8 tips for your new website launch

Most of the time, your website changes will evolve and instead of a single site launch, all at one time, improvements will come just a few at a time. But it's important to keep these eight things in mind anytime you are making upgrades to your site. (Thanks to Six Revisions for some of these ideas)

1. Make sure you have all your social networking accounts in place beforehand. These days, your website should only be one part of your online arsenal. Supercharge your website by integrating social networking sites like Facebook fan pages, Twitter, Flickr photo account, YouTube video channel, blogs, etc. Web 1.0 needs a conversational Web 2.0 counterpart. Make sure you have these sites ready to go before your site launch.
2. Have at least a month's worth of content ready to go. It's easy to target the launch date and not think much past that. But remember, fresh content is important to any site. The more you can plan ahead the better. Have a plan about what content you want to roll out and when.
3. Build momentum by spreading the word about your new site launch. Make sure your tribe knows all about the new site and the date you've chosen as the launch date. Give the tribe "sneak peeks" of content. Make the launch a big deal.
4. Plan out your web tasks for a least a month following launch. This one relates to #2. You should design a web "to do" list that will provide new content (the whats and the hows and the whens) to the new site. This will ensure that your new site will have a good flow of new content as you launch (and the days following). The key to a vibrant site is fresh material. When you launch, you'll want a good flow of new and fresh content for all those new visitors. 
5. Triple check all the technical details. The devil is in the details. Carpenters say "measure twice, cut once." It's a good adage to follow. Check and recheck all your hyperlinks to make sure they go where they should go. Double and triple check all your calls to action, especially your store to make sure there are no broken links. Also, "This page is under construction. Check back later!" is unacceptable. Don't even post the navigation if the page isn't ready yet.
6. Launch on schedule. As Seth says, you've got to ship. Post the date and stick to it. 
7. Keep your tribe in the loop and give them content they can easily spread. By posting videos, photos, and links to camp stories (testimonials) you provide your tribe with tools they can use to spread the word about you. And that's really the name of the game here. You want people talking about you, but they won't spread boring stories. Think about the stuff YOU spread online. You will spread those things that make you think or make you laugh or cry or touch you in some way. I know you have these kinds of things in your arsenal already. Are you putting them out there for your tribe to spread?
8. Make sure you provide an easy way for visitors and users to give you feedback. The future belongs to the storytellers. And as a marketer for camp you become the chief storyteller. And to get stories to tell you must be intentional. Have a place on your website where visitors can submit their camp story. On your Facebook fan site solicit camp stories. Go out there and get them. This does a couple of things. First of all it gives you resource you can use to spread the news about the effectiveness of your ministry. But the second thing this does is that it gives you a peek into what people think about you…your brand. Chances are, you are more (or less) than you think you are in the minds of your tribe. When you purposely go after feedback, you'll know for sure where you stand. Once you know, you can begin to tweak your content to reflect those values that are in the stories. Remember, in the old days you could get by with shouting your message to the masses. Now it's about beginning a two-way conversation with your tribe (keyword: two-way).

These eight tips are good whether you are launching a new site or just maintaining your existing site. Don't depend on your site to "accidentally" be a success. Go in with a plan.