Approach to digital strategy (web, mobile, social, content) at Bentley University.

1. Digital@Bentley
Web, Mobile & Social Overview
Val Fox
Digital Engagement Office
@valeriefox
www.slideshare.net/foxatbentley

2. Digital Engagement Team
• Who’s on the team?
– Now: 3 developers , 1 designer, 1 project manager
– 1 PT Drupal support manager/trainer
• Who’s on the extended team?
– 200+ Drupal users and 40+ social media contributors
• What do we manage & support?
– www.bentley.edu (strategy & execution)
– Mobile experience (strategy & execution)
– Social (strategy; execution TBD)

3. Digital Strategy
• Leverage user insights to inform
the web experience Institutional
priorities
• Adopt tiered prioritization Social User
media experience
• Enable distributed content
Digital
creation on Drupal strategy
• Establish social media strategy & Mobile Brand
best practices
Content
• Support mobile visitors strategy
• Engage audiences with relevant
content

4. USER EXPERIENCE

5. Higher Ed Website Woes:
No one thinks about the USER!
Source: xkcd.com

6. Leverage User Insights
Inform site experience and priorities based on:
• Analytics
• Research (surveys, focus groups)
• Personas
• Usability testing
Objectives include:
• Audit & improve Google Analytics tracking & reporting (KPI
dashboards, etc.)
• Create and adopt personas for key target audiences
• Conduct ongoing usability testing & on-site surveys
• Establish User Advisory Boards

7. INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES

8. Tiered Prioritization

9. DRUPAL DISTRIBUTED CONTENT
CREATION

10. Drupal: Distributed Content Creation
• Migrate to enterprise managed cloud hosting
environment at Acquia
– Support entire stack
– Simplified site architecture (2 >1 docroots)
• Complete move to Drupal 7 for remaining
sites:
– Undergraduate Admissions
– Graduate Admissions
– Campus Life
– Centers
• Support 200+ Drupal users across campus
– Launched user groups (6x/year) & labs
(monthly)
– Launched on-demand video training

11. SOCIAL MEDIA

12. Social Media: Expand engagement
beyond www.bentley.edu
Objectives:
– Create brand awareness & engagement
– Drive “free” traffic to the site
Approach:
– Create digital content to fuel cross-
platform engagement
– Leverage audience insights to inform
platform and content decisions
– Create a consistent voice
– Adopt test & learn cycles

13. SUPPORTING MOBILE USERS

14. Platform Decision
70% of college-bound high
school students would
browse a school’s mobile site
Mobile Web Native App on their device browser
rather than download a
(m.bentley.edu) mobile app for that school.
Noel Levitz 2012 report
or

15. Platform Decision
Mobile Web Native App Responsive
(m.bentley.edu) Design
or or

16. What are mobile visitors doing?

17. Mobile Roadmap: Phased Approach
June 2012: Launch m.bentley.edu for smartphones
• V1: Core mobile site
– Shuttle schedule, map, directory, etc.
Fall 2012: Launch responsive Undergrad and Grad Admissions sites
• V2: Resources for prospective students
TBD: Based on web services timeline
• V3: Resources for current students
– Registration/MyBentley

18. Mobile Experience V1: June 2012
• Shuttle: Schedule & real-time tracker
• Campus map: Google Maps
w/direction capabilities
• Directory: Search faculty/staff & call
from mobile device
• Athletics: bentleyfalcons.com mobile
site
• Calendars: Academic calendar/EMS
(for now)
• Library: Library’s mobile site
• Social media: Links to
FB, Twitter, and YouTube
• Full site: Access to standard site

19. Mobile Experience: V2 – V3
V2 Fall 2012
V3 TBD

20. CONTENT STRATEGY

21. Engage audiences with relevant
content
We are in the process of developing a series of new content networks:
Platform Objectives Audience Content
Bentley Ideas Promote faculty research Influencers & peers in academic Research-focused
(replace Selected & business communities
Research)
Nimble Create a platform for Business leaders & partners, Informed opinion pieces
thought leadership alumni, donors, grad students, from faculty, staff, 3rd
parents, peers parties, etc.
Bentley Now Create a platform for Current & prospective students, Fun, fast, informal
student-driven stories young alumni, faculty & staff coverage of “things that
students care about”

22. Questions?
Contact Bentley’s Digital Engagement Office:
Val Fox, Director
Email: vfox@bentley.edu
Twitter: @valeriefox