Strategic Website Plan · MANDY!BORESKIE! [email protected]! ! PAGE 3 Communications!Priorities! Develop!brand!strategy! Develop!and!launch!website! Createmarketing!strategy!

MANDY BORESKIE [email protected]

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Website strategy proposal I, Mandy Boreskie, am pleased to present the following Communications Strategy for XXX Inc. covering the period XX to XX of 2014. This plan will be XXX Inc.’s customized Strategic Communications Plan, outlining recommended communications approaches, strategies, considerations and tactics towards the development of a website promoting XXX’s self-‐publishing and printing services, in order to meet the company’s core business objectives. I have carefully aligned the Communications Strategy and Plan to XXX’s vision, goals, priorities and reputation among its stakeholders, making communications a critical and strategic piece for your business to achieve its goals. Based on a briefing session with the XXX creative team, and a thorough review of the suggested copy, I understand both your business and communications priorities for the next year. I understand your success factors to be:

1. The personal service XXX provides to its clients; one-‐on-‐one customer service relationships. 2. Ability to provide full design and print services with all work being done in house; meaning reduced production times and better quality maintenance. 3. XXX has the latest print and design technology, ensuring only the best quality products.

MB


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Communications Strategy: XXX self-‐publishing website Vision

To make book printing and distribution easy and affordable for the self-‐publisher. Goals

1. Promote XXX’s self-‐publishing, printing and distribution services. 2. Engage new and existing authors. 3. Increase sales 4. Increase XXX’s online presence.

Business Priorities 1. Develop website by end of June 2. Increase SEO rankings to within the top 3 Google page results over next 12 months 3. Increase traffic by 25% in the next 6 months 4. Double XXX’s current self-‐publishing client base over the next 12 months

Reputational Priorities A "one-‐stop source" for self-‐publishing needs, from design to print and distribution. Authors Corporations/Businesses Schools/Students Personal shopper (gifts, events, mementos) . “I can design and print the number of copies of my book I need myself at a price I can afford, and I keep my publishing rights.”

. “We can get the best quality, professionally designed books and printed materials we need quickly and at a discounted rate for bulk orders.”

. “We can get the exact number of agendas, yearbooks, or learning materials we need that are personalized and will hold up against wear and tear.”

. “I can easily create a beautiful, high quality book like I can’t get anywhere else and have it delivered to me in no time.”

Communications Key Objectives 1. Raise awareness of XXX brand and services offered online. 2. Engage with new clients online and attract them to the website 3. Encourage visitors to

order through call to action; “contact us”. 4. Establish XXX as a trusted expert source for book printing, design and self-‐publishing.

Strategic Communications Priorities 1. Develop brand strategy for website; logo, positioning, look, feel, tone, etc. 2. Develop and launch website online. 3. Create marketing strategy; engage with users on blogs, LinkedIn and Pinterest. 4. Storyboard and produce promotional video to be imbedded into site. 5. Develop additional e-‐commerce section for website (to be addressed as a stage of expansion at a later time).


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Communications Priorities Develop brand strategy Develop and launch website Create marketing strategy Promotional video

TACTICS

Research competitors

Have creative team review competitor analysis and some of their sites

Develop customer experience story for each stakeholder group

Meet with creative team to go over brand questionnaire and approve customer experience stories

Analyze brand questionnaire and develop written doc for team approval, including positioning, key messages, customer stories, etc.

Develop logo and colour scheme for site

TACTICS

Choose and retain domain name

Develop rough web content based on branding doc incl. SEO optimization

Meet with creative team to:

Develop site-‐map

Discuss visuals and template

Make site development schedule

Implement development schedule

Fine-‐tune and get team approval of content and SEO

Meet with creative team to go over website to date

Test site for rankings/bugs/glitches/functionality, etc.

Run end-‐user site test (get first time user feedback)

Fix issues and implement changes

Officially launch site

Monitor/evaluate measurements and metrics (please see section measurement and metrics below; no benchmarks necessary at this stage)

TACTICS

Research and monitor competitions marketing efforts and current market trends and do SWOT analysis

Develop marketing strategy, including determining measurement benchmarks and content schedule

Develop accounts to be used

Implement marketing strategy

Review/evaluate/adapt strategy

Conduct measurements and metrics

TACTICS

Research video trends and examples

Meet with creative team to develop a concept

Develop story board

Meet with creative team to discuss/approve story board and visuals

Secure resources to create video (ie. location, rights to use images, etc.

