127
What’s expected of your website? How to strategize and plan for your audience’s arrival Presented By: Michael Weisfeld November 2009 2nd Annual LA Regional Program
| Date post: | 15-Jul-2015 |
| Category: |
Documents |
| Upload: | businessonline |
| View: | 1,447 times |
| Download: | 3 times |
What’s expected of your website? How to strategize and plan for your audience’s arrival
Presented By:Michael WeisfeldNovember 2009
2nd Annual
LA Regional
Program
Who is Michael Weisfeld?
Senior Web Strategist for BusinessOnLine
Building Websites & Strategies since 2002
Areas of Web Expertise:StrategySocial MediaSearch Engine MarketingUsabilityBusiness Analyst
Background in “Big 5” Management Consulting@mrweisfeld
#abmla
Housekeeping … to get the slides
Request a 1-on-1 lab online
Give me your business card
http://www.businessol.com/forms/labs
1
2
Make this session interactive …
@BOLSocial
if Tweetting about this session, please use this hashtag:
#abmla
Follow the BusinessOnLine Social Media team on Twitter at:
Agenda
Review: Marketing Landscape Trends
Explore: Insights About Why Strategies Fail
Present: Strategy Development Process
Conclusion: How Everything Comes Together
Examples: Gallery Of Deliverables
Q&A - please hold until the end of the presentation
What is the cost of frustrating your customers with a poorly organized website?
How much extra time and money is spent on customer support because your customers can’t find the information they seek?
What does it cost to train your team
on complex systems?
How much could you save if it wasn’t
so complicated in the first place?
If customers can’t find what they’re looking for, what does that say about your brand?
The cost of poor navigation and lack of design standards is….at least ten million dollars per year in lost employee productivity for a company with 10,000 employees.
“
Jakob Nielson states:
Source: Jakob Nielsen's Intranet Portals: The Corporate Information Infrastructure
Developing A StrategyLearnings from a famous Psychophysicist
Pasta Sauce Strategy Decades Ago
Psychophysics applied to Prego ????
Howard Moskowitz is President and CEO of Moskowitz Jacobs Inc.
well-known experimental psychologist in the field of psychophysics and an inventor of world-class market research technology.
Pasta Sauce Strategy Now
It turns out that people's preferences fell into one of three broad groups:
Plain
Spicy
Extra-chunky
Marketing Insight:
Food Industry Revolution?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2008
Prego
Not actual data (dramatization purposes only)
“Prego spaghetti sauces eventually become the number one best selling new dry grocery product of the decade”
Marketing Success!
Marketing Landscape TrendsKey statistics that impact your website strategy
More People Online
Key Trend #1
More Time Spent Online
Key Trend #2
Of the North American population
use the internet
74%
Of the world’s internet users come
from Asia
40%
Of the world’s internet users come
from North America
17%
Of the world’s internet users come
from Europe
26%
Internet Usage and World Population Statistics are for June 30, 2008
%
of a typical US adult’s time
spent on all media is spent
online (TV, radio, newspapers,
magazines, online)
Source: eMarketer
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
TV
Newspapers
Radio
Magazines
Internet
Ad Spending as % of Total Marketing Spend
TV1997 = 22%2010 = 14%-8%
Newspapers1997 = 30%2010 = 20%-10%
Radio1997 = 8.7%2010 = 8.5%-.2%
Magazines1997 = 14%2010 = 8%-6%
Forrester: Interactive Marketing Channels To Watch -Shar VanBoskirk
Internet1997 = 0.5%2010 = 8.6%+8.1%
Overall interactive advertising spend will grow an estimated 10% over the next six years
Budgets by Industry
93% of Americans expect
companies to have a
presence in
Social Media
Sourc
e: C
one, In
c.
People are spending more time on Social Media platforms
The average number of Tweets per day on Twitter.com alone
3 million tweetsSource: MarketingProfs, LLC
Spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)
5 billion minutesSource: facebook.com
Hours of video is uploaded to YouTube
13 hours every minuteSource: youtube.com
Why Strategies & Websites FailLessons Learned Review
Problem: Why do some website strategies fail?
Obvious:Insufficient pre-planning
Skipping rigorous analysis
No implementation road mapDodging strategy review meetings
Not enough resources (budget and people)No consensus from execs / stakeholders
Not realistic scopeBelieving strategy can be built in a day
Failing to link strategic planning with strategic execution
The view from Inside …
It's Hard to Read the Label When You're Inside the Bottle!
