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Why DIY Social Media Doesn’t Make Sense
Posted by Jennifer Maxfield in Uncategorized on June 1st, 2010
The temptation is definitely there…
Social Media is FREE right? Anyone with a computer can set-up an account and start writing stuff. “I could hire my teenage daughter or an intern to put stuff on Facebook for me! Heck, they’re on Facebook constantly – they know how to use these tools!”
It sounds enticing, but when you really dig into what Social Media is all about, a do-it-yourself approach just doesn’t make sense:
- Time - this is the one thing I hear most of all. “Well, I just don’t have time to stay on top of all this.” It’s true. Social Media is a time-suck. Creating a page and then leaving it to rot won’t do you much good. Moreover, if you are on Social Media, your fans and potential fans expect some activity. If they write you, and ask a questions or worse, post something negative, like a complaint, if it just sits there with no response…that’s when being in Social Media can actually be worse than not having a presence at all.
- Let’s move beyond Time – Let’s think about this whole interactivity thing. Sounds great right? The opportunity to have a dialogue, for the brand to really engage with customers. The interactivity part should be a primary reason to hire a professional. Clients come to CEA Marketing Group all the time to create an ad for example in a magazine. It’s a one-time placement; there’ s no potential for a conversation. You have total control over messaging and visuals- it’s static. It’s not “alive”. Ads cost maybe $500+, on the economic rate schedule – take 1-2 weeks to create, on a shortened turnaround. Let’s be honest – why would you agree to hiring a professional for an ad placement, but not to handle something as organic, 2-way, and impactful as Social Media?
- Permanence – when you create accounts, there is a ton of stuff that you can never change, for example your Twitter name or handle. Don’t just set-up an account or page on a whim. It requires thoughtful planning.
- Change – Facebook is changing every week. No joke. The last thing you want to do is allocate money into a campaign that can get you kicked off Facebook. It happens. And Facebook doesn’t have customer service; so if your page is removed; it’s gone. You have to be able to keep up with the updates. Not to mention, be on a regular regiment of Social Media education – seminars, conferences, webinars! There’s always something to learn. Much easier said than done.
- According to Mari Smith – she is amazing, and I absolutely agree with her – there are 4 strategies you have to consider: 1) Design 2) Content 3) Engagement 4) Promotional. It’s like any other campaign you ever hire an agency to creatively and strategically implement, except 10x more moving parts.
- Brand – more than any other type of marketing tool ever, you have the ability to build your brand in Social Media. You also can hurt your brand tremendously. Do you really want your lil sister or an 18 year old intern being the communicator for your brand? Probably not.
- Policies – companies need to establish internal policies and Social Media protocol. Agencies, like CEA Marketing Group, help clients develop those standards. It’s a critical part of the puzzle – for how to handle employees to how to handle negative feedback. We don’t pretend to be lawyers, but to have guidelines established is a must-do for small and large companies.
- Viral – everyone wants to go viral right? Well, it’s a double-edged sword. A viral campaign can be great if its positive and controlled, but can do a lot of damage if ignored or not handled properly. As a general rule – what goes on the internet, stays on the internet.
So yes, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, FourSquare etc. – all “FREE” tools. But, FREE doesn’t mean that DIY is the way to go.
Social Media is a marketing staple and will only become more influential and prevalent in the future. Remember – it’s a two-way tool. The dialogue is it’s greatest selling point. But, in order to have a dialogue you have to be prepared, professional, and available – you have to have a plan. My advice…don’t underestimate the power of Social Media. Before you get started, look into hiring a company and be reasonable – you invest in an ad; you should invest in 2-way campaigns – building a network – Social Media.
In a Social World – Why Databases are more important than ever!
Posted by Jennifer Maxfield in Uncategorized on May 25th, 2010
CEA Marketing Group recently attended the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association 2010 Restaurant Marketing Summit at the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg. (Love Love Love this Hotel!)
The focus was of course on restaurant marketing – independents, franchises and joint venture restaurants. One of the main themes that resonated with me was the importance of building a database TODAY!
