Is It Time for a Change?
Posted on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 9:46 AM
Stay ahead of the competition by updating your magazine's website
design.
By Lynn Riley
The facts aren't pretty.
With a slow economy comes flat circulation or membership revenues and
flat ad sales. But along with this down time comes an opportunity. Now
is a great time to evaluate how your media is working for you and to
look at ways to better engage your audience. Are you attracting and
keeping website browsers? Are you reaching the younger professional
demographic with your magazine that you hoped for?
Four key areas
to look at are your website, your publication, its flag, and your
organization's logo.
Freshening the look of a publication, logo,
or website generates new interest - from readers, users, and
advertisers. Increasing your website's functionality captures more
attention and involvement from Web users. Equally important, it shows
advertisers that you're committed to delivering an engaging experience
for web users.
What's the best place to start? Set goals for
reader or web user responsiveness. Develop measurable criteria. If you
just have a general sense that something isn't quite right, but you
can't identify it, you can mistakenly "fix" the wrong thing. A reader
survey is an obvious place to start. Tracking unsolicited reader
feedback is another.
Here are a few tips to consider when
updating your media.
Website
Web 2.0 is practically
old news. Today's sophisticated Web users expect an interactive
experience, not static text. If your website is simply a brochure site,
an update is long overdue. Streaming video, member access portals, blogs
and discussion boards are expected these days. Involvement devices such
as surveys, instantly scored quizzes, and personalized, site-based
recordkeeping add value to your site and keep members coming back again
and again.
"Websites should be evaluated every six months," says
Eileen Coale, an award-winning marketing consultant and copywriter in
Annapolis, Maryland. "The Web is a fast-evolving media, and websites can
become dated very quickly."
Flags and Logos
The
human brain loves "new" -- as long as it's not jarringly different from
what's expected. Many businesses and organizations make the mistake of
recreating a logo or flag from scratch. That approach, however, can
backfire, because it creates a major disconnect between you and your
audience.
A smarter strategy? Incremental changes. For instance,
a slight reshaping of logo elements, or updated colors, still lets your
audience recognize you instantly, while the freshness catches and keeps
their eye. One good rule of thumb: if it's been ten years since your
last makeover, you're overdue.
Publications
Trends
in font usage and color palettes may be subtle, but they're always on
the move. New design tools also shape design trends. A publication from
as recently as 5 or 6 years ago can look dated. Start with a new or
updated flag, and use it as a springboard to move towards an updated
publication design. It doesn't have to be a major overhaul; even small
changes can give a publication a fresh new look.
Besides, big
changes all at once can mean big expenses. A smarter strategy is to
review websites and publications regularly -- every 6 to 12 months --
and schedule incremental changes. That way, you don't alienate your
audience with an abrupt change. Instead, your media moves forward into
the future alongside your audience, at a pace that's comfortable for
them.
Nothing lasts forever, not even recessions. When the
economy picks up again, your updated website and refreshed publication
will position you as the go-to place for old and new readers alike.
Lynn
Riley is an award-winning graphic designer for associations. www.lynnrileydesign.com
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