Transcript Essentials of Web Site Marketing

Essentials of Web Site Marketing
• Introduction and Background Information
• Elements of Web Site Design
• Marketing and Driving Traffic
• ADA Compliance
• Trends for the Future
Web Terminology
Hits – The retrieval of any item, like a page or a graphic, from a Web server. For example, when a
visitor calls up a Web page with four graphics, that's five hits, one for the page and four for the
graphics. For this reason, hits often aren't a good indication of Web traffic
Page View – A Web page that has been viewed by one visitor. Page views are often used in online
advertising, where advertisers use the number of page views a site receives to determine where
and how to advertise.
Visit – a Web user with a unique address entering a Web site at some page for the first time that
day (or for the first time in a lesser time period). The number of visits is roughly equivalent to the
number of different people that visit a site. This term is ambiguous unless the user defines it, since
it could mean a user session or it could mean a unique visitor that day.
Unique Visitor – someone with a unique address who is entering a Web site for the first time that
day (or some other specified period). Thus, a visitor that returns within the same day is not
counted twice. A unique visitors count tells you how many different people there are in your
audience during the time period, but not how much they used the site during the period.
Eight in Ten Americans Now Have
Access to the Internet
Jan-03
80%
Jan-02
72%
Jan-01
62%
Jan-00
55%
Jan-99
0%
50%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Source: Edison Media Research
Average Time Spent Online in the Past
24 Hours (Hours: Minutes)
1:03
0:58
0:53
0:41
2000
2001
2002
2003
Edison Media Research
The Number of Americans Who Have Ever
Bought Online Has Tripled in Three Years
Jan-03
45%
Jan-02
40%
Jan-01
28%
Jan-00
24%
Jan-99
0%
13%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Source: Edison Media Research
The Online Population
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Teens and college students comprise 23% of all online users
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Black and Hispanic populations are within a few percentage
points of White households in online usage
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80% of online White and Black households are heavy users of
the internet
The “Digital Divide” is Narrowing for
African-Americans and Hispanics
90%
81%
74%
80%
70%
67%
70%
76%
64%
57%
60%
51%
50%
43%
40%
30%
20%
Jan-01
Jan-02
Jan-03
10%
0%
African-Am ericans
Hispanics
Whites
Edison Media Research
Online Media has Eclipsed Print…...
USAGE HOURS SPENT PER WEEK
TV
15.6
RADIO
12.6
ONLINE
7.1
NEWSPAPERS
4
MAGAZINES
3.4
0
5
10
15
20
Source: Jupiter Communications
Elements of Web Site Design
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Information Architecture
Standards
Consistent Design Throughout
Navigation Principals
Layout and Design
Graphic Fundamentals
Content
Information Architecture
Information architecture has three basic principal objectives:
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To help people find the content they need as quickly as
possible
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To put content in context so that it becomes part of a
cohesive body of knowledge
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To present content in its most readable format
The Benefits of Standards
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A more consistent and familiar experience for the reader
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A more cost effective environment to develop your site
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A faster development timeframe
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An easier environment to manage
Amazon – United States
Amazon – United Kingdom
Amazon - Denmark
Amazon - France
Habit = Brand Loyalty
- Changing structure breaks habitual behavior
- Stick with a design if it works
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Navigation Principals
Navigation is a sign post to get somewhere. Its what is on
your navigation that counts, not how it looks. Be consistent!
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Power Point
Layout and Design
1. Avoid using italics (hard to read)
2. Avoid using bold within the body of the text
3. Never use underline unless it is a link
4. Choose sans serif fonts
5. Avoid using small font sizes
6. Avoid things that move
7. Keep it simple, functional and fast downloading
8. Don’t lock your font size
9. 50K max per page
10. Keep in mind that 90% of the world still uses 56K modems or less
Graphic Fundamentals
1. Graphic images should be small in actual size and file size
2. Consider using thumbnails if larger images are required
3. Always use alt tags for images (ADA compliance)
4. Icons should have descriptive text associated with them
5. If images are associated with a clickable story, the image should
also link to that story
Content Rules
1. Replace rotting, out of date content. Content MUST be kept up to
date. Older content should be removed completely from your site.
