How important is Responsive Web Design?

How important is Responsive Web Design, you ask. Very important, we say. As smartphone and tablet adoption rapidly increases, so does the importance of mobile-friendly websites. Also, these devices are being used not just for surfing, but for online shopping as well. There is ample data to support this fast growing trend. According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KPMG report the number of mobile internet users in India grew from 173 million in December 2014 to 213 million users by end of June 2015. This number is expected to reach 314 million by 2017. The average mobile app usage in India has grown by at least 131%, far outpacing the global growth rate. The shift from e-commerce to m-commerce and more engagement with mobile shopping, news and personalized apps are factors responsible for the growth.

One cannot ignore these numbers and lose out in an already competitive market. It would be a shame to get visitors to your site, and then lose them to poor website design.

While we are stressing on the importance, some of you may be wondering what it is exactly. Responsive Web Design is a collection of techniques that allow a website to flex and adapt to the size of screen it’s being viewed on. Someone opening your site on a small smartphone will be shown the same site as the person opening it on their laptop but the site will have noticed the constraints and automatically reformatted to give the user an experience better suited to their device.

It simply means a website that has been constructed so that all of the content, images and structure of the site remain the same on any device. No more loading a huge website and having to zoom in and out to find the content you’re looking for. Responsive web design takes into account interaction too and makes your site easier to use by acknowledging and integrating things like touch screens to aid navigation. With a responsive website design, you don’t have to have worry about having different websites for various devices or making sure that your site runs properly on a mobile device.

There are certain misconceptions when it comes to Responsive Web Design, that prevent people from adopting it.

1.There’s no rush to switch now – The world is quickly changing how it accesses the web and as mobile usage rapidly increases, the more important it is to make the switch. You don’t want to be left behind.

2.It’s too expensive – In reality, the cost is no different from other website types, and in the long run you may find that the reduced maintenance costs far outweigh any other site.

3.It won’t look as good on desktops – Actually, responsive web design looks great on mobile devices, but it looks just as good on desktops.

4.I pay for my ads, organic ranking isn’t important – 70-80% of users ignores the paid ads and only click organic. It’s also a waste of money if your paid ad gets a click on a mobile device, but your page is not optimized for it.

If you’re still not convinced, here is a list of major advantages that come with going with Responsive Web Design:

1.Gearing up for the future – Responsive sites work well across the multitude of existing devices on the market. As internet traffic originating from mobile devices is rising exponentially each day, and as people increasingly get used to browsing the web through their smartphones and tablets, the “One Site Fits All Devices” approach will soon be the norm.

2.Enhanced user experience – Designing your site for optimal viewing experience, no matter the device makes the user’s life easier. Thus, responsive web design is about providing the best user experience irrespective of whether they use a desktop computer, a smartphone, a tablet or a smart-TV.

3.Cost Effective – While the cost to make a responsive website is somewhat more than making a conventional website, the expenses to duplicate a website for mobile and other devices gets completely eliminated, as a result total development costs come down, significantly. Also, they survive longer and the unified approach means management, support and upgrades need to be applied to one place only, instead of multiple sites for multiple devices, thus saving time and money in the long run.

4.Optimised for Google – Google states that Responsive Web Design is its recommended mobile configuration, and even refers to Responsive Web Design as the industry best practice. This is because responsive design sites have one URL and the same HTML, regardless of device, which makes it easier and more efficient for Google to crawl, index, and organize content. Additionally, Google is now focussing on the user experience and wants to return search results that will enhance that irrespective of the device used. Websites that do provide a better user experience through well written content and a well-designed user interface across multiple devices including mobile phones and tablets will take priority in searches, thereby improving their Google ranking.

5.Higher conversion rates – An optimised and consistent site, no matter which platform it’s viewed on, provides a better experience for the user which is more likely to lead to them engaging with you than going elsewhere. These direct results can be seen on Google Analytics as well.

6.Flexible – Responsive Web Design sites are fluid, meaning the content moves freely across all screen resolutions and all devices. Both the grids and the images are fluid. This flexibility makes it agnostic to devices and their operating systems. As a result website owners and content publishers don’t have to build versions of their website for every popular device platform that they expect their audience might be using.

7.Easy to manage – Having a separate desktop and mobile site requires having separate SEO campaigns. Managing one site and one SEO campaign is far easier than managing multiple SEO campaigns. This is a key advantage a responsive website has over a separate mobile site. Also, a separate mobile site is not a requirement for a mobile-specific SEO strategy, as mobile-specific keywords can be incorporated into a responsive design site as well.

8.Staying ahead of competition – Outpacing your competition is the key to surviving and thriving in the highly competitive business world. You have to grab every opportunity you get, however small it may seem. Having a Responsive Website that offers a great user experience across multiple devices could be what sets you apart from your competitors.

If you want to be where your customers are, then Responsive Web Design is the way ahead, as it is fast evolving from being a trend to being the norm.

E-mail Marketing Tips`

An often over looked marketing strategy is e-mail marketing. Researchers predict e-mail promotions can boost customer acquisition by 7 percent a year and increase sales. E-mail campaigns are almost as effective as organic searches for driving audiences to brands.

E-mail marketing is a cost-effective and powerful tool for small businesses to win more clients, and keep in touch with existing customers. Anyone who has ever shared an e-mail address with you at some point is much more likely to convert into a customer (if he or she hasn’t already) than someone who has never had an interaction with your business at all. Having an established mailing list and consistent frequency allows businesses to gauge what strategy and messaging works best.

