This document discusses design and content strategies for informational websites. It notes that design elements like user experience, site structure, color and typography can have an emotional impact on users. Effective content includes blogs, images, video, infographics and social media. Data shows users will abandon pages that load slowly and are less likely to return if they have a bad user experience. Successful informational websites focus on customer education, retention and loyalty through engaging content that follows inbound marketing methodology. Public relations can still be effective through telling stories that are relevant to the inbound approach.

1. Design for Learning
Or How to Get Ahead on the Internet without Losing Your Head

6. Transactional
Amazon.com, eBay, Craigslist,The Gap, Porn
Experiential
Nike,YouTube, Facebook, World of Warcraft
Informational
Wikipedia, Investors Group, CNN.com, Manoverboard

10. Transactional
Amazon.com, eBay, Craigslist, the Gap, Porn
Experiential
Nike,YouTube, Facebook, World of Warcraft
Informational
Wikipedia, Investors Group, CNN.com, Manoverboard

11. Yeah, but how?
Design
User experience, site
structure, colour,
typography, emotional
impact
Content
Blogs, images, video,
infographics, social
media, ebooks
How can informational websites shine?
1. 2.

12. 40% of people will abandon a web page if it takes more than three
seconds to load. Econsultancy
86.6% of U.S. SMBs cite websites as their most important digital
marketing tactic. eMarketer
94% of people cited web design as the reason they mistrusted or
rejected a website. Iron paper
You have 10 seconds to leave an impression and tell them what
they'll get out of your website and company.After this time (and
oftentimes before), they'll leave. NN Group
88% of users are less likely to return if they had a bad user
experience. eMarketer
The Year 2014: Design

13. Use of video content increased by 8% to 58%. DemandGen
A significant 92% of marketers said that social media was
important to their businesses. Social Media Examiner
Infographic usage increased by 9% to 52%. DemandGen
81% of marketers plan to increase their use of original written
content. Social Media Examiner
Customer retention/loyalty and engagement are the most
important goals of using content marketing in B2C companies. CMI
Top motivations for content marketing were Customer Education,
Customer Retention, and Customer Loyalty. Custom Content Council
The Year 2014: Content

14. Inbound
A better framework for connecting ideas with customers
and provide opportunities for learning

15. Methodology

27. w

29. Methodology

30. Yeah, but how?
Design
User experience, site structure,
colour, typography, emotional
impact
Content
Blogs, images, video,
infographics, social media,
ebooks
How can informational websites shine?
1. 2.
Analytics
Organic search, referrals, social
media, email marketing,
direct traffic
3.

33. Who does it well?
Yeah, who?

41. w

53. What about PR?
Can traditional earned media play in the
same sandbox as Inbound?

55. Marketing [and Communications]
are no longer about the stuff you
make but the stories you tell.
—Seth Godin