digital content connect at harvard: combined lightning round presentations
TRANSCRIPT
EmailEverything but the message!
Catherine Conway | Digital Strategy June 12, 2014
Good email● Targeted mailing list● Strong, singular call-to-action● Focused landing page aligned with the call-
to-action
Make it all worth it
5 Tips for optimal delivery
1. Recognizable sender
● Choose a familiar sender
● Person or organization
2. Replies: a real person● Build process in advance● Set expectations for reply time
3. Effective subject line ● Be compelling and relevant:
o ‘HarvardX for Alumni starts today’o ‘Jack Reardon’o ‘Enjoy your book, ’04’
● 45 Characters or fewer● Start with most important
words● Complement sender &
preheader
4. Preheader● Keep short● Display varies
by platform● Add a link if
applicable
5. Optimize blocked images● Repeat your call-
to-action● Reinforce your
content● Add link if
applicable
Email checklistWhile the team is reviewing the message, think about:❏ Sender❏ Reply address❏ Subject line❏ Preheader❏ Alt-text & links
Thank you!
harvard.edu/guidelines
RUNNING A
SOCIA
L
CAMPAIG
N AT
ANY SIZ
E
B E C K Y WI C K E L &
K A T I E H A MM
E R
1. #Hashtag
• Pick a hashtag and do your research (Tagboard, Topsy)
• Seed it with content
1. Jump on the band wagon!
• Don’t reinvent the wheel
• A widely usedhashtag is yourfriend
2. Rally the troops• Let others know what your
campaign is about and what this opportunity can mean for them
• Be specific—share a defined timeframe, explain what you plan to do with content
2. Sharing is caring
3. Give love• Recognize the great content others
are sharing by liking, reposting, and favoriting
3. Brag about yourself
• When you participate, let the organizers know!
• Send an email • Show your team• You might even get retweeted!
4. Build your hall of fame
4. Celebrate good times!
Good morning, Jon,
Mike and I wanted to extend our appreciation for your participation in the #HarvardinAutumn campaign. The Arnold Arboretum had some really great content, and we think our audience really enjoyed it. It was great having you on board, and if there is ever anything our office can do to help the Arboretum, please feel free to get in touch!
We are wrapping up the campaign this week, and thought you might like to see some of the final products:
Storify recap: http://storify.com/harvard/harvardinautumn (this is what we plan to share moving forward)
Rebelmouse: http://rebelmouse.com/harvardinautumn (the collection of photos as we went through the campaign)
Instagram: http://instagram.com/p/gYDvPXQObD/ (thank you post to the community)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Harvard/status/398090651692457984 (thank you tweet + link to Storify)
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151679768111607&set=a.158722856606.126506.105930651606 (photo + link to Storify)
All the best,
Becky
5. Offer shout-outs and gather numbers • Thank those who got on your band
wagon—you couldn’t have done it without them
• Measure success using metrics, and save to compare to next time
Participation = More followers, more exposure, more engagement!
5. Collaboration is key
LEARN MORE AT HARVARD.EDU/GUIDELINES
B E C K Y W I C K E L
Smith Campus Center 1037
harvard.edu
news.harvard.edu/gazette
K A T I E H A M M E R
Smith Campus Center 1037
green.harvard.edu
green.harvard.edu/report
@GreenHarvard@harvard / @harvardu
Posting video on the web:
Before & After
Ben SharbaughJune 12, 2014
Why bother?
Why bother?
Before you can post a videoGoals Who and what is this video for?
BREATHING ROOM WHENEVER POSSIBLE
Hosting Where will the video live?
Settings Who do you want to see the video and where?
Titling What will the video be called?
Tagging How will the video be found?
GoalsWho is this video for?
What does success look like?
• Do we want 50 of our supporters or 500 new people to see our video?
• Are we ok with people seeing the video and moving on? Or do we want a click? A social share?
• Do we want this video embedded on other sites?
Breathing RoomVideo publish takes time and fixes are difficult…never rush it.
