Lynn Yoffee, news director for BioWorld, made a good point in submitting their 2020 first place, SIPAward-winning entry this year for Best New or Relaunched Website.   “Interestingly, though the SIPA category for this entry is under the banner of marketing,” she wrote. “Please note that the entire project was driven by the editorial team with support from technology and business teams.”   Too often in the past editorial teams were siloed from important functions of an organization that didn’t involve publications. Not anymore. Many editorial teams now drive events—in-person and virtual—lead podcasts, host webinars, suggest topics, work with marketing and speak at conferences.   When it comes to the websites, the pairing makes sense. With data and analytics what they are now, editorial teams can see what content is holding their audience’s attention and for how long—and isn’t that w ...

When your mission is "to ensure that all students are mathematically equipped to solve the world's most challenging problems," what can be more effective than a webpage of video "profiles" of schools that have benefited from your program? I clicked on Marlboro, N.J., a town next to where I grew up, and watched a 1:46 minute testimonial of school officials praising MIND Research Institute's ST Math Program.

When asked about whether to hire a photographer for a recent event, I responded, "Yes, by all means, people love good photos." But I had a caveat: "We have to make strong use of them." Too often I've seen valuable initiatives—photos, articles, websites—crafted excellently but then not get pointed to enough.

"When your website is no longer telling the right story, or is no longer reflective of your brand promise, or worse, is confusing to your audience, you must relaunch." — Julie Arsenault, VP of Marketing, Randall Reilly 

“It is hard to overstate how antiquated AHC Media’s previous website was,” wrote Lee Landenberger, continuing education & editorial director for AHC Media. “Launched in 2006, the site was mainly a shopping cart for customers to buy products from.” In addition, access to editorial content was limited, and visitors using mobile devices saw only a fraction of the site on their screens. “The site was expensive and unwieldy to maintain for AHC Media staff and a considerable frustration for customers to use,” Landenberg added. The 2016 first-place SIPAward winner for Best New or Relaunched Website, AHC Media found their site-groove last year and has the numbers to prove it. From July 2014 to July 2015, page views and users visiting the site increased fivefold. The sessions initiated during this period increased 400%. And revenue from customers on the site significantly increased. AHC Media is a medical education company with pu ...

As I mentioned last week, SIPA has recently added a wonderful group of new members over the last couple months. This influx brings in new thought leaders, revenue ideas and some fresh concepts. Here is a list of actionable ideas from the websites of these new members:

SIPA member Oil & Gas Innovation Center lists a series of inspiring quotes at the top of their homepage. I like this one by Albert Einstein: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Although this one byLinus Pauling is good, too: “The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”