guide to website redesign planning - education marketing … · 2020-02-26 · inbound marketing...

GUIDE TO WEBSITE REDESIGN PLANNING

caylor-solutions.com • [email protected] • p 317.985.7375 • f 317.614.7190

GUIDE TO WEBSITE

REDESIGN PLANNING

About the Author

With a career spanning nearly 20 years, Bart Caylor has leveraged a vast experience which he utilizes for his clients. As part owner of one of the largest digital design and branding firms in Indianapolis, Bart was responsible for a number of higher education accounts for years. He was also the driving force behind new media initiatives for clients such as Motorola, Ingersoll Rand, Roche Diagnostics, Community Health Network, RCA, Schlage Lock, and Lexmark.

Bart now leads Caylor Solutions applying his knowledge and skills specifically to the education industry. His work has garnered acclaim in The Chronicle of

Higher Education and U.S. News & World Report, as well as earning him several awards, including a Webby and a National Circle of Excellence Award through CASE.

Bart graduated magna cum laude from Anderson University, is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and has served as president of the Anderson University Alumni Council. He is often asked to speak at universities and conferences on topics related to web design, digital media, and enrollment marketing.

About Caylor Solutions

Caylor Solutions is an Indianapolis-based marketing agency that works with colleges, universities, K-12, and education organizations to improve communication, enrollment, and development efforts through strategic brand, marketing, websites, and print and digital collateral.


CONTENTS


Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Focus Your Sights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Tell Your Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Plan for 3 Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Scannable and Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Show and Tell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Drive Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 7

Set it to Autopilot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Your Big Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Websites: It’s No Longer 1999

Remember when websites were the new viewbooks? Getting a site up about your school’s majors, minors, and student life helped validate and supplement the information that was received from the admissions counselor. As time progressed and more and more content was posted to the site, a larger percentage of applications were submitted via the web. Your webmaster managed it all.

Fast forward: the digital revolution picked up speed. Google and search engines started supplying you with stealth applicants that you didn’t know existed. Search engine optimization was important, Facebook and social media changed how you engaged with the audience, new social networks started coming online, and prospective students stopped using email and became more elusive. Change accelerated.

Your institution’s website is as critical as ever. It has the ability to be the first impression for a number of audiences. But as the Internet has matured, so have the digital tools that make up a website. More than ever before, incredible new tools are in the hands of the creators of content.

The Purpose of This eBook

This eBook has been developed to help educate you on best practices of today, as well as how to approach a website refresh/redesign/redevelopment. It has been created to help you consider the tools and techniques that will ultimately impact your school’s bottom line. By arming yourself with this knowledge, it is our hope you will be better informed in your decisions and investments.

INTRODUCTION

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What is Your Focus?

A school’s website cannot be all things to all people. For years, you have fought the battle of everyone wanting their own space on the homepage. But when it comes down to it, how often are enrollment or donation decisions based upon access to the library or today’s lunch menu from the homepage? Today’s Internet users demand clarity. They also expect your website to serve their needs and answer their questions above all else.

Focus on Revenue Drivers

Look to the titans of industry: Amazon, Walmart, Apple, Google. These companies have grabbed the advantages of the digital world – especially within ecommerce – to generate conversion and drive revenue. Education is driven by revenue as well. Determining your primary source of income (most likely enrollment) should help you focus your energies and provide a clear answer when asked, “Why is my link not on the homepage?”

Focus on Conversion

Once you have identified your target revenue drivers, look for ways to build a funnel of conversion. Leverage tools such as landing pages, inbound marketing, and other tips mentioned in this eBook to create a website that works for you.

FOCUS YOUR SIGHTS

• Know how your website can make the biggest impact on your institution.

• Focus content, organization, and design on that audience’s needs.

• Look for ways to build a conversion funnel to increase engagement.

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You are Unique

Every campus has a unique story. While it’s easy to see yourself as just one of many, every campus and every institution has its own offering, a specific benefit, and something that will cause the like-minded to gravitate to you when you share that compelling message. Spend time to discover what your brand really is all about, and present it out loud and clear on your website.

