1. Whose community is it anyway?
How to understand, research and plan for different communities of users
Thursday 17 March 2016
Suzanne Kavanagh
Director of Marketing & Membership Services T
@sashers
@alpsp

2. Shopping list The ALPSP experience
Who’s in your world (whose world are you in?)
How can you get inside their minds?
What have you got to offer?
From co-dependence to symbiotic
Things to do when you get back to the office

3. Who are we?
The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) is an international membership trade body which works to support and represent not-for-profit organizations and institutions that publish scholarly and professional content.
Our membership also includes those that partner with and provide services to not-for-profit publishers. 
We have over 330 members in 40 countries, including university presses, NGO, IGOs, societies and associations, institutions, libraries.

4. What do we do? Connect Inform Develop Represent
Conference, events, collaborative projects
Inform
Advice, briefings, Learned Publishing, ALPSP Alert
Develop
Professional development, webinars, training, workshops
Represent
Consultation, policy review, representation, Policy Bulletin

5. Who’s in our community?

6. Size isn’t everything
Source: ALPSP Membership Report 2014

7. Their interests are diverse
Source: ALPSP Member Survey 2014

8. The future’s uncertain

9. Who’s in your world? (or whose world are you in?)
Map your community
What do you already know?
Identify other resources
Capture, keep, regularly review

10. Document it Group Sub group Examples Needs Government & policy bodies
Government Departments
BIS, DCMS, OSTP
Information, statistics, policy input, access to industry, time, changing priorities, compliance
Funders & Research Councils
HEFCE, AHRC, Wellcome
Information, compliance, open access, speed, impact
Education, research, institutions
HEIs
Universities, departments, faculty, library, VC office, Governance
Compliance, research, openness, recognition, branding
Publishing & supply chain
Partner content creators
Societies, associations, university presses, faculty, research institute, authors, series editors
Profile, branding, dissemination, research output, tenure, impact, outreach, furthering discipline/field
Vendors/suppliers
Agents, distributors, technology partners, press, sponsors
Access to publishers, information & statistics, network, profile; Access to network, information about publishers, the industry and developments which affect their customers
Individuals
Volunteers, leaders
Senior industry figures on: Council, Committees, Tutors, Subject Directors
Clear statement of responsibility/requirement; communication; secretariat support; peer recognition; involvement in relevant areas.
Managers & staff
Content management, editorial, marketing, sales, licensing, etc.
Bringing people together, learning new developments, networking, keeping up-to-date
Junior staff/New entrants
Students, first job, early career professionals, members of SYP, etc.
Career opportunities, goals, ideas and inspiration; building skills, professional development.

11. How can you get inside their minds?

12. Analyze it Find out what they are looking for: use analytics
Conduct a short survey

13. Personas

14. Persona development

15. What have you got to offer?

16. Brand values

17. Brand personality

18. Key messaging

19. What do they want? How can you help them achieve it?

20. User scenarios

21. Testing assumptions Wireframe testing
The power of five: Jakob Nielsen’s rule
‘Elaborate usability tests are a waste of resources. The best results come from testing no more than 5 users and running as many small tests as you can afford.’

22. Needs versus objectives

23. Priorities

24. On being small Don’t try to keep up Be nimble Work smarter
Small is beautiful
One thing at a time
Focus on objectives
Focus on community
Hit the sweet spot in the middle
Technology is cheap(er)
The cloud is your friend

25. 3 things I’ve read
Content Strategy for the Web – Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach
Read This! Business Writing that Works – Robert Gentle
Periodic Table of Content Marketing – Econsultancy

26. Thank you Suzanne Kavanagh Director of Marketing & Membership Services T
@sashers
@alpsp