Databases have been around forever. Obviously, they make a lot of sense – collect a list of people that want to hear from you…then keep in touch with them. The three databases that were discussed primarily:
1. E-mail – I know a lot has been done with E-mail, and most people kind of have that “So over it” attitude. SPAMMERS have unfortunately made E-mail marketing sort of a negative thing; however, a well-managed, opt-in database and campaign – not a random purchased list – still can be an amazingly effective and low-cost form of communication.
2. Mobile – I loved what I learned about mobile. Did you know that a text message is typically read within 4 minutes of receiving it – and some statistics put the read rate at almost 98%. So – 98% of text messages get read! That’s crazy!!!!!
3. Social Media – This isn’t typically referred to as a “database” per say; however, a social media network really serves the same purpose. People that have “opted-in” by liking you, following you, connecting with you. Most will agree that Social Media doesn’t equate to much without an active network of connections.
The main point to all this is that there is going to be a ton of opportunities in the future. Smart phones. Applications. Facebook taking over the world. E-mail will still be a great way to cross-promote and will be more accessible/mobile. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DATABASE OR NETWORK ESTABLISHED, YOU’RE GOING TO BE WAYYYY BEHIND.
Things to consider:
- Have a backed-up system in place for managing your database before you start trying to build one – be organized about it – make sure you know how to access your database, how to export it, and if you choose to use a service or a management provider, make sure you know if you own your database.
- Go for quality over quantity – the more clear you make your opt-in message, I think, the better – that way there are no surprises – let them know the frequency and content they will be receiving and stick to the plan.
- Don’t start off with a bang and then fizzle out – stay consistent, and really think through your messaging – marketers spend months primping and perfecting one ad placement, then turn and burn their E-mail, Text or Social Media content – really take the time to think through it, put it on a schedule, and don’t let your list go stale.
- Include offers that are timely, relevant and deadline-oriented and use them to build your database.
- Track! – All of these forms of advertising are track-able, so make sure to really dig in. E-mail and text especially don’t require mega-dollars and complicated systems to discern numbers and review important trends – I do it on a weekly basis typically.
- Everything works together. Your E-mail can advertise your Facebook. Your Facebook can promote your Blog and Twitter. Your SMS can drive sales etc. Cross-platform promotion is huge!!!!
- Lastly, if you don’t have time to set-up and manage database campaigns properly, hire a professional
Cheap yet ineffective doesn’t really do you any good. It’s just a waste of money.
So, although databases are not a new thing, they are more important than ever!
Kelly 9-1-1 My Experience on a Ride Along with Pinellas County’s Finest
Posted by Kelly Bosetti in Current Events, Humor, Public Relations, Uncategorized on May 24th, 2010
What one thing do we fear the most when we are driving around in our cars? Perhaps we’re going a little too fast, we look in the rear-view mirror and see those dreaded flashing lights and siren – BUSTED! You wonder “Why me? Why did they have to pick on me?”
I personally never had a clue as to what is entailed in a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy shift until I had the honor to ride with one of them as part of my Leadership Pinellas class requirements. Hey, at least I wasn’t in the BACK seat! The cool part was being in the front seat during a full eight hour shift. In that short period of time, I learned a few things I thought I would share with “John Q. Public.”
Did you know that all of the Deputies have computers in their cars? If you see one behind, you better hope that your tag and license are current because more than likely they are running your tag! They don’t do this to try and capture you – they do this to look for people that might have a warrant out for their arrest. By doing this they might find someone who steals cars, has had several DUI’s or perhaps a sex offender that has a warrant out for their arrest. This new technology is extremely cool and it was designed to keep us safe. Besides, who wants a sloppy drunk on the road or a creep that might be driving around looking for vulnerable children?
