Once your website has been published and your apps have been released, you will need to do additional (and ongoing) work to attract users. There are many ways to promote a project and the details will depend on the nature of your content and desired audience. Below are a few tips and ideas.
Search Engine Optimization / Content Strategy
Search engines will be the primary way users find your project website. You can take a deep dive to learn the ins and outs of search engine optimization, but the most important aspects are relatively straightforward and should be part of your baseline content strategy. The following considerations can help improve your search rank.
- Write great stories. Longer, well-written, detailed stories will perform better than short or generic ones.
- Post regular updates to your content. An active site will perform better than one with stale or static content. If your stories contain outdated material, be sure to fix it. If you haven’t posted in a while, brainstorm some new ideas with your team and/or with your audience. Give users a reason to return again and again.
- Write content that people will want to share via email and social media. Shareable content comes in many different flavors. Can you write a story that answers a longstanding question, provides a new perspective on an old topic, or sparks an interesting conversation?
- Contribute to an existing conversation. Follow the local news (or other news relating to your topic) and publish a story that adds something new to the discussion or fills a gap in the available information. What might your intended audience be looking for and how can you provide something distinct?
- Make sure your content is unique. Don’t copy verbatim from another site, even if it’s one you control.
- Be sure to use correct spelling and appropriate grammar. If some of your content creators are better writers than others, work together to create a style guide that ensures consistent quality and a predictable tone.
- Create content that is robust and accessible, including descriptive captions for images, street addresses for mapped locations, subtitles and ledes that pique interest, audio and video files that add depth and variety, etc.
- Cite your sources and link to related content on your site and on other respected websites. Links are a great way to help search engines learn where you fit in with other sites, and your users (and sources) will appreciate it too.
- Link to your project from external websites. If you control other websites, create links between them. Ask the owners of other websites to link to yours. For example, if your project is about local history, reach out to the local library to see if they will add your project as a research resource.
Marketing / Networking / Organizing
In addition to the above, you may need to do some active marketing to promote your project. If your organization has a marketing team, reach out for advice. Whether you have marketing resources or not, talking about your project with your colleagues and/or community will help get the word out. Every project and organization is different, but the following might provide some ideas.
- Social media is a fundamental tool for building community around your project. When you create a new story, share it. If you need ideas, ask your followers. When someone leaves a comment, give them a thoughtful reply.
- Strategic partnerships are a great way to get the word out and can also lessen your workload. If you’ve been working closely with a local library to source research materials, there’s a good chance they’ll think of you when asked about a topic your project covers. If your project has overlaps or similarities with another one, think about ways you can differentiate your own content, putting aside competition to think about opportunities for collaboration (for example, by creating links between project websites). If you consistently need research assistance or primary source assets from an external organization (such as a photo archive), make sure to ask them how they would like to be credited.
- Newsletters are a popular and effective way to share periodic updates to your project. Many newsletter services can be configured to automatically send out an email when you publish something new, but you can also craft more targeted or curated messages to users based on demographics, etc.
- Advertising in print newspapers, magazines, free weeklies, and journals, or even niche publications like school or municipal calendars can help you reach new audiences. And you can of course buy ads from search engine and social media companies and even within the app stores themselves to help boost readership and downloads.
- Press Releases issued from an important organization or community group will often get the attention of local media outlets and can lead to more substantial coverage.
- Students, volunteers and freelancers can be a critical part of your team, and can help create a steady stream of new content. They may also become part of a larger professional network over time.
- Take advantage of public speaking opportunities. Bringing your expertise to a targeted audience – such as at conferences, conventions, broadcast media engagements, podcast interviews, departmental meetings, city council or school board meetings, and community/activist events – can facilitate organic growth even if you’re not there specifically to promote your project. Nobody wants to hear you read an ad but they probably won’t mind a plug. You can even create your own event, like a workshop or reading at a local library or bookstore.
- Lesson Plans for teachers are always appreciated if your project deals with educational topics. Be sure to consult your state or local curriculum guidelines to make sure teachers don’t have to do too much work in adapting your material for appropriate grade levels.
- QR codes can be created for any URL and can be added to slide decks, incorporated into signage, or placed just about anywhere you can think of.
- Flyers, posters, hotcards, postcards and other print materials can be distributed around town at coffee shops, bookstores, libraries, and other popular destinations, and are a great takeaway item for any events you might organize or attend. Likewise…
- Stickers, t-shirts, buttons and other promotional swag can help generate word-of-mouth recommendations and can be used as prizes, rewards, and thank you gifts.
These are just a few ideas for promoting your project. Have you had success with these or other approaches? Let us know, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to discuss the best ways to promote your specific Curatescape project.