Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hi,

Just wanted to show you some of our new changes, and see what you think. I really like the changes Roland has done so far! And I think Steve did a great job with the jerky guy that he had to redo.

Janie

http://www.houseofjerky.net

 

Love it, janie! (and steve)

your site is looking mouthwateringly great...

rich


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Rich Sloan , Co-Founder, Chief Startupologist, StartupNation

Woah...totally love the logo!! :-D Kathy and I shop a lot at Gander Mountain, which is a big (huge) sporting goods store and chain. I don`t know if they`re all over, but they`re around here. Anyway, we go in there a lot for fishing stuff.

We can`t pass the checkout counters without there being a number of different brands of jerky. Plus, there`s lots of food and jerky in the camping aisles. And so we`re always looking, checkin` it out, and thinking in terms of you, your site, your marketing, and your products.

What strikes me immediately is that there`s an instant resonation with the new logo! I don`t know if it`s only the two of us, but "jerky" conjures up camping and the outdoors, and with the logo...Steve`s nailed it absolutely perfectly! Really well done!

The site looks good, easy to see and navigate, except for only two problems I had. The one, up in the top banner under the slideshow or Flash thing, I can`t easily read the black-on-maroon letters. (All natural.....no preservatives). I see that it stops, after the short first intro, but still...why lose the words when they slide off the picture?

 The other is similar, with the black-on-dark tan testimonials. Not enough contrast, in my opinion. I also wonder about the repeating animation each time I change pages. It`s a bit bothersome. I didn`t mind it, arriving at the home page, but then when I click other pages, to see it all animate again....I dunno. Not my cuppa tea, but not a big deal-breaker either.

"Why us?"

• Superior Jerky quality   <--no
  
• No preservatives added <-- yes
  
• Vacuum sealed packaging <--no
  
• Whole slices of top round <--maybe
  
• Excellent flavor <--no
  
• Variety of flavors and meats <--yes
  
• Free shipping and handling included <--on top
  
• Discounts for our troops <--maybe
  
• Excellent customer service <--possible
  

I`m thinking there should be a shorter list of bullets. The problem with the lines where I`m saying "no," is that they`re not only redundant, but a bit annoying. For example, are you saying that most other jerky companies have pretty poor flavor? I`ll bet most readers would immediately get their hackles up and disagree, setting a tone for an argument.

Same with "superior jerky quality." (By the way, enough with the word "jerky." I think you`re walking a close line with spamming the SEs. I get the idea, but there`s that line between useful and annoying.) I think on the About our Product you could talk about how you make the jerky and WHY it has a superior quality. But to suggest that most other companies offer poor quality jerky also presents an adversarial position.

The troop discounts should go on a special page or area, associated with your article. But it shouldn`t be the main reason to choose your company and product. That`s like saying we need a war in order to buy jerky. You could talk about the whole slices of round steak there.

The vacuum sealed? Well...isn`t that a "duh?"

I`d rather see three really well-defined, superlative reasons to shop with you than see 8 vaguely interesting bullet points, I guess is my point. Customer service, fast shipping, free shipping, are all reasons to shop with you. The other points are more "topics" that could (and should) be discussed as content on your site. Particularly in a page that shows pictures of your factory, countless young children sweating over hot stoves...oh wait...I was thinking of Kathy Gifford there for a second. :-)

Nah...have a page that gets into how you make it. I`m thinking of how a micro brewery markets. They don`t try to compare and compete with the big beer companies. Instead, they bring out the attention to detail, small and personal business, and so forth.

Definitely like where the site is going, though...! :-)

Thanks Jeff, I`m glad you like it!  Okay Craig... I said so..far. :)  I was wondering about the animation on all pages too, but, I guess Roland needs to create a static header image to show in it`s place for the other pages.  I was asking you to check out my new HOME page. :)

Okay,... I know our quality IS superior. Have you ever eaten our product?  Never thought it would bring up an argument except maybe from other jerky companies, that now all call themselves world`s best jerky.:) Hey, someone has to be the best. :) Do you eat any of that jerky that you`re looking at, at Gander Mountain?.  Vacuum sealed is not a duh.  Do you see all those loose bags with jerky floating around in there?? :) The reason it can float around is it`s full of preservatives and doesnt have to be air tight. Definitely not all made from top round, which really does makes it better.  And you can take the time to read a few of our customer reviews about the excellent flavor and customer service. :)

Black on maroon text, yes I was wondering about reading it well, we`ll work on that. You did have your glasses on, didn`t you?:):)

Where the words stop, "shop today" is actually a link to the jerky shop.

