My recent work has got me thinking.

Over the past year I’ve been embedded in two organizations that couldn’t be more different on the surface. One is a global sporting event watched by hundreds of millions of people, operating across dozens of venues, staffed by a largely freelance workforce assembled specifically for a three-week window. The other is a 3-million-member professional association running its most complex annual gathering — a deliberative body with hundreds of delegates, real-time voting, and decades of procedural history behind every decision.

Different industries. Different scales. Different stakes.

Same problem.

In both cases, the organization was sitting on an enormous amount of operational knowledge — procedures, contacts, approval chains, incident protocols, institutional memory accumulated over years or decades. And in both cases, the people who needed that information most couldn’t reliably access it when it mattered. They asked a colleague. They searched a shared drive. They guessed. Sometimes they got it right.

That’s when I started thinking about this less as a technology problem and more as a risk problem.

The Information Is There. The Access Isn’t.

Let me be specific about what I mean. In a large-scale operational environment, the knowledge exists. It lives in documents, in SOPs, in org charts, in the institutional memory of people who’ve been doing this for years. The problem isn’t that organizations haven’t documented their procedures — most have. The problem is discoverability under pressure.

When a crew member at a venue needs to know who approves a new camera position, they don’t have time to navigate a shared drive, find the right folder, open the right document, and scan for the answer. They need to know now. So they ask someone. And that someone either knows or they don’t.

When a new staff member needs to understand the incident reporting procedure after someone gets hurt, the last thing they should be doing is searching for documentation. They need a clear, immediate answer — because getting it wrong isn’t just inefficient, it’s a liability.

This plays out hundreds of times a day across large operational deployments. Most of the time it works out. But at scale, across a temporary workforce, under time pressure, the compounding effect of small information failures becomes a material operational risk.

A Risk That’s Been Accepted as Unavoidable

Here’s what’s interesting: organizations spend significant resources managing other forms of operational risk. Insurance. Redundancy systems. Contingency planning. Safety protocols. These investments are made because the cost of getting things wrong is understood and taken seriously.

The institutional knowledge risk has largely been accepted as an unavoidable cost of doing business. You hire experienced people, you do your best to onboard them quickly, you hope the institutional memory in the room is enough to cover the gaps. When the operation ends, the knowledge walks out the door, and you start over next time.

This has been the reality not because organizations don’t recognize the problem, but because until recently there wasn’t a practical solution. You couldn’t put a researcher at the elbow of every crew member. You couldn’t make every SOP instantly searchable and conversational. You could build better intranets and SharePoint sites, and organizations did, and the problem persisted anyway.

The AI Overlay: Making Existing Systems Conversational

The shift that’s happening now isn’t that AI replaces existing information infrastructure. It’s that AI makes that infrastructure accessible in a fundamentally different way.

The information already exists. The org charts, the procedures, the contact lists, the incident protocols — they live somewhere in the organization. What AI enables is a conversational layer on top of that existing knowledge. Instead of navigating to it, you ask for it. In plain language. In the moment you need it.

“Who approves a new camera position?”
“What’s the incident reporting procedure if someone gets hurt on site?”
“Who do I call if we lose the signal feed?”

These aren’t complex questions. They’re the kind of questions that get asked dozens of times a day in any large operational deployment — and answered inconsistently, by whoever happens to be nearby, based on whatever that person happens to know.

A well-scoped AI assistant trained on an organization’s actual operational knowledge answers these questions reliably, instantly, and consistently. For every member of the workforce. From day one. Enterprise users report saving 40 to 60 minutes per day from AI-assisted information access, and 75% report being able to complete tasks they previously could not perform without escalating to a colleague or supervisor. The productivity case is real. But in high-stakes operational environments, the risk mitigation case may be even stronger.

The Honest Conversation: What Can Go Wrong

Any serious discussion of AI in operational settings has to address the obvious objection: hallucinations. AI systems can and do produce confident, plausible, wrong answers. In a low-stakes environment, that’s an annoyance. In a high-stakes operational deployment, it’s a genuine concern.

It’s a concern that the industry takes seriously. Research shows that 77% of businesses cite hallucinations as a top barrier to AI deployment, and nearly half of enterprise AI users report making at least one significant decision based on inaccurate AI output. Those numbers shouldn’t be dismissed.

