Hello, everyone. This week, I was going to start discussing, more specifically than in the previous text, the importance of having the right visual identity and a well-designed website. But I think before that, we need to talk about something even more important: is your company’s digital life all set?
The reason for this question is that I’ve been receiving, here at the agency, not one, not two, not even three, but several entrepreneurs who want a marketing project, a website, or a rebranding. But when we start the project, we are always held back by the most trivial issues, such as access to the website panel or knowing the password for the domain registration. These small details, if kept disorganized, will cause headaches down the line.
That's why I decided to compile these small tips that will help you a lot in keeping your entire online life (and maybe even offline) organized from now on. Let’s get started!
Make sure to own your domain
It’s very common, especially when outsourcing the work of building our digital presence, to hand over the responsibility of registering our domain to the hired agency, whether through registro.br (which is the best way) or via the hosting company (which I don’t recommend). When this happens, always remember that the domain should be registered IN YOUR NAME, so it belongs to you and no one else. Many entrepreneurs don't worry about getting access to the registro.br panel or, worse, don't pay attention to whether the professional has registered the domain in their own name, making them, NOT YOU, the owner of your company's online address. I shouldn't even need to explain why this is a problem, but in simple terms, it means your site will always be "renting" space online. Get the issue now? Imagine when you want to change the professional managing your website. You move on, but the domain stays! Pay attention to this.
Always have access to your website’s control panel
What I mentioned in item 1 applies here as well: the site is yours. It’s your property. It’s the home of your business on the internet. So, it makes no sense for only the caretaker (the agency maintaining the site) to have access to the 'property.' Again, it seems basic, but you wouldn’t believe how many business owners come here wanting to redesign their site, and they don’t even know how to provide access to the control panel to the new team. Always ask for the login and password for your site (if applicable), and always check if you are the ADMIN user of the site, so you maintain full control and can switch agencies whenever you want.
Pay attention to the contract with the agency
Still on the topic of websites, remember to pay attention to the contract you sign with your service provider. Never sign a website construction contract tied to monthly maintenance. It's better to hire the agency solely for building the website, and once the work is complete and you're satisfied with the final product, then sign a separate contract for the site maintenance. Why is this important? What happens if you fall behind on payments? All of us, as struggling Brazilian entrepreneurs, are bound to face financial difficulties at some point in our journey, and there's no shame in that. However, when the construction and maintenance contracts are combined, the cost of building the website may be spread across the maintenance payments. This means the agency could take your site offline if you're late on a payment or two. As I mentioned earlier, make sure you are the sole owner of your website.
Pay attention when typing your domain name
Essa parece bem besta, mas já me aconteceu muito de o cliente ir sozinho registrar o domínio do site, e digitar errado, sem prestar atenção, e aí já era. Vai ter que pagar de novo para ter o certo. Aqui na IAP, nós fazemos o registro sempre em nome do cliente, com a anuência dele, de forma que ele sempre sai dono do domínio, e nosso time não está na correria, então eu te garanto que você, se deixar na nossa mão, não vai correr o risco de ser dono de um louge barThis one may seem quite silly, but it’s happened to me several times that a client goes on their own to register the domain and types it wrong, without paying attention, and then it's too late. You'll have to pay again to get the correct one. Here at IAP, we always register the domain in the client’s name, with their consent, so they always leave as the rightful owner of the domain. Our team is never in a rush, so I can assure you that if you leave it in our hands, you won’t run the risk of owning a ounge bar instead of a LOUNGE BAR.
The domain is not the trademark registration
I am not a trademark registration specialist. For that, every 15 days, the always excellent Carmem Mosteiro provides tips on all this content in her column. here I recommend that every entrepreneur follow this column closely. But keep this in mind: registering your website's domain does not exempt you from registering your trademark with the INPI. You will only have trademark rights if you complete this step. Pay attention to this.
I think that's it. Yes, I know. These may seem like trivial tips. But this chat aims to provide content based on real experiences here at the agency. By following these tips, you'll avoid some of the most common mistakes in the entrepreneurial journey. As always, and since self-promotion is allowed, I invite you to visit my agency's website by clicking here, and check out all our services. Remember, our consulting services are free.
That’s it for this week’s discussion. Did I miss anything? Leave your entrepreneurial challenges in the comments so we can keep the conversation going. See you in 15 days, always at 9 PM. Cheers!
Márcio Cabral is a filmmaker, graphic designer, advertiser, and entrepreneur. He is the executive director at IAP Propaganda, and one of the founding partners of 40EMAIS..