Okay, I`ll look at the bullet points and content, for about us and why us.

Thanks.

I think it looks beautiful!! Very professional and eye catching... My husband also goes to Gander Mountain and buys that jerky. Maybe I will buy him some of your best jerky as a suprise.

Erin

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Our Goal Is Your Success!
Founder Girls with Goals

Very cool Jerky guy Steve!  Hey Janie!  It has been a while since I surfed your site and I must say, I got sucked in!  I just decided that come Dec, that Jerky of the Month is going into my husband`s stocking! 

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Leslie
Founder and President
Charmed Life Products LLC
Grill Charms™… The MUST HAVE grilling accessory that is revolutionizing the American Cook-out AND The perfect gift for any occasion!
Grill Charms
                                                                                                    

The site looks good Janie!  I`m glad the logo is working well for you and everyone is liking it so far.

And for the record everyone, the jerky is yummmmmm!

:-) Hey Janie,

I woke up thinking, how come I focused so completely on the bullet points? And, since I can`t POSSIBLY be wrong about much of anything, I pondered it.

What I realized is that it isn`t the bullet points themselves. It`s that in the single section, you`re defining your business. You`re setting forth your principal mission statement, your customer service process, and your products benefits (not features). It`s almost the core to the entire business---as it should be.

The problem so many Web sites have is that they don`t do this sort of thing. Maybe they forget, don`t think about it, or they`re anxious about standing up and being counted. More likely, they haven`t thought about "branding."

Yes, I realize other companies don`t vacuum pack. But that`s not a unique feature to your company. It should be there, of course, but not in your most important reasons why someone should buy your product.

So too, it IS about you comparing to other companies. Since every company is going to claim they have the best-tasting jerky in the world, it isn`t a way to differentiate.

And that`s the bottom line. Your bullets should be specifically designed to not only totally differentiate you from the rest of the "pack," they should also create an impression that harmonizes with that fabulous new logo. Finally, they should create a *memorable* set of impressions and reasons for the customer to buy and look for your jerky.

When they`ve stopped reading, turned off the computer, and gone to pick up their dry-cleaning, they should be thinking about House of Jerky. They shouldn`t be thinking about "jerky." Otherwise, they`ll pick up a SlimJim, or pick up whatever brand of jerky they run across in the next few hours.

You want them to think about YOUR product, then come home, give in to the inevitable, recall your Web site, and place an order. :-)

Thanks Erin, I did pm you. 

And thanks Leslie, actually from one of your previous posts, I noticed  you must be close to the St. Augustine House of Jerky. Let`s trade. :)  When are your Grill Charms coming out?

Steve, now everyone knows I paid you in jerky. Just kidding!!  We are extremely pleased with our new logo, and it`s nice we can show it off now! And yes, I would recommend Steve to anyone.

And thanks Nikole for the pm. I definitely want to make some of those changes.

Now...Craig,....well, I`m glad you woke up thinking about HOJ! :)  But I`m going to have to go back and read your post again, so I can figure out how to keep everyone from picking up a slim jim I appreciate your input.

Janie

Quoted from Craig~

And that`s the bottom line. Your bullets should be specifically designed to not only totally differentiate you from the rest of the "pack," they should also create an impression that harmonizes with that fabulous new logo. Finally, they should create a *memorable* set of impressions and reasons for the customer to buy and look for your jerky.

When they`ve stopped reading, turned off the computer, and gone to pick up their dry-cleaning, they should be thinking about House of Jerky. They shouldn`t be thinking about "jerky." Otherwise, they`ll pick up a SlimJim, or pick up whatever brand of jerky they run across in the next few hours.

You want them to think about YOUR product, then come home, give in to the inevitable, recall your Web site, and place an order. :-)
[/QUOTE]

Okay, I give...HELP!  Janie