SIUE Web Content Best Practices

05.12.2009

Communication with an Impact

Prepared for:SIUE Faculty & Staff Content Managers

Prepared by:Joy Milkowskijoy@accessmarketingcompany.com

Communication with an Impact – Welcome!

Before we get started…

•This class in interactive – feel free to ask questions and solicit feedback for your ideas•There is one scheduled break•You will NOT need your laptop during the class – just a sharp pencil!

•And please put cell phones on vibrate!

Communication with an Impact - Overview

•Shift Toward Students•3 Basics•Geek Speak•Who Cares?•Text for “Bots”•Content for People•Messaging for Success•Landing Pages Explained•Social Proof•Hands-on

Marketing ShiftNew Paradigm : You MarketingTraditional : We Marketing

The Past : Institution-centric Marketing Moving Forward : Student-focused Ideas

Focus on PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS & PARENTS

FACULTY/STAFFACADEMICS STUDENT LIFE

CULTURELet us tell you all about us and howwonderful WE are. You will want to attend because we are great.

Communication with an Impact – 3 Basics

Your website is not just a static brochure but rather an interactive “conversation” with your users consisting of three key elements:

•Findability•Usability•Personality

Communication with an Impact – 3 Basics

FindabilitySearch engines•Google•Yahoo•MSN•Ask, Alta Vista, etc..

Social Media•FaceBook•MySpace •Flickr

Other interactive outlets•Media•Blogs•Mobile

Communication with an Impact – 3 Basics

UsabilityFocus the user•Whether direct or clever, use plain language, short sentences and bullets•Give the user choices, as if having a conversation •Let the user decide what’s important on your site

Facilitate a positive user experience• Clear, consistent navigation across the site• Distinct value proposition: try to convey WIFM – what’s in it for the visitor• Utilize images and video to tell the story – more than words!

Make it easy to take the next step• Talk with us or schedule a face-to-face visit• Sign up for E-newsletter• Download information• Connect with us on social media/bookmark the page• Tell-a-friend!

Communication with an Impact – 3 BasicsPersonality

Communicate the spirit of the school•What would you tell a prospective student who was visiting?• Create feelings which become thoughts/actions (with images and minimal

text)• Engage them and inspire them

Represent the people at the institution• Faculty/Staff• Their fellow students• Suggest related items you offer and link to them

Appeal to multiple audiences• Depict various demographics in images/video• Showcase a variety of activities and student life elements• Highlight resources and student services• Engage parents!

Communication with an Impact – Geek SpeakGeek Speak = the terms and crazy jargon you’ll hear throughout the session

Value proposition – the unique advantages or “selling points” of your department that students and parents would find compelling when choose whether to attend schoolDifferentiation – the characteristics that set your department apart from other institutionsSEO – Search Engine Optimization – the art/science of affecting the search engines to consider your pages most relevant for a given searchPPC – Pay per click –the method of paying for ad space on search engines for placement on desired key phrasesKeyword/Key phrase – a word or phrase that students/parents might use to search Google, Yahoo or other search engine for education-related informationMeta tags – (a/k/a meta data) words used in the building of the pages that help search engines determine what your page is aboutKeyword Density – the ratio of keywords to total word count; ensuring proper keyword density will help search engines find your pages and deem them relevantLanding page – a page created specifically for a certain audience, message or marketing purpose; can be linked within your navigation structure or notSocial Media – websites or platforms used for relational connections, entertainment, opinions/recommendations, etc. ; ex: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Digg, De.licio.us, StumbleUpon

Communication with an Impact – Who Cares?

•How will the students know unless you tell them?•Signal: noise – rising above the noise connects you with prospective students•In an age with so many choices… you can affect the students who choose your programs•No one tells your story and your value better than YOU, so share with students and parents•What you portray to prospective students and parents AFFECTS THEIR DECISION to enroll!•Each of us can impact the success of SIUE•What are your goals for your pages?•What are you hoping to learn today?

Communication with an Impact – Text for Bots

Search engines “crawl” your pages looking to establish what they are about so that they can display YOUR pages to searchers. What are they looking for?•Meta tags/data – title, keyword and description tags•Content with keyword density for search terms relevant to the page•Human readability•Hyperlinks to relevant content within your site (a/k/a “cross links”)•Hyperlinks from outside websites linking in to your site with specific keywords•“Fresh” and updated content

Communication with an Impact – Text for Bots

mba programs st louis

Communication with an Impact – Content for Humans

Your future students read your pages to find out more about your department and why they should attend. What are they looking for?•WIFM – Rule #1•Personalization – which means you give them their choice of info•People they can connect with – images, video, audio•Stories of other students who have done it before and succeeded•Real answers to their actual questions•Future job outlook and opportunities•Data to substantiate your information•Social proof (we’ll get to that later)

Communication with an Impact – Messaging

Sound hokey? Not really. Content is words on a page. Messaging is more than the words you write…•It is your promise to the students and parents•It is the logic-based value you can provide•It is the emotions are you creating to “connect” with your prospective students•It is your opportunity to tell stories and share ideas rather than talk AT your future students•Your willingness to listen is important; invite participation where appropriate•How would you define your KEY messages?

Communication with an Impact – Landing PagesGoal for landing pages should be “relevancy”• Create and maintain pages by segment or area of focus• Pages can line up with traffic sources you’ve created• Keywords are a must to affect search engines

Make your page clear and easy• Most of info “above the fold” & use bullets!• Distinct value proposition (as specific as possible)• Highlight department characteristics and appeal• Suggest related topics you offer and link to them

Offer several calls to action – ways to interact• Get to know us – simple contact info/form• Talk with us or schedule a face-to-face visit• Friend us on Facebook/Follow us on Twitter/Bookmark the page• Tell-a-friend/E-newsletter• Download a ____ (research brief/capabilities paper/staff bios)

Communication with an Impact – Social Proof

Your future students are interacting with social media daily, hourly – and in some cases by the minute!•Go where the students are – but have a plan•Be purposeful and control your message•Participate in the conversation, starting with LISTENING & OBSERVING•Encourage your current students to get involved•Don’t be afraid of video, podcasting and more•Link back to relevant pages on your site

Communication with an Impact – Sitemap Logic

Imagine a real life prospective student conversation• What questions do you ask students and their parents? How do they respond?• And what do they ask you? How do you answer them?

Pictures are worth a thousand words• Review your media gallery for images that support key ideas that matter to

prospective students• Never stop taking new pictures – even if they’re not professionally shot

Be sure to address fears and concerns • Open honest communication is just as important on the web as it is in person –

students and parents appreciate transparency• Concerns are usually a signal that more information is needed – this is where the site

can become more deep with content

Let’s create your sitemap – and Jim can work with you on developing your sitemap further.

Communication with an Impact – Hands-on Exercises

Create three concise ideas for why a student should choose your programs

• Try to make a “you” statements• Think about what’s important to the students and their parents

Think of at least two points of differentiation from other nearby institutions

• With which specific schools does your department “compete”?• How are you better than them?• Can you quantify the results?

Think outside the box…• When developing these lists, what other creative ideas, images, student

stories, etc. come to mind?

Communication with an Impact – Thank you!

For more information on the information in this session, please feel free to contact me @

Joy MilkowskiAccess Marketing Company720-536-8650

Email: Joy@AccessMarketingCompany.comFollow: www.twitter.com/joymConnect: www.linkedin.com/in/joymilkowski