This is the seventh post in a series that takes a look at information architecture (IA) best practices in higher education. Each post will focus on a specific best practice. In this post we’ll discuss how information architecture can support your brand. For those new to information architecture, it is the practice of organizing information,… Read more »
Best Practices
Data, data everywhere…but not an insight to be seen
As an institution, it’s no secret that we are data rich. From the moment we make contact with our audience we seek to track and understand their experience journey through data. We look at multiple touch points and sources whether it’s social media stats, website analytics, email open rates, ad clickthroughs, survey responses, etc. And… Read more »
A picture’s worth 100 characters: image alt text and web accessibility
Excerpted from guidelines written by Molly Brush This is the first in a series of posts on creating web content that meets accessibility standards. Warning: this post makes reference to gerunds. Presidential directive In his September 2016 Memo to IU Staff Regarding Accessibility on the Web Regulations and IU Responsibility, IU President Michael McRobbie announced that, in… Read more »
You talking to me?
When I sit down with a client for the first time, whether it’s for a brand strategy session or post card project, I start with one simple question: who is your audience? This seems straight forward, but in the higher education marketing space it’s frequently not. With competing priorities of student recruitment, alumni relations, fundraising,… Read more »
How to use experience maps to capture complex processes
If you want to know how someone gets from one place to another, you find a map. If a map doesn’t exist, you make one yourself. That’s what we do when a client asks us for help gaining a better understanding of a complex series of interactions with constituents in order to build a better… Read more »
Answering the ROI question
We recently rolled out the Marketing Budget Deliverables process for FY 2018. Marketing budget projections are among these deliverables, because as marketers we cannot determine ROI without first knowing the “I.” Marketing expenditures are growing across higher education, particularly in the area of digital marketing. In our highly competitive industry, institutions are on average increasing… Read more »
Making the most of wireframes
This is the sixth post in a series that takes a look at information architecture (IA) best practices in higher education. Each post focuses on a specific best practice. In this post we’ll discuss usability testing. For those new to information architecture, it is the practice of organizing information, in this case websites and the content… Read more »
Make it personal: Using personas to bring your audience into focus
If you are developing a website or a marketing campaign targeting a diverse group of constituents, consider creating personas to help you keep your whole audience in mind as you work. What is a persona? A persona is a composite person based on what you know about a segment of your audience in the aggregate,… Read more »
Information Architecture Best Practices: Usability Testing
This is the fifth post in a series that takes a look at information architecture (IA) best practices in higher education. Each post will focus on a specific best practice. In this post we’ll discuss usability testing. For those new to information architecture, it is the practice of organizing information—in this case websites and the… Read more »
Blogging 101: How to Write a Quality Blog Post
Since more and more IU units and departments are starting blogs, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a few pointers. After all, few things are as frightening as the blank screen—especially when you know the words you write could potentially be seen by thousands of people. But don’t worry. If… Read more »