Posts filed under 'Marketing'
Movies once did it well. Daytime TV still does it well. Some of the biggest budget shows ever aired on TV do it amazingly well–for example, The Sopranos and Lost. I’m talking about the art of the “cliffhanger.” So, why is it that blog posts rarely give you a reason to come back for more?
I’ll come back that that question in a moment…
The purpose of my first post as guest blogger for the month of May is to introduce myself, so I’ll start there. My name is Lance Merker and I’m the CEO of OmniUpdate, Inc. Of course I didn’t start my career as CEO, and fortunately for you, I also didn’t start off in finance as many CEOs do. No, I paid my dues in Marketing for many years, and I can relate well to the efforts you make every day promoting your institution’s brand and identity. I’m here this month to help you with a few ideas, practical tips, and suggestions to help amplify your on-line efforts and make you more successful in your job!
Ok, enough with the formalities. Let’s get back to the topic of cliffhangers…
Blogs are used is so many ways today. They’re used for news, gossip, politics, marketing; the list goes on and on. Not surprisingly, blogs that are wildly popular offer some reason for the reader to return. Sometimes it’s just to read the latest “happenings,” but even those are only popular when readers know something interesting will come next. Regular frequency also creates expectancy in the readership, and helps stimulate more visits. In a nutshell, keeping blog visitors “wanting more” is a huge driving force to successful blogs.
So how can you keep your blog visitors “wanting more”? I’ve got three important tips that I’ll share with you. But, in the spirit of cliffhangers, please tune in next week for these and more…
Lance Merker
Guest Blogger, May 2008
CEO
OmniUpdate, Inc.
lance@omniupdate.com
May 1st, 2008
If your school is suffering from image problems or you know that people have a hard time finding your campus you may have tried just about everything to get people to notice. TV spots. Print ads. Mailings. Hip interactive web sites. You may have even gotten desperate enough to make some really bad videos (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVENWl8uBeg). Let’s face it: brand recognition is a tough thing to buy. But if you’ve been through the ringer trying to get prospects to notice you don’t despair…try flogos!
What’s a “flogo?” A flying logo! (
http://www.flogos.net/) Inventors and special effects gurus Francisco Guerra and Brian Glover have discovered a way to make simple shapes out of a mixture of soap and helium and can send them flying just about anywhere you want. They last up to an hour and can be sent flying into the air from just about any location as long as its a location that can house their super-secret “flogo generator.” And considering that these babies can fly as high as 20,000 feet, you can only imagine the impact that they’d have at your next open house, sporting event, or homecoming day!
What kinds of flogos can they make? They claim to be able to make just about any shape, but the examples (
http://www.flogos.net/downloads.html) they provide on their site seem to indicate that this is a keep of “keep it simple, stupid.” But even if you can’t get your complicated heraldic school crest “flogoed,” think about the possibilities for getting your initials in the sky, the shape of your mascot, or even a simplified version of your President’s head (provided that he or she has a distinctive enough shape).
At this point flogo’s seem like they’re in the “beta” stage, and pricing isn’t available. Even if there are a few bugs to be worked out, I’m sure that we’re all going to see flogos flying over our heads in the pretty near future.
April 17th, 2008
Join us at this year’s eduWeb Conference, at the Trump Marina Hotel in Atlantic City, for the 1st Annual eduStyle Higher-Ed Web Awards on Tuesday, July 22nd. 
This is an EXCITING event for all of us at the Conference and we ask all of you who read our blog to submit an entry (it’s FREE) for one of the 35 categories that the judges at eduStyle.net will be awarding “the best of” for higher-ed websites.
Also, CollegeWebEditor.com will be presenting in partnership with eduStyle and it’s author, Karine Joly, will be our Closing Keynote Speaker this year.
The 35 winners will receive a discount on their Conference registration, so go find the websites you want to submit and visit the eduStyle.net Awards web page for further information.
Don’t forget to submit your proposal to present at this year’s conference; take that website redesign that you’ll be submitting for an award and create a presentation around it. Or look at our other suggested topics and then fill out the Call for Papers form for as many ideas as you have; this is great opportunity to impress the boss (think “annual review”) and others at your institution about the wonderful work you’ve been doing…so promote yourself!
