Welcome to the new Wooldridge Associates blog site

In the past, websites were intended to inform. But that doesn’t make sense in today’s marketplace.

When we decided it was time to redo the WA website, our webmaster asked me, “What do you want visitors to the site to do?” I had to seriously think about that. What did I want them to do?? In the past

, sites were intended to inform. That meant that giving a basic description of who were are and the services we offer was sufficient. But that doesn’t make sense in today’s marketplace – not even for the smallest of small businesses.

It occurred to me that this was an opportunity to gain some personal experience with an issue all my clients were wrestling with – creating sites that engaged visitors. And what better way to engage with someone than telling stories. So

, for instance, by reading this blog you have given me your time to share a part of my story with you. If you find that what I have to say is interesting, perhaps you’ll come back in a few weeks for a new blog installment, or follow me on Twitter, or make sure we are connected on LinkedIn. All those are ways to share more of the story.

When I got my first job at TLK advertising (now EuroRSCG), we were taught that one of our key job responsibilities was to “surprise and delight” our clients. At the time, that meant a variety of actions such as pulling relevant articles out of trade magazines for clients, giving them a call to say hi and to make sure they had everything they needed from the agency, taking them for drinks and meals when they were in town, etc. Yes, it’s great to still do those things, but most of us don’t have the time to interact the way it was done 25 years ago.

In today’s context it seems to me that finding stories that engage the reader, leaving them with a pleasant feeling, or new information, or a fresh way to think about something answers the question “what do I want visitors to do at the site” and might even fulfill the objective of surprise and delight.

So I’m challenging myself

, Patrick, and Cheri to write the stories that our clients in today’s web connected world might find useful. We’d love to have your comments and hope you’ll come back again.

Thank you for visiting.

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