DesignDetails Volume 01 // Number 12 December 2007 In this issue * Reflection * Value—The Differentiator * RSS. What is it? What can it do for you? * Find of the Month Hi [firstname,fallback=friend], This email newsletter comes to you in HamiltonBerchman's never-ending pursuit of helping our clients and friends succeed because your success is our success. ----------- Reflection. ----------- With the end of the year just a few weeks away I cannot help but take stock of the year that has been. 2007 has been a year of growth and of learning for me and for HamiltonBerchman Design Group. I started this e-newsletter in January and this edition completes my first year of publication. My business is providing more value to more clients with its services, I am employing more people and I have learned a great deal about business and myself. Thanks to all of you for being connected to me and HamiltonBerchman in some way. Now on to our topics this month. --------------------------- Value—The Differentiator. --------------------------- I had an interesting conversation with a colleague the other day. The conversation centered on the idea of what value service providers can give to our clients. I am speaking to the value provided to clients or customers that goes beyond the basic project or transaction. The value can come from the client/customer relationship and the knowledge—built over time—of their business. Or it can come from the area(s) of expertise and counsel you may offer them. For example, if I know about your issues related to using the Internet to communicate to your customers and clients it will allow me to gain insight into your business and suggest unknown opportunities and possibilities. The suggestions I provide may help the client either streamline their processes, improve customer relations, or improve their standing in the marketplace. Ultimately these suggestions are key in helping clients or customers succeed and make the difference between being average or excellent. A personal experience. So value is a key differentiator between the 'on-par' experience and the extraordinary experience. We have all experienced the value in some business relationship at one point or another, and we remember it. There is no denying that by providing value to the client beyond the ordinary you can make yourself stand out from the crowd. I just experienced this today at two local establishments while holiday shopping. The proprietors were friendly, helpful and courteous. However, one establishment offered me a discount and free wrapping, and the other provided me with excellent customer service. Both places stand out in my mind and will be instantly recalled should someone ask, “do you know where I can get....?” So what are you doing? This then begs the question, in what ways do you provide value to your customers or clients? How are you helping them succeed.? ---------------------------------------- RSS. What is it? What can it do for you? ---------------------------------------- In hopes of providing ‘value’ to you, my reader, I will talk about RSS (Real Simple Syndication). What is RSS? What can it do for you and your business? RSS is a technology in widespread use on the Internet. It allows individuals, news organizations, and companies to publish and disseminate information in an easy, cost effective, and powerful manner. Through the use of blogs, podcasts, email newsletters, or news portals on websites RSS allows you, the publisher of information, a way to push your content out. Customers, clients, vendors, major media and communication agencies, or anyone interested in what you have to say can easily access it. If you surf the web a fair amount you may have seen the orange icon indicating that a website has an RSS feed. The icon looks like this: If you see this icon you should feel free to click on it. If you click you will be asked how you would like to subscribe. Most modern web browsers have the ability to handle subscribing to an RSS feed. However, you can use a web based software service to manage your RSS subscriptions. I use Google Reader [https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?hl=en&nui=1&service=reader&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader]. I subscribe to about 30 RSS feeds and I have them categorized by type of information: personal, business, etc. Just like a magazine—without harming a tree. Imagine it much like subscribing to a magazine—you don't have to go looking for it, it just shows up when published. When you are subscribed to an RSS feed and someone publishes content, the RSS feed disseminates the content free of charge. There are no postage fees, no delays, no lost mail. Your content is delivered to your subscribers and to the major websites that track RSS feeds. These websites categorize content based on type of business or industry. This allows media outlets to search within industries or areas of content for story ideas, or for the latest information about your company. So why do you publish an RSS feed of your content? Because it can help you do the following: * Improve your visibility on search engines * Automate delivery of your content * Generate new targeted subscribers * Widen your content distribution So how do you do it? There are software and tools available that make publishing an RSS feed a snap. Many of the free, popular blogging software websites offer RSS feeds with a free blog (see Blogger [https://www.blogger.com/start]). However, if you would like something integrated into an existing website, you will be looking at retro-fitting the website with software that will add RSS capabilities. This involves an investment but is well worth the rewards. In Conclusion. RSS provides an simple and inexpensive way to publish your personal message, the message of your company or organization, and a way for you to stay informed about business or just about any topic under the sun. Let us know if you have any questions about RSS [mailto:details@hamiltonberchman.com]. We are happy to provide any help or guidance. -------------------------- Finally, Find of the Month -------------------------- In every issue I share an Internet destination I have come across that has some application to doing business, getting things done, or just plain cool. This month it’s a website called Lets Say Thanks [http://www.letssaythanks.com/]. This website allows you to send a card to a member of the armed services and thank them for their service to the country. Regardless of political leanings, we can all appreciate the sacrifices these women and men make. -------- Wrap up. -------- That's it for this month and year of DesignDetails. Let me know [mailto:details@hamiltonberchman.com] if you have any questions about any of this content. I am always on the lookout for article ideas. If you have a challenge or question you are facing relating to the Internet or design and would be willing to share, let me know [mailto:details@hamiltonberchman.com]. I can answer your issues here and share with everyone—with anonymity of course. Do you know a friend or colleague that may find the content of this newsletter interesting? Please forward to a friend, and thanks. I'll talk to you again in January 2008. Happy Holidays! Bert Mahoney AIGA Publisher, DesignDetails Principal and Creative Director HamiltonBerchman Design Group, Inc. details@hamiltonberchman.com Director of Internet Strategy and Services AIGA Santa Barbara AIGA | the professional association for design About DesignDetails HamiltonBerchman's DesignDetails is a monthly digest of tips, and useful resources related to design, the web, and doing business with both. About the Author Bert Mahoney writes DesignDetails for HamiltonBerchman. He is the President and Creative Director of HamiltonBerchman. Bert has over 15 years of professional graphic and web design experience. Article Ideas Do you have a story, a link, a question, or an idea to share? E-mail Bert [mailto:details@hamiltonberchman.com] with the details. Please Note The websites referred to in DesignDetails are not affiliated with HamiltonBerchman, and HamiltonBerchman has no control over their content or availability. Break On Through To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add bert@hamiltonberchman.com to your e-mail address book. © 2007 HamiltonBerchman Design Group, Inc. 309 East Aliso Street Suite 2 Ojai, California 93023 1.800.522.6096