See you in July!
Shelley Wetzel
February 19th, 2008
18 months is the average life span of a cell phone in the US. I am proud to say I was on the cutting edge of cell phones (I had a bag phone and the original flip phone that weighed several pounds). While I now use my Treo to death …from texting to broadband, I am still amazed how quickly the market has changed.
So what does this have to do with higher education you ask? Schools are continually looking for new ways to market or communicate to potential students. Last April after the Virginia Tech tragedy we learned that most schools had no way to even communicate with its current students let alone potential students!
While I don’t know the statistic of high school and the growing number of middle school students with cell phones, but I can only imagine it is high. So it truly leaves three options for institutions to communicate:
Back to basics…simply calling the contact. Many students consider their cell phone number more sacred then their e-mail address. They also change their number just as often as their e-mail. Unless the contact has specifically noted that the cell phone is the best way to get a hold of them, I would resist the temptation to use it. This generation uses the phone very differently. I know most of us hate the thought of telemarketers calling us on our cell phones…the admissions office calling a potential student is no different! This tactic should be reserved for much later in the funnel, when the student is truly engaged with your institution and has given permission.
Texting – LOL (Laughing out loud)! This is something many schools finally say IDK (I don’t know) what to do. I view this tactic as mentioned before, unless a student has inquired via text or asked to be communicated in that matter, you skirt being an annoying adult. Broad based marketing via text is often difficult and can be costly based on the broadcast nature of your messages. Again, would you like marketing messages sent via text to you?
Mobile Web. With the changing nature of phones, the mobile web, and the sizes of phones web browser, how does any school design their web page for just one platform. Honestly…who has the time, money and resources to create your .edu site that will look and function well on Safari for the iPhone and iPod touch and then turn around and do the same for Treo and Blackberry web browsers. Don’t also forget about every other major phone manufacturer with a different size screen to contend with.
While I completely agree colleges and universities should consider this platform when working with their website, I would argue that they need to solve many other issues first! Bad content is bad whether viewed on a normal computer or a cell phone!!
In closing, the changing technology is left to few institutions with the resources to dabble in this. All schools need to understand and harness what they can with regards to mobile technology but need to consider many other options first.
Rich
January 28th, 2008
When I started as November guest blogger, I promised frank talk about web content management systems. Well, with a few hours left in the month, I want to make good on the promise.
Of all the web technologies, CMS causes the most visceral reactions and intense debates when I talk with web people – bar none. It’s a perennial love-hate relationship. Put two college web pros together in a room, and the first question usually is: What CMS do you use?
So let’s acknowledge the essentials: CMS is a necessity. It’s the glue that holds your website together. It provides the tools to manage a compelling site. It supports diverse website ecosystem (email marketing, analytics, etc.).
But, why is such a web “necessity” also a “necessary headache” on many campuses? What causes many CMS initiatives to fail in some way?
Welcome to The CMS Myth. Understanding it can help make your CMS project succeed.
What’s The Myth? I see it as a fundamental gap between the promises of CMS vendors (“Easy to integrate and use!” “Affordable!”) and the reality web pros experience in the trenches. This isn’t saying vendors are at fault. The Myth is more dramatic: CMS success is NOT about the technology. It’s about your plan, people and process.
Full disclosure: Along with some colleagues in ISITE Design’s CMS Practice, we launched a new blog at the Gilbane CMS Conference in Boston this week. It’s called The CMS Myth (www.cmsmyth.com), and it’s purpose is to shine a light in the dark corners of content management and to address the reasons behind most CM project failures.
The CMS Myth strongly believes in the power of web CMS to be a key enabler for achieving higher education online success. Done right, a web CMS can be the nucleus of your web strategy and lift up all of your online initiatives.
Everyone talks about adhering to best practices with their CMS, but in reality, many best efforts fall short.
So, to provide some baseline concepts to think about if you’re heading down a CMS implementation path (or, if you already run a CMS):
- “Content management” is a business process and a discipline; CMS is a software tool. You need both. But don’t equate one with the other.
- If you haven’t established a clear and coherent web strategy, get one. If you don’t have a strategy, don’t get a CMS. A CMS is not a web strategy.