Crazy people are everywhere! During the course of the night we got all sorts of wild calls. A few that we went on had to do with domestic violence. Deputies don’t show up to cause problems – they are there to help calm down the situation. With a Deputy present, people tend to calm down and not be so violent and crazy. My ride along buddy was very calm, cool and collected, very understand and spoke with a strong voice of authority. He knew how to handle all of the different types of weird calls with ease. It made me feel good to see him work; plus it made me feel safe to know that he was there to protect me. I was walking up with him on all these calls and was able to witness the reactions and the way he dealt with every situation. There wasn’t a single time when I didn’t feel safe. I felt sorry for most of the people that we had to pay a visit to because they all seemed far removed from reality. It was sad to see so many messed up people and situations. It’s nice to know that we have someone to watch over these messed up individual’s otherwise who knows what might happen. They truly make the world a safer place.
The last part of the night was the most action we had all night! While searching for a trouble-making minor, we happened to see a car that had just pulled up to a convenience store who just happened to have busted out taillights and tags that expired back in 2008. The Deputy noticed this right away. To me this was amazing as it was a very dark area – they really know what to look for. After running his license, we found out that this person had several DUI’s, traffic violations and his license had been revoked years ago. The officer handcuffed him and put him in the back seat of the car. At this point, he started searching the suspects car. He found a small container that had small white pills in them. We continued to search and found another container that had crushed white stuff in it. Deputies’ cars have drug kits in them, so they can test the chemicals to see what kind of drug they are. After running the tests we found out that the pills were Oxycontin and the crushed up white stuff was crack cocaine. At this point a car pulled up and out came a woman on crutches (that seemed to be in a lot of pain) plus her two children. The woman had just gotten out of the hospital and it turns out that the guy we were arresting was supposed to be home taking care of her. It was really sad. The children should have never witnessed that. Turns out they only lived around the corner so if the guy was smart he would have walked to the store for his cigarettes and beer. Again, the Deputy handled the situation with ease. He asked the woman and her children to go home, which they did, and He called in for back up. Within minutes another cruiser pulled up to help. They worked together as a team to continue with the vehicle search and eventual arrest. While we were waiting for the paddy wagon, the Deputy had to type in his report. There were so many counts it took him awhile to do this. He explained the entire process to me as he typed. In the mean time, the arrested individual in the back was pleading for his release as he told us his sad story over and over again, stating he would never do it again if only he was released this one time. Deputy’s hear sad stories all of the time and they need to stay calm and do the right thing. Putting the bad guy away can save a person’s life. This guy had a history of DUI’s, was driving a car that was not registered to him with expired tags, driving with an open container and he had illegal drugs with him. Who knows what might have happened if the Deputy did not pull him over. A busy neighborhood was right across the street with cars and people walking about. By taking this guy away he might have saved a life.
This experience taught me to really appreciate what the Deputy’s job entails and how hard their job is. Without them, our world would not be safe and full of violence. It makes me proud to know that there are some people that are willing to fight crime and deal with all of the emotions that come along with it. I have a new respect for our Sheriff’s department. The next time you see one, wave at them and say thank you. After all, they’re here for your protection and to help make this world a safer place to live in. This ride along was one of the coolest things that I have ever experienced. Now instead of fearing the Sheriff and thinking they are the bad guys, I have a new and trusted respect for them. Thank you, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office!
Examples of FBML Pages on Facebook
Posted by Jennifer Maxfield in Uncategorized on May 7th, 2010
By: Jennifer Maxfield (Contact me at CEA’s Facebook or jennifer@ceamarketing.com)
First off – what is FBML? The Facebook Developer Wiki pretty much outlines the cut and dry of what Facebook Markup Language is all about.
There’s probably a huge amount of possibilities I am not even aware of, but the major opportunity FBML has created for me as a marketer are customized, graphically-driven pages. No more boring text notes! CEA Marketing Group has been re-designing our clients’ fan pages, and we are loving the flexibility. We can better brand our clients, make call to actions more impactful, and have a lot more fun, embedding video and links within the page in a more visual and creative way.
I have to give credit to the page that really inspired us EZineArticles – they have a great theme, and they kept everything super clean. What I also really like is the ability to customize what page a visitor lands on depending on if they already “Liked” your page or not. If the visitor hasn’t yet become a fan (Sorry, it’s just easier to use FAN when writing) of your page, that person can arrive on a Welcome page specifically created to get them to join! ‘CLICK ON LIKE TO JOIN’ says the gigantic red arrow!!! If they are already a “Liker,” then that person will land on the fan page wall.
