Digital Technology and Academics Recap from Across the Web, w/e 09-29-18

Digital Technology and Academics Recap from Across the Web, w/e 09-29-18 Informative, inspiring, or just plain interesting education and digital technology content from across the web, posted on Twitter over the past week and collected here to share with our blog readers....

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5 Ways Having Good Writing Skills can Change Your Life As a Student

5 Ways Having Good Writing Skills can Change Your Life As a Student Good writing skills remain a vital requirement for employment and advancement, so I welcome the occasional blog post on the subject. Hopefully teachers will share this post, or some of the ideas...

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Where Your Target Audience is Hanging Out on Social Media

Where Your Target Audience is Hanging Out on Social Media

If your marketing messages aren’t reaching people, they aren’t working. Here’s how to ensure your messages on social media are getting where the people are.

In vast areas with little rainfall, like much of Africa, it’s amazing what happens when you put a little water out there. Water brings animals of all kinds together.

(Here’s a cool live camera feed of a watering hole in Africa.)

It’s a part of nature — certainly a part of human nature — to gather around watering holes.

Higher education marketing is an art and science that centers around people. For your marketing to work, your messages have to reach people.

Social media platforms are the modern watering holes where your target audiences are hanging out. You can leverage this behavior to maximize your digital marketing results by identifying the watering holes where your audience tends to be.

Below, I’m going to share with you the main audiences attracted to each social media platform… but first a word on the dynamic quality of this insider info.

The segments and audiences that use social media platforms change over time.

For example, the main demographic using Facebook has changed drastically since it’s inception in 2004.

At first, Facebook was a networking website for Harvard University students. Then, they expanded to include other Ivy League schools (the domain .edu at the end of email addresses was required).

In 2006, Facebook opened up to everyone over 13 with a valid email address. The demographics changed overnight as new users poured in from every walk of life.

Just a few years later, moms, dads, and grandparents started joining Facebook, which caused an exodus of young people to newer social media platforms at the time like Twitter and Instagram.

Today, younger audiences are moving to the bleeding edge platforms while older audiences continue to gather in established platforms.

This summary history of Facebook is a perfect case study to see how platform audiences and user demographics change over time — so be sure to keep your ear to the ground to track where the user demographics are going.

But until things change, here’s the demographic makeup of the social media watering holes today:

Facebook: Alumni, Parents, Donors, and Adult Students

As discussed above, Facebook is the established social media platform that’s here to stay.

It’s enduring reign as king of social media has given it a sure place in the daily use of moms, dads, and grandparents everywhere. It’s user interface and “rules” pretty much stay the same, so an older demographic can get up to speed fairly quickly and not feel too uncomfortable.

If you do nothing else on social media, you MUST follow and communicate with your alumni, parents, and donors on Facebook. It’s a given.

Instagram: Current Students, Prospective Students

Instagram’s been around since 2010, and it’s still a popular site for older teens and 20 somethings with no sign of failing in the near future.

The strength of Instagram is its visually-oriented nature. It allows users to upload pictures and videos, apply digital filters to their media, and even mark them with geotags.

Leverage Instagram to tell stunning stories of your students, programs, campus, buildings, statues, landmarks, and events through photography and video.

This will capture the imagination of your primary marketing audience, prospective students, so it might just be the most important tool in your social media marketing toolbox.

Pinterest: Female-based, Moms

Moms remain the number one influencer of student college decisions — so if there were a marketing channel that touches them directly, it’d be silly to ignore it.

That social media platform is Pinterest.

Like Instagram, Pinterest is visual, but it limits text even more than Instagram does.

Where Instagram is like a photo blog allowing users to make comments on what they’re sharing, Pinterest is like a public photo collage where users pin up pictures of things they like (or dislike).

Other users can pin photos on their wall that they see on other user’s Pinterest boards, making it a highly shareable platform.

In the same way you use Instagram to capture your prospective students’ imagination, use Pinterest to capture Mom’s interest (pun intended).

Show her the value of your college or university with pictures, infographics, and visual quotes from your campus, professors, and students. But more importantly, answer the biggest questions on her mind…

• How do you handle safety?
• What is campus life for my child like?
• Will my child be ok?

YouTube: Prospective Students

YouTube allows users to upload videos on just about any topic and subscribe to each other’s channels.

Acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, YouTube is the second most popular search engine on the planet.

It’s almost a sure thing that when a prospective student looks for colleges, they will go to YouTube.

Use this video-based platform to show prospective students what it’s like being a student on your campus. Let them see the stories of your students and alumni. Answer their questions in a creative movie format.

Snapchat: Current Students/Prospective (But… it’s dying.)

Snapchat was all the rage for the demographic that would make up your prospective students… until recently.

Facebook and Instagram have both cloned features that used to set SnapChat apart, pulling more young people to their services and away from SnapChat.

If you’re already using SnapChat, use it to engage and attract prospective students — but if you haven’t joined the yellow ghost yet, don’t bother unless Snapchat makes a miraculous comeback.

LinkedIn: Alumni, Parents, Donors, Adult Students

The professional appeal of LinkedIn would make you think a college or university marketer has no business being there — but that would be wrong.

LinkedIn is the perfect place to connect with alumni, donors, and parents because they are professionals!

Here are the main features that colleges and universities should leverage with LinkedIn:

1. Online resume-style profiles that feature users’ educational background. Search for alumni with its advanced search tools.
2. LinkedIn Groups. These groups allow you to introduce topics of discussion that interest professionals, present new content from your school, and answer questions. This is the perfect place to influence current adult prospects who need education to advance. Think nursing groups for your RN to BSN programs and business groups for your MBA degrees.
3. Introductions. Use LinkedIn’s referral feature to introduce users in your network to other people you know would be beneficial to them.

Twitter: General

Twitter’s user volume is slipping a bit. But it’s still a great place to reach all of your audiences — especially the often neglected audience, the general public.

This news-oriented channel is great for making those general announcements or PR statements that you should use sparingly on other social media networks.

It’s also perfect for generating interest during live events, as your team can tweet photos and comments in real time during the event.

But the best strategic advantage you get with Twitter is that it’s the fastest way to be discovered on any social network through the power of hashtags.

Spotify, Musical.ly: Prospective Students

The latest thing: Music-oriented social networks like Spotify and Musical.ly. This is the bleeding  edge of social media — which means your younger audiences will be using them.

Spotify’s been around since 2008, so it’s not really the new kid on the block, but it’s only been allowed in the United States since 2011, and its popularity here began to take off.

The 140 million monthly users on Spotify can create and share playlists of their favorite music, thereby expressing themselves through the music they care about.

Musical.ly took this idea and merged it with video. Users can create 15 second to 1 minute music videos using their favorite artists or songs.

Capture your school’s ethos through music. Create playlists and music videos that reflect your brand, your culture, and your campus

But beware!

These social media networks (and others like them) are still growing, so use caution in devoting time and resources into them.

They may be a fad that disappears tomorrow or stays around for a while. No way to know for sure.

But if you’re adventurous and have a staff who’s got the talent and desire for these emerging platforms, go for it.

Marketing 101: Take your message where your people are.

Find the watering holes where your audiences hang out. Craft the message in a way that answers their questions in the format they prefer.

These are the very basics of good marketing, and they apply especially to social media.

Want to get your higher ed social media marketing off the ground and running at full speed? Get ahold of us — it’s free and there’s no obligation.

Featured image by seandeburca via Adobe Stock

This post was originally published at: https://www.caylor-solutions.com/audience-hanging-social-media/

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New Hampshire rejects gun control after mass shootings

New Hampshire rejects gun control after mass shootings <img src="https://ift.tt/2xIA8Ak" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2DwnCZZ

Maryland will allow non-educators to become superintendents

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New Mexico election provides stark choice on gun issues

New Mexico election provides stark choice on gun issues <img src="https://ift.tt/2xIA4R6" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2O80ZPZ

Parkland school shooting leads to new Vermont gun laws

Parkland school shooting leads to new Vermont gun laws <img src="https://ift.tt/2xIA1Vq" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2DwZvdV

Groundbreaking set for teacher housing in West Virginia

Groundbreaking set for teacher housing in West Virginia <img src="https://ift.tt/2xIzZNi" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2DzvvOo

Arizona Republican governor and Democrat rival debate again

Arizona Republican governor and Democrat rival debate again <img src="https://ift.tt/2xIzXVG" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2DvG31e