- A CMS doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a central part of a diverse website ecosystem. It’s frequently the glue that holds together various applications. So, think beyond the CMS.
- Plan ahead and document your plans for your web CMS. And when you’re done, plan some more. There’s no such thing as too much planning before you tackle a CMS project.
- All vendors say their CMS is easy to use. If you buy that, then also be prepared to invest in user training and mentoring – and potentially lots of it.
- You’ve probably spent way too many hours (months?) researching CMS features, price, and other criteria. Sick of sifting through RFP responses and feature matrix comparisons? Turn instead to trusted market observers (e.g. CMSWatch, Forrester, Gartner, Gilbane) who’ve done the heavy lifting and can deliver a valid short list of CMS systems that would meet your needs.
Certainly this isn’t a comprehensive list of things to consider to avoid CMS-related pitfalls - there’s a vast range of concepts to live by. But it’s a place to start and a chance to reflect before diving into a CM project. Best of luck for your online initiatives in 2008.
David Aponovich, CMS Strategist
ISITE Design
November Guest Blogger
November 30th, 2007
2007 is turning out to be a tipping point for many colleges and universities when it comes to their online budgets. Many web, marketing and admissions professionals have told us that, for the first time, they’re spending in excess of 50% of their marketing budgets on the online channel. One university tells us that is has completely flipped the ratio in 2007, directing 90% of their budget to online, and just 10% to traditional (offline) marketing. Our anecdotal discussions hardly amount to a rigorous research project. But we’d wager that the trend is more the norm than the exception at this point.
Exactly where schools are spending is worth a closer look. Among the areas of rapid web investment: online video creation and production. Campus tours, professor interviews and student talking-heads support a more personal, interactive web and these deliverables have morphed into great recruiting and retention tools.
Another area of new investment: staffing up website, marketing and communications teams to support the online mandate. One case in point from EduWeb 2007 is Norwich University, which indicated it has hired a full-time interactive recruitment management to focus exclusively on recruiting students leveraging new technology and media.
Finally, as more higher education dollars flow online, we’re seeing another effect, a move to shore up (or just plain establish) a true web analytics strategy to measure and quantify the success of all these online investments.
One unsolicited tip we gladly offer to readers of the EduWebBuzz blog is this: if you’re dipping your toe into the web analytics pool and don’t know where to start, try Google Analytics. The price is right (free) and provides substantial functionality if you’re trying to quantify your success and optimize your site.
Are you shifting your budget focus? Are you spending in new areas related to web? Submit a comment; we’d all like to know.
David Aponovich, CMS Strategist
ISITE Design
November Guest Blogger
November 21st, 2007
Higher ed web pros aren’t shy when it comes to describing online innovations – a big factor that makes EduWeb so appealing. It’s a good place to trendspot, determine what’s gaining traction, and see where your school fits on the web innovation curve.
That said, I thought it’d be well worth sharing key observations from EduWeb 2007. While not a comprehensive list by any means, these examples should spark strategic thinking as you plan for 2008 – or validate your approach.
And while we’re at it, take two minutes to post a comment. Which of these ideas are current/intended priorities heading into 2008 and why/why not? What do you consider the top three priorities for your college/university site?
With that, a few findings from EduWeb ’07:
Blogs
A year or two ago, the question “To blog or not to blog?” was a hotly debated issue in higher ed. At the time, a few bold schools were dipping their toes into the water. Today, it seems as if everyone’s in the pool. Strategies are evolving, but the authentic voices of trusted students, professors or college leaders are worth their weight in gold on the web. Blog-related questions floating around EduWeb 2007: “How many students do you allow to blog?” and “Do you censor/review posts?” For a best-practices lesson in blogging, check out Johns Hopkins University’s “Hopkins Interactive” site run by Daniel Creasy, senior assistant director of admissions.
Web Video
More and more, it’s a YouTube kind of world. Online videos, user-generated content, ‘authentic’ video interaction on your site set the table for genuine online engagement. Schools are rapidly adapting to use video to convey their message. For the cost of a handheld video camera and some bandwidth, schools can easily deploy student ambassadors to film a day in the life, a dorm tour, or a professor interview that grabs visitors’ interest. For a great ideas around using online video, see EduWeb presenter Mars Hill College’s TVMHC.
