Short and Sweet
My job is to do everything. I sell, I manage clients, manage projects, do information architecture, oversee creative, contribute to technology either hands-on and/or helping debug. I'm a classic generalist. Not to mention that I wash the dishes, do the books, lick envelopes, etc. My life is complex, which is probably why I crave simplicity. And because I'm busy and borderline overwhelmed most days, my web consumption habits probably match most of the world out there - I am a master skimmer. Hit me fast, grab me in 3 seconds, or you've lost me.
This is one of the reasons why we redid our site to be so minimalist. (BTW, we were just listed today as a featured site on Minimal Exhibit, a web site devoted to minimally designed web sites.) From a few conversations I've had recently, I think this is really resonating with people. I've heard from a few who've criticized our approach, but more importantly, I've heard some of the most enthusiastic praise we've ever received from others.
Don't get me wrong, people liked our former site. It was beautiful, well-designed, great copy, etc. And it got us on the list for people looking to hire companies like ours. But something has changed since our new site launched. We're getting incoming calls from people who not only like our site, but who already have formed a deep impression of us. They think we "get it". They like our tone. And they love our short and sweet approach to content on the site.
In other words, we've given our audience what we're always telling our clients they should give theirs: short bite-sized chunks for the skimmers to consume. Our philosophy is that first, you have to give the skimmers what they want. A percentage of them will dive deeper, looking for more substance. The rest will leave, and that's OK. But if you can draw in the right group to dive deep, and then give them good stuff when they get there, you're leading them down a path where they admire you, trust you, seek your advice, service, product, etc.
The vision for this site hit just a couple of months ago. Our team collaborated to bring it to life quickly and it is everything I had hoped it would be. Short and sweet at the front, deep enough in the middle to satisfy, and ultimately lead people to call us to help them solve their challenges in similar ways.