Not Obvious Reason:“Inside In” approach
Rely heavily on: Business first mindsetInternal resources that maintain old school perspectives
Not objective enough - think like a user
Marketing Insight:
Creating Engaging WebsitesUser Centered Design
Marketing Landscape: Online & Offline
Online MarketingOffline Marketing
traf
fic
Website
traf
fic
Understand the User Scenarios
What content are online visitors expecting from your website when they arrive?
What information is valuable to your users and supports your business objectives?
What is your audience doing online when then are not visiting my website?
What Is Expected Of Your Website?
How to strategize and plan for your audience’s arrival?
1. Optimize Pull Marketing Initiatives-Present product/service information when & where users are actively looking for it. (example: search engine marketing)
2. Employ User Centered Design-Build the website so users have an engaging experience and can easily accomplish this goals.
Definition: User Centered Design (UCD)
Insert with graphic An approach to design that grounds the process in
information about the people who will use the product.
*http://www.upassoc.org/usability_resources/about_usability/what_is_ucd.html
Focus on users through the planning, design and development of a website.
Proof: User Centered Design Statistics
Following a usability redesign, websites increase desired metrics by 135% on average – Jakob Nielsen
46% of users abandon their online transaction as a result of experiencing website problems. – Survey of Online Consumer Behaviour by
Tealeaf/Harris (2009)
40% of users who experience problems on a website say they would switch to an online or offline competitor – Survey of Online
Consumer Behaviour by Tealeaf/Harris (2009)
$25 billion is lost every year due to web site usability issues. – Zona Research
Beyond the stats …
Word of Mouth:
People share information, ideas and make recommendations all the time.
High level of trust
Word of Mouth – is now ONLINE!!!
Internal Brand
EvangelistsInfluencersDetractors
Creators Critics Collectors Joiners Spectators Inactives
Proof: Social Technographics Stats
Source: http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/profile_tool.html
Website Strategy PhasesBuilding the plan
Five Major Strategy Phases
Analysis and Documentation
Diagnostics
Research
Discovery
Education
Final Strategy
1
2
3
4
5
Analysis and Documentation
Diagnostics
Research
Discovery
Education
Final Strategy
EDUCATION
Website Strategy Development
Understand Current State of Your Website
Website
People
Availability Skills
Process
Method Metrics
Technology
Content Management
Integration
How are resources being allocated across the marketing mix?
What resources are devoted to the website?
Understand Your Online Trends and Patterns
Trends in:Participation
Consumption
Adoption
Patterns:Seasonality
Critical Mass of Audience
Validate Influential Individuals:“Follow” these individuals on Twitter
Subscribe to their RSS Feeds
Where is your audience participating?
How are you allowing your audience to participate and interact within your domain and what are they saying?
How is your audience participating and interacting outside of your domain and what are they saying?
How is your company participating outside your domain?
QU
ES
TIO
NS
Understand Your Social Media Landscape
Present Information to Stakeholders & Decision Makers
* size of website team may vary
Website Workshop: Topics to Cover
Goal is to ensure everyone is on the same page and can add-value to the project
Facts
• Stats
• Research
• Industry Trends
• Competitor Results
Process & Resources
• Steps
• Resources
• Expected Budget
• Expected ROI
Analysis and Documentation
Diagnostics
Research
Discovery
Education
Final Strategy
DISCOVERY
Website Strategy Development
Website Project: Discovery Discussion
Let the big wigs and stakeholders be heard via a workshop.
Extract:
Vision
Business model
Business goals
Internet GoalsAssessing Gaps
Technology Supporting Processes
Pain/Fear :General UnderstandingFear CompetitionFear CostsDeficiencies
Ask the tough questions & Look beyond the obvious…
How will you effectively market new products and services in an “on demand” world? (Pull Marketing)
What is your strategy to effectively participate in online conversation regarding your brand, products and/or services?
Are you publishing multimedia content to your website?
How are you managing Keyword conflict and effectively measuring and maximizing SEM ROI?
Main question to ask is:
How do you really know what your customers want? Do you have the data to back this up?
“Feedback Analytics”
Source: http://www.kampyle.com/
Analysis and Documentation
Diagnostics
Research
Discovery
Education
Final Strategy
RESEARCH
Website Strategy Development
Research Phase Overview
I. Understand your customers & potential customersPersona Exploration - what is your target archetype user(s)?
User Testing - Qualitative / Quantitative results
II. Conduct SWOT AnalysisCompetitive Research- where do you stack up?
III. Keywords and ContentTarget keyword phrases
Relevant content available
Most popular content and topics
Understand your Customers
Conduct Persona Exploration Research to determine:
Who are your typical customers? What do they need and want?