Before creating an e-mail marketing campaign, here are some valuable tips that will help you make optimum use of this strategy:

1.Creating and managing the list – The first step in this process is to create a list of existing or potential clients to mail. The easiest way is to have a form on your website/at your physical establishment where people can enter their e-mail addresses and some additional basic information. Use every opportunity possible to build your list: events, web pages, blogs, conferences, point of sale—whatever is most relevant and available. To get people to provide you with their e-mail addresses, you have to offer something that they find beneficial – tips, sales discounts etc.

It may seem that having a large number of subscribers and e-mailing all of them is a good strategy, but not necessarily. It’s far more effective to contact the right people, i.e. those would be interested in hearing what you have to say.

Segment your list to be relevant and effective. Different people may have signed up to receive your newsletters for different reasons. For instance, existing customers and potential clients, the communication to both groups will differ. Edit your content accordingly to ensure that it is customised to meet the requirements of the various segments.

2.Quality and effective content – Your e-mail campaign is only as good as the content. Publish content that is of value to the recipient or else your e-mails are bound to get ignored. If people have signed up for your newsletters, they are looking for information that is of use to them, and not to be spammed. You don’t want your frequent e-mails with irrelevant content to be ignored and finally unsubscribed to. Also, make sure your e-mails are well written and have a personal touch. E-mails that sound automated are bound to be considered as spam.

What are the best possible elements of an effective e-mail promotion?
According to research, there are optimal numbers of images and lines of text small businesses should include in e-mail marketing campaigns to optimize their click-through rates. The numbers vary by industry, but on an average 20 lines and three images per e-mail are recommended as a good standard for optimal click-through rates in an e-mail promotion.

3.Timing and Consistency – Research reveals that not all times are good to send an e-mail blast. Get an idea of the appropriate time to send out e-mails, depending on whether it is work related or personal. This small step could make all the difference and lead to higher conversion rates. Usually, people check their work e-mails first thing in the morning and/or around lunch time on weekdays. For business to consumer e-mails, post 5 pm on weekdays and over the weekends are the best times.

Once you have a schedule in place, stick to it and be consistent. You don’t want to come across as irregular and unreliable.

4.Mobile responsive e-mails – As mentioned in our previous blog post, being mobile friendly in your online communication is extremely important. You should be able to reach people when they are on the go, so you can stay top of mind. Mobile responsive e-mails ensure that despite the device, your e-mails are being viewed properly. Test your e-mail in different e-mail clients and devices because you want to make sure it looks good in a variety of clients, browsers, and mobile devices, and the message is not distorted or lost.
Email marketing is extremely powerful, when done right. It is a great way to increase your productivity and efficiency when communicating with your leads and clients. Follow the simple rules mentioned above and you are bound to see success.

How to effectively manage change in a Small Business

To survive in the fast-changing business environment, and keep ahead of competition, every company – big or small needs be constantly evolving. It has to adapt to the changing market, customer tastes, technologies and a host of other things. Bigger organisations tend to have specific teams or departments dedicated to handling change and enforcing it, or hire external consultants. In the case of small businesses there in so scope for a dedicated team, or the resources to hire consultants from outside. It all comes down to the owner or at best a few senior level managers to strategise and implement change.

If you have to implement changes in your small business—be it big or small changes—it can be quite stressful for you and your team. By understanding the process of managing change you can be prepared and even avoid the typical issues from cropping up. This will greatly help in making the transition a lot smoother. According to the Change Management Learning Centre, the process for managing change is a three-stage process: preparation, managing and reinforcing.
The following should serve as a guide in managing change:
1. Purpose – What is the purpose of implementing change? What are you trying to accomplish and what are the benefits for your business? These questions need to be answered and understood thoroughly. This first step is fundamental as it provides a foundation for further action.

2.Time Frame – Managing change is an ongoing process. It is not as simple as planning the change, implementing it and then enforcing the change with yourself and your employees. It is human nature to be slightly afraid of change, so you need to prepare yourself and your employees as far in advance as possible. Once you start to implement the change, you need to continue to monitor that the employees are abiding by the new company policies and the effectiveness of the change. As you assess the change, you also need to be flexible in knowing that you may have to refine the changes to make it better continually.

3.Buy-in From All Levels – Once you are convinced of the need for change, you then have to get buy-in from all levels of your business. Typically, buy-in starts at the top and trickles down to the bottom of the organization, or across the organization, depending on the hierarchy of your business. This is why understanding the reason for the change and how it benefits the business is imperative. Convincing other people in your business to accept the change is so much easier when you believe in it and can persuade other people to see the benefits.

4.Expert Insight – Peter Drucker is a change management expert and the author of “The New Society of Organizations.” Drucker states that knowledge is the key to running a competitive business. Acquiring knowledge requires the employees in the business to constantly upgrade their skills. He also says managing the change process requires all workers to be on board to make the changes that can bring the business to a more productive level and ultimately give the company a competitive edge.

5.Training and Inclusion – It’s important that appropriate training be given to employees to ensure the implementation of change is effective. If necessary professionals from outside should be hired to impart the requisite skills. Your employees can evolve and be an effective part of the change only if they have the required knowledge, tools and skills.
The whole process of change – planning, implementing, enforcing and monitoring; can be managed efficiently when done right.