But here’s the context that often gets left out of that conversation: the alternative isn’t accuracy. The alternative is a workforce of people answering questions from incomplete knowledge, under pressure, based on whatever they happen to remember. The baseline isn’t perfect information — it’s managed uncertainty. The question isn’t whether AI introduces risk. It’s whether a well-designed AI system introduces more risk than the status quo it replaces.

The answer depends entirely on how the system is built. A general-purpose AI tool deployed broadly across an organization is a fundamentally different risk profile than a tightly scoped assistant trained on a curated, controlled knowledge base with clear boundaries on what it will and won’t answer. The former is where most of the horror stories come from. The latter is what good implementation actually looks like.

There’s also a broader failure pattern worth acknowledging honestly. Research from MIT found that 95% of enterprise AI pilots fail to deliver measurable impact — not because the underlying technology is weak, but because organizations force AI into existing workflows without adapting either the tool or the process around it. They treat it as a technology project when it’s actually an operational transformation. The failure rate is high precisely because most implementations skip the hard work of scoping, governance, and change management.

The organizations that get it right do a few things consistently: they start narrow, with a clearly defined problem and a controlled knowledge base; they build human oversight into the workflow rather than treating AI output as authoritative; and they partner with specialists rather than building from scratch. Research consistently shows that specialized partnerships succeed roughly twice as often as internal builds.

None of that is rocket science. It’s just discipline — the same discipline that separates a well-run operational deployment from a chaotic one.

The Pattern Is Bigger Than Any Single Industry

What I’ve come to understand is that the organizations where this matters most share a specific set of characteristics. They’re not defined by industry — they’re defined by structure.

They operate at scale, often with workforces that expand dramatically for a defined period and then contract. They rely heavily on freelance, contract, or temporary staff who bring skill and experience but limited organizational context. They have hard deadlines — the event happens, the assembly convenes, the project delivers — and there’s no room to be learning procedures in the middle of execution. And they carry significant institutional knowledge that currently lives in people rather than systems.

Broadcast operations. Large-scale membership organizations. Healthcare systems. Major construction projects. Disaster response organizations. Any operation where the complexity of the work outpaces the permanence of the workforce faces a version of this same problem.

The technology to address it exists today and is more accessible than ever. Two-thirds of organizations that have deployed AI thoughtfully report measurable gains in efficiency and operational performance. The gap between those organizations and the ones still running on shared drives and institutional memory is widening.

The organizations that frame this as a risk management challenge — rather than a technology adoption question — will be the ones that close it first. That reframe matters beyond strategy: risk has a cost that finance understands. “We’re investing in AI” is a difficult budget conversation. “We’re closing a documented operational and liability gap” is a much easier one. The language you use to describe the problem determines whether you get the resources to solve it.

The knowledge doesn’t have to walk out the door anymore.

Tyler McConvill is the founder of Top Rope Media, a digital marketing and software development agency, and a partner at Closed System Media & Design. He builds AI-enabled operational tools for complex organizations.

Easy Website Design and Maintenance

Searching for an easy website design that you can create and maintain in-house?  Or ways to improve your current website design to make it easier for visitors and potential customers to place an order or find what they need?  

Well, since it takes about 0.5 seconds for someone to form an opinion about your website, you want to make sure you show them your best self. Think of it as a first date!  And if a potential customer does not like what they see, they will choose to do business elsewhere.

So, in this blog we’re walking you through how to DIY a more attractive and easier-to-maintain website design!  We’ll also cover the easiest website builders for beginners, easy-to-build e-commerce sites, examples from sites we’ve built, how to work with a web developer (and why you might need one), and what you should expect to pay.

HOW website design and maintenance becomes anything but easy

Does this sound like you?

• • A web developer built our website and we cannot make changes on our own
  • Our website crashes or is slow to load
  • It’s hard for customers to find what they need on our website
  • We’re paying a monthly website maintenance fee and still have issues

At Top Rope Media, we have seen all of these issues and more.  Before we dive in, if you have a question that can’t wait, let’s chat!

While we contributed all the copy, imagery, graphics, and design ideas, we still worked with a web developer to create the Top Rope Media website!

 1. DIY Your Website redesign: Start with what’s working

When we start a website redesign journey with a client, we first ask them what they love and what works well on their website.  Here’s some things to think about:

• Do you love the color palette and does it match your brand?
• Are the fonts easy to read on both mobile and desktop?
• Do you love the images and video?
• Is your main menu (main navigation) and tabs user-friendly?
• Are there certain plug-ins or 3rd party apps you can’t live without?

