[webproducers] The Magical Mystery Number

--- "Martin T. Focazio" <wwwac@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I've been pulling my hair out trying to get bids out to all of these 
> little companies that want these $5,000 web sites.

I think that figure of $5,000 represents an interesting mental marking
point of client psychology. If you spend much less than that you are
into "the website done by my cousin vinny" (i.e. you can't afford a
real professional or you have a website of three pages). But if you
spend above the $15k mark you get into the thinking "hey it's just a
website, this isn't a spot for the Superbowl". 

So the web (or brochureware) has fallen down from the hype of $100k
websites, but still has some real value - BUT that value is a secondary
medium. Even in your own estimate form I notice that you have set aside
a section for an e-mail campaign which while not being a website itself
may be just as critical (if not more so) to the marketing plans of a
company.

Also your mention of "little companies" is an important clue too. A
major company most likely already has a full time staff working on a
website on a regular basis using content management tools which are
cheaper than ever before - so the work of updating a website is that of
content creation (writing, editing and graphic design) rather than an
outside production team (technical, creative and account/project
management). 

As these "little companies" (or not so little companies) view the world
they must have a professional looking website - but the website is not
seen as an end to itself but rather as a starting point to working with
other mediums (like print) or e-mail newsletters. Also there is no firm
that can no longer afford NOT to have a website, so while it's not a
hyped up cool thing it is like making sure that your sales staff has
business cards. 

Also these companies don't view websites as generating money directly
to their bottom line so the cost of a website is seen in line with what
you might spend on having printed sales materials. There is also not as
much "mad money" floating around so folks also aren't taking any
chances either. 

While I miss the good old days of $100k websites done by Razorfish
agencies I can't say that I'm too let down. The web has become real and
now a company can no longer afford not to have a website (very
different than a few years ago). Also as the novelty wears out perhaps
it will be seen as more of a creative medium onto itself rather than a
place to shovel content. I also feel that with broadband being more
standard that it will become a richer medium which will start to
require budget items like animators and voice actors (and maybe even a
video crew) as standard items. At long last new media will no longer be
"new" and this will become a medium for the masses (which it already
is) - and that is a good thing in the long term.

Michael


=====
"An open letter to the Peace Movement" by Rania Kashi: 
http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article.jsp?id=2&debateId=88&articleId=983

Download the "Kill Bill" theme - it ROCKS!
http://www.beastbox.net/nicholas/killbill.html

Michael James Pinto | http://www.vm.com | http://www.anime.com
__________________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe send a blank message with unsubscribe in the subject to 
webproducers-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

To access our webform (instead of sending e-mail) for popular commands 
including subscribe, unsubscribe, digest, and vacation  visit  
www.WebProducers.org. You can also access the list archive at the website.

Questions and comments are welcome just e-mail  info at webproducers dot org

Other related posts: