So you think you need a website, eh?
We are all used to finding information we need on websites—through webpage content, downloadable PDFs, maps, forms, images, infographics and videos. Many VCH staff approach me to ask how they can promote their program’s information online. A website seems like good, accessible place, right?
Yes, websites are great places to share information, but a digital asset like a website requires governance and management to make it reliable and useful—or “healthy.”
To make a website healthy, someone needs to put time and caring into:
- Developing a digital marketing strategy to promote the website’s content
- Establishing guiding principles so that a user’s experience is consistent as they browse through pages
- Learning how to use an online platform, including getting trained on how to make updates
- Ensuring a website follows the VCH brand
Here’s the good news: there are staff (like me) whose main jobs are to help with all-things digital for VCH.
But I really think I need my own website!
I hear you, but there are solutions that won’t involve too much effort on your part—let people like me do the work for you. Here are three steps to figure out how to create an online presence for your team, department or service:
- Read through the VCH Social media, Websites and Online Communication policy (intranet link).
Note: The policy says you shouldn’t make create a social media account or website without conferring with us first. - Browse our Web & Social Media pages on VCH Connect for guidance (intranet link).
- Email us at webupdates@vch.ca and tell us about your communication goal. Who are you trying to reach and why? We are here to help and provide efficient solutions that won’t be onerous on you.
Let us do the work for your website
Put your information on VCH.ca, it’s the best option.
We’ve improved our public facing website, VCH.ca, to be easier navigate and find information while improving its accessibility, so it’s now a great place to highlight your program’s content. We are happy to add photos galleries, videos, PDFs and content that is not confidential to your pages.
The many bonuses of using VCH.ca to house your information include:
- We can help you edit your content and improve it for easy web-reading.
- Our dedicated digital team will do all of the work on the website for you—no one on your team has to be trained on how to update your webpages.
- VCH.ca receives a huge amount of web traffic, so your content is more likely to be seen.
- We have a digital marketing strategy so we can promote your content to a wide audience using social media.
- There is no cost to you.
Recent happy customers of our VCH.ca website services include:
Thanks for reading and remember, just email webupdates@vch.ca if you have questions about websites and digital marketing.
Megan Bradfield, digital communications specialist