A Better Web & Publishing Strategy
TBG developed the ASRM sites through its usual structured design process, which involves putting a large number of contingent strategy, planning and execution steps in the right order. We selected Ektron CMS for this project, given the product's high value for mid-sized organizations and its wide feature set, including tools for extranet and social networking functions. Our structured design process for the project included a major focus on getting the most value from the product, within the context of a clearly developed Web strategy.
An equally important focus of this project was to find strategic solutions in a number of areas common to associations, but of particular importance to ASRM.
- First, ASRM needed to flesh out a strategy for better member services online, including member-self-service and collaboration process—all very crucially turning on good integration between the organization's association management system and the content management system/site.
- Second, the organization needed to maintain the mind-share equity of its top publications, which are as equally well known as the organization, so strategy needed to take into account pushing those publications.
- The project also included multiple rogue websites that needed to be, to varying extents, folded into the main website with a consistent approach.
- Last but not least, ASRM does a great deal of Web publishing with a small staff, so best practices for CMS implementation were important, focusing on how to enable the best content strategy and user experience through automation and a clearly thought out CMS architecture.