Presented for Higher Logic's Learning Series The social web has created a new set of expectations for your members and how they want to experience your association online. Your website is the hub of it all. Does it meet today’s standards? Your website goes beyond a place where people simply gather information. Association websites have come a long way since the days of glorified brochures and links to PDFs of your journal. Today’s association websites compete with for-profit sites, industry publications, member companies, and even other associations. But there is more than just competition. New user-driven technologies and trends are reshaping the way we all use the web – and the way your members use your association website. Be part of a high level review of five key trends ranging from content marketing to responsive design and walk away with strategies and ideas on how your site can compete in this modern online landscape.

1. 5 Trends Affecting Association
Websites
and What You Can Do About It
Ray van Hilst
Director of Client Strategy
rvanhilst@vtcus.com
@rvanhilst

5. 5 Trends Affecting Websites
in 2012

6. “If you build it they will come…”

7. But… no one goes to hear a bad orchestra.

9. Content Marketing is an umbrella
term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation
and sharing of content in order to attract, acquire and engage
clearly defined and understood current and potential consumer
bases with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering
information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer
action. Content marketing has benefits in terms of retaining reader
attention and improving brand loyalty.

10. Content Marketing Examples
• White Papers
• Infographics
• Webinars
• Emails
• Fact Sheets
• Blogs
• Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

11. Content Marketing
• A 2011 survey found that 82% of B2B companies
use content marketing
• Predicted Trends
▫ Shifting Technologies (e.g. RSS to Google+)
▫ Emerging content channels will steal the
spotlight from more established media
▫ Curated Content
▫ Search Engine Optimization including off site
optimization (e.g. social channels)
http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2012/6827/content-marketing-
trends-for-2012-whats-in-and-whats-out

12. 1 Billion

14. “Google is my homepage so
everything starts there.”
“I Google something at
least 12 to 14 times a
day.”
“Google is my primary research source.”
“If I need something I Google it.”
“I keep up to date on my
industry with Google alerts.”

17. Personalization Trends from Adobe
and eConsultancy
• 52% of digital marketers agree “The ability to
personalize web content is fundamental to their online
strategy.”
• 41% are “Committed to providing personalized
experiences.”
• Data used to personalize the web experience:
▫ Personal Data
▫ Browser History
▫ Purchase History
▫ Onsite Behaviour
▫ User Preferences
http://infographicsmania.com/website-personalization-trends/

19. Sharing Trends
• Facebook accounts for almost
53% of online sharing
▫ An almost 10% increase from
2010
• More options mean more
sharing
• Mobile sharing is for real

24. 5 Trends
1. Content Marketing
2. Search Engine Optimization
3. Personalization
4. Social Sharing
5. Responsive Web Design

26. You’re Probably About to Redesign Your
Website

29. Top Factors for a Redesign
• 70.2% - Look and feel is outdated
• 57.9% - Make it easier/faster to update;
• 57.9% - Integrated with other technologies
• 45.6% - Lack of functionality
• 22.8% - Shifting business Model
• 21.1% - Member Complaints
• 5.3% - Board directive
• 3.5% - Competition

31. Select the right web platform
Make it easy to publish content

32. “The hardest part of managing a website should
be writing the content. Not coding.”
Ray van Hilst
Some guy speaking on a webinar

33. WYSIWIG & HTML
News
Events
Calendar
Shared Content
Lists
Form Builder
Multimedia
Social integration
More than just a
website editor

34. “My staff really likes their CMS [Sitefinity] - they
find it intuitive and with enough safeguards that
they're not afraid of screwing up the whole site.”
Cathy Stegmaier
Executive Director
Alliance of Cambridge Advisors

35. Testing a CMS
• Give the vendor sample content to migrate in
the demo
• Do a side by side comparison of publishing
content
• Try a Sandbox Demo
• Ask about training and documentation

36. Content Marketing
Creating member value through content

37. “I am very much of a content-is-the-most-
important-thing [mindset]. You can have
the most effective integrated social media
platform and every kind of technology, but
if you don’t have anything to say, you’re
done.”
- James Carville, Associations Now

38. Association Content Marketing
• Industry News
• Press Releases
• Magazine Articles
• Videos
• Education
• Blogs
• Newsletters

