WRITING RIGHT FOR THE WEB WORKSHOP: IMPROVING YOUR INSTITUTION S WEB CONTENT. May 24-25, 2012 Atlanta, GA

Transcription

1 WRITING RIGHT FOR THE WEB WORKSHOP: IMPROVING YOUR INSTITUTION S WEB CONTENT May 24-25, 2012 Atlanta, GA

2 OVERVIEW Clean and simple content based on the top tasks your visitors want to accomplish online is essential to your marketing success. Join Web writing expert Bob Johnson to explore four Web writing principles that address problems with content on your traditional website, mobile website, and social media sites. You will have the opportunity to edit and receive feedback on your institution s Web content while at the workshop. As one of our most highly rated presenters, Bob Johnson has worked with Academic Impressions for several years delivering his popular Writing Right for the Web content to more than 550 institutions. WHO SHOULD ATTEND Communication directors, Web editors, Web writers, Web communications managers, online marketing specialists, and others who regularly work with content on traditional, social media, and mobile sites will learn and apply four Web writing principles for institutional Web content. LEARNING OUTCOME During this workshop, you will apply content presentation and copywriting principles to your Web content in order to make it more valuable to visitors. If you re in charge of developing website content, here s your chance for some one-on-one, professional help. LEARN AND WORK EVENT This live conference will not only present copywriting and content presentation principles but will also give you significant time on-site to apply the principles to your own Web content and receive feedback from an expert in the field. This format is right for you if: You desire a mix of presentation, discussion, and working time. You can select and bring to the conference specific Web content from your institution that you want to improve. You want to receive feedback on your own Web content during the conference. You wish to learn what others are doing with Web content on their own campuses. To ensure maximum interactivity and personal attention, enrollment is limited. Take advantage of this unique opportunity while space is still available! After you register, you will receive more information on what you need to bring to the workshop. THURSDAY, MAY 24, :30 9:00 a.m. Continental breakfast (included in registration) 9:00 9:15 a.m. Conference welcome 9:15 10:30 a.m. Making Your Web Content Useful Identifying Web content appropriate for varying audiences and sites is challenging. This session will introduce how to select content for social media, mobile, and traditional sites such that the content offers the most value to your visitors based on the top tasks they want to accomplish. You will leave this session with tips on organizing and managing for success. 2

3 THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2012 (CONTINUED) 10:30 10:45 a.m. Morning break 10:45 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Making Your Web Content Scannable: Exercise Included The way you structure content on the pages of your traditional website influences the experiences of your visitors. This session will detail how to organize and present content on your traditional website, offering concrete guidelines for headings, subheadings, paragraphs, sentences, lists, links, and pictures. This session will include time for you to work on a block of content from your traditional website to make it more scannable. We will discuss a few samples as a group. 12:00 1:00 p.m. Lunch (included in registration) 1:00 2:15 p.m. Making Your Web Content Concise: EXERCISE INCLUDED Given the lengthy content you may be drawing from, keeping information on your traditional website clean and simple can be especially tricky. The constraints of social media and mobile environments only compound the challenge. In this session, you will learn how to include needed detail but in fewer words. This session will also include a content-shortening exercise, in which you will have dedicated time to condense a block of copy from your traditional website for use on this same website, a mobile site, or one of your social media sites. 2:15 3:15 p.m. Making Your Web Content Engaging Whether on your traditional or mobile website, your first priority should be to help your visitors complete the tasks most important to them. This session will detail how you can use both content presentation and copywriting principles to help visitors complete top tasks. You will learn how to engage your visitors by using Carewords and calls to action. 3:15 3:30 p.m. Afternoon break 3:30 4:15 p.m. EXERCISE: Making Your Web Content Engaging Now that you re armed with tips for making your Web content more engaging, you will have time in this exercise to rewrite a block of content from your traditional website that needs a greater focus on task completion. Near the end of the exercise, we will review a few samples from the group. 4:15 4:30 p.m. Day 1 Wrap-Up 4:30 5:30 p.m. Networking reception (included in registration) FRIDAY, MAY 25, :30 9:00 a.m. Continental breakfast (included in registration) 9:00 10:15 a.m. Showcase and Critique of Attendee Web Content Join us for this session to discover features of other attendees existing Web pages, social media sites, or mobile sites. You will have the opportunity to share samples of your own Web content and receive feedback from the group. 10:15 10:30 a.m. Morning break 3

