Is your Website a product? Is it managed like a product? A case study.

1. Your Website asProduct ProductCamp Mike Ellsworth Linked InSolutions www.LinkedInSolutions.com

2. About ME 15 years at Nielsen Co. 6 years as IT strategy consultant 3.5 years at State of Minnesota Program Director of CareerOneStop 2 Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved

3. What is a Product? A Product as in a product you can buy? A Product as in something produced by an organization and managed by a product manager Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 3

4. Your Website as Product Is your Website: An Advertising Method? A Branding Method? Your Corporate Underpants? Or is it a Product? A product is a solution to a customer problem Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 4

5. What’s the Difference? Ancillary Websites: Exist to increase impact of your brand/business and raise awareness Just another channel Selling Websites: Supplemental – can be an afterthought to bricks and mortar Primary – delivers the ROI for the organization; thus should be a product Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 5

6. What’s the Difference? In our case, the entire reason for our existence Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 6

7. Why a Product? Management of the site is different if it’s a product Use the Four P’s Have a lifecycle Have a roadmap Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 7

8. Duties of Web Product Manager Idea: Hey, kids, let’s build a site! Product strategy: Goal of site, fit with the overall strategy, business case Product planning: What does the market want? Where is the site going? Product definition: How site will solve market problems. Required functions, business processes Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 8

9. Duties of Web Product Manager Launch planning: Steps required to develop content and applications Launch: Marketing and communications Day to day management: Reporting, analytics, financial drivers, refining and managing product lifecycle Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 9

10. Duties of Web Product Manager What else? Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 10

11. So What’s My Problem? Program Director of CareerOneStop.org Website History: Started in 1998 Three Sites One to Three Brands Two Development Teams Goal: One Product, One Brand, Managed Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 11

12. Need To: Consolidate three sites into one Consolidate three brands into one Change the orientation of the teams America’s Service Locator becomes Geolocation Team, Database Team America’s Career InfoNet becomes Web Tools team Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 12

13. Your Ideas? Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 13

14. Your Ideas? Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 14

15. Thank You! You are welcome to connect with me: Mike Ellsworth Twitter: @MikeEllsworth LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/MikeEllsworth Facebook: www.facebook.com/MichaelJEllsworth Google Mike Ellsworth and check the bottom of the first page MikeEllsworth@LinkedInSolutions.com 952-373-1006 Copyright © 2010, StratVantage Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved 15