Here are some examples of recent work we’ve done using FBML:
This is what we used to have to do to describe a contest, using a text note.
This is what we can do now with FBML pages. MUCH BETTER!
Other pages to check out!!!
Want to learn more? E-mail me jennifer@ceamarketing.com or call CEA Marketing Group at 727-523-8044. Design starts at $250.00 per page! Please verify pricing with me – May 7, 2010.
How to Create a Social Media Contest Part 3: Marketing Thoughts
Posted by Jennifer Maxfield in Uncategorized on May 3rd, 2010
So, I have been outlining some of my top considerations when creating a social media campaign.
How to Create a Social Media Contest Part 1
How to Create a Social Media Contest Part 2
Here is another important one!
MARKETING:
CEA Marketing Group’s most successful social media campaigns include the use of “traditional” media to promote the contest.
Just the other day, I heard an ad on WFLZ for the “Dewmocracy” campaign. (PS – I hate how Flash-dependent this site is – ARGH) Type in Mountain Dew in Google and the “Dewmocracy” web site is the first place position under paid sponsorships, so they are investing in an Adwords campaign.
Pepsi came out with a fun and feel-good television ad to kick-off their newest online campaign – actually forgoing their mega huge Super Bowl spend to launch the Pepsi Refresh Project. (Finalists will be announced June 1) Just wanted to mention this cuz I think it’s crazy – Do a search for the word ‘refresh’ on Google and the very first organic search result is the Pepsi Refresh Project. There are nearly 1400 entries!
So, although it’s a social media contest, that doesn’t mean that you can just promote the contest via social media platforms and expect a huge success. While most of us don’t have large television-capable budgets, a lot of us are doing advertising right now that you can possibly piggy-back on.
- Review your schedules and artwork and see if you can add in a snipe of copy for example.
- Reach out to your in-house E-mail or mobile databases and send them an E-mail or text about the contest.
- Look into free listing sites where you can place your contest or campaign.
- Facebook ads are inexpensive and highly targeted.
- In-store call-to-actions such as posters and flyers are great.
- Don’t forget to communicate your promotion with your staff. Word-of-mouth promotion is huge!
It’s easy to think about the contest itself and not necessarily how you are going to drive participants. (Kind of like when you invest in the mondo-awesomenessess of web sites and then forget about “how am I going to get people to my web site.” – but that’s another story!) Don’t fall into that trap. Remember in your planning stages to include a budget for marketing, and if possible, enough money to integrate some traditional mediums into the mix. If you’re going to spend the time and energy into launching a social media campaign, make sure you do a good job of promoting it!!!
Become a member and mayor of foursquare. The hottest new contender in the social media realm.
Posted by Kelly Bosetti in Social media, Uncategorized on April 28th, 2010
By: Kelly Bosetti
Just when you think you’ve got today’s social media almost mastered they create a new innovative platform to jump into. The latest that’s gaining some speed and predicted to infiltrate the nation is foursquare. Foursquare isn’t entirely new, it launched in 2009 is gaining momentum, now reporting 450,000 members. With last week’s announcement that foursquare will soon be connected to bing maps, it’s likely to explode.
What is foursquare?
It is a location-based social network which lets users “check in” to the locations they visit throughout the day to share tips and information via mobile, the website, text messaging or smart phone applications. Members log in to share insights on their experiences, find friends in the area and potentially earn rewards for their patronage. Foursquare is a simple-to-navigate platform in which you post recommendations such as “the burgers here are the best, be sure to order the cowboy bleu” or “check out these hot designer handbags, and they’re on sale!” With each post, members add tags to a business that let’s others know what that business is most known for. Examples of tags would be: live music, happy hour, jewelry, coffee, burgers, but the list is virtually endless.
In addition, members that frequent a business the most are recognized as the mayor of that establishment. Clever. Foursquare members then get points for checking into the places they frequent and even more points for the new places they add. Let the points competition begin!
