As part of my new emphasis in marketing communications, I’ve contracted with a number of organizations/companies to build, or better position, their web presence. I soon realized the “shoemaker’s children were going barefoot” and decided to repackage my own website. Between the work on my own site and the other projects, I learned some lessons along the way.
1. The website framework clarifies your vision. The website framing makes you consider, clarify, and articulate to the best of your ability your vision. This is challenging, but also provides additional strategic planning value to you and your organization.
2. Focus on your target market. The fact that communication via your page is with anyone in the world makes you change your voice and messaging to anyone in the world. The key is to remain focused on your target market, and make sure your message resonates with this audience.
3. A content management system is key. All of the websites, I’ve recently developed are built on a WordPress platform. My old site was not. This new framework allows me to easily edit the content on each page and create new content as my work evolves. In today’s digital world, content is king and the ability to modify this content is recommended.
4. Content is king. The website is frequently your first “touchpoint” with a potential customer, donor, stakeholder, etc. Developing content on this site via the blog also allows for a richer customer service experience. Creating this content on these specific topics also increases your search rankings.
5. Choose your channels. As I disclosed previously, I use multiple digital media channels. Most of the channels are for listening, and only a few are for sharing. It’s easy to use too many channels for sharing. It’s better to use a couple effectively, than several poorly.
