So I’ve been in the web game for a long, long time, basically since the web started and I’ve learnt a hell of a lot about how it all works and after 13 versions of my own site I’d like to impart what I’ve learnt about how to promote your brand online.

First of all DO NOT rely on your web site as the only means of promoting your business. As much as I hate to say it your web site with its about us and contact us pages is no longer the number one way to draw potential customers to your brand.

In the last 3 years the de facto method of driving customers to your site is via social media. The first time that I realised this was about 12 months ago when working on the site for the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia. Fair enough the school’s site was great and packed with information for staff and students but a static site can only provide so much info until it becomes stale so as an experiment I set up a Facebook page with very little hope that it would take off. But then in December of last year the university network completely crashed. The web site was down, email was out and chaos prevailed (especially as it was a project hand-in week).

On the day of the crash I was actually taking a day off but via my iPhone I was able to talk to the students to inform them about what was going on such as the status of the issues and contact info about who they needed to get in touch with and what the process was going to be to rectify the situation. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work but luckily it did. Those school’s who did not have an alternative way to talk to their students floundered.

After the disaster this got me thinking about what a powerful tool social media was and the good it could do and I have employed it into all the sites I have built since.

There are so many services that you can take advantage of and not just Facebook. There’s Twitter, LinkedIn and a host of others. As I write this post my site is pre-installed with plugins that will automatically post my updates to all of these services so that my followers can see my latest comings and goings unobtrusively in their news feeds and updates. THIS is the way to talk to current and potential clients, it’s subtle and works really well and I can advise you on how best to incorporate this into your business.

If you’d like to know more then please drop me a line.

It’s hard to believe that I’m coming up to the 10th anniversary of Crimson Monkey and with that in mind I’ve gone all out to make version 13 (unlucky for some) of the site the best ever.

I wanted to show just how a web site can work for a business (even when you sleep) and to experiment with social media to show that there are so many ways to promote your brand.

I’d love to get your feedback on the new site and if you like what you see and think that it’s something that could work for you then check out my services.

Hey I’m a nice guy and your web site needs me (it told me so)!

Big congratulations to Viva Voce Singers in Norwich who’s web site I helped build earlier this year. They are joint winners of the BBC Radio Norfolk Choir of the Year 2011.

Peter Wilson, Chief Executive of Norwich Theatre Royal and chief judge of the competition, made the following comments about their performance:

“…fantastic attack, great accuracy, light and shade in the music, technically absolutely flawless and really invigorating to listen to..”

The prize is to perform at the Emergency Services Carol Service at Norwich Cathedral on Monday 5 December 2011.

Also check out the site we built together here.

A few weeks ago I was talking to my plumber who had a web site which is great but a web site that he had no creative control over at all. His web site was created by one of these terrible companies that you’ve probably seen being advertised on TV and online when they go on about “choose a category”, “choose a colour”, “add a logo”. Now I’m sure that’s great if you just want a web site but what is a web site? As far as I’m concerned it’s a living, breathing thing that if it’s static and set in stone (and that’s all these companies offer) then you might as well give up right now hoping that customers are going to find you online.

What I want to do is to give web site owners complete ownership of their brand. I will build you a web site that is tuned directly to your needs. On top of that I will build your site on top of a content management system which means that if you want to update it, add special offers or just want to say “Hi” then you can.

My passion is empowering my clients to make the most that the web has to offer. I will help you with the creation of your site, your online brand identity and most importantly a means of allowing new users and customers of finding you in the minefield that is the modern internet.

I have full web design packages starting from £299 which includes:

• A full web site build (up to five pages)*
• A web content management system so you can update your pages when you want, any time
• Full consultation on search engine optimisation and ways to promote your business/organisation using state of the art technology and social media
• Domain name registration (and if you already have a domain the means to transfer it)
• And a comprehensive after sales service

So what are you waiting for? If you want to get online or are just fed up with not having full control of your online identity then please drop me a line. I will be more than happy to discuss the options available to you. I will take no payment for my services until the work on your site is completed and you are happy with the service so there is no risk to you.