Have Others Tell Your Story

In addition to writing about your story, have others tell your story as well. Ask students, alumni, friends, faculty, and parents to give their testimony explaining how and why your school is unique. Have them share their personal experience of how your institution impacted them. Use photos, vignettes, videos, blogs, comments, and other social aspects to get the message across.

Use Humans and Emotion

Ultimately, you’re selling an education made up of human experience and emotion. You are not selling buildings and fall foliage. Be sure that all of your photos, copy, videos, design styles, and general tone underscore and emphasize that unique brand aspect. Use of “hero spots” on the homepage and landing pages will assist in providing small billboards to communicate your brand clearly.

TELL YOUR STORY

• Discover your unique selling proposition and brand to differentiate your website.

• Use testimonials from various constituent groups in creative ways.

• Use emotion and the human touch to demonstrate your school’s brand story.

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Mobile, Tablet, Desktop/Laptop

Today’s websites are being accesses from mobile phones and tablet computers, as well as traditional desktop and laptops. The younger the demographic, the more likely they are accessing your website from a smaller screen. Planning for that experience is absolutely critical.

Responsive Web Design

While one answer has been to develop mobile-only sites, that strategy typically ends up adding additional work and complexity to updating content, and distracts from adding fresh content and strategy. Responsive website programming is the answer. This style of web development assures that the user experience is optimized – regardless of the size of their screen – and allows management of the website to focus on new content and converting visitors, rather than constant changes and updates.

Don’t Forget Email

When planning for the three screens, don’t forget about your other digital communications. Studies show that a large percentage of email is viewed via a mobile screen, so it’s critical that responsiveness is also built into email templates and communications.

PLAN FOR 3 SCREENS

• Review your website on the three screens, and review the experience.

• Leverage responsive design in the website redesign to minimize updates.

• Review other digital communications, especially email, to assure proper delivery.

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Search-Driven Culture

Today’s website audience comes to find information. The days of simply surfing the Internet ended in 1999. Understanding this fact and taking advantage of it on your website will provide your users with a better experience, and will open them to take action.

Seek and Find

Consider updates to your website that:

• Utilize lists and bullets

• Employ best practices, such as having “Search” in the right corner and contact information in prominent locations on each page.

• Short, simple paragraphs that are concise and deliver the message.

• Use best practices for search engine marketing to assure that your granular information is found.

Simple Navigation

Be sure that the organization and labeling of content is created with the website visitor in mind. While your institution may organize departments by school or college, your site visitor may not familiar with that structure. Keep it simple for them to understand the majors you offer, and to find the terms they’re seeking. Also consider the logical organization of content that is clean and clear.

SCANNABLE AND SIMPLE

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• Website visitors come with questions that they need to have answered. Make it easy for them.

• Create content that is simple and quickly scannable by using short statements and bullets.

• Organize content logically and with the user in mind. Don’t make it difficult.

Content is More than Copy

Traditionally, websites have been constructed of pages containing copy and photos – not much more than a typical printed brochure. But with broadband speeds, even on mobile devices, your website can deliver so much more. Leverage your content to tell your story in a way that evokes emotion and response in your website users.

Rich Content and Media

To truly communicate your institution’s uniqueness, be sure to create rich content and media. This can and should be in the form of video, infographics, animation, and illustration, in addition to traditional photography and copy. This media should be posted not only on your institution’s website, but also through digital outposts such as social, video, and photo sharing sites.

See It, Do It, Share It

The old medical school adage of “see it, do it, teach it” can be modified to “see it, do it, share it” for our social media culture. Consider your new content strategy to be that of “content nuggets” that tell the aspects of your story, but in ways that are easily shared and socialized among friends.

SHOW AND TELL

• Use content to tell your institution’s unique story in a way that is emotive.

• Leverage copy, photos, video, illustration, infographics, etc. to communicate.

• Allow your content to be shared, and syndicate it throughout the social web.