Additional foursquare upgrades and announcements are imminent. Beyond the upcoming bing maps alliance, foursquare’s key features make it great for businesses:
- As a location-based platform, foursquare encourages members to log in while they’re at a business and invite friends to join them. Friends’ phones are then pinged telling your whereabouts.
- It tracks how many times members visit a business so they can reward customers for their loyalty and posts on foursquare.
- It promotes what customers feel a business is best at (golf clubs, cocktails, etc.)
- Members can create a Top 12 list of recommendations for other people.
- Businesses can reward “mayors” with special perks, discounts and offers further supporting their customer loyalty for sharing their experience.
- Foursquare’s “mayor” concept promotes friendly competition via loyal customers who wish to unseat the current mayor.
- Businesses can also post special offers for mayors on the foursquare website.
Last but not least, foursquare allows you to create a to-do list of places you’ve always wanted to go.
Prepare to enter the world of foursquare and get addicted. Just log on to the foursquare site and sign up with a free and very brief profile which will ask you for your mobile phone number so it can ping you. Then add a photo and find your friends.
How to Create a Social Media Contest Part 2
Posted by Jennifer Maxfield in Uncategorized on April 21st, 2010
When creating a social media contest, you always have a big picture idea. Normally, in people’s minds, coming up with that totally rad concept for a contest is the hardest part – the most pivotal part. For me, in my experience, a great idea is nothing without great execution. I immediately think logistics. That’s why I’d like to start off Part 2 (Read Part 1) with 5 things you HAVE to think about . . . that you may not think about . . . before you get to far ahead of yourself.
1. Personnel – Contact Person
Honestly, no matter how tight a ship you run or how flawless you think your execution is, ultimately, someone is going to have questions/comments about your contest. (Questions are actually a great gauge of “real” interest. If people are invested enough to ask a question – it’s a pretty good contest.) It’s absolutely necessary in my mind to have a Real Life “Contact Us” point person available to field any questions, comments and complaints. The last thing you want is to have irritated contestants and participants who walk away feeling like the whole thing was a waste of time, not very well organized or ignored etc. A knowledgeable, friendly and dedicated point person can smooth out almost any kink.
2. Personnel 2 -Tell your staff
When running any contest/promotion/campaign, not just a social media contest, make sure your staff knows about it. They need to understand the basics about what your doing – and this goes for businesses small and large. Write an executive summary – E-mail it; hold a meeting – whatever works for you. If an interested party calls in and has a question, “Uhhh – I don’t know what you’re talking about” immediately zaps all credibility. That person is sooo0000 not going to participate and may even be a little miffed. In addition, your staff is a great source of word-of-mouth advertising!!! They tell their family and friends etc. etc.
3. Know Your Platform
Facebook has a long list of rules that in my opinion are somewhat subject to interpretation. You’re supposed to get contests approved . . . but honestly, I haven’t had much luck with my “customer service rep.” Twitter is well-known for crashing or being “overloaded.” YouTube videos – you need to know the guidelines of what video content is acceptable. Do your research on the platform you plan on using and make sure that your contest adheres to the standards outlined and that it is compatible with your platform – meaning, if Twitter crashes for 4 hours, it won’t devastate your contest.
4. Fine Print
Who’s participating? 18 year olds+? Minors. Who is ineligible? What “disclaimers” or fine print does your company mandate? Every online contest should have a “Rules and Regulations”, “Contest Policy”, etc. page that outlines the type of commitment they are making, what information you are collecting, how is a winner determined, contingencies regarding a winner . . . . and the list goes on and on. Typically, this is not cooker-cutter copy, but well thought out and organized Fine Print. Make sure you have someone who can write this copy and someone that can OK this copy. Very importante.
