The provincial co-ordinator of British Columbia’s agricultural awareness website says starting a site for a business or an association is easier than it looks.
Nico Human told delegates at the recent National Agricultural Awareness Conference that the web is an excellent way to connect with people, customers and industries from around the globe.
But he said it is important to answer key questions before designing pages:
- Who do you want to reach?
- What are your objectives?
- Where are your target audiences geographically and technologically?
- When is the best time to reach the target audience?
- How can target audiences be reached?
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Human said it will be difficult to get the message out if your target audience is rural people who seldom use the internet. Therefore, the website is only one communication tool.
“Let the website serve the communications campaign, not vice versa.”
Sheila Ragush attended Human’s workshop. She said the web is an excellent way to distribute information.
“I think the main thing is just a reminder that when you’re developing a website, you should keep your audience in mind at all times. What does your audience really want to learn?” said Ragush, who works in communications at the Saskatchewan Council for Community Development.
She said she will be making some changes to the council’s website based on ideas gleaned from the conference.
Human said features should be slowly added as the site grows to make it more interesting for the audience.
He suggested search engines, hit counters, chat rooms and feedback forms.
A web designer must also get a good internet service provider and allow surfers to choose between a fancy site with sound and pictures or a plain text version.
A site that won’t load will lose customers, said Human.
Also, many people find it frustrating if the site isn’t updated frequently, so keep the most current information on the home page.
“The bottom line is to have fun and keep the ideas flowing.”
