Why Thinkbean Advocates for the Purposeful Web

At Thinkbean, we want to issue a challenge.

We want our clients and prospective clients, developers, partners, and even the competition, to create intention when developing new web properties, apps or digital tools. Yes, there are wonderful digital experiences to be had; we just happen to think all digital experiences should be wonderful.

For us, the conversation must be about giving meaning to digital properties. By meaning, we expect sites with functionality that screams relevancy for the user. Thinking beyond images and words. Considering what experiences customers, site visitors, partners and more must have.

We seek out this type of challenge and now we want to challenge our industry and every professional managing their company’s online presence with this:

Embrace sites that do something, not just say something.

Apps, websites and online tools are the front door to building business. But too often we don’t treat them that way, spending more time finding that special “hero” image and never looking at the actual customer experience.

Through your sales efforts, content marketing, PR, advertising, SEO and more, you work to drive audiences to your digital properties. But then what happens?

Digital engagement requires a powerful and immersive user experience to drive prospect behavior. And when the right tools are built into that digital engagement, you can better understand online behaviors through measurement and tracking. That knowledge is a goldmine to propel your business forward. We’re happy to show you a few examples.

We believe digital experiences that go beyond simply looking good and instead deliver true business value are the foundation of the purposeful web. To be purposeful is to be meaningful.

We believe there are three dominant components to the purposeful web:

1. Digital properties must employ the right technologies to drive the efficiencies and effectiveness that make a difference in the experience. We choose Drupal as our development platform for many reasons. It has the utility to meet myriad customer needs and demands, and the flexibility to handle websites and complex digital platforms. The design options and themes are virtually limitless. The CMS is robust. The security is top-notch. We’ve yet to meet a customer’s digital challenge that Drupal could not solve. We believe Drupal extends well beyond serving as a platform for websites. Rather, it acts as a framework upon which to build experiences that are meaningful to your business and customers.
2. The conversation around creating, repairing or improving your websites and digital assets should not start and stop with how nice they can look. You must define your business goals to succeed. Like anything else you do to propel sales, grow your company and engage your constituents, clear business goals – whether around revenue, visitation, engagement, technical functionality or more – drive the purposeful web. Enhance the digital experience you want to create with the intent of solving challenges unique to your organization. When you confine your view to the rectangle in front of you, you miss the broader business implications of well-executed digital experiences. Go beyond the screen to ensure your business is at the start and the end of everything you do. Communicating, or even confronting, your true business needs often alters the trajectory of your digital strategy. Digital experiences that succeed do so at the intersection of business and digital.
3. An honest conversation about investment is critical. Measuring the true cost of almost anything can be difficult. But for complex businesses, understanding the difference between cost and investment is everything. Whether you are a B2B or a B2C organization, your digital platform reaches demanding customers and prospects who expect a website to meet their needs. Disappointing those customers and prospects has a very real cost. Remember: digital is the front door to your business. Treat web, app and digital development as one of the most meaningful investments to your business. This is vital to delivering the purposeful web.

We plan to talk a lot more about the purposeful web, both strategically and tactically. We’d love to hear what you think too.

Give us a call. Shoot us an email. Tell us how you define the purposeful web. The challenge is live. Let’s embrace it.