• Uploading
• Reliant on 3rd party platforms
• Double check and triple check before uploading, then test every player
• Fixes take time
Best practice is to allow 3 days for publication of a video
HostingOptions
YouTube: Free, mobile-friendly, embeddable, findable, but less elegant (you might find your content up next to undesirable content)
● If you have video that would be interesting to a general, public audience, Harvard’s central YouTube channel might be a fit
Vimeo: More elegant, but free option is limited, not findable
White Label: Incredible flexibility of design and functionality, but expensive (Kaltura, Brightcove, Ooyala)
SettingsOptions
Private: Only for a small group, typically password protected
Unlisted: Can be seen by anybody who has the link, usually friendly with embedding as well
Public: Can be viewed by anybody anywhere
TitlingArtful vs Functional
VS
TitlingArtful vs Functional
VS
Tagging/Description Tagging and descriptions will take place twice, once on the video itself (YouTube, Vimeo, etc…) and once on your website. Both important.
Balance commonly used search terms with terms that are unique to your video.
• “Harvard” tag is flooded, but when coupled with “European studies” could help push your video to the top
• Tools like Google Adwords, Bing Keyword Research are helpful to identify what keywords to use
Description text should use any keywords that you couldn’t fit in the title
After you post a videoRevisions Fixing a video takes time and hurts your numbers
Tracking How many people are watching your video and where?
Reacting What works? What doesn’t?
RevisionsPowerpoint vs PDF
• To edit a video, you need the “edit file”. You can’t just fix a video file without the proper editing software
• Any edit requires a full re-export, which can be very time consuming
• Depending on what video hosting solution you are using, replacing a video could mean losing all your views and SEO
TrackingViews: most basic metric, how many people hit play
Playback location: where did people see my video? Embedded on other sites? What device did they use?
Engagement: How much of my video did people watch? Did they hit play and immediately close the window?
• Longer videos have lower engagement, but shooting for 10-15% view time is a good goal
ReactingWhere did people watch? If a large percentage of your views came on another website, consider going back to them next time
Engagement: Is your audience more interested in long-form video or short-form video? Does video on your homepage get the most attention? Or videos posted only on YouTube?
● Comments are very closely tied to engagement around videos. We disable commenting on Harvard’s central channels given moderation requirements, but if you have resources to dedicate, they help increase engagement.
Marketing vs Learning: Are people more drawn to shorter, marketing videos or more substantive videos focused on learning experiences?
TakeawaysTry not to rush Video is tough to fix...measure twice, cut once
Set a goal Who are you trying to reach and how? What do you want viewers to do?
Titles & Tags If you want a lot people to see your video, make it easy to find.
Learn How and where are people watching your videos? What kind of videos does your audience want to see?
Guidelines
Harvard.edu/guidelines
Connecting the Dots with content migration
or How to get there from here
Amy Lavoie | [email protected] | June 12, 2014
overviewFacing a website migration? Focus on five areas to effectively port your content
OwnershipAuditingWriting and EditingToolsImplementation
ownershipidentify stakeholders
● Authors, Subject matter experts● Business process owners● Approvers
identify point people
● Who is accountable● More stakeholders, more clarity
auditingScope of your content
● Map old to new: Redundancies? gaps? ● Rewriting or just a move
A purpose for each page
● User testing: Usability, focus groups and interviews
● Personas
write/editPlan for your future state
● Start early! Set a timeline, segment
● Group like content together
● Roles & responsibilities
What is your big picture?
● What is your voice and tone?
● Messaging? Style guide?
write/editWhat are your parameters?
● Requirements of the text?● Word count?
Hierarchy● Headers and formatting of the page● Keywords and SEO
College.Harvard.Edu - BeforeAll of our financial aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need—there are no academic, athletic or merit-based awards, and we meet the demonstrated need of every student, including international students, for all four years. We invite you to explore our web site for a detailed description of all aspects of our aid program, including our Harvard Financial Aid Initiative for low and moderate income students…
College.Harvard.Edu - AfterYour financial circumstances have never kept you from great achievement, and they will not keep you from Harvard. Applying for financial aid will not hinder your application, regardless of your citizenship. We provide the support you need to get here by working closely with you to understand your family’s individual circumstances.
implementIdentify tools
● Collaboration & reviewing
Set a timeline
● Divide up the site, make it manageable● Work backwards from your launch date.
Photos and media
● Selecting, editing & uploading
reviewMake sure your don’t break anything
● Are you changing any URLs? Redirects
● Check your links!
User acceptance testing
● Do you have volunteers to review your beta site?
● What are your requirements for launch?
What is the post-launch wishlist/backlog?
post-launchWhat is the post-launch wishlist/plan?
● Version 2.0
● Analytics: Review, revise, refine
● User Feedback
Style Guidelines and Best Practices
Harvard.Edu/Guidelines
