When everything is important, nothing is important

This first quarter we're seeing oodles of new website launches and the same issue comes up again and again. And it's certainly not new...

"We need to highlight the latest advocacy push, the deadline for abstract submissions, and the big award winners all at the same time. I'm pulling my hair out trying to please everyone on staff and the board members!"

The reality is that if you're trying to make everything important, nothing will be important.

Prioritizing content is one of the hardest parts of any website strategy.

But consider this approach:

• You've already sent out an email to your advocacy mailing list about the new campaign so they have the details for letter writing in their inbox. Further, it's being advertising heavily within your advocacy section of the website.
• Abstract submitters already know that the deadline is approaching (that's why they are coming to the website to confirm the exact date and time), so they are likely to look for that info within the meeting microsite. And you've already posted a lovely, big image advertising the meeting on the home page and it's linked perfectly in the navigation, too.
• Perhaps this time we make the board members happy and use the hero image for the announcement of the big award winners. And maybe it's only posted there for a week or so to coincide with the press release.

Thinking critically about the actual content and where your users are expecting to see it (their inbox, social media posts, website, etc.) will dramatically cut down on the internal arguments about what content needs top billing on the home page.