2018 IDA Downtown Achievement Awards Category: Marketing & Communications. Submitted by: The Glebe BIA Andrew Peck Executive Director

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Ilene Claire Turner
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1 2018 IDA Downtown Achievement Awards Category: Marketing & Communications Submitted by: The Glebe BIA Andrew Peck Executive Director Bank St. Ottawa, ON K1S3W3

2 INTHEGLEBE.CA: A DIGITAL-FORWARD NEIGHBOURHOOD EXPERIENCE intheglebe.ca is the core of the Glebe s digital-forward neighbourhood experience. Built using curated content crowdsourced from members and the community, the website was designed to deliver timely, location-based content to visitors while delivering a straightforward set of management tools for members and site administrators. For the first time, the site captures the essence and spirit of the Glebe neighbourhood in its entirety, highlighting the area s features, advantages and benefits for all audiences, while serving the ongoing needs of member businesses.

CONTENT STRATEGY: CURATED CONTENT FROM THOSE WHO CARE MOST Delivering timely location-based content for a community the size of the Glebe is no small feat.

3 CONTENT STRATEGY: CURATED CONTENT FROM THOSE WHO CARE MOST Delivering timely location-based content for a community the size of the Glebe is no small feat. So rather than attempt to produce all of the content for the website, the Glebe enlisted the help of it s members those who stood to benefit from a powerful marketing tool. The member profile system was devised to be as easy to use as possible while allowing members to be as descriptive as they liked. A member onboarding package was delivered to all Glebe merchants (and new businesses as they open), and those who would benefit from additional support are given additional training. Each member profile is reviewed by Glebe editorial staff who also provide members with tips, edits, and additional photography to improve listings. Merchants are also encouraged to upload current promotions on an ongoing basis, and the community is invited to contribute to the community events calendar.

NEW FEATURES: A REFINED USER EXPERIENCE In order to capture the entire Glebe experience, the revamped website boasts a number of new features to help tell the full neighbourhood story.

4 NEW FEATURES: A REFINED USER EXPERIENCE In order to capture the entire Glebe experience, the revamped website boasts a number of new features to help tell the full neighbourhood story. These new features include: A self-generating promotions page. A Doing Business In the Glebe page that features property listings and resources for prospective businesses. A self-generating events calendar. A new, searchable merchant directory, segmented by business categories. A robust blog page that features updated content weekly. A new, clean design that relies on strong photography and storytelling. Individual member pages for close to 400 merchants in the Glebe. A simple-to-use member portal, allowing members to control their content at all times.

5 USER EXPERIENCE: AN EXERCISE IN OPTIMAL DESIGN From the start, intheglebe.ca was an evergreen experience based in experimentation. Each quarter, feedback and analytics are reviewed in order to refine the site s information architecture, user experience, and design. Website navigation cues are designed to speak to users in plain language, and allow users to scan content, providing quick and simple interactions. Further to this, search was designed to be faceted, but with a limited set of filters to ensure that users wouldn t get lost in options. The website s search provides content from all parts of the website, allowing users to find what they are looking for and other content that could prove useful.

6 VISITOR EXPERIENCE: MOBILE-FIRST FOR THE MODERN USER With approximately 50% of intheglebe.ca s users accessing the site via their mobile devices, there was no question that a mobile-first experience would be key to maximizing visitation. With this in mind, the website was designed to ensure mobile users arrive at a clean and responsive page, with refinements made over time to deliver ever-improving user experience. Everything from page layouts and image sizes to the dimensions of promotional offers was optimized to improve page load times, ensuring speedy access for mobile, tablet and desktop use. From a visual style perspective, the website was designed to be modern and clean, using typography and strong photography aligned to the Glebe brand s visual style.

7 MEMBER EXPERIENCE: STRAIGHTFORWARD PROFILE MANAGEMENT For members, the goal was to ensure that updating and managing individual merchant profiles was simple and easy. This encourages members to use the features. Using simple language drivers and common form elements, intheglebe.ca provides easy profile and promotion tools that limit the room for error and allow for easy navigation. Members are free to manage their content as needed, with Glebe BIA staff providing editing support when needed.

BIA EXPERIENCE: DESIGNED FOR EFFICIENCY The Glebe BIA has an active editorial staff managing member content, events, property listings and a blog with frequent updates.

8 BIA EXPERIENCE: DESIGNED FOR EFFICIENCY The Glebe BIA has an active editorial staff managing member content, events, property listings and a blog with frequent updates. Moreover, the website relies on striking photography that has to be optimized for quick delivery. In order to ensure the editorial team can focus on what they do best, the website administrative tools built on Wordpress were designed to be easy to use and automated and to separate code from design: each piece of content on the website is managed via form fields with almost no requirement for HTML. The result is an intuitive management experience that keeps the content moving on a daily basis.

9 2017 RESULTS: INTHEGLEBE.CA BY THE NUMBERS 132,451 pageviews, an increase of 65% from % year-over-year increase in member promotions posted to the site 400% increase in the number of events posted to the site 65 blogs written that capture the Glebe experience

We will continue to work with local agencies and service providers to elevate the area through a strong

10 THE FUTURE: ALWAYS IMPROVING, ALWAYS EVOLVING Intheglebe.ca will continue to be refined and updated to guarantee a user-experience that is second to none. We will continue to work with local agencies and service providers to elevate the area through a strong online presence, creating a constant neighbourhood buzz to ensure the Glebe remains to be a top-of-mind destination for shopping, dining and entertainment.

12 INTHEGLEBE.CA A DIGITAL NEIGHBOURHOOD EXPERIENCE

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