1.  Planning

The first step in developing this site was to learn as much about BBSA as we possibly could.  As a result, we invited the principles of the organization to come and meet with our class, providing us information and fielding questions.  It might not sound like Marketing on the Internet, but it is.  We couldn't have gone any further without this data.  Students "grilled" the association officers with questions concerning their mission, what services they offered, who was the intended audience, how much sailing experience was required, etc.  They did an excellent job!

When the students asked the principles questions--including why they wanted a Web site-- they truly could NOT come up with answers.  Their response was, "Well, other sailing associations have them, and we want to get up to speed with them."  Was this the correct answer?  It may be they best they had at the moment, but they needed more of a purpose than that.  For the next few days, we developed a purpose and a foundation for their site.  As a class, we began with the following purposes:

• Provide information to members 
• Provide information to community 
• Encourage physical visits to association meetings 
• Provide a feedback/communication forum
• Build and enhance image in sailing community
• Generate a contact/mailing list 
• Encourage return visits to Web site 
• Entertain on-line visitors (remember, we mentioned these in lesson 6?)

Next, with these purposes in mind, what are some of the things we can do to accomplish them?  What are some of the things that a sailing site needs?  What will get sailors there?  What will make them return? 

The Association had given us the "nuts and bolts" information that we needed.  However, if we simply build an online brochure describing meeting places and times, members' names, cost of membership, etc., it would have made for a pretty boring site, and no one is going to visit--certainly not a second time--unless they absolutely have to.

That being said, we brainstormed for some content in addition to what had already been given us.  Now forget the technical aspects of web page construction for a minute.  We're only brainstorming.  We can go back and eliminate ideas because we can't figure out how to do it later.  (Understanding that some of you are still learning the technical aspects of Web pages, keep in mind that everything listed below is relatively simple ONCE you know how to do it).  Based on this premise, here are some of the ideas:

Racing schedules and results.  This is constantly changing, and it's something that the advanced crowd wants, and should come back regularly to check for updates and changes.  Let's provide it.

Weather.  Every sailor needs a weather report, doesn't he/she?  You can't go sailing without tide charts, etc.  Upon searching, there are a few nautical weather services to connect to.  This ought to generate more return visits.

Sailing tips.  Just like golfers, sailors want tips too!  Let's get input from our association members, as well as visitors, and post them for all to read.  Then let's archive them so that sailors can revisit the same tips if necessary.  If we keep an influx of tips, this should also generate return visits.

Funny sailing blooper pictures contest.  If there's one thing people like to see, it's themselves!  Although it shouldn't dominate your site, there's no reason why we can't post lots of pictures on designated pages.  If little Johnny is on your Web site, do you think there's an outside chance that little Johnny's mother, wife, or kids will be your next visitor?  You bet.  The more "little Johnny's" you get posted, the more moms, wives, and kids you get as visitors.  It's a promotional strategy.

Games.  Sailing related games really aren't that hard to find.  Games will get people to return to your site.  Yes, they may only go there for your game, but just like other forms of advertising and promotion, you want impressions!  The more times they visit, the more likely they will be to use your site if and when they need your services.  Become a member of your visitors' evoked set.  Help them to remember you.  Take a look at one very simple sailboat racing game...

Polls and surveys.  These interactive strategies not only help you to better understand your audience, but they give your audience a reason to return.  Keep them fresh.  Keep them current.  Lots of people enjoy and love to respond to these!

Sailing news and announcements.  Link to a news service, and place sailing news, as well as general news, to your site.  You should also provide some of your own news and announcements.  Again, keep it fresh.

Message boards and chat rooms.  Let your visitors not only tell you what they think, but let them tell each other what they think.  Could a Q & A connection get visitors back to your site?  You bet, and you don't even have to answer the questions.  Let them interact and respond to each other!

Feedback.  Allow your visitors to contact you with any questions they might have.  A simple form, in addition to e-mail contacts, will be a great asset.

Restaurants and lodging.  One student suggested that he would link each race on his racing schedule with local area restaurants and lodging, provided they would offer him a reciprocal link from their site.  Beautiful!  This service will provided your visitors with a lot of practical information, and help to promote the site in other places across the Web.

Sailing vendors and other affiliates.  Where to buy boats and boat parts?  Insurance?  Specialized clothing?  This could turn into a long list, but you get the idea.  Then ask each of these vendors for a reciprocal link.  You have an audience that you know is interested at each of these affiliated sites.

Lessons.  Information on free lessons for new visitors.  BBSA agreed!

Online registration for races.  Make it easy, and hopefully they will come!

Online newsletter - They were doing a newsletter anyway, why not e-mail it out to interested parties?  If they welcome you to contact them, you'd better jump on it! (more permission marketing 101)

Non-topical information - This one may not be quite as obvious, but who's to say what's on your site has to be related to sailing?  If you want to go off of the beaten path, it will take some thought.  You don't just want to slap something unrelated on your site.  But consider this example:  An online bicycle company has a category called "Daily News You Can Use," and the news in question can be about anything.  It's simply a news category, and no one can take offense to that, right?  The real strategy, they've confessed, is not to provide news, but to generate traffic.  They spend a great deal of time locating and posting the "hottest" news stories of the time, and then a significant amount of time goes into positioning their pages in search tools rankings, such as Google, Yahoo! and Alta Vista.  The "hot" topics are usually the hottest requests in the search tools.  As a result of their strategy, thousands of people each day wind up reading current news from a bicycle store.  Just like "brick and mortar" promotions, the store hopes that you'll take a peek around once they have gotten you in there.  During the Columbine incident, the retailer was receiving more than one million hits per day.  It had articles on the shootings and on "Gothics."  They achieved similar results by posting a picture of a scantily clad Jennifer Lopez in a dress that made the headlines from the 2000 Emmy Award ceremonies.  Every boy in America searched for that picture (ok, and a few men, too), and a bunch of them wound up finding it at a bicycle shop.

The possibilities are limited only be how creatively you can think.  However, you now have a solid working foundation of ideas with which to begin.