2. Out of date content will turn people away from your site and they
will not return.
3. Always lead with your best content.
4. We have created a professional publishing and content management
system. Very few colleges across the country have a system this
good.
5. Don’t fight to get the readers attention, you already have it! Give
them the information they need and are looking to find.
Note: For everyone page printed in a book, there are 30,000 pages
saved on the Internet and computers.
Benefits of Content Management
1. Easier for non-technical editors and authors to create, edit, and publish
content on their Web site
2. Easier for you to manage who creates, edits and publishes content.
3. Can reduce the need for training, and the daily stream of calls to the IT
department.
4. Reduces time-to-publish, allowing you to get content on your site faster.
5. Allows for the design and evolution of a professional information
architecture.
6. Facilitates better content security. It can control who is allowed to publish
to the Web site, and who is allowed to see what content.
7. Allows you to easily measure the success of your publishing efforts.
One Final Thing on Content …
What’s the one
word that best
describes the
online reader?
IMPATIENT!
Place key words in your headings
Place your key message in the first paragraph, not at the end
Online readers read in chunks
Online readers “scan read”
Online readers jump between content
Marketing and Driving Traffic
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Emails
Newsletters
Links
Search
Banners
Signature Files
Offline
Print Materials
Branding
Email Marketing: Why do it?
• Inexpensive
• Faster than direct mail
• You can track the results
• Increasing numbers of people are using email at work and at
home
The Rules Are Changing
- Anti-spam legislation - the House of Representatives passed
the first bill that will hold email marketers accountable for the
influx of bulk unsolicited email, commonly known as "spam."
- Declining efficiency of all online marketing – the downturn
in the economy has led to more advertisers turning away from the
internet due to the tracking that is available. No other industry
tracks like the internet.
- Ever-increasing consumer wariness and mistrust – readers
have yet to accept the internet as a legitimate commerce
industry. The numbers are growing but there is still a huge
“trust” problem with the internet.
Spam Statistics
• 8,900,000,000 - The amount, in U.S. dollars, that unwanted
commercial email cost U.S. corporations in 2002 (Ferris Research).
• 780,000,000 - Number of spam emails that AOL blocks from
member mailboxes every day (AOL press release, February, 2003).
• 45% - percentage of email that was spam in 2003
• 70% - percentage of email that will be spam in 2007
• 70% - Percentage of today’s spam that is illegal under one or
more current laws in the United States (according to studies
quoted by the Federal Trade Commission, February, 2003).
• 80% - Percentage of Harris Poll respondents who said they
considered spam "very annoying" in Fall of 2002
Newsletter Marketing Strategy
Why are you doing this?
Who are you writing to?
What are you writing about?
What voice should you use?
Customer Retention – bringing back people who are already
your customers. NOT Customer Acquisition.
Are you ready for success?
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Is your website ready?
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Dynamic
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Up to date
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Specific pages for tracking?
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Is your fulfillment system ready?
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What happens if it WORKS?
Three Types of Newsletters
Rich Media
- Movement, integrated video, color, music
- Very large file size, broadband subscribers only
HTML
- Color, graphic design, imbedded links
- WSU Department Tools offers this option
- Larger file size, cannot be accepted by all email systems
Text
- Black and white typing with URL listings
- WSU Department Tools offers this option
- Most reliable for basic information, accepted by all email systems
Important Laws of Newsletters
Just because it CAN be done doesn’t mean it SHOULD be done.
You will feel the wrath of your subscribers if you send them
anything other than a text email at the beginning. Let them opt in
for HTML or choose this option when subscribing.
Provide examples of all emails offered. Let your readers make the
choice.