Parkland school shooting suspect due back in Florida court

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Despite Mass Shootings, No Sea Change in States' Gun Laws

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Civics Education Must Put Racial Equity First

Civics Education Must Put Racial Equity First Simply teaching how government works is not sufficient for building an engaged citizenry, write Scott Warrant and Andrew Wilkes.<img src="https://ift.tt/2xIzQJK" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2O80SUz

How to Make Reading Relevant: Bring Job-Specific Texts Into Class

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Classtime – Immediate Assessment and Feedback on Students’ Understanding

Classtime – Immediate Assessment and Feedback on Students’ Understanding In this video interview, Classtime CEO Valentin Ruest shows us this powerful review and assessment platform. Classtime is a great platform for assessing student understanding on the fly, or for...

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Top Clubs and Social Spaces to Help Online Students Connect to Their Peers

Top Clubs and Social Spaces to Help Online Students Connect to Their Peers The Growing Number of Young Students in Online Schools Need to Have Opportunities to Connect Socially and Develop Vital Social Skills For many children, a large part of their socialization comes from...

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Baltimore Real Estate Agents (443) 551-4900 Real Estate Agents in Baltimore

Baltimore Real Estate Agents (443) 551-4900 Real Estate Agents in Baltimore
Realtors in Baltimore Maryland (443) 551-4900 Baltimore Md Realtors https://ift.tt/2L6fjDY Trusted Local Realtor is a Baltimore Maryaland full service Real Estate Agency utilises all of resources and a wide network of contacts, to ensure that your property gets listed in a manner that definitely catches the attention of many. We work with buyers, sellers and investors, in real estate transactions spanning all price ranges and property types. We’ve been successful in the real estate business for many years. As an agency that lists and sells luxury real estate, we keep our focus on our clients to make certain that each transaction is conducted with the highest level of integrity and professionalism. This ensures that both buyers and sellers are fully served. We proudly serve Baltimore & surrounding cities including * Columbia * Glenn Burnie * Middle River * Owings Mill * Towson Get more info from our maps listing https://goo.gl/maps/5JA6sDccwgy With us, you will find that under the same roof we not only offer our services by a Real Estate agent, but also the best financing offers, as well as full title services. Having all these services available in one location will make it a lot easier to complete your transactions. Our experienced agents will provide you with the information you need to make the right decisions. As members of the Realtors association, we list your property using the exclusive MLS (Multiple Listing Service). This allows us to display your property listing all around the country. Check out our Facebook page here https://ift.tt/2I9zTCw Our Marketing Department utilizes different mediums of communication such as print, social media, Internet advertisements, custom websites, and promotional events, to make certain that your property gets the right exposure. We are the direct source to list your property. We offer better service, better pricing, and multiple photos on the MLS. We have relationships with the various Realtor boards throughout the country, and are here to provide top quality service for all of our listings. As your brokerage, we aim to get you the best value for your dollar, while making the sale or purchase of your home or business as convenient as possible. We provide our customers with professional service for bargain basement prices. You can list your home on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) for a competitive fee, as we provide different listing packages. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here https://goo.gl/yzmHvf and never miss another video again. Trusted Local Realtor Call Us: (855) 554-8114 https://ift.tt/2L6fjDY 881 W. Lombard St. Baltimore, Maryland, 21201 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDetq371JCI

Tech and Teaching From Across the Web (w/e 09-22-18 recap)

Tech and Teaching From Across the Web (w/e 09-22-18 recap) Informative, inspiring, or just plain interesting education and digital technology content posted on Twitter over this past week … collected here to share with our blog readers. This week in the wrap...

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Officials call for statewide lead testing in schools

Officials call for statewide lead testing in schools <img src="https://ift.tt/2QSZvHQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2xyLW7i

Mississippi education board delays letter grade rankings

Mississippi education board delays letter grade rankings <img src="https://ift.tt/2QKMzn7" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2PRPCss

School district says finances to cause closures, layoffs

School district says finances to cause closures, layoffs <img src="https://ift.tt/2QNInmv" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2xDl8Df

Eugene high school teacher named Oregon's teacher of year

Eugene high school teacher named Oregon's teacher of year <img src="https://ift.tt/2QQJimz" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2xGH7Jw

Georgia's Kemp: School safety 'has nothing to do' with guns

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Edwards says teacher pay hike will be top priority next year

Edwards says teacher pay hike will be top priority next year <img src="https://ift.tt/2QKUgK9" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2xCF20W

California district latest to modernize 'sexist' dress code

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Detroit Schools: High lead, copper levels at 57 schools

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US Rep: Atheists trying to spy on Christian student groups

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In GOP opponent's city, governor says schools must be fixed

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Will Gutenberg Impact SEO for Education Marketers?

