A dose of reality
Yesterday I had lunch with a potential uneek customer. He’s been in the mortgage banking industry for years and is now starting a coaching service for that niche.
As we talked it was evident that what he needs for a website is an online brochure, aka brochureware.
That concept is anathema to so many in the web world. Most people say brochureware with the same disgusted tone as they say FrontPage (or aFrontPage, as Vincent Flanders calls it).
While I’m with them on the opinion of FP, I have come to learn that brochureware is sometimes exactly what someone needs. Many small businesses can only afford that. And a static, professional-looking website with excellent content is a good representative for many organizations, especially non-profits.
These websites should work hand-in-hand with their printed collateral. Print brochures should push people to their website to acquire more, and deeper, information.
Of course, the rub in all this is that the brochure site must communicate a confidence and professionalism in their field with its look&feel and content. Rarely is that accomplished with the owner’s 2nd-cousin’s best friend’s aunt creating it in aFrontPage for $195.
Sidenote: Of course, a static brochure site can always make that jump to a dynamic site with regular article/white paper updating, email newsletters, blog(s) with RSS, community building, and much more.