Recently we have been working closely with the Marketing Department at Leeds Met Students’ Union helping them to develop their brand and marketing strategy. One of the fruits of our partnership is their new website; www.leedsmetsu.co.uk.
The thinking behind this site is to break free from the static information that stays on SU sites for years at a time. To make the site article-based so every piece of information is thought of as being ‘newsworthy’ and to provide flexibility so, like an exhibition space, the site changes with the seasons and with campaigns. Users should be able to find the information they need when they need it, but the site will never look the same.
Features include:
Responsive design – ability to adapt to all screen sizes.
An easy peasy CMS with ability to edit from the front end of the site as well as the back end, it includes all the easy-to-use features that you would find on a word processor.
Scalable imagery, video embeds and options for article styles.
Ability to set timers on posts so they expire automatically.
Flexible options for displaying information and changing the look, feel, shape and theme of the site depending on the time of year.
Ability to prioritise information to make key campaigns stand out.
Flexibility for external advertising campaigns, offers and promotions.
Summary
Not for anyone who wants to play it safe.
A living, breathing site, never finished and never static. Forget about indulging in egotistical content – get into a culture of deleting things and being relevant.
Start small and manageable, don’t start large and leave things unattended.
This type of site needs to be thought of as an extension of the design and marketing team and should be at the top of the media list when planning campaigns.