Will Gutenberg Impact SEO for Education Marketers?

Last week we talked about the big news around WordPress’s 5.0 and the new Gutenberg editor. So how is this going to help or hurt your SEO efforts?

One of the first concerns education marketers will have over the changes coming in WordPress 5.0 and the new Gutenberg editors is whether it will help or hinder their SEO efforts.

One of the many reasons for using a content marketing strategy is that Google, the most popular search engine by far, prefers to send search users to sites that use this kind of marketing strategy.

Since you put so much time into crafting your content, it’s natural that you’d put the time and resources into SEO so that Google can easily find you and recommend your website to users.

Gutenberg’s going to make content creation simpler for education marketers — great!

But if it makes it difficult for search engines to find you, none of that matters, which is why we’re going to dive into this issue right here.

My team and I have been using the Gutenberg beta plugin for several weeks now. The SEO capabilities we’re going to talk about here are still in development, but they should be ready for you when WordPress 5.0 comes out later.

Here’s what we’re finding out when it comes to optimizing your content for search engines.

What will SEO look like in Gutenberg?

In the classic WordPress editor, you would optimize pages for search engines by filling out the metadata of the page with the correct information.

This is an overly simplistic summation of SEO, but the main idea is that you would think of SEO in terms of helping Google find and recommend your page or post to search users.

But in Gutenberg, you should be able to optimize the metadata of each content block you place in your content, according to Yoast.

“Blocks are single components that you can use in the Gutenberg editor. You can see them as separate content items. With these items you can structure your content and build a page. A bit like you’re building a page with pieces of LEGO. Every content block can have its own styling and metadata. Because of this, a block becomes more valuable and this opens up lots of opportunities, also in terms of SEO.”

Yoast [Emphasis Added]

To get an idea of what blocks look like, here’s what a new post with some content blocks looks like in Gutenberg.

You can see in the right sidebar all of the normal metadata you would optimize for search engines. This metadata pertains to the entire page that we’re looking at.

Yoast is saying not only will we have the ability to optimize content for search engines by the page, but we should also be able to change the metadata of each content block.

The Big Opportunity to Enhance Your Site’s SEO

That means not only can you offer Google your page or post as an answer to the question asked by the search user, you can also offer Google individual content blocks as possible answers.

For an example of how this would work, think of my last post where we did a little walkthrough of the new Gutenberg editor.

If someone were to enter a question into a search engine like “What is Gutenberg,” then one of the content blocks in my “What is Gutenberg?” section could be found by Google as a quick answer to their question.

This would work like Google’s “Featured Snippet” and answer summaries currently work.

In the Featured Snippet and answer summary, Google gives the user a quick answer and the link to the full article. At the moment, no one knows how Google finds and summarizes answer summaries, so there’s no way to optimize your site for this.

But what if you could make your content blocks prime candidates for an answer summary?

Then, if someone searches for “what’s FAFSA” or “How do I apply for college,” you could improve your odds of being in the Feature Snippet or answer summary.

And if that’s not such a big deal to you now, imagine what block metadata will mean as voice searches become more common?

1. 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020

2. About 30% of all searches will be done without a screen by 2020

3. 13% of all households in the United States owned a smart speaker in 2017… That number is predicted to rise to 55% by 2022.

wordstream.com

Voice recognition software is getting amazingly accurate and more helpful everyday.

People are trusting and using voice search software like Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, Windows’ Cortana, and Amazon’s Alexa more now on their mobile and home devices.

But the day is coming when people will search for answers to questions using everyday things like refrigerators, speakers, and cars that are connected to these voice search providers.

Getting Your Content to Your Audience Wherever They Are

Imagine a mother and daughter driving to the mall as they talk about the daughter’s school work. The conversation slips into what she wants to do for college.