Newsletters
• If possible, send the first week of every month
• If not, send at least quarterly
• The more frequent you send a newsletter, the shorter it should
be
• Use a design template that matches web or print publications
• Identify yourself in the “subject line” and “from” lines for
immediate recognition
• Each newsletter must link back to your URL’s
• Always include an option to unsubscribe
Current WSU Newsletters
1. Inside WSU
2. WSU Alumni Newsletter
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Education, Fine Arts, Business, LAS,
Engineering, and CHP
3. Broadcast Announcements
4. News Digest
5. Department Tools
Three Key Items for Newsletters
Resources spent on newsletter strategies are more valuable
than the same resources spent in print strategies
A website built around a newsletter strategy is more
valuable than a website built around itself
Newsletter oriented thinking will yield better strategic web
thinking overall
The Marketing Power of Newsletters
Newsletters are person to person contact that establishes
personal relationships quickly
Newsletters creates a circle from your website to your
audience and back to your website that increases traffic
and maintains relationships
As a result, people engaged are more likely to take the
“desired action steps” at the appropriate time
- Giving to the annual fund
- Sending an enrollment application or deposit
- Respond to requests for information or “call to action”
Effective Email/Newsletters
Respond quickly and in detail
Use recognizable name in subject line
Make sure your links work
Subject line and first sentence are most
important
Interactive Newsletter Response
When anyone subscribes to your newsletter, the following should be done:
1. Thank or welcome the sender by name
2. Say when information requested will arrive
3. Contain information about the topic requested
4. Links to more information about the area of interest
5. Offer subscriptions to other newsletters offered
Practical Newsletter Tips
1. For in-house list, use your college name in the subject line
(only spammers hide)
2. Always include the date (month) in the subject line so readers
know how often the newsletter is sent
3. For purchased lists (admissions), try to use the name of the list
they are already on
4. Make sure links are always clickable
5. Make your “opt out” method clear
6. Think of your subject line as an envelope teaser, you have 3-5
seconds
7. Key text message in the first 5-6 lines
8. One sentence first paragraph to grab attention
9. NEVER email more than once per week
Newsletter Opt-In Permissions
Select from three affirmative consent options
1. Double Opt-in – users check a box, receive an email verification, respond
to the email, and then they are added to the list
2. Confirmed Opt-in – users check a box or register, then receive an email
confirmation
3. Single Opt-in – users check a box or register and are immediately
subscribed
Newsletter Success?
How Will You Know if it Works?
• Watch how subscriptions build
- track any marketing to see its impact on subscriptions
• Note how often people drop off the list, ask them why
• Count click-throughs from newsletter to your website
- this will tell you which of the stories generate the most interest
• Always remember that the newsletter is to cultivate a relationship
- it is best to not ask for money from your regular newsletter
- its ok to keep them informed of fund progress and take them to a website
to donate
The Bottom Line on Newsletters
• The best email list is the one you build yourself
- Through ads
- Through publications
- Through word of mouth
- Through viral marketing
1. Newsletter/Emails marketing is a cultivation tool to build
relationships
2. Know your reader and personalize as much as possible
3. Respond rapidly to feedback and reader concerns and
suggestions
4. Become your department (or college) leader. Immerse
yourself in web marketing ideas and opportunities
5. Use your resources.
Links
• Get as many links to your site from other sites. This will help you on
search engines.
• Ask similar sites to link to you in exchange for you linking to them.
• Make sure your URL’s are simple and easy to understand so people can
remember where to link.
• Create unique content so people will link to you for information
Search
• Have a search engine on your site for readers to find what they
are looking for quickly.
• Google provides a free tool for users to search your site or the
Internet
• Getting on search engines depends on you, not them.
• Search engines like Google rank first on the relevance of the search and
second on the number of links to your site.
• Paying for search engine placement
• Buy specific words. Be as specific as possible. You don’t want to pay for
searches that have no relevance to your site.
Banners
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Four types of ads.
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Three types of buys.
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Skyscrapers - tall ads usually placed down the right hand side of a site
Buttons – small 120x90 or 100x100 placed for smaller impact
Banners – 468 x 60 but various sizes are now appearing
Search Engine Link – links on search engines that are bought
– Cost per click – pay every time someone clicks on your ad (most expensive)
– Specific Page Placement – banner placed on certain pages of a site
– Run of Site – random placement throughout the site (least expensive)
Signature Files
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Placed at the bottom of your email, they can be very effective if
used correctly.
