Confirm Audiences and Messages

A website is about communication. Effective webpage content is directed to the right people and includes information they care about.


Identify Target Audiences

The audience(s) for your webpages are the users who are likely to visit. Prospective students are a primary audience for many parts of brown.edu and you will need to decide if this is the case for your webpages. When identifying other target audiences for the information you present, consider current students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, donors, prospective employees and more.


Determine Themes and Messages

Examine the specific needs of each of your target audiences. Then determine the key themes and messages you want to convey. The content on your webpages should match the audiences’ needs. (Don’t assume the benefits you offer are obvious.) Delivering your messages to your users will be more effective when you directly frame what you want them to know in the context of how it serves their needs. You may need to revise your webpage content.


Messaging Strategy

The University's Messaging Strategy provides a helpful framework for developing your communications and telling your story.


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