Build a Better Website. 5 Online Trends to Employ Now! An educational webinar presented for The Sheridan Group.

1. Build a Better
Association Website!
5 Online Trends to
Employ Now!
Presented by
Ray van Hilst
Director, Client Strategy and Marketing

5. 5 Online Trends

6. “If you build it they will come…”

7. But… no one goes to hear a bad
orchestra.

9. Content Marketing is an umbrella
term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation
and sharing of content in order to attract, acquire and engage
clearly defined and understood current and potential consumer
bases with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering
information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer
action. Content marketing has benefits in terms of retaining reader
attention and improving brand loyalty.

10. Content Marketing Examples
• White Papers
• Infographics
• Webinars
• Emails
• Fact Sheets
• Blogs
• Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

11. Content Marketing
• A 2011 survey found that 82% of B2B companies use
content marketing
• Predicted Trends
▫ Shifting Technologies (e.g. RSS to Google+)
▫ Emerging content channels will steal the spotlight from more
established media
▫ Curated Content
▫ Search Engine Optimization including off site optimization (e.g.
social channels)
http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2012/6827/content-marketing-
trends-for-2012-whats-in-and-whats-out

12. 1 Billion

14. “I Google something at
least 12 to 14 times a
day.”
“Google is my primary research source.”
“If I need something I Google it.”
“Google is my homepage so
everything starts there.”
“I keep up to date on my
industry with Google alerts.”

17. Personalization Trends from Adobe
and eConsultancy
• 52% of digital marketers agree “The ability to
personalize web content is fundamental to their online
strategy.”
• 41% are “Committed to providing personalized
experiences.”
• Data used to personalize the web experience:
▫ Personal Data
▫ Browser History
▫ Purchase History
▫ Onsite Behaviour
▫ User Preferences
http://infographicsmania.com/website-personalization-trends/

19. Sharing Trends
• Facebook accounts for almost
53% of online sharing
▫ An 18% increase from 2011
• Pinterest is fastest growing
network
• More options mean more sharing
• Mobile sharing is growing
http://www.addthis.com/blog/2012/12/05/2012-social-
sharing-trends/#.USIiq6WyUz1

24. 5 Trends
1. Content Marketing
2. Search Engine Optimization
3. Personalization
4. Social Sharing
5. Responsive Web Design

26. You’re Probably About Ready
To Redesign Your Website

27. 40% of sites are more than 3 years old

28. 50% will build a new site within 2 years

29. Top Factors for a Redesign
• 70.2% - Look and feel is outdated
• 57.9% - Make it easier/faster to update;
• 57.9% - Integrated with other technologies
• 45.6% - Lack of functionality
• 22.8% - Shifting business Model
• 21.1% - Member Complaints
• 5.3% - Board directive
• 3.5% - Competition

31. Select the right TOOLS
Make it easy to publish content

32. “The hardest part of managing a website should
be writing the content. Not coding.”
Ray van Hilst
Some guy speaking on a webinar

33. WYSIWIG & HTML
News
Events
Calendar
Shared Content
Lists
Form Builder
Multimedia
Social integration

34. “My staff really likes their CMS [Sitefinity] - they
find it intuitive and with enough safeguards that
they're not afraid of screwing up the whole site.”
Cathy Stegmaier
Executive Director
Alliance of Cambridge Advisors

35. Testing a CMS
• Give the vendor sample content to migrate in
the demo
• Do a side by side comparison of publishing
content
• Try a Sandbox Demo
• Ask about training and documentation

36. Content Marketing
Create member value through content

37. “I am very much of a content-is-the-most-
important-thing [mindset]. You can have
the most effective integrated social media
platform and every kind of technology, but
if you don’t have anything to say, you’re
done.”
- James Carville, Associations Now

38. Content Marketing for Associations
• Industry News
• Press Releases
• Magazine Articles
• Videos
• Education
• Blogs
• Newsletters

39. Get Started
• Content Audit
▫ What do you have?
▫ Where is it?
• Identify your channels
▫ Where should it go?
• Institutionalize
▫ Get everyone on board
▫ Adopt the Manifesto

40. Content Pyramid
Social
Media
Blog Posts
News Articles
Features
Evergreen Content Formal
Informal Right Now
3 Years
from Now

