Not updated your website in a while? Here are the 4 questions you need to ask.
Your membership organisation, like many in the UK, may have been around for several decades and seen change after change over its impressive tenure. Arguably, the most significant of these arrived in the 1990s when the internet was beginning to be an important tool for communication to a wide audience. In the ensuing 3 decades since the web took off, you may have built a handful of websites which have provided your members with all they need to know on your organisation, while keeping you relatively in touch with evolving technology.
Many organisations see this 5 – 10 year revamp as enough to keep their web presence ticking over nicely, and are satisfied that their members are benefiting quite enough from their efforts. However, in a world where 2.4 billion people use the internet each week and in which there are 9 x more Facebook users out there than there are books on the planet, it’s not difficult to see why organisations should be taking a long, hard look at their website and simply saying; “Is this good enough?”
So let’s get started by asking these 4 questions:
What’s the point of my website?
Whether it’s a knowledge hub for your members, or a tool to attract more, a few simple pages with a patchwork of information about your organisation’s history, events and news isn’t going to cut the mustard in 2015.
Who uses my website?
When you picture your average internet user, are you picturing a 20-something with glasses logging on to play games with friends? Are you picturing a young mother shopping for gifts? There is no one type of person who will use your website. Your target audience is broad, interesting, colourful and complex so you need a website to match. A little research on your target user can go a long way towards creating a website that is useful and engaging.
Does it benefit my organisation?
Once you’ve answered the top two questions, you’ll find that you have a clear idea of what your web users are looking for in your site. Again, take a look at your homepage. If you’re asking yourself this question and the answer is yes, fantastic! If you’re not sure; it’s time for a review. That’s where we come in.
How can my website improve?
At Senior, we know that websites come in all shapes and sizes and suit all budgets. In our experience, if you want your website tailored to your members, fulfilling its true potential and answering all the questions above it’s probably time to invest in a CMS and CRM system that can flex and evolve with changing technologies, and can serve you and your members with ease and simplicity. Call Senior Internet and chat to us about our membership-orientated CMS, RiverCMS, and our integration with Microsoft Dynamics if this is something you’d like to explore.