When It Comes To Social Media… Look And Feel Do Count.

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Susan Bardack is chief marketing officer for iZoca.com, a social networking website for individuals, groups and organizations. iZoca provides tools to help groups connect and share information privately, while also helping them to spread their message publicly.

Okay, I’ll admit it to all of you readers here on Penn Olson; except when it comes to fashion, I’m not a very visual person.

I can remember names, phone numbers, interesting factoids, basically anything I’ve heard spoken to me. However when it comes to marketing, I tend to rely on the expert opinions of others for visual branding.

I make it a point to connect and conduct business with those who are visually gifted and can provide guidance in this area. The reason? Well, I believe when it comes to websites, especially of the social media variety, look and feel do count.

Content is king, but…

When I provide marketing consulting services I am always amazed when I come across an extremely competent client who provides excellent work, but has a lousy website. It sort of makes me cringe inside.

In today’s day and age, when I get a business card for a company, the first thing I do after arriving home is plug in their web address and see what they’re all about.

Even though I may not have the eye of Picasso, it’s still nice to view an appealing website. Absolutely, content is king, but sites also need to dress the part with pictures and graphics to support their information.

What got me thinking about this topic is the blog displayed before you — Penn Olson. They do a phenomenal job with layout and design to support content. They provide interesting and provocative posts, but are visually appealing. Lots of pictures and graphics are important.

Some of the blogs I believe that really stand out are the ones with intriguing photography. A friend of mine, Katie Sokoler, manages a photography blog and it’s the photos and visual presentation on the website that make it come alive and soar with popularity.

Be visual. Customize.

As for social media websites, most of the popular sites are pretty basic in design and layout. However, I believe the photography, uploaded by its members make it pop and feel exciting to those cruising its pages. Twitter allows you to choose from a variety of backgrounds and you can customize your look and feel.

These days I believe it’s not enough to rely on content alone, albeit a few exceptions. Whether creating a blog or building your own social networking platform, keep in mind that look and feel do count. If you’re not a visual person like me, connect with colleagues who fit that bill so you can stay ahead of the game.

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