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Web site updating: What, when, how and how often?
All of our entertainment and publishing clients eventually get frustrated with the seemingly endless stream of stuff that comes flying at them related to social networking, web sites and content updates. Most of them are used to recording one project every 18 months and going out to do concerts on a schedule that is set by their booking agency.
In the new world we are now in, content is being evaluated by the customer, not by the artist or record company. Fans see things differently than we do, and very often they value things that we don't value.
If you insist on force-feeding fans what you want them to have and/or be excited about, your web site will be silent and you community will slowly shrink. Conversely, if you learn to ask what they want and respond, your community will grow in size and loyalty, and you'll build a nice, thriving business online.
Here's some things we tell our clients as they move forward with their new online marketing plan.
1. Critique your own site
Schedule: Once a month
Go to your site. Move around. See if the navigation works for you, think about the site through the mind of an interested but uninitiated user. Can you still find things quickly? Do page names make sense? Did something seem right a year ago that feels outdated today? Are link styles consistent and attractive? Look for little things that don't seem right, make notes, and email people to see if they feel the same way.
2. Visit and post to your blog
Schedule: Every other day
Great blogs — and that's what I assume you want — should be updated constantly. And by constantly, I mean at least three times a week.That's over 100 new posts a year, and honestly, it should be more. If you don't post to your blog that often, people will stop making a point to go and check it out.
Note: Sometimes it is easy to pontificate in blogs — I know I do this without even knowing it. Remember that your job with a blog is to jump-start conversation. Would you walk up to someone at a party and start telling them what you think about something and then turn and walk away? Of course not. When you blog on a topic, close with a question asking them to contribute to the idea. And here's a good test for a post: If you can't come up with a question, you probably should blog about something else.
3. Visit your message boards
Schedule: Three times a day
Message boards are the single most important tool to develop true, vital community. Message boards empower your users to start their own conversations apart from you, and talk amongst themselves. But you MUST be there to join in the conversations where appropriate! One of the very worst things that can happen at a message board is when a user asks the publisher a direct question and there is no response! What do you think that tells her about how you prioritize your customers — and what do you think it tells visiters who are lurking at your site to see what's up? Bad, bad, bad. Really bad. It would be better to not have message boards than to ignore them.
If your boards are dead, then post something. And ask your hard core fans to post to them. Get them moving. Your goal is to reach critical mass, and that takes time and dedication. And it starts — and continues to start — with you!
4. Send email
Schedule: Once a month for ecommerce, once a month for community updates
Most people who have email don't use it. How insane is that? Hey, I am guilty as charged. Email is the most effective, and cost-effective, marketing tool on the planet. The hundreds or thousands of folks on your email list are your gold mine. They are your hardest of hard core customers. They will never leave you if you never abandon or insult them. Treat them with respect and keep them informed. You have to push them back to the site to go to the content.
Note: Research indicates that the best Open Rate results for email are on Tuesday and Wednesday.
5. Update your news
Schedule: Once a week
Our clients have what is called a News Archive. It's a great little application that helps organize, display and save news stories. Place the News Archive page part on any page and start posting news. And you can use the News Archive Widget to display headlines from the News Archive in your sidebar or Home page. To see this in action, visit http://www.waynewatson.com and see the Breaking News area.