5. Consolation Prize
I throw this in because Prizes are always part of the budget. Now, no matter what you truly believe about the idea that “Everyone is a Winner” – this is a sentiment held by A LOT of people. Especially if your contest includes minors in some way, have a Consolation Prize or some sort of acknowledgment. We’ve run contests where we narrow the entry pool down to Top Finalists – like 20 people. Those 20 people, we acknowledge in a cool way or we give them something. That exchange is a great opportunity to further build rapport and leave everyone with a good taste in their mouth. Really, it’s the smart thing to do! Every contestant should be “Thanked” in some way – my opinion
More Considerations to Come!!!
www.ceamarketing.com
How to Create a Social Media Contest Part 1
Posted by Jennifer Maxfield in Uncategorized on April 13th, 2010
I went to Social Fresh in Tampa this year and listened to Maggie Fox (@maggiefox) from Social Media Group talk about her experiences moving Ford Motor Company into this new form of marketing. One of the things she said that really stuck with me, “businesses need to start thinking like media.”
1. You must first create a remarkable experience
2. Promote that experience, or “syndicate” that experience, across the channels that you “own”- so in essence, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, these are your stations to broadcast your content – the content is really like your programming, the more compelling, the better!
3. Then use those remarkable experiences within your paid advertising strategy
So, it all starts with creating a REMARKABLE experience; now that is A LOT easier said than done. What is REMARKABLE? And, how do you achieve it? No matter who you read and what you hear, most people will consistently say in order to be successful on social media, content is king! So, CEA Marketing Group has focused on online contests to create that REMARKABLE experience, and for us, REMARKABLE just means something that people can care about and relate to. But, how do you create an online contest that people will participate in and care about, especially because contest are so prevalent these days? And, how do you comply with all these new standards – ie Facebook? I will be outlining over the next couple of weeks key considerations regarding ‘How to Create a Social Media Contest’. Tune in!
Our latest campaign drove in 45 contestants, 200,000 votes and over 270,000 pageviews. Find out more soon!
Mobilizing Your Marketing
Posted by Kelly Bosetti in Uncategorized on March 24th, 2010
By Kelly Bosetti MIRM, CMP, CSP, Realtor®
Mobility, in terms of telephonic-based communications, has become ubiquitous in everyday life—on a truly global scale. What was once simply a means of sharing spoken words; cell phones have evolved to become a traveling information submittal and retrieval device, entertainment center, educational resource, camera, video recorder, gaming palace, geo-locator, social messenger, plus a whole lot more. And, with advancements accelerating at an almost exponential pace with respect to hand-held technology, it’s no wonder that savvy folk quickly realized potentiality within the realm of advertising.
By now, most of you—unless living in remote hermitage—have heard of and/or actively engage with text message-based advertising. While these campaigns certainly have their place in the overall “marketing mix,” such activity is considered “old school” by the 1s-and-0s promo techies. Today, the buzz is Bluetooth marketing which is already widespread in Europe, yet just beginning to make its way to the states. Below are two scenarios depicting how you could benefit from Bluetooth marketing.
First scenario: Suppose you are a busy sales exec, going from one property showing to the next. Things have been so hectic that your personal secretary could never keep pace with your appointments. Suddenly you are out all afternoon at appointments and have to leave your sales center or property. Before hustling out, you turn on your engaging kiosk that can satisfy all those inquiring minds—instantly, right to their cell phones. All they need to do is enable their Bluetooth function, if it is not “defaulted” already. Instantly, the required info appears on the screen of their hand-held and you have now presented your property without you being there.
Second scenario: Let’s say you have a community or development that’s nearby or just a few clicks away from a major entertainment, sporting event and concert arena. You’ve tried plastering flyers on peoples’ car windshields in the parking lot, but it has not generated any tangible results. How can you get this fertile source of potential homebuyers into your sales center? One viable solution is to employ proximity marketing. Send your sales staff out to this nearby venue as proximity marketing “hot spots,” walking the parking areas before and/or after the events. Simply equip these people with a compact, “backpack-style” walking billboard along with a battery-powered mobile proximity device; let them stroll around, and see how many folks “ping” on their cell phones to receive information, directions, upgrades, offerings, etc. you want to present. It’s simple, straightforward, and bottom-line business enhancing for sure.
