content strategy for public lands websites part 3

Content Strategy for Public Lands Websites

Part 3

1Wednesday, August 14, 13

A couple of things before we start

Copies of the slides will be sent out after the workshop in PDF formatUse the “Raise Hand” function to ask questions anytime.


What we learned last time

Writing visuallyDeveloping a content planUnderstanding trafficSearch engine optimizationWill reprise Webinar #2 on August 21 at 2pm


What is “Engagement?”

When someone takes action on their own initiative, beyond just passively seeing or hearing a message.- Searching for information online- Responding to a question- Entering into a conversation- Buying a product or experience- Sharing a story- Writing a review- Growing a relationship- Contributing time or money to a cause


From Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads h!p://www.rhw.com/youll-laugh-youll-cry/


This is why your “house list” ma!ers

Everyone you’ve had contact with in some way- Past visitors- Facebook fans- Email newsle!er subscribers- Customers- Members- Volunteers- DonorsIf you know them at all, you have an opportunity to keep them engaged, and raise their engagement to the next level.


What are the ingredients of engagement?

Alignment of my interests with yoursA sense that you have something for meHaving a meaningful and memorable experienceConversationA sense that you are listening, and that you talk to me based on what you have learned about meMy desire to be identified with youA sense that I am needed, I can contributeOpportunity to take action when I’m readyTime invested together


What’s the ma!er here?

Our Website Our Facebook Page


Context & Connection

Your websiteOnline storeEmail newsle"ersIndividual emailFacebookTwi"erPhoto sharing (Flickr, Instagram, Facebook)PinterestWhat are your engagement goals for each?How do people move between them?


EmailAffinity for the brand and interest in the subject are the two most important factors in email participation.Users spend an average of 51 seconds reading a newsle!er.69% look forward to receiving at least one of their newsle!ers.Users read content as a form of personal address—anything you write should be directed specifically to them.Users hesitate to subscribe to newsle!ers because they already receive too much information, and are concerned about information overload.


Ask these before you send

Does my subject line entice readers to open it?Am I making the most of my preview pane?Is it easy on the eyes?Does the message come through even if the images don't? Add descriptions to images (alt tags) so that users can still know about the images even if they are blocked.Does this email have a personal touch or does it feel like a "blast"?


Compelling email content

Strike a balance between more general information and insider scoop. Your readers signed up for the newsle"er - make them feel like they're "inside the organization".Include employee recommendations, favorite spots, etc.Offer something in the newsle"er the reader can't get anywhere else - content that isn’t on your site or in your brochures, etc.Think about expanding content authors... guest posts on newsle"ers are interesting because they provide different perspectives.


Scannable contentFeature prominent headlinesKeywords should be in the first few words of a headlineGo for impact rather than complexity... they'll keep reading, we promise.Appealing campaigns make their appeals EARLYDon’t bury the lead story or call to action!Group similar items together, like News & Announcements, EventsPull out common, desired information across content groups for sub headers. For example for Events, use the Event Title as header, with dates & location as subheaders.Keep content short and use the website for discursive materialGive your readers a teaser and make them click the link to read full details


Timing your email

Think about when you send your emails out and when is the most likely time that these readers will actually read your newsle"er. If possible, look at your stats to see how send times affect open and click through rates.Tuesday through Thursdays fare a li"le be"er than Monday or Friday due to full inboxes. 3:00 - 4:00 is a good time window to hit readers who may be reading at work- people are usually more receptive to a "distraction" during this timeframe so make sure to have you email delivered before then.


