TURN YOUR QUARTZ WEBSITE INTO A DIAMOND
by Jacqueline LeFort, ABC, co-owner, Barr Allen Marketing Communications; communications director,
IABC Pacific Plains Region
As professional communicators we already know and practice (mostly) these overarching principals and best practices of good web design and communication:
- Map out the strategy and process
- Match the organization's goals to the web site goals
- Develop a visual theme and user interface that reflects the brand
- Write clearly and succinctly
- Promote interactivity and, of course
- Measure, measure, measure
These are expansive sweeping points but what about those helpful, niggling details that experience reveals? How do we reach excellence? Here are a few pointers to polish your process:
Strategy: This quote in an IABC.com article about 2007 EXCEL winner Stu Reed, executive vice president, Integrated Supply Chain, Motorolait, says it best:
"Strategy is where all of Stu's management starts from. He will not engage in discussion on communication or messaging without first understanding how it supports the overall strategy. A good reference point is us becoming the #1 supply chain. All messaging has been consistent with that goal."
~Mobile Devices Supply Chain, ISC, vice president
After the organization's website strategy is agreed upon, details on the process can be explored.
Process:
- Where the site will be hosted and what is the host's capabilities?
- How the site will be maintained, by whom and how often?
- What software will be used for the content management system? Is it proprietary? Easy to use? Big organizations can discuss this with their IT department, smaller organizations will be making their own decisions
- Is a forum or a blog applicable, and who will be the lead content person?
The outcome of this research and discussion will influence all sorts of tactical choices in the design and content of the site.
We have found after interviewing organizations, certain content themes are repeatedly brought up. This is also an excellent discussion to have before outlining the content in detail. A site map on paper quickly illustrates where content overlaps and where copy and visual points should link and reference each other. It also illustrates how many pages are on the site, what content buckets they are in and gives the writer, designer and reviewers a framework.
Goals: What is the purpose of the site, who are your primary audiences, and what are they interested in reading about? This leads to showcasing the information they are interested in and helping them find it easily.
According to Maryam Mohit, Amazon.com's V.P. of Site Development, the key to Amazon.com's success is a strong focus on customer experience, which is infused throughout all levels of the company and includes all aspects of the buying process.
Visual Theme/User Interface: Enhance your brand with appropriate interactivity, videos and some sophisticated visuals.
- Quick modular interactivity such as quizzes and polls add interest and are fairly low maintenance. Web visitors like to interact, but maybe social media is not right for your organization at this time. You may not have an authentic voice readily available to blog or tweet, this goes back to your organization's strategy.
- Don't look like your competitors and don't settle for an off-the-shelf template
- Keep your main navigation to a maximum of 8 links; the rest of the content can be in submenus. An eye catching visual in the body of the content is a great tool for an important timely message
Writing: What is the site's voice? According to Diane Fraser, owner of DEF Communcations, " The narrative theme and tone of voice should RELATE TO the voice USED IN your organization's print and other communication materials."
- Write your copy as if someone has just landed on a page and has not read your site sequentially left to right, It's not a brochure, and sites are not read through methodically. Your viewers are scanning and can and will jump in anywhere on the site.
- Use lots of bullets, headings, lists and links.
- Many writers write too much copy and are dismayed when it is programmed into the design of the site. Work with your designer on the appropriate length for each section
- Have a discussion about site optimization and come up with a list of words that are search terms and use them in your copy, before the site is finished
Measure: Pay attention to your site's statistics and react accordingly.
- What are people reading? How are they finding you?
- Do they just come and leave right from your home page? How long as they are on your website? Do they return?
- Is the site influencing your audience's behavior? Are they buying, are they registering today?
This data is immensely valuable in fine-tuning your website based on customer needs and wants.
But by far, the most valuable tip of all is to have fun with the project; laughter defuses the tension that occurs in even the best-managed launch or redesign. Keep your sense of humor! Sites are fluid, technology is ever changing. A new browser version was launched during the creation of the IABC DC Metro site and in an instant the technology impacted the programming and changes had to be made. So keep laughing .we did!
Barr Allen Marketing Communications was honored and thrilled to work with such a fantastic group of
IABC/DC Metro volunteers. Thank you again for the opportunity!