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If You Build It, Will They Come?

Education websites historically have large numbers in traffic statistics. Primarily, that comes from internal usage, athletics, and admissions/academics. But the question to ask is, “Are the key prospects the ones viewing my content?” How can you drive those key decision-makers and their influencers to your website and assure they are impacting the numbers?

Inbound Marketing

Creating inbound marketing campaigns is the way to get in front of your key prospects. By identifying your audience and their habits, you can better create content and calls to action that will appeal to their needs. Look for inbound marketing channels through pay-per-click advertising (both search and social) and re-targeting campaigns, including email and social media campaigns. Traditional advertising can also be a great inbound marketing tool when using tools to combine print and digital.

Landing Pages

In all inbound marketing, it is crucial to set up individual landing pages with incentives and offers to entice the next step from your prospects. If you’re driving parent traffic, offer a downloadable eBook on financial aid and how your school stacks up against others. If you’re driving student athletes, be sure to have a landing page suited to their needs and taste to grab their attention. Individual landing pages are the key to measuring success and repeating the process.

DRIVE TRAFFIC

• Understand that you need more than just a website – you need to drive traffic to it.

• Leverage inbound marketing tools such as email and advertising to build leads.

• Use creative landing pages to provide an offer in exchange for next steps.

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Automatic vs. Manual

Management of the website and content is one of the most demanding and thankless jobs. Keeping up with the requests, changes, and needs of a campus community can end up be a truly reactionary position and department, unfortunately leaving very little time for strategic thought. As you contemplate your redesign strategy, look for ways to leverage integrations with other on-campus systems to remove some of the details to focus on the strategy.

Manage the Details

Much of the detailed content that is needed on a website is often repurposed from other sources, such as course catalog, campus directory, event calendar, alumni magazine, and campus news. Look for ways to integrate these systems with scripts and programming to assure that changes from the registrar or other campus offices will be automatically reflected on your institution’s website with minimum effort.

Increase Efficiency Through Integrations

Through these integrations, efficiency can be gained and a proactive stance can be achieved, providing more time to strategically plan for projects that will impact enrollment, development, and other initiatives. Look for a partner that can assist with the integrations who can also help with the collaboration between marketing and IT.

SET IT TO AUTOPILOT

• Website management is often more reactionary than proactive. Change that.

• Find content from other systems and create automatic integration points.

• Use the additional time from the integrations to focus on strategic work.

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Analytics is the Start

The new buzz is about big data, and how to analyze the metrics you have to make better decisions. Websites can generate a tremendous amount of data, but only if you track it. In the planning of your redesign project, you should consider the questions you have about your users. Where are they geographically? What are they seeking? How are they arriving? Knowing these will help you better organize your website. This goes way beyond page views and unique visitors.

Mining the Data

Once you have the data, tools will need to be in place to help you mine and extract the questions you have. Depending upon the answers you seek, various off-the-shelf tools can be used, typically for a small monthly fee that will provide you with the data to work toward strategic improvements and refinements.

Building for the Future

While you may not have the need or the tools to analyze the data today, your future self will thank you repeatedly for designing your website and gathering the data today that will be needed tomorrow. Start with the basics of Google Analytics. Add custom tools that define heat maps and click rates, and be sure to use the data available from your social profiles as well as email and pay-per-click campaigns to ultimately build a marketing decision engine.

YOUR BIG DATA

• Your website statistics and digital marketing are highly trackable. Use that power.

• Determine the questions you have, and get the tools to provide the answers.

• Gather data today to have a representation of your market for the future.

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Where Do I Start?

It’s simple: you can start by calling us today to set up a free conversation about your website needs and desires. We’re more than happy to discuss any questions that may have come up from this eBook, and to schedule a time to chat about your hopes for your website. Next steps for you might include brand strategy or assistance in redesigning and redeveloping your website to create a greater return on your marketing investment.

NEXT STEPS

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guide to website redesign planning - education marketing … · 2020-02-26 · inbound marketing...

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