41. Content Marketer’s Manifesto
(Top 5)
#1 – I am a Marketer
▫ If you are creating content – even editorial – you are engaged in marketing
#2 – I hold the hottest tool for retention – Content
▫ Relevant content is the best way to create value
#3 – My content is aligned with the organization’s goals
▫ I create content that achieves my organization’s goals
#4 – I am in the influencing behavior game
▫ My purpose is to provide value through content to influence and drive behavior
#5 – I have an ongoing dialogue
▫ Content topics are driven by ongoing discussion and listening to their needs.
http://bussolati.com/manifesto/

42. Search Engine Optimization
Making your content found

43. http://readwrite.com/2011/12/13/googles-matt-cutts-good-conten
Good content trumps SEO
"Even if you do brain-dead
stupid things and shoot yourself
in the foot, but have good
content, we still want to return
it,”
“Google tries to make it so that
sites don't have to do SEO."
Matt Cutts
Google Webmaster
Extraordinaire

44. SEO Tips
• Make it visible
▫ Relevant content can’t be hidden behind a login
• Know your relevant keywords… and use them!
▫ Headlines
▫ Body Copy
▫ Internal Links
• Build links back to your site
▫ Press Releases
▫ Partner Sites
▫ Social Media and Communities
▫ Embrace Google+

45. SEO Basics
• SEO Friendly URL
• Title Tag
• Keywords
• Descriptions

46. User Centric Philosophy

47. Generalist
Jim
• 26 Years Old
• General RT in a hospital
• Early in career
• Single, enjoys life outside
work
• Transaction driven
Susan
• 34 Years Old
• Radiation Therapist
• Hospital based
• Married with two small kids,
always on the go
• Transaction driven
Specialist
Sarah
• 40 Years Old
• Senior Technician with
many positions
• Engaged at state level
• Married with two kids (8
& 11)
Careerist
Bob
• 48 Years Old
• Operations Manager
• Service provider
• Volunteers with state
affiliates and national org
• Married with active
teenagers
Evangelist

48. CEs Drive Web UsageTransactional
1
Transactional
2
Career
Focused
Evangelist
Check &
Manage CEs
X X X X
Continuing
Education
X X X
Industry News X X X
Standards X
Events X
Careers X X
Vote X X
Volunteer X
Advocacy
Member
Benefits

50. Welcome Box

51. Easy Personalization
• Recognize Member Type
• Renewal Reminders
• Capture Topic Codes

52. Frictionless Social Sharing

53. Engagement Pyramid – Charlene Li
Curators
Producers
Commentators
Sharers
Watchers
http://www.slideshare.net/charleneli/understand-your-customers-social-behaviors

55. ATA Sharing
(1 month)
• 247 Shares
• 35 Clicks
• 14% Viral Lift
• Top Content
▫ Learning
▫ Case Studies
▫ Meeting
• Top Share platforms
▫ Email
▫ Facebook
▫ Twitter

56. Develop a Mobile Strategy
Engage your members and readers where they go

57. 3 Mobile Strategies
• Mobile Website
• Mobile App
• Responsive Website

58. Mobile Website
• Mobile only version
• “Forked” approach with
two separate sites
• Quick to implement

59. Mobile Apps
• Specialized experiences
• Can take advantage of
device capabilities
• Tend to be task focused
▫ eMail/Social
▫ Maps
▫ Reading

60. Responsive Design
• One site
▫ Consistent content management
• User experience is based on screen resolution
• Device Independent
• Restructured Layout

61. A website that responds to the device that accesses
it and delivers the appropriate output for it uses
responsive design. Rather than designing multiple
sites for different-sized devices, this approach
designs one site but specifies how it should appear on
varied devices.
https://itservices.stanford.edu/service/web/mobile/about/terminology

63. Desktop
• Define breakpoints
• Prioritize content
• Develop

65. Pros and Cons
http://info.vtcus.com/3-steps-to-a-mobile-strategy

66. Wrap Up

67. Top Takeaways
• Create good content
▫ Put your users first
• Make your content easy to
▫ Publish
▫ Go anywhere your users go
▫ Be found
• Expand your website’s footprint
▫ Sharable content
▫ Create user connections

68. Q & A
Get more tips at
www.vtcus.com/10-things
Download our eBook:
10 Things Members Want from
Your Association Website
Ray van Hilst
Director of Client Strategy and
Marketing
Vanguard Technology
703.439.1990
rvanhilst@vtcus.com
@rvanhilst
www.vtcus.com