Start with a Website Strategy

Contemplating a new website...

Malcolm’s interested in starting a blog about hitchhiking, offering tips and advice, since it’s something he’s deeply passionate about. He knows that I’m a huge advocate of having a website strategy before you create a site, and so asked me to send him the template I used to use when working with clients.

But when I took a look at my my old document, I saw it was too complicated and I realised how daunting it could be for those people with a great idea and lots of passion, but anxiety about how they’re going to actually create that website.

What you’ll get from a strategy

So I’ve pared it down to an easy 2-page document with a few questions that anyone out there considering creating a new website can start with to help them:

• focus on what they really want to do so you don’t get sidetracked
• remember who you’re writing for
• help you write something people will respond to

It’s easy to get caught up with the mechanics and writing a website or blog, and you forget what you’re actually doing, or who it’s for.

When you start to feel like you’re going off-track, come back to this document. It will help you refocus and move forward with greater clarity.

Download and feedback

Here’s the document in both Mac Pages format and Microsoft Word (evil, but most of you use it so it’s only fair to include a version).

Easy Website Strategy (Pages version)

Easy Website Strategy (Word version)

If you’ve got suggestions for improvement, or tips to offer other people looking to create a website, please leave a comment.

Let me explain. I came to this by reading the blog for social enterprises by Rob Greenland of Social Business Consulting, based in Leeds. Steadily working on the business plan, I thought it’d be fun to do some more thinking about how we want our guests to feel when they come to Touchwood, what kind of mood (or “brand” if you prefer).

Rob suggests in his post called Values that you imagine your business as a person. What would they be like? What tone of voice would they adopt?

Having been reading Harry: A History about the phenomenon of Harry Potter, I was reminded how important the feeling of magic and wonder is to me, and how much I’d love more than anything to give that to other people. So I decided Touchwood is a globe-trotting eccentric and entertaining uncle, the kind who send mysterious parcels from exotic locales.

Mr. Calcifer Touchwood is known far and wide as delightfully eccentric, full of goodwill and laughter, and always there to lend a helping hand. He invariably makes parents laugh and relax while somehow leading their kids off on a merry, adventurous expedition. Nothing ever seems to get him down for long, which isn’t to say he isn’t serious — he just never loses hope and an understanding that each of us has the power to make things better, to do something truly wonderful, even if we don’t know exactly how.

He’s Father Christmas, beguiling the younger kids — and many of the old too — with his sack of presents and smiles and wit. He’s someone I’d trust with my life, that I can always depend on to be there for me, but who most of all makes me laugh and reminds me to pay attention how wonderful the world really is.

It’s a fun exercise, and I look forward to doing again as Touchwood develops.

The Touchwood Project helps people who want a more sustainable lifestyle but don’t have the skills, time or energy to do it all on their own. We run holidays and courses that give you the know-how, confidence and people to make changes in your life and the world.

We’re based in the Orkney Islands in Scotland, but plan to open several centres worldwide, each  with a local flavour, employing local people, and channeling all of its profits into the local community.

[Older version]

Here’s the latest:

The Touchwood Project works with people who want a life full of joy, energy and making the world a better place, but who don’t know how or don’t want to do it on their own. So we run eco-holidays that teach them hands-on skills, connect them to like-minded people, and help them build lives they love that also give back to their community and the planet.

One of the many things I learned from Obama’s big win (hallelujah!!) is the power of optimism, dreams and hope. It’s speaking from the heart and then following through with the head. It’s having the courage to really go for it and be afraid to say what you really feel.

We’ve been struggling for a while to come up with our elevator pitch, which is saying in 30 seconds what Touchwood is all about.

In searching around the web and in marketing books, the best piece of advice I’ve found is from marketing expert Robert Middleton. He argues that the elements of a good pitch are:

1. Say who you work with
2. Talk about the problem they have
3. Tell them how your business helps that problem

My first few drafts were pretty dry, but inspired by Obama’s victory and the elation and irrepressible optimism I feel, I thought I’d give it another go. It’s long-winded and probably destined for many more rewrites, but here’s how I’d explain what we do in 30 seconds:

The Touchwood Project works with people who want to lead lives that fill them with joy, energy and the knowledge that what they’re doing makes the world a better place, but who don’t feel like they have the skills or confidence to do it on their own. So we run holidays and courses that gives them these hands-on skills, connects them to like-minded people, and provides a community to support them to build lives they love and that help their families, communities and the planet.

It feels good to just say what I really feel, what drives me to keep writing the business plan and doing the cashflows (ugh) day after day. Because what I want is for people to feel good and then to help others feel good and do good too.

I’ll keep at it, but it’s a start.