Not based on one individual - but a conglomerate of data
Personas are not real people – they are templates
Personas
Role?
Content Focus?
Calls to Action?
Types of Persona Research
Qualitative DataQuantitative Data
Determine What Your Visitors Want
Quantitative Data: Demographics
Who are your Customers? … via business intelligence data
Male36%
Female64%
Quantitative Data: Feedback
What are your Customers saying? … via surveys
0.00%5.00%
10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%40.00%45.00%50.00%
1 2 3 4 5
Perc
en
tag
e
Satisfaction
Ease of Use
Students Parents Alumni, Employees, CBU Affiliates
Attractive
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
1 2 3 4 5
Satisfaction
Perc
en
tag
e
Students Parents Alumni, Employees, CBU Affiliates
Useful
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
1 2 3 4 5
Satisfaction
Perc
en
tag
e
Students Parents Alumni, Employees, CBU Affiliates
Efficient
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
1 2 3 4 5
Percentage
Sati
sfa
cti
on
Students Parents Alumni, Employees, CBU Affiliates
Qualitative Data: Interviews
What are your Customers saying? … via interviews
Conduct Competitive Landscape Research
SWOT analysis help to better understand competitive landscapeStrengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threats
Variables to consider & analyze:Brand Awareness & Reputation
Gaps or Opportunities
Competitive Keywords
Web Site
Creative
Marketing Messaging
Viral Campaigns
Technology
Internet Marketing Campaigns: SEM, Media Buys, etc..
Determine how your company stacks up…
Research Keywords & Phrases
Identify popular & related search terms
Assess competitive landscape
Don’t forget misspellings
Categories non-branded terms
Industry-related
Seasonal Example: keyword suggestion toolhttp://www.keyworddiscovery.com/tour-search.html
Search phrase: Web Hosting
Identify Popular Content & Topic Trends
Website AnalyticsTop on-site search terms
Common navigation paths
Highest rated
Most commented
Most controversial
Top entry pages
Top exit pages
Most linked to
Topic TrendsNew products
News & Events
Politics
Economy
Renewable Energy (Green)
Analysis and Documentation
Diagnostics
Research
Discovery
Education
Final StrategyDIAGNOSTICS
Website Strategy Development
Website Elements for Diagnosis
Website
Back-end
Technology
CMS Platform
E-commerce Platform Hosting
Front-end
User Centered Approach
Navigation Design Content
Usability Diagnostic …
After you know who your visitors are and what they want…
Perform a Usability Diagnostic –Expert trained in the heuristics of Usability and Cogitative Science will make recommendation to create the optimal user experience.
Minimum Standards, Best Practices and Learned Conventions
Human Factors International Certified
Results:Do you need a complete website overhaul or just refinements?
Usability Diagnostic Example -BREAKING LEARNED CONVENTIONS
The navigational structure used
here breaks a few learned
conventions
Button-like objects have an affordance
for clicking, but are not clickable.
Users read and use a page from left to
right, top to bottom.
Content becomes blocked by the
appearing navigation..
A
B
C
A
B
C
A BC
Web Analytics Diagnostic: Traffic Audit
Is your current web analytics platform configured properly?
Can you segment and track specific campaigns? (PPC vs. Email vs. Print Ad)
Are you interpreting the data that is being captured?
Beyond the raw numbers/data: Analysis
Ask why? And what can I do?
This diagram isa depiction ofhow analyticsshould beintegrated.Website
Web Analytics Diagnostic: Click Density Audit
Question: How do I increase visits to the upcoming events?
Solution:Need to analyze “Click Density Data”
Gain Insights:Content highest on the page gets most traffic. Re-arrange content buckets.
Technology Diagnostic
Technical Audits & Technology/Platform Research
Can marketers easily and efficiently update content on the website without needing the help of IT?
What limitations does the current solution impose?
What are the Pro/Cons & Level-of-Effort analysis?
Content
Delivery
Text
Image
Photo
Audio
Video
Applets
TEMPLATES
CONTENT
Content
Deploy
Display Layout
WORKFLOW
Business Rules
PROFILING/CUSTOMIZATION
COMMERCE
Content
Generation
CONTENTMANAGEMENT
DB DB
WEBARCHITECTURE
SEARCH/INDEXING
Message
Board
Syndicated
Content
Content
Entry
ENDUSER
REPORTING
PERSONALIZATION
Content Diagnostic
What content is currently on your website?
What content do you wish could be on your website?
Social Media Diagnostic
Have a presence in the major platforms
Is the presence optimized?