Shoot video

Edit video

Revise edits

Finalize video

Develop video marketing strategy

Launch video and marketing strategy

Measure/evaluate results


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Overriding Strategy:

To establish XXX Media Inc. as the leader in quality self-‐publishing book design, print and distribution. Key Messages:

1. XXX Inc. provides author’s with services tailored to their individual needs to give them a one of a kind experience they will not get anywhere else. a. Every client has a dedicated personal account representative. b. "In-‐house" approach — from designers to press operators, through bindery staff, mailing and shipping departments; “All here to address your printing

needs conveniently under one roof”. c. Many customers have been with us for well over 20 years, demonstrating XXX's ability to build and maintain a loyal, dedicated, growing base of clients.

2. XXX offers the best quality products available at an affordable price. a. Leaders at the forefront of the digital print revolution; “we have heritage”. b. Recognized as one of the largest and most advanced digital printers in Canada. c. State of the art technology and equipment meaning lower costs, tighter deadline controls, greater accuracy and increased convenience.

3. With a large variety of options from paper stock to binding and finishes, XXX can help you create your book and share your story, your way. Expert advice

to help you decide what is right for your project is always just a phone call away; “contact us”.

a. XXX offers a huge array of printing options that are perfect of any project: picture book, children’s book, yearbook, cookbook, comic book, academic books, novel, memorial book, calendar, guest book, etc.; “make memories last, sum up a project, gift from the heart”

b. Offer custom options for any project; “just ask”. Experts and designers are available to help you with your project at any stage. c. Full-‐service design and print company with all work performed in-‐house. d. Interested in printing one book or thousands of copies, we utilize digital print technology and print on demand.


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Communications Operational Plan

Strategy Tactics Timing Measures/ Desired outcome

Issues Responsibility

Develop brand strategy

Research competitors

Have creative team review competitor analysis and some of their sites

Develop customer experience story for each stakeholder group

Meet with creative team to go over brand questionnaire and approve customer experience stories

Analyze brand questionnaire and develop written doc for team approval, including positioning, key messages, customer stories, etc.

Develop logo and colour scheme for site

$5,000

Apr.8-‐9 Apr. 15-‐16 Apr. 15-‐16 Apr. 15-‐17 Apr. 17-‐18 TBD

Get better understanding of what is available to target audiences and what competitions positioning is (see above comment) Gain understanding of what we want target audiences to experience to get them to adopt product and work backwards to determine how we can do so Develop collaborative consensus of how to direct and position the brand Written consensus of brand strategy from creative team and working document Agreed upon logo and colour scheme by team

N/A Creative teams availability N/A Availability of all team members. Difference of opinion N/A Availability of design team to produce work

MB LH, DC, ME MB MB, LH, DC, ME MB LH, DC, ME


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Strategy Tactics Timing Measures/ Desired outcome

Issues Responsibility

Develop and launch website

$5,000 Choose and retain domain name

Develop rough web content based on branding doc incl. SEO optimization

Meet with creative team to:

Develop site-‐map

Discuss visuals and template

Make site development schedule

Implement development schedule

Fine-‐tune and get team approval of content and SEO

Meet with creative team to go over website to date

Test site for rankings/bugs/glitches/functionality, etc.

Run end-‐user site test (get first time user feedback)

Fix issues and implement changes

Officially launch site

Monitor/evaluate measurements and metrics

Apr.10 Apr. 21-‐24 Apr. 23-‐24 TBD Apr. 28-‐30 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Domain secured Develop general idea of pages necessary for map Develop written plan/schedule for the creation of the website Final content and SEO approved and ready for use Make any changes necessary visually, content, function, etc. Make sure there are no issues prior to launch Gain feedback on user friendliness Site is launch ready Site successfully launched Gain valuable, measurable results

N/A N/A Availability of creative team to complete work while doing other projects N/A Availability of all team members We miss catching issues, bugs or glitches Value and honesty of feedback received, enough users to test Site not ready, issues not fixed Technical issues Can only benchmarks against goals because this is a launch

LH MB LH, DC, ME, MB DC, ME MB MB, LH, DC, ME DC, ME MB MB, DC, ME DC, ME MB


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Strategy Tactics Timing Measures/

Desired outcome Issues Responsibility

Create marketing strategy

Research and monitor competitions marketing efforts and current market trends and do SWOT analysis

Develop marketing strategy, including determining measurement benchmarks and content schedule

Develop accounts to be used

Implement marketing strategy

Review/evaluate/adapt strategy

Conduct measurements and metrics $5,000

TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Gain understanding of the landscape Written work document approved Accounts up and running N/A Gain valuable insight into what is working and not working, revise efforts Develop report outlining findings

Large scope, needs to be focused Limited availability to data to create accurate benchmarks Measurement and metrics may be limited or unavailable (see above comment)

MB MB MB MB MB MB


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Measurements and metr ics

To determine the success of our goals, we can review: • Review Google search rank results • General sales figures • Statistics provided by XXX We can also measure the following through free Google Analytics: • Clicks to determine how users are engaging with your content. • We can measure the number of page views. • We can measure the path through the website. • Bounce rates • Duration of page visits • Duration of visitor time spent on the website • We can measure the percentage of visitors who place an order.