Bluetooth marketing has the power to reach cell phone users, which in today’s world is about 80 percent of the population. The technology is a win-win for just about any business application. You have a new and unexplored marketing channel to reach out to potential clients and they have real time access to your services.
Kelly Bosetti is CEO/President of CEA Marketing Group, a full service marketing & advertising agency with specialties in mobile and social media marketing.
What is a Content Management System? How best do I edit my site?
Posted by Jennifer Maxfield in Uncategorized on February 1st, 2010
What is a Content Management System?
It used to be back in the day that you put a web site up on the web and then left it. Well, as search engines started rewarding web sites whose content was regularly being updated, it became more important for web sites to be easier to edit. Also, most marketing these days drives people to a web site where visitors should be able to easily connect the offline advertising or message with what’s on the company site. That means, content will probably need to change often, to coordinate with whatever special, incentive, message etc. is out there. Now with social media booming, integrating the content with your social pages, content that is constantly changing, is another reason why “How do I keep my site up-to-date?” is a growing issue.
There are 2 basic ways you can address edits:
- Hire an outside developer, agency, IT person to make the edits for you
- Utilize a program, software or Content Management System (CMS) so you or your staff can self-edit
So, what is a CMS? It’s typically a log-in, non-public system, meaning anyone who visits the web site will not know of its existence. Only people provided with a username and password would be able to access it. Through this system, personnel would be able to edit information, typically text, such as pricing, specials or even photo galleries. A CMS is not usually used for pages like About Us or Contact Us, mainly because that information is pretty much going to stay the same for long periods of time.
When trying to decide which option is best for you, here are some things to think about:
- How much time do you or your staff have to spend on editing the site?
- Most of my clients really want a self-editing CMS, but don’t realize that even with a user-friendly system, that it still requires them to sit down and make the edits themselves.
- Depending on how much time you have during the day, it’s sometimes quicker to just E-mail a change and have someone take care of it for you.
- How quickly do changes need to be made?
- If you want to be able to make changes instantly, a CMS may be the way to go.
- When working with an agency or IT person for example, there will probably be a 24-48 lag time between your change request and that change being executed.
- How comfortable are you with learning a new system?
- There are thousands of ways you can build a CMS, but bottom-line, you do have to be comfortable with learning a new system, making mistakes and experimenting.
- Even the most intuitive of systems will take a little time to acclimate oneself to.
- Cost versus Need
- Ask yourself – how often do you need to make changes on the site? If it’s not often, you may just want to use a developer or IT person.
- If you feel your site needs to be updated frequently (1x per week for example), you may want to pay to develop a CMS.
- A CMS will cost you more upfront, but depending on your developer or agency’s hourly rate for example, if edits are frequent enough, a CMS may be worth the additional upfront costs.
I would like to bring up that even if you have a Content Management System, you will still need a developer in many cases. A CMS is a tool to edit easily editable information that needs to be refreshed frequently. So, the key is 1) easy-to-edit content and 2) content that needs to be edited often.
CMS is not usually a creative editing tool. For example, if you have a photo on your home page, you may be able to take down or upload a new photo, but you will often times not be able to edit the photo itself, for example to re-size the photo, fix the coloring, etc. Also, anything that moves, for example your navigation, flash intros, videos etc. are usually not included in a CMS as the time to develop a useful CMS to edit such functions would exceed the benefits and would probably also be too complicated for the average person to be able implement, even with a well-developed system. For these types of changes, I suggest using a professional web programmer or developer.
Bottom line, there are a ton of “can’ts” and “cans” when it comes to developing a CMS. It will be important for you to outline what you want to be able to edit and then place the onus on the person developing the site or functions to tell you whether or not it’s logistically possible, and if they are honest, whether or not you really need a CMS based on your objectives. As mentioned, sometimes using a developer for 2 to 3 hours per month can save you a lot of headaches and may actually be cheaper. One last thought – if you want written instructions or a manual on how to use your CMS, make sure to let the developer know. It may lead to an increased cost, due to the extra time it would take to develop a manual, but it may be worth it if several people will be using the CMS for example, or if you learn better by reading.
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