The all-important subject lineUse descriptive but short subject lines that entice readers to open the e-mail and distinguish this e-mail from spamUse A / B Testing to determine effective subject linesConsider a consistent (but short) newsle!er title for easy recognizabilityThe subject line is another form of identification for your email. Leverage the fact that the reader signed up for your email, not that you'll create a compelling enough subject line to trick them into opening in. Inform but entice - like a newspaper headlineAvoid using words that could get your campaign blocked by spam filters, such as FREE, HELP, PERCENT OFF, and REMINDER. It's also best to avoid exclamation points - typically subjects framed as questions work be!er.Stick to 50 characters or less - 80 characters are ok if it's an active sentence


Email layoutFirst few inches of your e-mail are key (above the fold)At least 60% of your subscribers will see your email in a preview pane, therefore avoid large link groupings or images at the top of the page.Include your logo (but not too big)Include the content you want to emphasize most above the foldThings such as mission statements, taglines, regulatory info, etc. need to occupy cheaper real estateBeware of the side column, Readers may ignore a list of things in a side column—this is often used as ad space, and, if using a free webmail service, readers will already see a column of ads/sponsored links on the right.For your events, consider having a single link to a PDF that readers can print and keepProvide prominent links to Unsubscribe, Send to a friend, Contact Information (if they have questions), an online version of newsle!er, and your website


Preview pane

What’s the message?


Encouraging email subscriptions

Let people know what advantages they’ll have by subscribing.Set expectations for frequency.Provide sample eNewsle"ers on your website. This encourages users to subscribe because they can see what they'll get (and what they've missed).


Making email newsle!ers more personalBreak mailing list down into smaller, targeted segmentsIf including reader information is possible, consider personalizing with info other than last nameSend out a welcome email and allow people to make selections on what topics interest them, where they live, etc.If possible, follow up with targeted email based on their click through activity.Go through subscriber lists and periodically send out emails to readers that haven't opened your emails in six months. Sometimes in offering to remove them from your list, you re-spark an interest in your newsle!er. Ask them for feedback!


Email Analytics

Use them, and look at them!Break newsle"er up into trackable components and keep track of what works and what doesn't.Review statistics and revise subject lines, number of articles and width of header accordingly.Review time of delivery compared to open and click-through ratesReview open rates by subject type - events type, calls to action, etc.Follow up click throughs with targeted emails if possible


Facebook

Not just a place to repost your press releases and events!Invite response and contribution.Reward response with conversation.


Ask for contributions

Play dumb26Wednesday, August 14, 13

Fun facts Awareness of Problems


Create recurring fun features like #MilepostMonday


or Caption Friday


or Time Warp Tuesday


Inform about Closures


Help to share others’ personal experiences


What’s the value of a fan?

Advocates help spread the wordReady to volunteerA"end eventsActivate others


Recruiting & Recognizing Volunteers


Event A!endance


Extended Reach


How GSMA Manages Facebook

Responsibility of Director of Marketing & MembershipUpdate page about 3 times a dayAbout 50% planned based on upcoming projects or events, 50% reactive to user submissions or newsAlways share a picture or video with invitation to engage or respondRespond quickly with comment or personal email


Twi!er

Short bits of interesting, funny, useful infoWorks well to link to deeper contentPeople follow those who have high signal to noise ratio - trusted, useful source of informationLess conversational than Facebook


h!ps://business.twi!er.com/success-stories/national-parks-conservation-association


Photo Sharing

Flickr - great for photo galleries, archive & shareInstagram - people use more as a photo diary


Pinterest

Is really visual bookmarkingPeople use it for inspiration, aspiration (i.e. travel planning)Hits target demographic of 25-45 yr olds


Pinterest

#4 social network25M usersBe"er referrals and conversions than FB and other networks


Developing a social media strategyPrioritize and set engagement goals for each channelChoose a tool for managing your house list across channelsDevelop a communication planGet familiar with social analyticsRespond quickly (don’t use a channel if you don’t have time to respond)Consider a tool for like for monitoring across channels and managing posts:- HootSuite- Cadence9- Buffer- SocialFlow- SproutSocial


Thanks!David Poteet [email protected]

Email Chuck and tell him what you think.


content strategy for public lands websites part 3

Documents

email participation

email anity

compelling email content

facebook pinterest

facebook page

content plan

content strategy

general information