TOOLS
Brand awareness & reputation:Tools: google.com/alerts, blogscope.net, search.twitter.com, co.mments.com, trendrr.com
Gaps or opportunities in the Social Media space:Tools: yacktrack.com/home, alltop.com, dipity.com
Critical Mass of Audience:Tools: boardtracker.com, technorati.com, alltop.com, touchgraph.com
2
1
3
4
2
1
3
4
Rotating marketing messages that explain the purpose of the page
Tabbed page that focuses on KPIs that determine the success of the Facebook page
Add specific call to action banners that direct traffic to where you want them.
Utilize status updates for promotional marketing messages exclusive for fans.
Social Media Diagnostic: Facebook Audit
Analysis and Documentation
Diagnostics
Research
Discovery
Education
Final Strategy
ANALYSIS AND DOCUMENTATION
Website Strategy Development
Approach to Analysis and Documentation
Several processes go into a comprehensive website analysis and documentation:
Card Sorting
Online Surveys
Content Audits
One-On-One Interviews
Buzz Monitoring
Audience Research and Personas
Conduct interviews with your users
Online user testing
Audience surveys
Record each session with audio and or video.
Watch, list, and interact
Formulate personas based off of your research
Card sorting & Labeling
Task users with grouping information in a fashion that makes the most sense to them
2 different types of card sorts: Open and Closed
Results are analyzed and used as a guide when creating the website’s hierarchy
Use Case Diagrams
Describes the system from the users point of view
Captures the behavioral requirements by detailing the scenario driven requests by each persona
Useful for illustrating the interaction between the audience and the system and/or website
Data Flow Diagrams
Graphical representation of the “flow of data” through an information system.
Data Flow diagrams can also be used for the visualization of data processing.*
*Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_flow_diagram
Classification Schemes
How Will the Content Be Organized?
Alphabetical
Audience
Date
Geographic
Tag-Based
Task
Topic
Keyword Analysis Report
High-Leveled Analytics Dashboard
Social Media Monitoring
Analysis and Documentation
Diagnostics
Research
Discovery
Education
Final StrategyFINAL STRATEGY
Website Strategy Development
Core Elements to the Final Strategy
Strategy
Users Goals
• Find Info
• Get support
• Buy Now
Business Goals
• Increased sales
• Brand awareness
• Service customers
Resources
• Content
• Technology
• SMEs
• Budget
Industry Trends
• Web 2.0
• Competitive Landscape
• Increased spending
• Social Networking
Plan for your Customer Lifecycle
Ensure engagement opportunities for all phases:
Awareness
•Existing
•Email Marketing
•Branded Terms
•New
•Read Ratings & Reviews
•Targeted Keywords
Interest
•Existing
•Download Whitepaper
•View Video
•Request Info
•New•Social
Bookmarking
•Streaming Video
Evaluation
•Existing
• Information Kits
•Download Trial
Commitment
•Existing
•Webinars
•Class Registration
•Downloads (updates, user guides, etc.)
•Forums
Referral
•Existing
•Testimonials
•New
•Provide Ratings & Reviews
Increase assortment of content
Create a rich and engaging website supported by numerous types of content.
Social Media Inside Your Domain
2
3
1
4
2
1
3
4
Easily allow users to Retweet, Digg, or Sphinn articles they enjoy
Easily allow users to visit your brand’s additional social profiles
Provide the option for users to share a post via ShareThis, AddThis, etc
Enable comments and make comment count visible to users at the top of the article
Social Media Outside Your Domain
Search Engines
Social Networks
Review Sites
Content Strategy
Graphic Source: http://www.briansolis.com/2009/06/state-of-pr-marketing-and/
Example Hierarchy
http://www.junta42.com/content-marketing-playbook.aspx
Author a Website Playbook
Executive Summary
Business Challenge
SWOT Findings
Opportunity Statement
Implementation Roadmap Plan
Project Goals & Objectives
Project Approach & Scope
Project Work Plan & Staffing
Budget / Resource Planning
Key Success Factors
Return on Investment
Website Playbook
Website Development ProjectExample Deliverables
Website Development Lifecycle
Strategy Output: Roadmap / Phased Timeline
Strategy Output: Infrastructure Diagram
-Donna Spencer (Mauer)
Strategy Output: Whiteboard Prototyping
Advantages:Everything is erasable
Free of any technological restrictions or software learning curves
Don’t “design” in front of your computer.
Marketing Insight:
Strategy Output: Online Conversion Scale
Ensure you audience has multiple ways to interact with your website.