(While you’re at it, see Furman U’s Engage Furman admissions site with videos and student journals, a highlight of EduWeb ’06).
Analytics
With a larger percentage of college marketing budgets moving online, the need for a solid website analytics and online measurement plan is growing. An increasing number of higher ed web pros are adopting an active measurement and optimization strategy to connect effort to result and be more accountable. The good news is analytics tools are becoming more attainable in higher ed circles (Google Analytics = free). The best news: web practitioners we spoke with say they are starting to actually do something with those hefty analytics reports they’ve been running, using the data to make positive changes to their websites.
Web Governance
Ownership of web continues to be a hot button. From what we’ve seen, it’s often a political hot potato that leaves your web strategy suffering on the sidelines. Based on our discussions with in-the-trenches web folks, colleges that have clearly identified roles and responsibilities and internal collaboration between departments are having more success online. Many participants highlighted effective partnerships between communications, admissions and information technology. Others who were struggling grumbled that it was simply getting in the way of getting things done.
Message control
One of the most compelling (and amazingly simple) ideas for improving your school’s online presence came during an opening keynote from Bob Johnson, higher ed marketing veteran. Johnson had one word for the crowd: Wikipedia. In a large percentage of cases, when you type a school name into Google, the first page of organic search results contains a link to the Wikipedia entry on said school. If the “you” is a 17-year-old high school student, this will be among the first things they read. So the message is: If your school does not have a Wikipedia page, create one – today. And if it does have one, edit it so it drives home the right message, the right links, and the right story about your school. If you don’t pay attention, someone will do it for you. But don’t expect to be the only one in control of your message online.
David Aponovich, CMS Strategist
ISITE Design
November Guest Blogger
November 8th, 2007
A few months ago, I attended the EduWeb conference in Baltimore as an expert panelist and my agency, WebAdvantage.net, exhibited. For those of you who are not yet acquainted with my firm, WebAdvantage.net is a nine-year-old Maryland-based agency, and we’re one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier search marketing and online advertising firms. Our strategic online marketing services include search engine optimization, paid search campaign management, social media and online public relations, lead generation and online media planning and buying. Our high-touch, collaborative, results-centric approach to client solutions has consistently garnered awards and a loyal client following, including such education clients as Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, Towson University, Harford Community College, Connections Academy and St. Timothy’s School.I’m a Cornell Arts & Sciences graduate with a major in Social Relations and a concentration in Communication Arts. The SBA recently named me 2007 “Small Business Person of the Year” for Maryland. I frequently write, speak or comment on the subject of online marketing and advertising for trade media, business publications and conferences. I author a bi-weekly column, “Online Media Buying Agency Strategies,” for ClickZ.com, a leading Internet advertising and marketing publication. I’m also the “resident” online marketing and advertising blogger for CityBizBlogs’ “Business Perspective on Online Marketing,” hosted by citybizlist, currently serving Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and Atlanta. Perhaps you’d find my “How Some Football Stadiums Remind Me of Bad Web Sites,” posting amusing…and informative?
While attending the EduWeb conference, my team and I asked attendees to complete a comprehensive survey to get a clearer sense of the state and challenges of online marketing planning and execution for higher education. Shortly after the conference, I shared the results and my conclusions in my biweekly ClickZ column, and with conference attendees via email. What’s your reaction to my analysis? Please post your comments or send me a personal email.
As October’s guest blogger, I’ll try to cover some ground that hasn’t been touched on in a while. Recent guest bloggers have done a pretty thorough job of discussing Web 2.0 and social networking, so I think I’ll stay away from this topic. Are there any particular topics you’d like to know more about? Search marketing or paid lead generation perhaps? Cost justification of online marketing tactics? Overcoming limited resources and budgets? What else is on your mind? Please let this be an interactive dialogue where you voice your questions and concerns, and I can try to answer them. For the month of October, I’m here to help.
