Integrated Marketing and Communications Workshop Part I: Web Site Structure and Development Where excellence and opportunity meet.™ Presented by: Integrated Marketing and Communications Jamie Ceman, Assistant Director, Multichannel Marketing and Web Development March 25, 2010

Integrated Marketing and Communications Workshop Overview - Part I Web site project update Who we are Purpose and role of a Web site How to establish Web site structure Writing content for the Web Tracking the results Web Site Process on campus Questions?

Integrated Marketing and Communications Who We Are The Integrated Marketing and Communications Web team is responsible for developing and implementing an online brand that best represents the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in support of recruitment, retention, outreach and our University’s academic mission Working extensively with all areas of campus, the team is tasked with assisting in the creation of an effective Web presence for the University. The Web team also provides guidance and expertise in the area of e- marketing, online/new media and Web copy writing. In a close partnership with Information Technology, we are leading a rollout of a campus-wide content management system to offer Web site editing tools to those that maintain and update their Web sites.

Integrated Marketing and Communications Integration and support Communications Emergency Mass Safety Media relations Academy Faculty contribution/expertise Polk Library Research College sub-branding Research Student successes LLCE Admissions Touchpoints Recruiting cycle Summer sessions Graduate Services Career Services Women’s Center CCP./CCDET/Bookstore/EAP Parking Administration Financial Services Fundraising/campaign Alumni relations Sustainability

Integrated Marketing and Communications The Purpose of a Web Site Depending on the unit/department, the purpose of the site might be very different. – Lending academic support – Recruiting students, faculty or staff – Fundraising – Supporting University business functions – Providing information to varying audiences – Promoting a service – General marketing and/or communications

Integrated Marketing and Communications Where Does the Internet Fit in the Marketing Mix? channels

Integrated Marketing and Communications New University Brand Guidelines

Integrated Marketing and Communications Start with Goals and Research… Before you start to analyze your current site and determine what your department wants in a site: – DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE – ESTABLISH GOALS BASED ON AUDIENCE – DO RESEARCH (AND BE METHODICAL) … then look at your current site

Integrated Marketing and Communications Ask the Right Questions… Who is the audience? Is the audience broken down into distinct sub-groups? What is the dept/unit trying to accomplish? How does this fit in with the University framework? What are the actions you want a person to take on the Web site?

Integrated Marketing and Communications College Web site - Case Study

Integrated Marketing and Communications College Audiences Current Faculty, Staff and Students Prospective Students Parents and Family Alumni Prospective Faculty and Staff Community Media Partners Donors

Integrated Marketing and Communications Audience Breakdown Prospective Students Traditional Undergraduate Adult Nontraditional Undergraduate Transfer Students Graduate Students International Students Continuing Education (Non-Degree Seeking) High School Students

Integrated Marketing and Communications What Are You Trying to Accomplish? Prospective Students Increase inquiries from prospective students Increase student applications Increase enrollment Improve student retention

Integrated Marketing and Communications What Actions Are Desired? Prospective Students Apply to the University/college/program Request information Schedule a campus visit Experience campus - virtually Check application status

Integrated Marketing and Communications Define Goals for Each Audience Repeat the process of evaluating goals for each defined audience

Integrated Marketing and Communications Research and More Research Conduct research on: – Competitors – Regional comparable sites – National comparable sites Be methodical with research Investigate trends and best practices

Integrated Marketing and Communications Create a Matrix

Integrated Marketing and Communications Evaluate the Results

Integrated Marketing and Communications What Is Working on Your Current Site? Using information from Web analytics, you can determine the effectiveness of your Web site.

Integrated Marketing and Communications Web Analytics The original Web analytics tools looked at server log files and gave very basic information such as: – Hits – Browser – Referring site With a lack of more data, the goal became GET MORE TRAFFIC

Integrated Marketing and Communications Web Analytics Track visitor information – Where they came from – How they found your site – What areas of the site they visited – How long they stayed on your site The more you understand your traffic, the more it becomes clear that you don’t need more traffic – you need the right traffic

Integrated Marketing and Communications

Pull the Pieces Together… Trend analysis Goals/objectives by audience What’s working and not working on the current Web site What information NEEDS to be on the Web site

Integrated Marketing and Communications Establish Framework for Site Navigation Structure site navigation around the audience Have a clear “call to action” on each page Consider multiple ways to access the same information (Future Students versus Admissions)

Integrated Marketing and Communications Mock it Up

Integrated Marketing and Communications New College Home Page

Integrated Marketing and Communications Web Site Template

Integrated Marketing and Communications Adding Imagery and Content

Integrated Marketing and Communications Photography and Imagery Imagery should be relevant to your dept/unit - communicate what it’s like to be here Be authentic and genuine - do not use stock photos Consider the width of the page Request photography services if needed (IMC web site)

Integrated Marketing and Communications Photography Guidelines

Integrated Marketing and Communications Writing for the Web Write to different audiences with different “voices” Be concise and brief where appropriate Make main points scanable (bullet points) Web users want “actionable” content Incorporate search engine optimization

Integrated Marketing and Communications Search Engine Optimization No cost to optimize your Web site A larger percentage of traffic comes from natural results than paid results Perform keyword research Incorporate keywords into navigation, links and copy

Integrated Marketing and Communications Keyword Research Tools

Integrated Marketing and Communications Tracking the Results

Integrated Marketing and Communications Tracking the Results

Integrated Marketing and Communications Google Analytics With each new site developed, a profile is set up to track using Google Analytics Contact Jamie Ceman for a profile

Integrated Marketing and Communications For project requests: Jamie Ceman, Assistant Director, Multichannel Marketing and Web Development Questions?