What We Know Today About Internet Communications Jeanne L. Allert, M.Ed Ellipsis Partners.

What We Know Today About Internet Communications

Jeanne L. Allert, M.EdEllipsis Partners

We Thought …Put everything (anything) online

We Thought …Sizzle Matters

We Thought…If We Build It; They Will Come

We Thought …If Some is Good, Then MORE

Must be Better

What We’ve Learned

P.A.T.S.PurposeAudience

ToolsStrategy

Have a clear Purpose in mind

Awareness of your brand/name Solidify relationship with members A vote Recruit member Sales, Subscriptions, Registrations, Donations Call to action Disseminate information/knowledge Change perceptions

Website Purpose

“Where women are going???

“The World’s Online Marketplace”

General Correspondence

Marketing/Branding

Product Sales

Email Purpose

Timely News

Call to Action

Know Your Audience

GEOGRAPHIC DEMOGRAPHIC PSYCHOGRAPHIC TECHNOGRAPHIC

Zip Code Gender Activities Access

City Age Hobbies Platform

County Education Opinions Usage Patterns

State Income Values Training

Region Ethnicity Biases Awareness

Country Language Preferences Tech. Culture

Continent Lifestyle Brand loyalty Constraints

What do you know about them?

What don’t you know about them…and need to!

Website by Audience

Email by Audience

What is your level of familiarity with the audience? Are they expecting this email? What is their tolerance level? What type of format can they accept? Have they Opted-In?

What Matters Most is Audience MOTIVE

Then CONTEXT, KNOWLEDGE, and SKILLSET

Websites By Audience Motive

Some Things We’ve Learned

About Email

You MUST Manage Your Lists

Ask for preferred email address and state what you will use it for

Practice Opt-in or Double Opt-in Attend to Opt-outs immediately Let members manage their own Opt-in

and email address changes via your website

Use Subject Line to remind recipients to reply for Double Opt-In

Email or Newsletter…?• Do you have that much content? • Can you support an editorial schedule?• Is your content really “news they can use?”• Is there a genuine demand for this?• CONTENT is King – offer value, not aesthetics

Message Presentation Matters to a KNOWN Market

Use of branding/imagery Use of stationery and colors Do you expect the email to be printed? What is the likelihood your audience can

support the presentation you’ve created? How important is it to have your

brand/identity associated with the content? Does the graphical treatment lend value to

the message or detract from it?

Stationery and Signatures Speak your Brand

• Stationery should enhance your brand; not detract from your message

• A simple logo file may be enough

• Keep contact info with your emails

• Variations on your “signature”

• Watch overkill on Signature lines

Worth Thinking About…

Gilbert Email ManifestoRule #1: Resources spent on email are more valuable

than the same resources spent on Web

Rule #2: Build web site around an email strategy

Rule #3: Email oriented thinking will yield better strategic thinking overall.

“Email is our New Homepage…”

What We’ve Learned

About the Web

Users want the freedom and tools to manipulate or control their experience

• Don’t create Flash hostages• To PDF or not to PDF?• Offer a variety of navigation options• Offer choices for format

Action words get better results

People generally read by scanning, are led by headings, and they still print

Disclosure Must Translate into Value…for the User

Give the Visitor Options to Communicate

Integrating What We Know into What We Do

Tools and Strategy

Broadcast Communication Tactics Business cards Stationery Television Radio Web Presence Web Directories Print advertising Brochures Press releases Billboards / Signage Coffee cups/Tee Shirts Sponsorships

Unspecified market Shotgun approach Single, broad-appeal message Often used to introduce a new, unfamiliar brand Best for branding messages and general awareness

Targeted Communication Tactics

Collateral Material Annual Reports Publications Direct Mail Events Fax Blasts Cause-Related Marketing Partnerships Website

Market defined by characteristics/demographics May be defined by membership or existing mailing list A more discrete, niche message

Intimate Communication Tactics

Personalized email Telephone WAP promotions Peer-to-Peer Referrals/Testimonials Site Personalization

Targets the individual Heavy reliance on complex databases “Move to action” message Addresses the most specific needs or narrow messages Requires more trust between Sender and Receiver

Range of Options

Business cards Stationery Television

Radio Website Web Directories

Print advertising Brochures Press releases

Billboards / Signage Cups/T-Shirts Sponsorships

Telesales Trade Shows Listservs Direct Mail

CD-ROM Publications Print Ads

Blast Fax Events Collateral

Publications Partnerships Web Areas

Personalized email Telephone

WAP promotions Peer-to-Peer

Site Personalization

BROADCAST

TARGETED

INTIMATE

3 sample strategies…

America’s Job BankGOALS Branding Strategic Positioning Enrollments

AUDIENCE Unemployed, underemployed Appeal to the dissatisfied

MESSAGE “Get your Dream Job – It’s out there” Appeal to the Imagination

IMAGES/DESIGN Action images

TACTICS Television Ads Print Ads Multi-city Signage CD-ROM

Broadcast tactics ~ Intimate message

AARPGOALS Rebranding New Market Member Recruitment Member Retention

AUDIENCE Familiar with brand; mixed opinion “self made” More “wired”

MESSAGE “We’re not just your parent’s AARP”

IMAGES/DESIGN Strong contrasts Cropped images

TACTICS New Magazine Cross Linking with other AARP sites Direct Mail campaign Website Celebrity exposure

Targeted tactics ~ Targeted message

Youth NoiseGOALS Engage/Educate/Empower Mobilize to Action

AUDIENCE Youth, ages 13-17 Very “wired” Passionate but unfocused

MESSAGE “You Can Do It” Teen angst tone

IMAGES/DESIGN Bold, edgy colors Lots of animation/movement

TACTICS Interactive Website Peer-to-Peer Messages and

Viral Marketing Email Newsletter Downloadable Kits

Targeted & Intimate tactics ~ Intimate message

Strategic Communications CalendarJan Feb Mar Apr

Direct Mail Mailing on governance

changes

Magazine Feature on Governance

Sidebar on school discipline

Feature on School Discipline

Feature on teen violence

Feature on “free stuff on the web”

Newsletter Trailer to website resources and survey

Email Invite to take web survey

Featured links for free stuff

Web Survey on discipline practices

Results of web survey and links to violence sites

Launch “free stuff” page

In-Person VM reminder to take web survey

• Create a (flexible) communications calendar• Remind yourself of all the tools at your disposal• Create relationships –and dependencies—between tactics• Try new tools to test for response

Summary

Have a clear PURPOSE

Know (and keep learning about) your AUDIENCE

Be aware of all the TOOLS available to you

Formulate a communications STRATEGY

Thank you !

Jeanne L. Allert, M.EdEllipsis Partners

www.ellipsispartners.comjallert@ellipsispartners.com