Hollis Thomases
President & CEO, WebAdvantage.net
hollis@webadvantage.net
October 1st, 2007
It sounds weird that my last post for the month is about the beginning. But you have to start somewhere. You’ve heard it many times that the site that you are helping to manage is larger than most on the internet. O’hare air traffic controllers have an easier job at times. So when and how do you know it is time to overhaul the site, redesign the site, or just make a few tweaks to improve the site. Too many times, a site is completely redone only to end up similar to what was there before.
Here are a few tips in identifying where you stand.
- Does the design represent your institution initiatives. If you have a brand in place, does the site follow that brand in tone, message, and look? If not, you may be looking at a simple face list and content adjustment. If you are not hearing complaints about the site, then massage the presentation and message, and the site is ready to go.
- Is a favorite phrase on campus, “I can’t find anything on the site”. Your content may not be bad, but your search mechanism and/or navigation labels may be out of whack. Time for some simple usability testing to identify how severe the situation is. Pull some site visitors in and have them run through key tasks. You need to understand what a site visitor wants to accomplish before you can really hop into a redesign. Download my Ten Minute Usability Test and watch about 30-50 visitors to get a good gauge. Also, reevaluate your search tool. See if the results pages are pulling outdated content, too many results, or irrelevant links.
- Has the site become jumbled chaos? With open authoring, many times so many people have open control of the site without an understanding of audience need or institutional direction. If it is time to reign in the management of the site, start with the people involved. Again, an overhaul may not be necessary, but some general guidelines and training programs may need to be put in place. Identify the people that need to be involved in the site first, then determine how messy the situation may be.
You may get the hint that I am trying to avoid an overhaul. There are universities that need to start from scratch. But this should not become an every-three-year occurrence. Plan for long-term management of the site. Adjust community involvement. Make the starting point an evaluation of the absolute minimum that needs to change on the site.
It has been a fun month of contributing to the eduWeb Buzz blog. Thanks for reading
Eric Hodgson
Independent Consultant
hodgson.eric@gmail.com
September 28th, 2007
I talk with many institutions about how to get involved with social sites. Your audiences are spending a significant amount of time watching YouTube videos, creating friendships, and learning what the first semester of college will be like.
Let’s go over the four basics of a social networking site to understand how to take advantage.
- Friends. Without relationships, all content on Facebook would be on islands. The success of your participation is determined by how many relevant connections are made. An Alumni Association, for instance, should see a growing number of alums joining a group or RSVPing for an event. And the domino effect applies here, where once one friend joins, all his or her friends will join, and so on, and so on.
- Groups. Your presence on any of these sites is not as a group, but as an individual. MySpace, YouTube, and Flickr are a little different than Facebook, where they don’t mind if you are an entity or person. What a group gives you is a forum for members to check back to. Flickr allows all members of a group to post images. Facebook allows all members to receive central messages and announcements, along with being alerted of any group members’ relevant activity. By the way, if you want to start a Flickr group for Alabama Football (http://www.flickr.com/groups/38905776@N00/), one already exists…don’t duplicate effort. It splits participation.
- Content. If you have video, go to YouTube and start a “Channel” to act as a collection. Users can subscribe, comment, and share videos as they see fit. If you have images, a site like Flickr or Facebook (depending on what you want to do with those photos) might be the way to go. Again, people can subscribe, and all photos can become part of a group. Ongoing blogs can be handled through sites like Flickr and Facebook, or they can be handled within MySpace. If you’ve done your work with creating a group, announcements and events can be channeled through the groups to keep every friend in the loop. Then after the event, everyone can share photos and discuss the event. This is where the content grows quickly…we call this ‘user generated content’.
- Tagging. If people aren’t a member of a group, or you want content searchable within the networks, tagging is the way to go. Every piece of content can be categorized based on an open tagging format. A Homecoming event, for example, may be tagged as “homecoming, football, X University, alumni, City”. Up to about seven tags will keep the keywords relevant. These tags spread the word fairly quickly.
A couple final notes. I will reiterate to join existing groups rather than creating a duplicate…same goes for creating content. Also, a side benefit to social network participation is also the searchable exposure your university has on Google, Yahoo, and Technorati. Because these sites are heavily linked and very relevant, your information gains extra points in the search engine optimization game.
September 17th, 2007
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