– Use short URL
– Describe the Web Site if it is not known by the URL
– ALWAYS place at the bottom of your email
Mark Eby
Director of Interactive Marketing
Wichita State University
316-978-3335
316-978-3776 (fax)
Email: [email protected]
http://www.Wichita.edu
http://www.WichitaNetwork.com
Offline/Print Materials
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Use Simple URL’s
– www.wichita.edu/library
– www.wichita.edu/education
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Print URL on Everything
– no extra cost in putting a URL at the bottom of the page
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Create Jump Pages
– Create special pages for promotions or ads you are running
– Track this URL to determine if the ad was effective
– Get people where they want to go quickly and instantly
– Don’t send them away from your page easily
Jump Pages
www.wichita.edu/fair
www.wichita.edu/halloween
Branding for the Web
Branding is working when your image is clear and sets you apart
- BMW is…
- Harvard is…
- Pepsi is…
- New York City is…
- France is…
- Amazon.com is…
Your business is…???
Branding and the Web
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The power of your website as a branding tool is most
closely related to the experience your visitor has at the
site
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And this means paying very close attention to content and
usability criteria
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Does your website reflect what your business is?
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Can people find what they want?
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Does your website change so much that people
become confused?
Your Website Builds Your Brand
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Creates a positive experience for visitors
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Reflects and supports the existing brand
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The better regarded your brand, the higher the expectation of
your website
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Integrates with other communications
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Acts as a home for loyal visitors
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Is special…provides something relative to the brand that
nobody else in that category can duplicate
ADA Compliance
Why worry about it?
• Compliance is the law for state agencies like WSU. However, it should be a
guideline for private organizations. It is virtually impossible to be 100% ADA
compliant. However, following the guidelines set forth by the ADA will allow
your website to be accessible to as many readers as possible. These
rules/regulations have been adapted from laws passed to assist people in
public places.
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Colorblindness
– Don’t place dark colored text on dark background or light colored text
on light back grounds
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Text Size
– Don’t control the text size, allow the user to control it. Use heading
sizes so they can be adjusted by the reader at any point.
ADA Compliance
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Tabs
– Make sure that your links are accessible by using the tab key on your
keyboard. Readers who cannot use a mouse, use the tab key.
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Tables
– Site readers have difficulty distinguishing what order to read content
contained within tables.
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Alt Tags (Alternative Text Tags)
– Use these tags for all images displayed on a page. Site readers must
be able to determine what an image is and interpret it for the user.
Trends for the Future
Broadband Growth
Broadband Growth Means
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More video on demand
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More imbedded video
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More music available
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Larger images
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Larger file downloads
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Movies on demand
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Video conferencing
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Faster communication
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Connecting from home to business and business to home
Targeted Content
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Letting a user pick which content they want to see when they
come to the site.
– Examples – My Yahoo, My MSN, My AOL, ESPN, Wichita State University
Other Trends
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Design Size - New designs are focusing on 1024 x 768 screen sizes instead
of 800 x 600
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Content Syndication - A line of JavaScript or an RSS feed can bring fresh
content to your visitors daily.
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Cascading Style Sheets - Websites developed with cascading style sheets
should download faster and meet more ADA issues.
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Reciprocal linking - Thanks to the Google search engine, this component of
measuring page importance also makes for building good business
relationships.
Wrap-Up
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How well people can use your site?
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Why do you want people to use your
site?
1. To help them find information
2. To help them communicate with
others
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What are the barriers to using it well?
1. Slow downloads
2. Poor navigation
3. Outdated information
4. Irrelevant content
You Must Avoid
• The power of design to kill effective marketing
- Too many web designers are looking for top technology to
impress users
- Too many communicators are looking to add too much content
on the front page
- You find the right mix to create a successful site
Thank you for your time
Mark Eby
Wichita State University
Director of Interactive Marketing
[email protected]
www.Wichita.edu
www.WichitaNetwork.com