Vanguard Tech

DECEMBER 8, 2016

It could be argued that the content management system (CMS) is the most important element of your site. Sure, having a credible and professional association website is paramount, too, but an efficient CMS is a bedrock upon which you can build stellar digital experiences. Unless your users get a consistent experience across sites, channels, and devices, any attempt to engage them will likely fail.

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Vanguard Tech

NOVEMBER 15, 2016

Ready for a statement from Captain Obvious? Online users want more customized, personalized online experiences. But, here’s the twist: they don’t want you to know too much about them.

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Strategy 93

Vanguard Tech

AUGUST 11, 2016

This is a guest post from our senior project manager, Denise Pace. It's great advice for any association about to embark on a website redesign.

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Vanguard Tech

JUNE 20, 2016

The science is in: on an average, we are exposed to over 5,000 marketing messages per day. Overwhelmed by sales pitches, offers, and ads, your members are trying to cut through the clutter of life by fast-forwarding TV shows, installing ad-blockers and subscribing to ad-free online platforms. To stand out from the noise, you must create messages that your target audience wants to read.

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Marketing Content Strategy 70

Vanguard Tech

MARCH 9, 2016

It's hard for associations to hear. What don't you do by committee? That's what you're about. Getting people in the organization to get together and make decisions for the future good of the membership.

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Vanguard Tech

MAY 9, 2016

Back in the good old days of the internet, “ create and they will come ” was an excellent content strategy. There were fewer websites fighting for attention, and the simple act of creating content was a sure-fire way to get people interested in you. But things have changed.

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Vanguard Tech

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Website and association management software integrations are a lot like sex when you’re a teenager… everyone talks about it, it seems like everyone is doing it, and you think they are doing it more and better than you. But it doesn’t need to be that way. Just like we all matured (or some of us did) and learned better, there is a route to “integration maturity.

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Vanguard Tech

JANUARY 25, 2016

If you are in Hoth the DC area today, some might be tempted to work from home given DC’s reputation as a “work town.”. However, let’s face it… after a couple of days of shoveling snow, your bones and muscles are aching and your brain is wiped out from trying to figure out where to put all the snow (not to mention the fact, your family is now officially on your nerves).

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Vanguard Tech

JANUARY 19, 2016

After “ how long will it take ” the other question we most often hear is “how much does a website design project cost?” Well, the short answer is. it depends. Just like building a new house, you can design and build a townhouse, a ranch-style rambler… or a McMansion. It depends on how much “stuff” you have, how many rooms you need and how you plan to use it.

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Vanguard Tech

JANUARY 4, 2016

It’s time for cookies hit the trash, fresh bodies to swarm the gym and for us all to take a reboot to make ourselves better. But instead of wading through the (temporary) crush of bodies at the gym… let’s make some different resolutions.

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Content Strategy 70

Vanguard Tech

DECEMBER 7, 2015

ASAE’s 2015 Technology Conference and Expo is just a week away and one of the most exciting topics will be the MarComm & Technology Pathway exploring how marketing, communications and technology present a true digital experience for associations and their members.

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Vanguard Tech

OCTOBER 23, 2015

We’ve been doing a lot of usability studies and user interviews for a variety of client websites recently. And there’s one specific comment that just about everyone says about their association’s website. There’s too much stuff!!

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Vanguard Tech

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

As a technology provider for associations for over 15 years, we've seen quite a few RFPs in our day. Some written well, some not so much. Some with a very clearly articulated purpose, some rambling with little sense of what they are really asking for. And to be honest, these things are not deal-breakers by any stretch. What is a huge help, however, in the RFP process is to know what your budget is for the website redesign project you're requesting.

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Vanguard Tech

JULY 15, 2015

Content is king on your association website. We just established that last month. So, then if that's true, how do we keep content churning online for your organization? How do we make sure search engines find you relevant and your members find you indispensable? If you're a large organization with a content team, you may have a handle on this, but if you're a strapping smaller staffed organization who wants some ideas on how to publish great content fast, check out this list of 5 great ways to c

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Vanguard Tech

JUNE 16, 2015

While some say that content is King (and we agree), there are questions your content needs to answer before it can wear the crown. Don’t be confused by thinking just any ol’ content can be considered King - or even Prince. Convert pauper content to instant royalty by applying these 3 questions to every word, image, feed or video on your association website today.

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Content Video Strategy 70

Vanguard Tech

MAY 20, 2015

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Vanguard Tech

APRIL 21, 2015

'Spring is in the air! It’s time to open the windows, dust every inch of our homes, clean the drapes, exhaust the stale winter indoors drudgery and usher in a fresh, clean spring experience. With all this cleaning going on, we asked our team for some suggestions on how to freshen up the spaces where we spend all our time — association websites. Here are their top tips.

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Vanguard Tech

APRIL 8, 2015

'Today’s guest post is by Shane Diffily. Shane has over 15 years'' experience in Web Governance & online operations. As author of the first practical guide to Web Governance ("The Website Manager''s Handbook"), Shane has also been published by A List Apart, Smartinsights & Forrester Research. For free Web Governance downloads and resources, visit www.diffily.com.

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Vanguard Tech

MARCH 13, 2015

'Everything is awesome Everything is cool when you''re part of a team Everything is awesome when we''re living our dream.

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Vanguard Tech

MARCH 11, 2015

'One of my favorite Google Analytics stats is the “Landing Pages” report which shows what pages visitors see first when they come to your site. It’s tucked in there under Behavior>Site Content. Go ahead and take a look.

