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Should
You Create a Website or Blog For Your
Special Event?
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by:
Rick Hendershot
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by
Rick Hendershot,
TradeShow-Display-Experts.com
This article was originally published in Trade
Show Buzz.
A special "Event Website" might be a perfect way
to promote your event. But is it worth the effort?
Let's say your company or group decides to hold a special event six or
twelve months down the road. Eventually somebody on the planning
committee will suggest the group create a special website for the
event: "We can create an online registration form, include information
about the special speakers and entertainment, post a schedule, and
provide links to accommodation, travel agents, etc., etc."
Sounds like a good idea.
But how can you maximize the effectiveness of such a site? Will it be
something that people actually refer to and use? Or will creating it
just be a waste of time and effort? Do you have somebody in the group
who can get this kind of site up and running quickly? Or will you have
to defer to your already overworked company webmaster or the same
creative volunteers who are always exploited for such projects?
And will anybody apart from a few select insiders (your committee
members) actually be able to find the site once it is set up?
Some important issues to consider
Here are some of the more important issues to consider before you go
ahead and create another website that nobody looks at.
1. Will its content be "deep" enough to
make it more than just an online announcement? Many websites start out
as good ideas, but quickly fizzle when their creators realize they
don't really have much to say. In the case of event websites, the
"depth" of a proposed site will depend on the event itself.
For instance, say your Agricultural Society is running a Fall Fair.
Wouldn't an event site be ideal for providing details about competition
categories, judging criteria, daily schedules of events, as well as
online registration forms, entertainment highlights, and general
program notes? In other words, an extended event of this sort provides
lots of fodder for making a site "deep" enough to be a valuable
resource for visitors and participants alike.
On the other hand if your committee is in charge of organizing a one
night Fireworks Display, then chances are the program will be pretty
light. There's not much need for a complete website. You would be
better off just creating a web page or an announcement and asking the
webmasters of relevant sites to give you some exposure.
Of course there are lots of events right in the middle between these
two examples. Family Reunions, for instance. What could be better than
a "Jones-05.org" site? You could include contact information, program
descriptions, historical photos, comments from family members across
the country...on and on it goes.
2. Should your "site" be part of another already
existing one, or should you register a new domain specifically for your
event?
Say you are organizing the 50th Anniversary Acme Widgets Company
Picnic. The Company already has an active website --
www.acmewidgets.com. And the company website already has a skilled
webmaster. Would it be better to ask your company webmaster to put your
event in a directory on www.acmewidgets.com -- for example,
www.acmewidgets.com/50th, or www.50th.acmewidgets.com? Or would you be
better off to create a brand new "domain" just for the event --
something like www.acme50.com?
First of all, don't worry about the cost to create your own site. Yes,
it does cost something to register a new domain and find a host. But
these costs are insignificant in the larger scheme of things. You can
register a ".com" domain for as little as $12.95 (per year), and an
.info or .biz domain for as low as $7.95 or less. And hosting is very
cheap as well. The standard these days is about $5.95 per month for a
reliable host. Here is an inexpensive
source for domains.
Much more important is whether or not your group has the know-how to
actually create a website from scratch and then maintain it for a year
or more. If you have an experienced web designer or webmaster on your
committee he or she will probably be able to set the group up for next
to nothing. If you don't, I suggest you find one before tackling the
job. This is not the time for flying by the seat of your pants.
If you are able to find someone with the necessary skills, then it's a
no-brainer. Go ahead. Register your own domain and build your own site.
You won't have to beg your overly protective company webmaster for
favors. And just as important, you will be able to register a memorable
domain name that will help you in your promotional efforts. Which do
you think would be easier to remember and find:
www.acmewidgets.com/50th or www.acme50.com?
3. Should you create an Event Blog
instead of a normal website? Or both?
Blogs have several advantages over "ordinary" websites. First, you do
not need a dedicated domain name, or even space on an already existing
site. You can create a perfectly satisfactory blog site on one of the
free blog services such as Google's own blogspot.com.
Second, blog entries are usually easier to make than changes or updates
to a normal website. Blog posts are made by using a web form. No
knowledge of html is required (although it is helpful), and you do not
have to use mysterious computer functions like "FTP" to "upload" your
files to a server somewhere out in cyberspace.
Third, blogs have a more "happening" chatty feeling about them because
they are generally less formal. You bang your posts off as regularly as
you can. This allows you to issue regular updates to keep your readers
informed as plans develop, schedules change, and so on.
Fourth, blogs have some advantages as far as "networking" and traffic
generating are concerned. There are many directories where you can list
your blog, and you can network with like-minded bloggers — other people
interested in your subject matter. You can also use your blog to do
some serious "power linking", as I outline in my series of articles
called Power
Linking with Blogs.
The down side is that a blog may not be the best place to keep your
definitive schedules and descriptions of events — the ones you expect
people to refer to as authoritative sources of information. This is
more a matter of perception than reality. A blog is quite capable of
being home to "static" information which you can readily update and
provide links to. But the perception may be that this is transitory and
changing.
Unlike most things, I don't know about this one ...I'm just
speculating. :D
In the next post in this series I will offer some advice on getting
traffic to your event website.
For more information about trade show and event marketing go to America-Banners.com
or Display
Graphics.
-- Rick
About the Author
Rick Hendershot is a marketing consultant
operating out of Conestogo, Ontario, Canada. He publishes several
websites and blogs, including Web Traffic
Resources, Marketing
Bites, SuperCharge
Your Website with Power Linking, and many more.
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