But she doesn’t know what kind of academic programs she needs to become an equine veterinarian. Mom doesn’t know either.

So they ask their vehicle, which is equipped with Google’s Assistant: “Google, what college courses do I need to take to become an equine veterinarian?”

Google then pulls a content block written in an article by a private college from its equestrian program and reads it out loud to the mother and daughter while they’re still driving in the car.

Google isn’t going to read an entire article.

This means that content blocks — short snippets of information —  could become an invaluable tool for education marketers.

Gutenberg’s SEO Possibilities Look Bright

From what we can see from here, Gutenberg’s metadata blocks will enhance education marketer’s ability to get their content in front of the right audience at the right time — no matter where their audience happens to be.

There is still a lot to learn about Gutenberg, but early indications suggest this is a huge advantage and step forward for private independent schools, colleges, and universities.

So, even if the change looks scary at first, Gutenberg should bring a lot of key benefits that you won’t want to miss out on.

Have a friend who needs to know about this?

If you know of someone in education marketing or leadership that needs to know about the latest tips, strategies, and technologies in education marketing, send this article to them and ask them to subscribe.

We’re not marketing generalists. At Caylor Solutions, we strengthen enrollment pipelines through education marketing solutions every day. This has been our passion for over 30 years — and we’re happy to share what we’re still learning with you in every blog post. And if you need us, you know where to find us.

Featured image by bf87 via Adobe Stock

This post was originally published at: https://www.caylor-solutions.com/will-gutenberg-hurt-seo-for-education-marketers/

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How to Keep the Human Element in Distance Learning

How to Keep the Human Element in Distance Learning Telepresence: Helping to Overcome the Limitations of Distance Learning Over the last few years, we’ve seen technology redefine the traditional student/teacher dynamic, creating opportunities...

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Bronx teacher of immigrant kids is NY Teacher of the Year

Bronx teacher of immigrant kids is NY Teacher of the Year <img src="https://ift.tt/2pm5PuJ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> https://ift.tt/2xmGNjG

Conn. Stumbles in Quest to Use SAT as Achievement Test

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Teens' Rising Social Media Use Is Not All Bad News

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Was the SAT Leaked? Six Questions Answered

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Cash-Strapped Teachers Are Getting Up Early to Tutor Students in China

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School Aid Skirmishes Still Flare in Washington State

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If Democrats Take House, What Next?

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School Improvement

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Florida Legislators Reject Plan to Give Schools Money to Hire Police Officers

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Student Killed During Activities After School in North Las Vegas

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Tonara – Connecting Music Teachers and Students In and Out of the Classroom

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3 Ways for Students to Steal Your Password

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Matching the Right Design (CAD) Software to Your 3D Printing Classroom

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Tech and Teaching Recap from Across the Web, w/e 09-15-18

Tech and Teaching Recap from Across the Web, w/e 09-15-18 Informative, inspiring, or just plain interesting education and digital technology content posted on Twitter over this past week … collected here to share with our blog readers. This week in the wrap...

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8 Ways for Students to Invest in Their Writing Skills Without Spending a Dime

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Gutenberg: The New Editor for WordPress

Gutenberg: The New Editor for WordPress

There’s a big change coming to WordPress — Gutenberg. Let’s dive into what you need to know right now about this innovative approach to the CMS we’ve come to depend on and love.

WordPress is by far the most popular website platform in the commercial market. According to whoishostingthis.com, 58.5% of all content management systems (CMS) in use are WordPress.

That’s over half of the market share!

According to W3Tech, over 30% of the Internet is powered by WordPress.

At Caylor Solutions, we recommend WordPress as the CMS tool for almost all of our education marketing clients… and not just because it’s popular.

We recommend WordPress as a website platform for almost all of our clients because of its:

• Intuitive, easy to use interface
• Robust security features
• Flexibility in website design
• Large developer base (making it easier to find a qualified person to do backend work)
• Massive plugin market (there’s a plugin for everything!)
• Fast post and page creation process

After we implement a WordPress site for them, our clients love how easily and quickly they can get new content onto their website — without even calling us or an in-house webmaster.

But there’s a big change coming to our beloved WordPress.

It’s not only big in terms of redefining the core functionality of the platform, which it is. It’s also a big change in that it will give education marketers using WordPress even more freedom in how they can interact with their website visitors.