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Vanguard Tech

FEBRUARY 10, 2015

'We''re a Google-ized world. Our years of interviewing association members has lead us to many interesting anecdotal revelations about how association can build more meaningful websites. The most revealing truth is that most association members don''t turn to their association''s website when they want industry information.

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Vanguard Tech

JANUARY 5, 2015

'The new year''s fresh start gives us an opportunity to regroup, refresh and recommit. Many create personal resolutions such as being healthy or making time for family. But what about professional resolutions? For web managers, the new year is also a chance to take a fresh look at their website and make resolutions to better their organization’s most visible asset.

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Vanguard Tech

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

'Yesterday was a UX professional’s favorite day of the year… World Usability Day. World Usability Day was created by the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) to promote values of usability, usability engineering, user-centered design, universal usability, and basically to create an understanding of how usability makes things better.

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Vanguard Tech

OCTOBER 21, 2014

'“Taxonomy – a scheme of classification” One of the most powerful features of the Sitefinity Content Management System is the ability to assign a taxonomy to content, allowing website managers to filter, sort and display content based on a set of defined categories. However while most of our clients are excited about the potential of using the CMS taxonomy, we typically first hear “What’s a taxonomy?

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Vanguard Tech

AUGUST 28, 2014

'This is the last post in a series based on the “5 Website Improvements to Make in 5 Minutes (or Less)” that I co-presented with Maggie McGary at the ASAE Membership, Marketing and Communications Conference in June 2014. Each post covers one of the elements we discussed in more detail and today’s topic is how Graphics & Photos Engage Users.

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Vanguard Tech

AUGUST 20, 2014

'This guest post is by Kim Howard CAE from Write Communications, LLC. Connect with Kim on Twitter at @kimhowarddc or by email. Let’s be honest: associations are filled with fiefdoms. Everyone is in charge of an area they believe is crucial to the association’s mission, and it all collides when each department wants to be represented in one place: the homepage of your association’s website.

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Tips Communications 70

Vanguard Tech

JULY 23, 2014

'This is the third in a series of blog posts based on the “5 Website Improvements to Make in 5 Minutes (or Less)” I co-presented with Maggie McGary at the ASAE Membership, Marketing and Communications Conference in June 2014. Each of these posts will cover one of the elements we discussed in more detail and today’s topic is adding relevant links to other pages in your association’s website.

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Communications Conference Marketing 70

Vanguard Tech

AUGUST 7, 2014

'Today''s guest post is written by Susan Young, CEO at Get In Front Communications. Connect with Susan on Twitter at @sueyoungmedia or by email.

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Content Strategy Communications 70

Vanguard Tech

AUGUST 5, 2014

'This is the fourth in a series of blog posts based on the “5 Website Improvements to Make in 5 Minutes (or Less)” that I co-presented with Maggie McGary at the ASAE Membership, Marketing and Communications Conference in June 2014. Each of these posts will cover one of the elements we discussed in more detail and today’s topic is Engage and Convert: Make your Content “Web Friendly” To get a sneak peek of future posts, view the slides from our session on Slideshare.

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Content Communications Conference Marketing 70

Vanguard Tech

JULY 28, 2014

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Vanguard Tech

JULY 23, 2014

'This is the third in a series of blog posts based on the “5 Website Improvements to Make in 5 Minutes (or Less)” I co-presented with Maggie McGary at the ASAE Membership, Marketing and Communications Conference in June 2014. Each of these posts will cover one of the elements we discussed in more detail and today’s topic is adding relevant links to other pages in your association’s website.

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Communications Conference Marketing 70

Vanguard Tech

JULY 16, 2014

'This is the second in a series of blog posts based on the “5 Website Improvements to Make in 5 Minutes (or Less)” that I co-presented with Maggie McGary at the ASAE Membership, Marketing and Communications Conference in June 2014. Each of these posts will cover one of the elements we discussed in more detail and today’s topic is Make your Content “Web Friendly” To get a sneak peek of future posts, view the slides from our session on Slideshare.

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Content Survey Course Video 70

Vanguard Tech

JULY 8, 2014

'This is the first in a series of blog posts based on the “5 Website Improvements to Make in 5 Minutes (or Less)” session I co-presented with Maggie McGary at the ASAE Membership, Marketing and Communications Conference in June 2014. Each post will cover one of the elements we discussed in more detail with today’s post covering Visual Hierarchy.

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Social Media Content Examples Communications 70

Vanguard Tech

MAY 21, 2014

'Drive down any street at this time of year and a brief glance at all the real estate signs tells us a new season is approaching. Moving season.

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Content Strategy 70

Vanguard Tech

MAY 19, 2014

'Several years ago we evaluated all the CMS products on the market and chose to work exclusively with Sitefinity. We saw the Sitefinity CMS as a great fit for associations for a number of reasons including the ease of use, scalability and the fact that its.NET foundation made for easy integrations with the major association management software (AMS) systems.

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Vanguard Tech

APRIL 24, 2014

'When was the last time you logged into your Google Analytics account? If you’re like me and wear multiple hats with “Analytics Guru” being hat number 8 or 9, probably not in a while. So when I logged in earlier this week to check out the fuss about “Universal Analytics” I did a double take. ( More on “Universal Analytics” in a minute. ).

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Vanguard Tech

DECEMBER 2, 2013

'This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year as it is time for the 2013 ASAE Technology Conference and Expo. And this year is a bit more exciting for us at Vanguard Technology because we’ve put together an exciting booth and will be participating in the expo portion of the conference ( Hint: Stop by Booth 1132 to say “Hi!” or pick up a giveaway like a tee shirt with the cool design you see to the right ).

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