architecture phase, all that’s left is implementing the plan and making sure it remains a high priority. Another important piece of your maintenance plan should be tracking – does your host provide a way to get reports on your site’s traffic and do you have a plan to utilize them to refine your Web presence? If not, re-evaluate your host.

As we said in the beginning, developing an effective Web presence for your business is critical in today’s technology driven world. But by following a few simple steps and finding a partner than understands your needs, you can translate your real world business into the virtual realm in a way that will inspire.

This month’s tip gives you quick access to searching in Eclipse’s E-term.

.. – Shows the last order you worked on
. – Shows the last search conducted
/ - Include to search for products within a certain price line
// - Include to search for products within a certain buy line