In an attempt to capture the significance of it all, WordPress has christened this new era  “Gutenberg” after the world-changing technology of the printing press.

WordPress has already released the Gutenberg editor as a plugin so that early adopters can begin using it, but it will become standard with every WordPress installation in the next WordPress update.

“Gutenberg is available as a plugin now, and soon by default in version 5.0 of WordPress. The classic editor will be available as a plugin if needed.” – wordpress.org/gutenberg

Is it really world-changing? I’m not sure about that — but it is really cool!

I’ve downloaded the plugin, and my team has been using it for about two weeks. So far, we’re really optimistic about Gutenberg’s possibilities.

And more importantly, it will be easier than ever to do almost exactly what you want for every content piece you create for your website.

What is Gutenberg?

For education marketers, Gutenberg will mean a whole new post and page editing experience.

The New Gutenberg Editor for WordPress

As you can see in the silent screencast video below, the Gutenberg content editor is all about content blocks.

All content — text, headers, images, quotes, videos, and more — exists in individual, movable blocks that allow you to build a page or post like you would a LEGO® set.

Content Blocks

Instead of creating your content in a word processor, you can insert content into blocks that allow you to position them easily across the page in an almost entirely WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) format.

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If you’ve been using block-based page builders like Divi, then you’ll be familiar with the idea of content blocks.

But for most education marketers, this will make a huge difference in how easily and quickly they can get multimedia content onto their pages.

One of the things I really like is that WordPress made sure that content blocks can be duplicated to make copying and pasting simple.

But even better, content blocks are reusable!

That means if you have a certain type of content — like a campaign slogan, banner, or call to action — you don’t have to build it new into every post or page you create.

You can simply make one of your content blocks reusable and it will be available to you on every post or page you’re working on. It’s kind of the same idea as saving something to a template library for future use.

Much of the same functions that WordPress has always had remain the same, they’re just in different areas.

For example almost all of the page or post settings you’re used to seeing will now exist in the sidebar.

The sidebar also contains new functionality. If you click on the “Block” tab above the sidebar, you’ll see all kinds of new options that you can use on your content blocks.

Do I have to use Gutenberg?

No, you don’t have to… for now. At the moment, the new Gutenberg editor is only available as a plugin that you have to install in order to use.

Later this year (2018), Gutenberg will come as a core feature in the upcoming WordPress 5.0 release.

Not to worry, though! WordPress says it will offer users the choice to use the Classical editor as a plugin when WordPress 5.0 is released.

As a side note, if your college or university uses Drupal as a CMS, Gutenberg will soon be available to Drupal users as well.

Is this really a good thing?

In its current state of development, Gutenberg still has some issues it needs to resolve — so I do not recommend that you use it on any primary or marketing-critical websites.

Again, DO NOT use the Gutenberg beta editor on any of your marketing-critical websites — it’s still not ready for commercial use.

But there’s a large community of developers working around the clock to have it ready for you by WordPress 5.0’s release.

“Gutenberg is being developed on GitHub under the WordPress organization, and you can try a beta version today… It’s important to keep in mind that Gutenberg is not yet fully functional, feature complete, or production ready. But we’d love your help to make that a reality.” – wordpress.org  [Emphasis added]

Most of us react to change adversely, especially if the status quo is as good as the classic WordPress editor has been. Good and steady, right?

But when Gutenberg is ready for commercial use, I encourage you to at least give it a try.

There are two major advantages that Gutenberg offers education marketers.

Gutenberg’s Two Major Advantages

First, content blocks make it even easier to create multimedia content like videos, embedded videos, shortcodes, etc.

With the classic editor to create posts and pages with rich content, many times you would have to use shortcodes, extra plugins, or HTML in order to get it the way that you wanted it to look.

Sometimes embedded video players wouldn’t work consistently, and you would have to know some HTML language to get the video player to look the way you wanted it to.

But Gutenberg takes all of this complexity and streamlines it so well that even a brand new user can begin building beautiful, multimedia rich pages within seconds.

Secondly, Gutenberg’s content blocks provide you extra SEO power.

With Gutenberg, you can optimize more elements on the page for search engines, allowing Google to more easily grab answers out of your posts for questions that users type into it.