Strategy Output: Social Media Ecosystem
Communities Web Eco-system Phase 3: Mature
Community
CAT.com
Research
Community
Testing of new
community
features
Product surveys
VOC Projects
Robust User Profile
Rich public profile
functionality
Usage stats
User Profile Search
CAT.com
Product pages contain
special boxes with
dynamic links to
specific forum topics
that are happening
near real-time.
Mature Communities
Advanced thread
structure
Rich media embedding
Established community
leaders
Awareness
Top Organic Listings for
critical keyword phrases
in Search Engines
directing visitors to
highly ranked threads
and front page
Registration
Survey
Robust VOC
collection
Research /
marketing opt-ins
RSS Feed
Readers
Reader,
iGoogle,
Yahoo, etc.
External
Sites
Direct
referral to
discussion
threads
Community
Communities
Basic thread
structure
Low monitoring
Registration
Survey
Minimal
registration
requirements
Invitation
Invite email
asking person
to register and
use the
community
Invitation-only Comm
unity Access
User Profile
Minimal profile
functionality
Be realistic- internal resources, technology, creative top notch content.
Participate in arenas outside your domain to listen to the “voice of the customer”
Test - go small then big…
Evolve
Strategy Output: Beta Sitemap
Strategy Output: Low-Fi Wireframes
Elaboration Output: Sitemap
Deliverable: Sitemap - Organization and Navigation
Elaboration Output: Wireframes
Are your targeted keywords present within the architecture?
Are there any words that can be changed which will not change the context of the label?
Must strike the balance between optimizing for search engines and changing the meaning for the user
Example: Instead of just “Articles” what type of articles are they? Could they be labeled “B2B Articles.”
Elaboration Output: Navigation Optimization
Moderated and Unmoderated testing
Users are assigned tasks to complete
“Blocks of content” are clickable to other wireframes
Testing is recorded to capture the subtleties
All qualitative data
Elaboration Output: Wireframe Testing
Elaboration Output: Content Layout
Deliverable: Wireframes“blue print” of the website architecture
Validated by user feedback!
Elaboration Output: Content Map
clearly illustrates the:page type
page title
potential content
image file names
wireframe template
calls to action present
URL folder path
even a sign off column from both author and architect.
Deliverable: Design Exploration
Elaboration Output: Design Direction
Gallery: Wireframe to Design
Conclusion
Understand to be Understood
User Needs
Business Needs
Synergy
True innovation can occur when there is a deep mutual understanding of both sides.
Employ UCD to ensure success
The logical approach is to develop a:Detailed, Well researched, Well documented, One step ahead of the competition- plan
What’s the secret?
Think of your users first.
Plan for ongoing optimization
Conclusion
Position the website as the epicenter for all marketing.
Think Users first.
Build the right strategy to ensure future success.
Test the approach iteratively throughout the development process.
Results: Then (2006) and Now (2008)
Handout: Social Media Participation Matrix
Review
Discuss
Determine
Questions?
Michael WeisfeldP 619.699.0767 x247
[email protected] Twitter: @mrweisfeld
http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelweisfeld
APPENDIXAdditional Information and Resources
Strategy & SM Newsletters and Blogs
Jeremiah Oywang (http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/)
SmartBrief Newsletter (http://www.smartbrief.com/socialmedia/index.jsp?campaign=webIndustries)
Mashable (http://mashable.com/)
Chris Brogan (http://www.chrisbrogan.com/)
David Armano (http://darmano.typepad.com/)
Peter Kim (http://www.beingpeterkim.com/)
TechCrunch (http://www.techcrunch.com/)
MarketingCharts (http://www.marketingcharts.com/)
SocialMedia Insider (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Archives.showArchive&art_type=66)
Groundswell
"(The book) is not so much a manifesto or a dissection of online culture as it is a how-to manual for executives and mid-level managers trying to navigate this fast-changing and often confusing environment."
— Ideas: Book Review, Financial Times
"A new book by two researchers explains how companies' reputations can be tarnished by the cacophony of Internet commentary, and how they can fight back.“
— Broadsided, The Boston Globe
Google Alerts – blogs, news
Technorati - blogs
Alltop – blogs, news
Backtype – blog comments
Yacktrack – social comments
BoardReader – forums
Twitter Search – microblog
Social Mention – all
Filtrbox – filter results
Free Tools Paid Tools
Tools for Marketers
Buzzlogic
Radian6
TNS Cymfony
Trackur
Brands Eye
BoardReader
Cision
Nielsen
Sentiment Metrics
More Info: Social Media Webinar
Title: Is your Company Social? Planning a successful social media program.
Release: December 2008
Click here to request the webinar:
http://www.businessol.com/news/main-webinars/archives/default.html#session-2
