Web Strategy and Development Blog

Redesigned Alumni Association website

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Alumni website homepageThe redesigned Alumni Association website recently launched. The site was edited, restructured and received a mobile-happy makeover, making it adaptive to smartphones and tablets.

Challenges and goals

Anecdotal feedback from users prior to the redesign was that the site was hard to navigate, and that the abundance of content made if difficult to find important information.

Recognizing those challenges, the redesign was approached with the goals of organizing and prioritizing information, and reducing excess content.

Content restructure

Content on the Alumni Association website was streamlined and grouped into eight main categories:

  • Stay connected
  • Get involved
  • View news and media
  • Learn about us
  • Alumni resources
  • Missouri State resources
  • Awards and honors
  • Show your spirit

Each category now links to a separate landing page with related content.

Summary of changes

Data from before and after the redesign was used to measure progress toward the goal of reducing excess content. Results:

  • Reduced the total number of pages from 94 to 44  (53%)
  • Reduced the total number of links in the homepage navigation from 25 to 13 (48%)
  • Reduced the total number of assets from 542 to 101 assets (82%)
  • Reduced the total asset folder size from  71 MB to 15 MB  (80%)

Site credits

Homecoming 2014 in review

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Missouri State University students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members let the good times roar Oct. 12-18 during Homecoming.

Homecoming promotion:

Instagram of alumni in BearFest VillageHomecoming was promoted in many different ways for months leading up to the big week. Some ways Homecoming was promoted online and through digital marketing include:

  • A series of five emails from the Alumni Association and a few event-specific emails
  • Promotion in the Bear Bulletin monthly newsletter in July-October editions
  • A custom banner in MSU Mobile that pointed to the Homecoming website
  • Photos on the Missouri State homepage that promoted key Homecoming events
  • A Homecoming themed Go Maroon spread
  • A promotional feature on the Alumni Association homepage
  •  Two Homecoming themed Instagram videos featuring President Clif Smart
  • Social media promotion through the MarooNation and Missouri State University accounts
  • A social media kit posted to the Web and new media blog and sent to social media managers of related University accounts.
  • Aggregation of conversation around #BearsHomecoming through Tagboard
  • Live coverage of the Friday and Saturday alumni Homecoming activities via the MarooNation social media accounts

Website traffic:

This year, the alumni Homecoming website was updated to a mobile-friendly template so that it would be easier for users to access during Homecoming festivities. This proved to be a very positive step as 41% of all traffic on the Homecoming website was from a mobile device.

Traffic to the alumni Homecoming website was tracked through Google Analytics.

  • The Homecoming campaign was the top campaign for both internal and external users in October, accounting for 15% of all campaign related traffic.
  • In October, 72% of all pageviews on the alumni Homecoming website were from external users.
  • In October, 76% of all pageviews on the alumni website were of the Homecoming subsite.
  • 46% of all traffic to the alumni website from Sept. 1 – Nov. 1 occurred during the week of Homecoming.
  • In October, the Missouri State University and MarooNation Facebook pages were the top external referrers in the Homecoming campaign.

Social engagement:

Homecoming was heavily promoted by the MarooNation and Missouri State University social media accounts leading up to and during Homecoming. Members of the Missouri State community were encouraged to engage in the social conversation about Homecoming by using #BearsHomecoming.

Facebook

Alumni at MarooNation Tent in BearFest VillageMissouri State Facebook:

Homecoming Week – Oct. 13-18:

  • 20 Homecoming posts
  • Reach of 98,001
  • Engagement of 10,264

Homecoming Weekend – Oct. 17-18:

  • 6 Homecoming posts
  • Reach of 66,096 (67% of weekly reach)
  • Engagement of 8,443 (82% of weekly engagement)

MarooNation Facebook:

Homecoming Week – Oct. 13-18:

  • 24 Homecoming posts
  • Reach of 19,839
  • Engagement of 3,885

Homecoming Weekend – Oct. 17-18:

  • 16 Homecoming posts
  • Reach of 11,821 (60% of weekly reach)
  • Engagement of 3,414 (89% of weekly engagement)

Twitter

Alumna watching Bears football on TVMissouri State Twitter:

Homecoming Week – Oct. 13-18:

  • 25 Homecoming posts
  • Favorites: 118
  • Retweets: 104

Homecoming Weekend – Oct. 17-18:

  • 14 Homecoming posts
  • Favorites: 104 (88% of weekly favorites)
  • Retweets: 90 (87% of weekly retweets)

MarooNation Twitter:

Homecoming Week – Oct. 13-18:

  • 76 Homecoming posts
  • Favorites: 160
  • Retweets: 142
  • Retweet reach: 166,200 users
  • @MarooNation mentions: 20
  • @MarooNation mention reach: 19,600

Homecoming Weekend – Oct. 17-18:

  • 70 Homecoming posts
  • Favorites: 152 (95% of weekly favorites)
  • Retweets: 115 (90% of weekly retweets)

Tweets by others:

Homecoming Week – Oct. 12-19:

  • 964 tweets by users

Instagram

Bronze Bear by Plaster Stadium

 

MarooNation online community connects alumni

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Missouri State has a newly redesigned tool for connecting with other alumni: MarooNation! Check it out to see what all the great features MarooNation offers alumni.

New elements of the redesigned site include:Screenshot of the MarooNation website

  • A new log-in option on the homepage
    Logging into the site opens up several more ways to connect to your peers.
  • A link on every redesigned academic website
    Every redesigned academic website includes an “Alumni and Friends” page. This page includes information about ways to give to the department, upcoming alumni events and links to pages where you can update your personal information and document your career.

Site credits

  • Design: Lindsay Thomack, web and new media designer
  • Website implementation: David Howell, web and new media student worker, with oversight by Sara Clark, director of web and new media