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APPENDIX SWOT Analysis The following SWOT analysis was conducted to determine what XXX Media Inc.’s current strengths are and how they can use them to position themselves in the current market, as well as note any opportunities to be considered to help propel the new website in the market.

Strengths Weaknesses

-‐ XXX uses only the best most up to date technology for printing and binding

-‐ Full-‐service company (offering design, print, distribution, marketing, etc.)

-‐ Everything done in house (on-‐site) -‐ Strong, loyal, long term, elite customer base -‐ Ability to do short runs -‐ Offer quick turnaround -‐ Family owned and operated -‐ Quality products -‐ No limit to what types of books can be produced

(extremely customizable) -‐ Diverse set of media services beyond book printing -‐ Leaders at forefront of digital print revolution (company

part of making of history; “historical significance”; company has “heritage”)

-‐ Recognized as one of the largest and most advanced digital printers in Canada

-‐ Reprints always fast, easy, consistent -‐ FSC compliant (one of the first printing co. to be) *logo can

be added to any print job -‐ Large run capabilities at discount prices -‐ Simple, easy to use “templates”; self-‐serving abilities -‐ Access to design experts no matter what size the project -‐ Easy to contact, no forms or added steps

-‐ New to social media -‐ Lack of social engagement -‐ Limited online presence -‐ No dedicated marketing team for XXX itself -‐ Limited marketing of XXX previously done -‐ May not be able to match prices of some cheaper companies

(but these companies lack quality as well) -‐ Opportunity to update current website; current site not being

utilized to full potential -‐ Cannot mention high profile clients for self promotion -‐ Analytics limited or unavailable -‐ Lack of available testimonials -‐ Limited upfront pricing for clients -‐ Limited or no digital distribution options for e-‐books ie. with

Kobo or Kindle for example -‐ E-‐commerce store not available yet -‐ Brand story could use further development


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Threats Opportunities

-‐ Competitors offering similar services with comparable capabilities

-‐ E-‐book publishing available everywhere (Mac doing this extremely well in this area offering services/software for free)

-‐ Uncommon idea to print book as gift idea -‐ Niche print companies like heritagebooks.com and

babybooks.com

-‐ XXX offering the new website on mobile devices, including design and ordering capabilities from smart devices

-‐ Grow digital distribution capabilities; create partnerships with companies like Kobo, etc.

-‐ E-‐book design growing popularity -‐ Physical books coming back into popularity -‐ Most companies using professional, formal approach.

Opportunity for unique branding and story and voice here to connect with audience on an more personal and emotional level

-‐ Gift market offering better quality than competitors who print guest, wedding, photo books, etc., like Costco

-‐ Create marketing strategy around personalized books in gift market

Research The following primary research was conducted:

• A briefing with the XXX Media Inc. creative team • Review of suggested copy by XXX Media Inc. creative team

The following secondary research was conducted: • Online scan for market trends and competitors, the attached chart highlighting companies worth reviewing • Review of potential SEO keywords


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Competitor Analysis Title Strengths Weaknesses Summary heritagecookbook.com Great friendly tone.

Beautiful look and easy to follow layout Measurable achievements Great simple copy Appropriate marketing Strong testimonials Simple, upbeat promo video Simple, easy to understand and straight forward pricing Featured recipes page with social engagement capabilities

Book takes 2-‐3 weeks to print and 1 week to ship Pay fee for membership after 30 days Limited in format, layout, paper and binding options No personal connection with rep. just email contact Limited to offering cookbooks and calendars Terms and conditions section is actually an FAQ? Some of the copy is long Community page same as Recipe page (should be converged into one with clearer heading)

This website is very successful and is a great source for branding options. Overall look, feel, usability, copy, marketing all being utilized well. Useful to note the drawbacks/limits on the site and to avoid them on our project.

www.lulu.com

Measurable achievements highlighted on landing page Offers endless distribution on all platforms Concise and simple to understand copy Offer good pro support and book design/marketing expertise Offer’s e store Offer ton of services and options Clear imagery of product choices Lots of explanations on how to do things available Good explanation of services provided by experts