4 FRIDAY, MAY 25, :30 11:00 a.m. Mini Case Studies Now that you ve seen examples of other attendees existing Web content, Bob will share a case study or two of Web content that integrates the possibilities discussed in the conference. 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Addressing Content Changes Politically and Strategically Even if you re comfortable applying content presentation and copywriting principles to your Web content, your task is not yet complete. You still must implement changes across many pages, and you must collaborate with many different stakeholders. How can you effectively steward this process for your department or your campus? In this final session of the conference, we will discuss how to effect changes in a variety of campus cultures including those with decentralized structures and numerous content contributors. 12:00 1:00 p.m. Lunch for post-conference workshop attendees (included in workshop registration) 1:00 3:45 p.m. Optional post-conference workshop (includes catered afternoon break): Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Making Your Web Content More Search-Friendly Once your Web content is clean and simple, and once it expedites the completion of top tasks, your charge is to gain even more site visitors. In this workshop, you will learn how to write to help search engines find you. You will learn how to test for keywords that work, and you will discover special search considerations for blogs and press releases. INSTRUCTOR Robert E. Johnson, Ph.D., Bob Johnson Consulting Bob Johnson is president of Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC, where he has worked with 56 colleges, universities, and professional associations since 2006 to develop strong online marketing communication programs. Specialties include Customer Carewords research to better engage website visitors, marketing communication reviews of college and university websites, and Writing Right for the Web workshops. He is a partner with Gerry McGovern at Customer Carewords, Ltd in Dublin, Ireland. Bob is the editor of the popular newsletter Your Higher Education Marketing Newsletter, sent monthly to 3,900 subscribers; Twitter site, with more than 4,500 followers; and Bob Johnson s Blog on Higher Education Marketing. He is also the author of chapters in Advancement and the Web: Thriving in a New World and Transforming Your Web Site into a Collaboration Marketing Tool, and co-editor of Integrated Marketing Communication, A Practical Guide to Developing Comprehensive Communication Strategies. Both are CASE publications. HOTEL RESERVATIONS The conference will be held at: Hyatt Regency Atlanta 265 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA To reserve your room, call Please indicate that you are with the Academic Impressions group to receive the room rate of $179 for single or double occupancy, plus applicable tax. A room block has been reserved for the nights of May 23 and 24, Reservations must be made by May 2, There are a limited number of rooms available at the conference rate. Please make your reservations early. Discover the vibrant attractions nearby the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, many within walking distance. Step right outside the doors for a fascinating look at Atlanta s rich culture and history on world-famous Peachtree Street. Stroll to historic sites, cultural attractions, world-class shopping, and fine dining. Enjoy easy access to top downtown Atlanta attractions, from entertainment to business centers. The hotel is a 15-minute drive to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and offers an indoor connection to the Peachtree Center Station of the MARTA public rail system. Plan a sightseeing tour of Atlanta s best attractions from this centrally located hotel near Georgia Aquarium, Peachtree Center Mall, Georgia World Congress Center, AmericasMart, CNN Center, Fox Theater, Atlanta Civic Center, High Museum of Art, Turner Field, and Philips Arena. 4

5 Attend as a team remember, if you register as a group, every fourth registrant is free. Questions about the event? Call us at to help determine if this event is right for you. Register online at REGISTRATION FEES Your registration fee includes: full access to all conference sessions and materials, breakfast, lunch, and access to the networking reception on Thursday, breakfast on Friday, as well as refreshments and snacks throughout the conference. Postmarked on or before May 4, 2012 BEST VALUE: Writing Right for the Web Workshop: Improving Your Institution s Web Content and post-conference workshop Writing Right for the Web Workshop: Improving Your Institution s Web Content (For registrations postmarked after May 4, 2012, an additional $100 fee per registrant applies) $1295 USD $995 USD Check here if you have any dietary or accessibility needs. Please list any needs in the space below and we will do our best to accommodate you. How did you hear about this event? ( from AI, colleague forwarded , The Chronicle, etc.) CONFERENCE REGISTRATION INFORMATION (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) Name Name Preferred for Badge Job Title Institution/Organization Address City State/Province Zip/Postal Code Country Telephone Fax For registration confirmations and pre-conference communication. (FOR ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS, PLEASE COMPLETE ADDITIONAL FORMS.) Additional Contact Name Additional Contact Phone Additional Contact Title Additional Contact Emergency Contact Name Emergency Contact Phone (day) (In case of emergency, we will contact this person on your behalf) (evening) FREE HIGHER ED NEWS AND ANALYSIS Academic Impressions is happy to offer Higher Ed Impact, a free industry scan of news, trends, and fresh research on higher education, delivered in an easy-to-scan . Sign me up for HEI: Daily Pulse impactful news, trends, and practices, sent daily Sign me up for HEI: Weekly Scan the week s most critical news, with analysis of top stories and trends, sent on Fridays Sign me up for HEI: Monthly Diagnostic practical takeaways addressing a strategic challenge facing institutions of higher ed, sent 9-12 times/year PAYMENT METHOD We accept Visa, MC, and AmEx credit cards. To pay by check, include the check with this form or select the invoice me option. Fax form to or mail form along with payment to: Academic Impressions, 4601 DTC Blvd., Ste. 800, Denver, CO CREDIT CARD Please charge my credit card: (Visa, MC, AmEx) Name on Card Account Number Exp. Date Billing Zip Code/Postal Code Security Code (last 3 digits on the back of Visa and MC or 4 digits on front of AmEx) CHECK/INVOICE My check is included and covers registration(s) Check # Please invoice me Purchase Order # (PO# not required to receive invoice) REFUND/CANCELLATION POLICY Refunds will be issued only if cancellations are received in writing by February 24, A $100 processing fee will be assessed. After February 24, 2012 a credit (less $100 processing fee) will be issued. The credit will be valid for 12 months and can be used toward any future conferences, Web conferences, audio proceedings, or Web conference archives. In case this event is cancelled, Academic Impressions' liability is limited to a refund of this registration fee only. Questions about the event? Call us at to help determine if this event is right for you. 5