My website was 6 months old and I was off and running. I had a few monthly clients, was booked with individual consulting appointments, and I subscribers were rolling into Your Social Media Hour. I was consistently networking, establishing great relationships, booking many speaking engagements, and talking to small business owners.
All the information about me, my service, my consulting, speaking, affiliates, and everything else was housed on one little site. While it was masterfully written, it just was too much information. My service was not clear, I needed membership levels, different price points, offer a sample, get rid of long winded articles (like the homepage)…the list was extensive.
Suddenly I found myself in the midst of planning a redesign expanding my business offerings. While to the average small business owner it might have been overwhelming, since my area of specialty is branding, internet marketing and social media I accepted the challenge with open arms. Here is how I made it happen:
- I stayed focused on my end goal: Your Social Media Hour needed to be easier to understand and I needed a second site to house my consulting and speaking.
- I kept reminding myself there was no need to panic.
- I spent lots of time planning what I wanted both sites to look like. Planning is key. I looked at websites of other consultants (social media and others) for ideas. I took notes, screenshots, researched the bigger pieces of what I wanted to accomplish.
- I had a punch list of redesign and for building the new site.
- I knew enough to make me dangerous about WordPress and was committed to doing this myself.
- Number 5 was probably the best decision I made. Through a bit of trial and error and lots of reading I was able to set-up the site myself. Now, I can offer that basic service to clients.
- I got help when I needed it. There were a few things I had no interest in figuring out on my own.
The experience was extraordinary. Through my rebranding process I now have the perfect website for me – JenniferGardella.com looks like a tech savy version of Sandra Dee, all grown up. I am able to update it and make changes.
Most importantly, I am able to walk my clients through this process helping them when they need branding advice. Some come to me with all the pieces in place but lack a coordinated look. Others are just starting their build and want me to support them through the process.
If you find yourself in a position where you need a coordinated look, or you are just starting to put yourself online but do not know where to start I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have on how I work with my clients.
