Producing Online Heritage Projects

3. Getting Ready to Launch

Figure 14: Getting Ready to Launch

3.1 Promotion

Creating and implementing an effective communications plan for an online heritage product involves many strategies and techniques. The proven approaches presented here, with accompanying examples and ideas for success, may help you devise an effective communications plan of your own.

Communicate

Communications planning for the launch usually begins as the work on your product nears completion. If your institution has a communications department, it may want to take charge of the process or at least assist.

Shout it From the Rooftops!—The Media Release

The media are always looking for value-added content to print, broadcast and publish online. In order to help them spread the word about your launch, write a media release.

Writing media releases

Develop a headline to entice media representatives to read on, and to communicate an effective message about your product:

• Effective— "Virtual Exhibition Brings Pioneer Settlement to Life"
• Not-so-effective— "New Museum Virtual Exhibition"

Write in an easy-to-read style that briefly describes the product, including some highlights of your content, and other special features of the product. Include a quote that can be used in a newspaper story or community announcement.

Expert Advice

Remember to put a copy of the media release on your heritage organization's Web site. And get the media release out to interest groups that are part of your target audience(s), by fax or e-mail.

Fax or e-mail your release to local and national media. Use directories that provide this kind of information; for example Media Names and Numbers, published by Sources, provides over 5000 contacts and 1000 organizations. ³⁴

Getting the word out cost effectively

Take full advantage of free community events listings in newspapers, regional magazines, and community radio and television. Remember to inform your colleagues, staff, and others in your institution, as well as the broader heritage community.

The Launch Pad—Create a Media or Special Event

A media event fixes a place and time to draw attention to your new product and celebrate the fruits of your hard work. You can have the launch coincide with a symposium or conference of interest to your target audience(s), to make sure that they want to be involved in the launch.

Have a product spokesperson conduct a demonstration and answer questions from reporters and others. Send a press kit to media ahead of time with some screen captures. If you want them to appear in a print publication, include a disk with some image captures.

Saving a screen shot

Screen shots can be readily captured using the print screen button on your keyboard. Open notepad or an image editing software program and paste the screen shot into the program. These screen shots can be saved as a regular text document as part of your press kit, on a disk, or sent as an attachment.

Shameless Self Promotion

Submit your Web product to a variety of "What's New" sites and "Hot Sites", for example:

• Add your product to the Top 10 Links Web site using express or basic submit. ³⁵
• WhatsNu.com search engine filters Web site listings and categories. The Add URL section allows you to submit a link to the appropriate category. ³⁶

Do research online and create a list of topically related Web sites that you would like to link to your new product. E-mail the site administrators your URL along with a short and catchy site description that could appear on the link page and attract visitors to your Web product. Indicate that you believe your content is of interest to their Web community, and that you would appreciate a link. When possible, request the addition of your logo or an image representative of the product. Offering to post a reciprocal link in your own product can encourage the site administrator to post your link. This exchange will also enrich your links page (see below, Creating a Links Page).

It is also recommended that you let Webmasters at other sites know about your museum's guidelines on linking. Generally, links to your online product should lead to the main page and should not be framed within the content of another site. They should also clearly indicate that your institution provides the information being linked to. The more links to your online product, the higher the search engine ranking it receives!

The promotional give-away

If your budget permits, consider a giveaway to promote your new product and online presence. A magnet, bookmark or mouse pad can be an effective way to get the word out. These are objects that people hang onto.

Expert Advice

Online and offline use every opportunity to include the URL in as many places as possible: signage, business cards, programs, posters and contact information.

Give a little to get a lot

Portals are sites that aggregate content into a one-stop-shop of Web destinations.

Some examples are:

• cbc.ca
• virtualmuseum.ca
• municipal sites
• provincial tourism sites
• local and national news sites
• chamber of commerce portals

Portals need to keep their content fresh, and they often welcome interesting heritage content. This can be provided to them electronically each month with a graphic or logo that links to your product. This provides the portal with fresh content and provides great exposure to your product, at no cost! Be sure to include this approach in your project plan.

Do you have e-mail addresses for other cultural institutions? If so, be certain to send an announcement e-mail inviting them to visit.

Marketing Your Online Product

Advertising can be expensive, but if you have the financial resources, it guarantees that your product will get exposure in the media. Working within your budget, decide how, where and when you would best reach your target audience(s).

Some questions to ask when considering advertising:

• Which media will we use to advertise? Print? Radio?
• If in print: newspapers or consumer or trade publications?
• Place banner ads on Web sites? Where? When? How Much?
• Are there Web sites or publications that reach our target audience(s)?

Creating a Links Page

If you would like to link to outside sources, consider a links page. Creating a page for your links can make it easier to maintain them than if they are spread throughout your Web product. You can include one overall links page for your site or several pages organized by theme and linked to sub-sections. Be sure to maintain these pages by removing links that are no longer relevant or functioning (broken links). Your links pages should also include information that lets users know that the linked content comes from another site. It is recommended that you link to another Web site's home page unless you have an agreement to link to a specific page.

If you want to deep-link to content on other Web sites, you should send the Webmasters an e-mail, stating you would like to link to their site by a specific date. To ensure the link is properly established, ask the Webmasters to provide you with their site's conditions on linking, prior to the date mentioned in your e-mail. Finally, assure the Webmasters that you will provide complete accreditation, including the URL for the other Web site's home page together with your established link. These steps will help establish a good relationship with the owners of the site to which you are linking.

Ideas for your links page:

• other heritage institutions
• partners
• sites on relevant topics or listing related resource
• groups and organizations
• municipal, provincial and national government sites

In return for including outside links on your page, request reciprocal links. Include your URL so that others can review your product online.

When linking to a Web site, have the link open in a smaller, second browser window. This prevents losing the user when the second browser window is closed. Be sure to use text that notifies visually impaired users of the new window.