The document outlines 5 rules for better online engagement presented by Allison Flanary. The rules are: 1) Be bold by taking design risks, 2) Show off your organization's story and success through strong photography and stories, 3) Be concise by focusing content and removing clutter, 4) Start a conversation through social media engagement rather than just pushing content, and 5) Make your site mobile-friendly through a responsive design. Examples are provided for each rule.

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Putting Your Best Foot Forward
Online:
5 Rules for Better Engagement
PRESENTED BY ALLISON FLANARY

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INTRODUCTIONS

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• Sr. Interactive Designer with the
Blackbaud Interactive Creative
Services Team
• 10 Year Veteran of Blackbaud and
nonprofit web design
• Work on creative, visual, strategy
and coding projects
• UNC Graduate – Go Tar Heels!
WHO I AM…
Allison Flanary

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RULE #1: BE BOLD

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• Explore alternate navigation structures
- Take advantage of super menus or mega fly-outs when appropriate
- Simplify the main navigation to key areas/task
• Integrate interactivity
- Use flyouts for content
- Take advantage of advanced effects, like Parallax
• Break out of the box with your home page
- Try telling a story that leads to an ask
- Use full-scale photography
RULE #1: BE BOLD
Consider taking calculated design risks to up your
game.

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MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
(WWW.MOMA.ORG)

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PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
(WWW.PHILORCH.ORG)

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NORTH WEST FILM CENTER
(WWW.NWFILM.ORG)

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RULE #2: SHOW OFF

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• Use strong photography
- Invest in good photography – you have great stuff to show!
- Make sure your photos are active, engaging and contribute to the
story in a meaningful way
• Tell personal stories
- Make connections with your users with stories from donors,
participants, artists, and other key voices
- Integrate these stories into your key asks – don’t banish them to just
the sidebars
• Showcase your success
- Demonstrate how your constituents supports achieves your mission
- Use info graphics, quotes and event photos to connect with your
users and highlight good stewardship
RULE #2: SHOW OFF
Tell your story in a compelling and engaging way

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PORTLAND ART MUSEUM
(WWW.PORTLANDARTMUSEUM.ORG)

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ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATRE
(WWW.ALVINAILEY.ORG)

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NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM
(WWW.NEAQ.ORG)

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RULE #3: BE CONCISE

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• Focus your home page on 3 or less main goals
- Remove content that doesn’t help accomplish these goals – use the
5-second and click test to find out how your content is performing
- Make sure these tasks are front and center
• Revise your writing style
- Write for the web by using short paragraphs, headlines and bullets
- Make your content easy to digest – can you say it in less words?
• Remove clutter and irrelevant content
- Execute quarterly content inventory and clean up…remove out of
date content
- Ask your self if each piece of content is helping to accomplish your
goals
RULE #3: BE CONCISE
Less in more. Writing for the web should be short,
direct and clear.

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LOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT MUSUEM
(WWW.TENEMENT.ORG)

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BOK TOWER GARDENS
(WWW.BOKTOWERGARDENS.ORG)

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CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION
(WWW.CBF.ORG)

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RULE #4: START A CONVERSATION

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• Use social media to converse – not just push your web site
content in a different format
- Pose questions
- Offer thought leadership and links to great outside content related to
your organization
• Integrate social media more completely into your site
- Use stylized widgets so that social media seems more seamless
- Make page sharing easy and intuitive
• Embrace the good and the bad
- Address negative comments in a constructive manor
- Don’t delete unpleasant or unflattering content – it degrades your
authenticity
RULE #4: START A CONVERSATION
Take advantage of the power of social media for
engagement.

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ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER
(WWW.ARKARTS.COM)

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AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY
(WWW.PAMM.ORG)

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SAN FRANCISCO MOMA
(WWW.SFMOMA.ORG)

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RULE #5: MAKE IT MOBILE

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• Consider a responsive design vs. an independent mobile site
- Use responsive design to streamline your site management
- Control the user experience for each key media platform
• Focus on mobile users as a separate audience segment
- Conduct user research to see how mobile users interact with your
site differently than traditional desktop users
- Structure your mobile or responsive site to meet those needs
• Make key mobile task front and center for tablets and phones
- Don’t be afraid to rearrange content in a mobile or responsive
design to give users what they want
- Focus on making the experience easy
RULE #5: MAKE IT MOBILE
Provide your users a seamless experience across all
media platforms

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GEORGE W. BUSH PRESIDENTIAL CENTER
(WWW.BUSHCENTER.ORG)

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PEREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI
(WWW.PAMM.ORG)

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OPEN MEDICAL DEVICE RESEARCH
LIBRARY(WWW.OMDRL.ORG)

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DESIGN SHOWCASE

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ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
(WWW.ARTIC.EDU)

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NEW YORK CITY BALLET
(WWW.NYCBALLET.ORG)

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MID-AMERICA ARTS ALLIANCE
(WWW.MAAA.ORG)

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NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM
(WWW.NELSON-ATKINS.ORG)

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QUESTIONS + ANSWERS

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TWEET, SHARE, INSTAGRAM ABOUT US!
#BESTFOOTFORWARDONLINE
#ARTSANDCULTURAL
#ALLISONFLANARY