1. Week 9: Building a Web site
    1. The key to structure and content is the user.
      1. Start from user's perspective.
      2. Choose and structure content according user's psychology.
      3. Examples:
        1. Business to business site for troubled companies.
          1. Users are anxious.
          2. Users want information fast.
          3. Users don't want to look for information.
          4. The home page is simple with buttons to key information.  There is clear information identification. Home page has few graphics other than those that reinforce information delivery.
        2. Game site for adolescents.
          1. Users are attracted by graphics and action.
          2. Users want experiences. Site is graphically flashy and filled with animation.
          3. Users want to play games.  May tolerate prolonged download of a game.
          4. The home page is artistic, animated, colorful, flashy to lure players in. Games are fast-paced and engrossing.
      4. Researching what the customer wants
        1. Look at competitive sites.
        2. Ask customers.
        3. Research potential customer needs.
          1. Awareness.
          2. Information.
            1. Education.
          3. Evaluation.
          4. Trial.
          5. Adoption.
          6. Reinforcement.
            1. Service.
            2. Convenience.
    2. The difficulties of changing behavior with a Web site
      1. Self-interest and the individual. Good communication is a coalescing of self-interest -- yours and your target.
      2. Common data.  Start with essential data that applies to all and that all want. E.g., Goods, parts, service, general information about your company.
      3. Content placement. Put essential content where users find it fast.
      4. Hyperlinking. Tier explanations to help readers find and sort data.
      5. File sizes and downloading: Build pages against user access capability. Is it 28.8 KBPS, ISDN, T1? Slow user access calls for a simple site. High-speed access allows a complex site.
    3. Four reasons for a marketing web site:
      1. Enhance brand or product awareness among targeted individuals, whether or not they are customers or clients.
      2. Sell product directly to customers or clients -- e-commerce.
      3. Provide information about your company, products and services in order to build credibility for them.
      4. Relay news of interest and importance about your company, products and services to targeted audiences.
    4. Exercise: Using the analysis of a company web site that you have completed, present a detailed and diagrammatic plan for redeveloping it.
      1. Use Web site guideline
      2. Use diagrams from Chapter 11 of Integrating Corporate Communications.
      3. Identify essential employee, customer and vendor information. Include analysis of competitive site information.
      4. Rank content.
        1. Critical data that you must have.
        2. Content that will prompt immediate use of the site.
        3. Data that can be deferred.
      5. Diagram site structure, content pages, databases.
        1. Show how and why Web site flows from home page to sub-pages.
        2. Specify sub-page content.
        3. Specify major design elements in home and sub-pages.
        4. Specify colors, typefaces and graphic elements on home page and why you chose them.
        5. Specify home page links.
        6. Write home page copy.
        7. Keep a copy of your plan for further development and turn in a copy for grading.
    5. Assignment for next week: Develop a promotion plan for this site that will stimulate immediate use. Detail how you plan to do a site roll-out.
      1. Reading: Go to the Web reference section of online-pr.com. Explore web site promotion.
      2. Exercise: Present promotion plan according to guideline given to you.
  2. Promotion plan outline:
    1. Environment: Brief statement of the competitive environment that this site is entering. Detail competitive sites.
    2. Strategy: Single sentence defining strategy for this site.
    3. Individuals: List target individuals to whom is directed.
    4. Messages: List specific messages that you are sending from this site.
    5. Media:
      1. Media: Detail:
        1. Site registration tactics, including meta tags.
        2. Press releases.
        3. E-mails.
        4. Announcements: Internal and external.
        5. Newsletters.
        6. Ads.
      2. Distribution:
        1. Traditional media: List:
          1. National, local and trade media that you will contact with publicity to announce this site.
          2. National, local and trade media advertising.
          3. Direct mailings.
        2. Online media:
          1. Usenet sites.
          2. Listservs.
          3. Online chats/appearances.
          4. Online services other than the Internet.
          5. Direct mail.
          6. Advertising.
          7. Linkage campaign.
          8. Events, contests and giveaways.
    6. Assumption check: Detail what might go wrong with your plan and what you will do to counter failure.
    7. Feedback and measurement: Detail the feedback and measurement devices that you will place in all of your media and on your site.
    8. Structure and budget:
      1. Estimate what this promotion plan will cost.
      2. Estimate people needed to effect the plan and man-hours.

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