39. Get Started
• Content Audit
▫ What do you have?
▫ Where is it?
• Identify your channels
▫ Where should it go?
• Institutionalize
▫ Get everyone on board
▫ Adopt the Manifesto

40. Content Marketer’s Manifesto (Top 5)
• #1 – I am a Marketer
▫ If you are creating content – even editorial – you are engaged in
marketing
• #2 – I hold the hottest tool for retention – Content
▫ Relevant content is the best way to create value
• #3 – My content is aligned with the organization’s goals
▫ I create content that achieves my organization’s goals
• #4 – I am in the influencing behavior game
▫ My purpose is to provide value through content to influence and drive
behavior
• #5 – I have an ongoing dialogue
▫ Content topics are driven by ongoing discussion and listening to their
needs.
http://bussolati.com/manifesto/

41. Search Engine Optimization
Making your content found

42. Good content trumps SEO
"Even if you do brain-dead stupid things
and shoot yourself in the foot, but have
good content, we still want to return it,”
“Google tries to make it so that sites don't
have to do SEO."
Matt Cutts
Google Webmaster Extraordinaire
http://readwrite.com/2011/12/13/googles-matt-cutts-good-
conten

43. SEO Tips
• Make it visible
▫ Relevant content can’t be hidden behind a login
• Know your relevant keywords… and use them!
▫ Headlines
▫ Body Copy
▫ Internal Links
• Build links back to your site
▫ Press Releases
▫ Partner Sites
▫ Social Media and Communities

44. SEO Basics
• SEO Friendly URL
• Title Tag
• Keywords
• Descriptions

45. Responsive Design
Future Proof Your Website

46. Responsive Design
• One site
▫ Consistent content management
• User experience is based on screen resolution
• Device Independent
• Restructured Layout

47. A website that responds to the device that accesses it
and delivers the appropriate output for it uses
responsive design. Rather than designing multiple
sites for different-sized devices, this approach designs
one site but specifies how it should appear on varied
devices.
https://itservices.stanford.edu/service/web/mobile/about/terminology

51. User Centric Philosophy

52. Jim Susan
• 26 Years Old • 34 Years Old
• General RT in a hospital • Radiation Therapist
• Early in career • Hospital based
• Single, enjoys life outside • Married with two small kids,
work always on the go
• Transaction driven • Transaction driven
Generalist Specialist
Sarah Bob
• 40 Years Old • 48 Years Old
• Senior Technician with • Operations Manager
many positions • Service provider
• Engaged at state level • Volunteers with state
• Married with two kids (8 affiliates and national org
Careerist & 11)
Evangelist • Married with active
teenagers

53. CEs Drive Web Transactional
Transactional
1 Usage
2
Career
Focused
Evangelist
Check & X X X X
Manage CEs
Continuing X X X
Education
Industry News X X X
Standards X
Events X
Careers X X
Vote X X
Volunteer X
Advocacy
Member
Benefits

55. Welcome Box

56. Frictionless Social Sharing

58. AACRAO Sharing
• 2,937 Shares (6 Months)
▫ Avg. 6 clicks per share
▫ 574% lift through
sharing
• Top Share platforms
▫ Address bar
▫ Facebook
▫ Twitter

59. Online Community

60. Why Online Communities Matter
• Members join associations because of:
▫ Networking (22%)
▫ Access to specialized/current info (12%)
▫ Advocacy (12%)
2012 Association Membership Benchmarking
Report, Marketing General

61. Communities Align With Trends
• Create Content
▫ Discussion Groups
▫ Libraries
▫ Blogs
• Facilitate Sharing
▫ Connections
▫ Networks
▫ Relationships

62. Conversion Points
Integrated
Feeds

63. Wrap Up

64. Top Takeaways
• Create good content
▫ Put your users first
• Make your content easy to
▫ Publish
▫ Go anywhere your users go
▫ Be found
• Expand your website’s footprint
▫ Sharable content
▫ Create user connections

65. Q&A

66. Ray van Hilst
Director of Client Strategy and Marketing
Vanguard Technology Corporation
703.439.1990
rvanhilst@vtcus.com
@rvanhilst