Site navigation unclear, including menu buttons not displayed on landing page Too much information Customer expected to do most of the work themselves online

This website does an excellent job of explaining and showing details to the customer without saying too much in the copy. However, the site navigation is overwhelming and hard to follow at times.

www.marquisbook.com Simple to navigate Beautiful streamline look Copy concise and easy to read One-‐stop-‐shop Promote FSC certification

Copy sometimes not enough. White text on black is hard to read Accomplishment section unclear, no explanations, just pics FSC certification buried, should be on landing page Promote themselves as large company with over 300 experts Required to fill out support form before receiving any

Website is good at dividing up information into simple chunks, good to note their positioning when considering our own on this project. Very professional and distant, not what we are going for.


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fiftythree.com Eye-‐catching and engaging visuals Simple, clear copy Very good positioning (“capture memories, sum up a project, gift from the heart”) Mobil app available to order book through Very innovative tech Good sample images Great brand story

Limited book production options Navigation slightly unclear due to titling Poor SEO Site requires too much scrolling Lacks clear calls to action

This company is in a different market than us but should be used for inspiration visually and positioning wise. Also, copy is well done and divided well.

photobookcanada.com Nice layout and visuals Easy to understand and navigate Simple professional copy

Hard to find direct contact, have to fill out a contact form Slightly cluttered landing page Do not offer pro expertise Limited print/binding options No pricing listed Not enough copy

Good reference for navigation, but tone a little too professional for our project. Good to note as competitor for gift books. Note their titling of book categories.

pressbooks.com Good SEO Very nice clean, appropriate look and feel Clear pricing Constant call to action button middle of every page Great sample pics Copy clear and to the point Great site tabs overview at bottom

Needs clearer navigation at top Seems expensive Only offers custom design templates, not design assistance Not sure about book production options

Good resource of what clearly works and doesn’t work on a website. Over look is good, slightly too minimal though. Great call to action on every page but little intrusive.

wheatmark.com Great navigation both top and bottom of page, as well as use of sidebars. Good visuals Good friendly copy with strong SEO Offers questionnaire to learn about your project Strong testimonials Easy to contact and all contact info available Good explanations of process

Look is slightly outdated Drop down menu’s hard to read

Perfect example of a user-‐friendly site. Copy is friendly and informative and navigation simple.


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book1one.com

Good division of information and good menu bar on landing page Nice benefit copy on home page Very good navigation Instant pricing Clear contact info Good visuals and clear about production options Offer to ton of options and allow visitor to see where their book could fit into the process

Terrible URL Site looks cluttered Positioning unclear Very long copy Copy is clear but lots of unnecessary info (over-‐explanation)

As far as print options, they are very vast and this could be a competitor. We want to offer everything they do and more but in a more personal way. Highly academic and professional looking. Site is very dry and we want to avoid this.

simpleprintservice.com Awesome visuals on products with zoom in capabilities Amazing copy Site flows great Note, terms and conditions Good support centre Good URL and SEO – note, site is a subsidiary of Peecho Co.

Products not printed by actual company operating website, just a middle man

Useful for terms and conditions section. Inspiration for visuals and site flow, end-‐user considerations. Note, this is not a direct competitor but a cloud print solution. XXX could potentially become part of their cloud and print for their customers.

Bookbaby.com Simple easy to use navigation and good copy, good site reference.

* Blurb.ca Amazing visuals Ideal navigation Very good personal copy Nice call to action

This is a main competitor. Great reference site all around.

self-‐publishinguk.com (Gibson publishing)

Good visuals Good listing of what they do Navigation at top and bottom Nice logo

Copy too long Why choose us video just space filler, useless Information not laid out in logical way Make false claims “Only co. to offer you guaranteed satisfaction”

Good over all look and feel, poor branding, seems sales pitchy. Not personable.


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Website checkl ist

I tems required :

• Strong professional design that allows user to feel instantly comfortable. • Clear branding. • Easy to find link to product. • Relevant images that represent the product as a whole. • Relevant images (such as enlarged views and alternate angles) that show the product in detail. • General description that provides a brief overview of the product’s purpose. • Specifications relevant to consumers of this product type. • Bullet points that give the user a summary of key benefits. • Text that shows how the product will solve a problem for the user. • Product variations or options (such as color, size). • Selling price (showing discount if applicable). • Shipping costs. • Customer service details and returns policy.

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Strategic Website Plan · MANDY!BORESKIE! [email protected]! ! PAGE 3 Communications!Priorities! Develop!brand!strategy! Develop!and!launch!website! Createmarketing!strategy!