Web Strategy
Web Strategy is the translation of business goals and objectives into high-level instructions for materialising Web presense. Commisioning a Web Strategy comprises two activities:
- the establishment of a set of principles guiding the presence on the Web;
- and, the assignment of a role in the organisation responsible for the Web.
Web Strategy makes sure the methods and tactics used for the development of a Web site are aligned with the overall objectives of the organisation.
A comprehensive web marketing strategy that employs effective marketing tactics is the key to online business success. FC helps companies to plan how to attract new prospects, convert leads into sales, and maximize the lifetime value of their customers.
FC offers the following services:
- SEO/SEM:The number of existing websites makes it impossible for an SME to take advantage of Internet representation to increase business unless its website is constantly optimised and updated according to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) guidelines and techniques. Additional skills that are necessary for SMEs to be in position to take advantage of Web 2.0 to increase their business are basic skills of Online Marketing and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). FC believes that SEO/SEM makes sound business sense for SMEs because no one know their business and their customers better than they do. FC has the knowledge and experience not only to provide SEO/SEM services to SMEs, but to transfer the know-how (SEO/SEM training course) so as to allow them to be self-suffiecient and avoid repetitive costs for such services.
- Email Marketing: E-mail marketing (on the Internet) is popular due to its many advantages, as a mailing list provides the ability to distribute information to a wide range of specific, potential customers at a relatively low cost. An exact return on investment can be tracked ("track to basket") and has proven to be high when done properly. E-mail marketing is often reported as second only to search marketing as the most effective online marketing tactic. Further to this, E-mail marketing is paper-free (i.e., "green"). FC carefully designs and implements Email marketing campaigns that are fully compliant with the EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications.
- Rich Media: A broad range of digital interactive media is available today to download or embed in a webpage, but rich media presents numerous accessibility challenges. Nevertheless, rich media can be made accessible if all its elements are developed by taking into account accessibility and the final outcome is used or viewed on accessible media players. FC designs and implements accessible rich media which includes captioning, audio description, and navigation using a keyboard. FC makes use of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and the strategies and guidelines of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
- Wii Friendly Sites: FC developers use the Opera Wiimote API, allowing the development of Wii-friendly sites, applications and games. Unlike previously available methods of polling the Wiimote with Javascript, Opera’s API enables interaction with up to four Wiimotes providing for a unique interactive experience. Wiimote websites are particularly suited for educational applications (e.g. demonstrating the principles of mechanics to students) but possibilities are endless and we predict exciting developments in the near future. Join us our quest for becoming top designers of Wii friendly sites.
- Video Ads: Ads in the form of a video, rather than a banner, display or text ad can communicate messages more effectively. The popularity of online video in recent years has led to online video advertising an increasingly attractive proposition for marketers. Another exciting development in video marketing is viral video. However, can every company benefit from online video advertising? Possibly yes, if it is designed and implemented properly, but it will certainly have a negative impact if it is not. This is why at FC we are very carefull and treat each business on individual bases, analysing pros and cons of video ads and we do not suggest them to our customers unless we are certain they will have a real benefit in terms of sales. On the other hand, we do encourage video ads to promote the social phase of companies, such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions, including environmental sustainability initiatives.
- Online Surveys: Using the power of the internet thousands of respondents can be contacted instantly rather than the weeks and months it used to take to conduct interviews through telecommunication and/or mail. By conducting research online, it is possible to reach out to demographics they may not have had access to when using other methods. Websites that support real time voting, such as the ASK500PEOPLE and BUZZDASH constitute alternative solutions that provide for the measuring of the acceptance of opinions with regard to any subject while the measurement process can conclude within an interval of hours. International voting of this kind are fascinating but they can have bigger value, more interest and usefulness, examining issues of importance to specific local societies. In this case, issues of local interest are submitted for voting in the local language, allowing the authorities to have a better perception with regard to the desires and demands of the citizens of a specific area. At the same time, corporations can conduct a quick and costless market validation for the attractiveness of their products and services at a local market. This is where FC distringuishes itself from other companies offering online surveys, by taking online suveys a step further through localisation.
- Web Statistics & Metrics: Web analytics provides data on the number of visitors, page views etc to gauge the popularity of the sites which will help to do the market research. FC help companies use Web analytics applications to measure the results of traditional print advertising campaigns, using both categories of web analytics; off-site and on-site web analytics. Off-site web analytics refers to web measurement and analysis of a website's potential audience (opportunity), share of voice (visibility), and buzz (comments) that is happening on the Internet as a whole. On-site web analytics measure a visitor's journey once on the website. This includes its drivers and conversions; for example, which landing pages encourage people to make a purchase. On-site web analytics measures the performance of the website in a commercial context. This data is typically compared against key performance indicators for performance, and used to improve a web site or marketing campaign's audience response.
- Training and Consulting: FC provides training on how to use the Internet and computer applications, and consulting services to help determine how best to use technology to meet goals. One of the trainings offered by FC is the SEO/SEM-orientated training targeting solely SMEs and their needs with respect to effective and competitive Internet representation. Online media consulting companies ask substantial amounts of money for analysing SEO needs and optimising websites of SMEs. Additionally, the offered workshops and seminars are not cheap and are not necessarily focused on the specific needs of SMEs but rather on the needs of enterprises of bigger size and turn over. Therefore, especially when taking into account that there are plenty of SEO/SEM techniques that do not require specialised knowledge and are not complex to apply, it makes sense for SMEs to attempt to optimise their Internet representation themselves. The SEO/SEM training course was specifically designed to address this.
Social Web Strategies
FC helps companies understand the social web and the challenges and opportunities of participative technologies. More specifically, FC helps its clients to:
- Define how to make best use of the technologies and strategies of the social web for marketing and collaboration, develop relationships and conduct web-based business operations.
- Understand the important factors of participative technologies as communications become more web-mediated. This enables clients to benefit from the transparency facilitated by the technology and motivating the increasing requirement for innovative presence and individuality in the globally networked market.
- Create innovative strategies for efficient use of the web through the merging of deep web marketing experience, social media, online collaboration and web development, with an equally deep experience in business and strategy planning, and in organisation and community development.
- Use online participative environments and web-based knowledge systems to power organisational business models.
FC provides strategic web consulting comprising the elaboration on social media strategies and planning, as well as the design and implementation of powerful solutions related to web site and web application design and development.