Web and digital marketing: attention to detail matters!
Authors : Mélissa Whitton and Vincent Déry
March 25, 2021
Whatever your profession, work done with attention to detail will always stand out. It's what separates the good from the great.
This is especially true in a creative environment like web and digital marketing, where the accessibility and consumption of online content is greater and faster than ever. People form an opinion about a brand in a matter of seconds.
Despite the high expectations, you don’t have to browse for very long to find websites filled with typos, a logo designed on Paint or pictures worthy of a flip-phone camera. Believe it or not, most people notice these details!
If you’re wondering how attention to detail can impact your online presence and the profitability of your marketing efforts, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve even got a few tips on how to increase your level of détailleux*.
*Détailleux /deɪ·tɪ·yœ/: A French word for detail-oriented person.
A professional and optimized website
To be successful in today’s market, you need a professional and optimized website. It’s the foundation of any good digital marketing strategy, given that all your initiatives (social media, newsletters and advertising campaigns) will redirect your prospects to your website.
When you think that more than half of internet users won’t deal with a company that has a bad website (Forbes), you quickly get why it’s such an important showcase.
A professional and optimized website must include, among other things, the following elements:
- An attractive, fluid and consistent design
- Quality content
- Fast loading speed
- Responsiveness to desktop, tablet and mobile formats
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
That being said, whether we’re talking about design, content, or optimization, paying attention to the little details will provide the best possible customer experience and enhance your credibility.
Typos
We’re all guilty of making typos and breaking grammar rules. We sometimes get hypnotized by our own words or even worse, pressed for time. So much so that we mix-up spellings like you’re and your, forget a random grammar rule, or press two keys at once with our fingers.
A couple of mistakes here and there is certainly not the end of the world. But even if your readers aren’t all David Attenboroughs, a website or Facebook post full of mistakes will quickly be noticed and seen as unprofessional. You risk driving your customers away without even knowing it.
6 tips to become a détailleux
1. Take time to review your work
When you rush a task, it’s often the quality that suffers. And when quality suffers, so does your image.
You can’t always aim for perfection either. In the real world, we have deadlines and time constraints. So the challenge is to find the right balance between making too many mistakes and spending too much time reviewing.
Make sure you allow enough time to review the most important, high-value details. If you’re short on time, don’t hesitate to ask for help from a colleague, a friend, or even in a discussion forum.
2. Be organized
Whether it’s making a to-do list that includes “take a shower” or wallpapering your screen with post-its, being organized allows you to better plan and optimize your time. These are habits that promote productivity, reduce the stress of the 15,000 tasks you have to complete in a day, and help you meet deadlines.
Make lists, use your calendar and make sure you stick to your schedule to the extent possible.
3. Get off your phone
If you’re like us, as soon as a notification pops up on our phone, we just have to look (if you haven’t watched the documentary The Social Dilemma, you should definitely check it out!).
The simple solution: put it on mute or turn off notifications. Is the temptation too strong? Keep it out of reach, like in a drawer or at the in-laws’. Separation anxiety can be difficult at first, but your productivity and concentration level will benefit greatly.
4. Take breaks
Okay, now that we’ve just told you to put your phone away, you can take it back for a short break.
When things become blurry and you start asking yourself what’s for dinner, it’s often a sign that you should take a break. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, getting your mind off the task allows you to return with fresh eyes. And suddenly, the details jump out at you.
5. Automate some tasks
While you wait for a driverless car, you can save time by automating some of the so-called “less important” tasks, such as data entry, emailing, calendar sharing or billing.
This way, you can spend more time on the details of the remaining tasks.
6. Know your limits
All this is nice in theory, but not everyone is born detail oriented. To each his own talents. You just have to know your limits and when to call on the experts for whom attention to detail is second nature. Bonjour-Hi 👋.
In conclusion
We didn’t choose the name Les Détailleux for nothing! Details are important to us, at work and at home. It’s part of who we are.
And when you think about web and digital marketing, every detail counts. The competition is far too fierce to cut corners. Consciously or not, people are quick to distinguish between professional and amateur content, so don’t miss your chance to make a good first impression.
Attention to detail is our secret weapon against the competition (🤫).