In the classic editor, you can only optimize an entire page’s metadata. But in Gutenberg, you’ll be able to optimize each and every content block for search engines like Google.

The possibilities for search engine optimization with Gutenberg’s content blocks are so promising, I’ll share more with you in my next blog post.

The Bottom Line

Gutenberg’s new editor will become a reality for any education marketer using WordPress, and it will be coming to Drupal as well.

Right now, it’s not ready for use on your primary sites. And it’s not really ready for anyone who doesn’t have a developer on staff to help them with any issues.

But if you have secondary sites, and you have a tolerance for random bugs, feel free to install Gutenberg’s plugin and experiment with it. As with any technology in beta, backup your content often and report bugs to GitHub’s Gutenberg project.

As for us, we’ll keep you posted on the latest news so that you can keep creating awesome content for your audiences.

Stuck with your old website?

If you’re not using a simple, stable CMS like WordPress, making even small changes to your website can be a real pain. If you’re ready to ditch your current website and develop a new website where making updates is a joy, let’s get in touch.

Featured image by gustavofrazao via Adobe Stock

This post was originally published at: https://www.caylor-solutions.com/gutenberg-new-editor-for-wordpress-walkthrough/

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The Essential Capital Campaign Microsite Pages

The Essential Capital Campaign Microsite Pages

Capital campaign microsites are critical to any well-designed capital campaign marketing strategy. Here are five pages you should consider for your microsite.

Let’s start off by getting on the same page about what a microsite is exactly.

A microsite is an auxiliary website that has a different URL address than your primary website.

It has a temporary marketing purpose that requires a completely separate digital space.

Because of its distinct purpose, microsite links and content will be much different from the primary website.

This doesn’t mean that microsites shouldn’t use brand colors, typography, and other design elements.

On the contrary, microsites should adhere to brand guidelines so that visitors know they are on a site created and operated by your education brand.

At the same time, though, a microsite needs to be different enough that your audience understands they’re not on your primary site.

Why Capital Campaigns Need Microsites

Capital campaigns are temporary initiatives with highly-focused outcomes in mind.

They have a strong, unique case, and they focus singularly on just a few of the most strategic needs of your college, university, or independent school.

A capital campaign microsite serves as your capital campaign marketing hub.

These campaigns also require an array of marketing efforts across multiple channels and over several years.

Due to the complexity of capital campaign marketing, you need a central hub from which your content is produced. Likewise, you need a consistent location to which you’ll send traffic.

That’s the fundamental reason why every education marketer needs to develop a microsite for their school capital campaign.

But what goes on a capital campaign microsite exactly?

After designing and developing multiple capital campaign microsites for private colleges, universities, and independent schools, we’ve found the following webpages to be among the essential pages of any capital campaign microsite.

Homepage

It’s a given: There is no microsite without a homepage.

What’s not a given: A homepage that motivates your visitor to take the next step.

So make the most of this essential page to engage your visitor right away. Don’t design your microsite homepage the same way you’d design your primary website homepage.

The typical education website homepage is packed with links.

A bunch of them are on the visible page — but scores more hide in dropdown menus.

But a capital campaign homepage should be much simpler.

Your capital campaign microsite is all about one thing — convincing visitors to participate in the campaign, much like an enhanced landing page.

Your homepage is quite often (but not always) the page where your visitors land first. However, it’s not where you want them to stay or end their visit.

The objective of your capital campaign homepage is to use compelling copy and visual elements to:

• Grab the visitor’s attention, and
• Direct them to one of several next steps they can take towards donating, calling, or filling out a contact form.

Visitor Next Steps

Your visitor should have several possible actions they can take when they are on the homepage. Each step is designed to take your visitor further toward the ultimate call to action of your microsite.

Use the various sections of your homepage to tease visitors to explore each of your microsite’s pages. For example…

• One section should entice visitors to navigate to your About page.
• Another section should motivate visitors to check out the campaign’s progress and news.
• Yet another section should introduce the various initiatives you’ve undertaken and invite visitors to discover more.

Your homepage should be an inspiring place where the visitor is invited to explore more of the possibilities they can be a part of.

Be sure to use a variety of content types like videos, parallel effects, headlines, images, and illustrated graphics to keep your homepage engaging for your audience.

