MC Squared - New Media

Q: What's your name and position in the company?
A: Jonathan Booker - New Media Development Manager

Q: Describe your company in 5 words.
A: Realistic Effective Caring Driven Commercial

Q: What's your business philosophy?
A: To deliver COST EFFECTIVE new media solutions that meet the clients aims and objectives both for the short and long term.

Q: Describe your office environment.
A: Each memebr of the development team has their own space to feel comfortable and happy in their environment - which helps with effectiveness and productivity.

Q: Describe how your team interact and work together.
A: The team stick to what they are best at sothat we deliver. Although this is difficult at timesas whether they be 'techies', 'creatives' or 'marketeers' they have one thing in common - most are 'dabblers' which is a encouraging sign of striving to improve.

Q: What makes you different from other web design companies?
A: We have been around for more than ten years. We havent morphed from another industry (e.g. graphic, design, programming, marketing, printing) and are specialists in New Media, Internet and Online Marketing.

Q: How do you get the majority of your business?
A: The majority of our business comes from recommendation via business associates and existing clients. We dont employ any dramatic sales-strategy, cold calling, expensive marketing ploys but rely totally on aiming to get results and implement solutions.

Q: Describe how you manage projects from the initial client contact to completion and handover.
A: Interview - Market Research - Proposal - Design - Build - Maintenance & Online Marketing strategy.

Q: What do you think is the most crucial element of creating a good client relationship?
A: An open channel of communication - keeping the client informed of progress and ideas (without being a nuisance and eating into their work time). Stage by stage development to fit in with the client's real-world business plan. Most importantly care and keep the clients aims and objectives in mind and make them our aims and objectives.

Q: How do you manage demanding clients?
A: We find that clients become less demading over time and we assume this is down to the fact that we work with our clients not only in developing a solution WITH them but also raising their knowledge and awaress in what we are doing and how we are doing it. The end result for us is a client who is more aware of what we have implemented and thus appreciation for the efforts made and results that are realised.

Q: If a client was trying to decide between a shortlist of web design companies, how would you recommend they go about selecting the right one for them?
A: Avoid any designer or developer who gives performance guarantees - (e.g. no 1 i google and 100% hosting/server uptime) Dont rely on just written testimonials and case studies - ask to call one or two of their clients (from a sample list of ten - otherwise you may get a relative posing as a client). Determine whether or not they know what they are talking about when you meet them. Source some question from some of the pro-forums and see if they can answer. As no project brief should be taken by a salesperson and those who outsource cannot answer most questions.

Q: Where do you see your company in 10 years time?
A: Managing the overall online media strategy for client companies. After building the trust to effectively to act as their 'online marketing department' not just their web-designer or web-developer.

Q: Where do you see the web design industry in the future?
A: Hopefully the industry would have 'cleaned up its act'. With people seeing that the website is just the 'tip of the iceberg' in terms of their online business strategy. In over ten years we have seen the industry evolve and expand dramatically and so the nightmare stories and myths surrounding many aspects are understood and accepted. However the industry is still riddled with amateurs, sharks and myths. Whilst there are a lot of 'jack of all trade' companies trying to do all sorts of design and print services including web and internet.

Q: What computers do you have use in your offices, PCs or Macs?
A: Both PC and Mac

Q: How was your company name chosen?
A: MC Squared got its name from two areas : (1) One of Einsteins theories - theory of relativity - in that all our solutions are relative to the project and client. (2) The formula to a problem - providing a solution. (3) (M+C=2) Multimedia and Communication used effectively together is more powerful

Q: If you were to give your clients one tip on how to get the most from their website what would it be?
A: Dont see your website as a vehicle for what you want to say, or see it as a piece of 'marketing candy' that is sexy but non-functional. Think like your client would online - think what they want - and then provide it.