About Page

At first, you might object to writing an About Page for your microsite. They’re overrated, overused, and boring, right?

So why do I think an About Page is a must?

Because your capital campaign About Page is where you should give your best arguments for participating in the campaign.

In other words, the About Page is the web version of your campaign’s case statement.

Don’t let this page get boring and confusing with all the facets of your campaign.

Go right to the heart and show your visitor why they should get involved. Include emotive elements like:

• Student stories or quotes
• Visual tour of the needs
• Board member, alumni, or donor interviews (or quotes)
• A visionary statement depicting what the future will look like after the campaign is successful
• Emotional copy describing how the visitor will feel if they get involved

All of this should be done in a variety of formats — copy, video, and imagery — to strongly portray your case.

End your About Page with your microsite’s ultimate call for action: 1.) Contact/Call your development team or 2.) Donate.

Campaign Initiatives Page

Every capital campaign microsite should have an Initiatives Page where you get to spell out the various ways the campaign is going to bring change to your school.

Are you strengthening existing endowments? Creating new ones?

Are you building or renovating facilities on your campus?

Are you seeking to build a scholarship fund while you’re at it?

All of these initiatives should find their place here on this page.

In each initiative, write compelling copy that shows the visitor how their participation will move the needle forward. Present imagery or video content that introduces them to the students their donation will directly impact.

The biggest mistake you can make on this page is just giving the barebones facts about the initiative.

Tell the stories of students who are being changed by these initiatives and how much better it will be if the visitor gets involved.

Like the About Page, end the Initiatives Page with your call to action: 1.) Contact/Call your development team or 2.) Donate.

Progress Page

Personally, the Progress Page is one of my favorites because this is where you can really set your school apart!

Other schools may have a progress page where they bullet point their way through the information, like…

• 2/15/18 – Foundation laid.
• 3/10/18 – East Wing being framed in.
• 4/15/18 – Roof is completed, interior begins.

But this is where you can really make the “magic” feeling of physical progress come alive in your web visitor!

The simplest way is to post images and video frequently as buildings are constructed or rooms are remodeled.

If possible here, spice up your copy by sharing how the construction or remodel that was just completed would help students and further the mission.

But as a self-declared tech geek, I’m a big fan of live stream or live action cameras, like the one we set up for Portsmouth Abbey’s Science Building capital campaign.

Webcams can produce live stream updates on your capital campaign’s progress.

News Page

Ah, the good old news page. So many capital campaign news sections are dry and lifeless — so do you really need this?

I think you do, but not like your competitors are doing it!

On your news page, you’ll want to publish news stories like:

• Gift announcements
• Donor stories
• Student Stories
• Video interviews
• How the capital campaign is being covered in the media
• Stories on why the campaign is necessary

Think of your news page more like a blog than a news ticker. Post new content that will excite and motivate your visitor to come back and see what new piece you’ve posted.

Giving Page

The giving page is a little like the homepage — you can’t have a capital campaign microsite without one.

The entire purpose of the microsite is to motivate your visitor to donate to the campaign, and the giving page is how they’ll be able to come through on this call to action.

Giving pages should be treated as you would any landing page.

Clear out all regular navigation, leaving only your brand logo at the top as a link to your microsite homepage.

This way, your visitor can only do two things on the page: Give through the donation form or navigate to your microsite homepage.

Create a clear, compelling headline at the top of the page. The best headlines correspond with whatever link they clicked on to get to the giving page. (The last thing you want here is for the visitor to think they landed on the wrong page!)

Under your headline, write a brief section of copy that summarizes what the purpose of the giving page is and quickly restates why the visitor should go through with giving today.

No more than one image should be used, and I recommend using a photo of a student because they’re the reason why donors give.

So there you have it…

My list of essential pages to any capital campaign microsite.

Of course, you might find the need to include another page, but I’d urge you to keep your microsite page count to a minimum.

If you crowd the site with too many pages, your visitors are more likely to get tired of the site and leave without performing the desired action.

Getting to Work

If you’re launching or reviving a capital campaign for your school, we’d be happy to put our expertise to work for you.

Contact us today for your free consultation to see if we’d be a good fit for your campaign’s needs.

Featured image by Marek via Adobe Stock

This post was originally published at: https://www.caylor-solutions.com/essential-capital-campaign-microsite-pages/

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