Make a list of everything you love or want to keep on your current website.  This will also help you determine whether you need a completely new website, or perhaps just a fresh template or theme!

During a recent web redesign for VECKTA, we learned most of their website visitors did not realize they offered a marketplace/platform where customers could shop for renewable energy solutions from vetted suppliers, and suppliers could bid on projects. So we utilized lots of shots of the marketplace in action to help them better tell their story! 

2. outline What needs to change on your website

Next, make a list of what needs to change.  You may want to sell your products or services online.  Or, you may need to fundraise and take donations.  Whatever the case may be, if your current site does not support this, or these options are not easy for the user to find, add them to the top of your list!

More things to think about:

• Do you have a simple checkout process?
• How many clicks does it take to read your latest blog post?
• Is maintaining your current website a nightmare?

Don’t forget to include things like page speed, broken links, and anything else that’s not working.

Here’s a peek at the hero image and main navigation we built for Outdoor Outreach, a non-profit organization here in San Diego!

3. Outline your ideal and easy website design flow

For pro surfer Rochelle Ballard, we built her new online learning course- Rochelle Ballard Flow on WordPress by using Learn Dash!

4. SELECT a website design platform: WordPress, squarespace, shopify or wix

WordPress websites

Are you wondering whether or not you need to build or maintain your WordPress website or if you can use something simpler?  Think about the following:

• Do you need a lot of customization?
• Will you need to integrate with several 3rd party, non-standard applications?
• Do you have someone in-house that can work in WordPress?  If not, can you pay for monthly website maintenance?

If the answer is YES to most of these, then we will recommend you build or redesign on WordPress.  The most important thing to keep in mind?  With a WordPress website YOU MUST maintain it or pay for regular, monthly website maintenance.

Unlike Shopify, Squarespace or Wix, there are theme updates, plug-ins, and security issues that need to be dealt with on a monthly basis.

If you do not have the time or the resources to maintain the site, we recommend working with a website developer.  Or, purchasing a website maintenance package.  Typical cost?  $150/month for website maintenance.  See below for more on WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com, and the costs related to each.

Shopify- THE best DIY option for easy e-commerce website design

For many of our clients, Shopify is one of the easiest e-commerce web design platforms to use!  Who does Shopify best serve?

• Brands selling products, especially those who intend to scale
• Those who want to connect with a Shipping Station to print labels, track packages and manage returns
•  Need a quick and easy way to set up an online store!
• Have access to over 5,000s of apps that you can integrate into your store

Need more reasons to work with Shopify?  Maintenance is minimal once the site is set up and running.  In addition, we are part of the Shopify Partners Program and have built and maintained several Shopify sites for clients over the years!

Squarespace or wix Web platforms- the best builders for beginners

What if you are not selling products but instead writing a monthly blog, selling services, or just want a place where people can find out about what you do?  If this is the case, and it’s your first time building a website, then try Wix or Squarespace!  

Both website builders have a variety of beautifully-designed templates that you can upload and start editing right away.  And similar to Shopify, you will have minimal maintenance once the site is built!

what all Web design platforms include

Keep in mind, all website design builders or platforms, whether Wix, WordPress, Shopify, or Squarespace, will typically have the following features available:

• A selection of themes or templates you can use
• Ability to make your site mobile-friendly
• e-Commerce capability
• Standard page templates within the selected theme: Homepage, Contact, About Us, etc.
• Image and video uploading and embedding
• Blogging capabilities
• Standard Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools
• Email marketing or the ability to connect to your preferred email marketing platform
• Social Sharing and Social Network connections

Therefore, if you’ve been told that you must stick with WordPress, we’re here to say that may not be the case.  We’ve built websites for clients on all platforms, and are happy to chat with you to help you figure out which site best suits your needs.

Whether you are a travel blogger, a personal trainer, or a budding outdoor apparel brand, we can help!

The percentage of website traffic that comes from a mobile device has soared over the past decade. Therefore, ensure your new website looks great and functions well on both a desktop and mobile phone! 

5. Choose your hosting service

During the website build or redesign process, if you already have an existing site, you will need to know where your domain name is hosted and where is your website is hosted. If you do not know the answer to either of these, do not be alarmed.  In fact, many people have their websites built for them and are unsure of where it’s hosted! 

In addition, if you have a website already and it’s built on Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify, you will not need to have a separate host as these platforms handle the hosting for you!

However, if you are using or need to use WordPress, you will need to ‘host’ your website somewhere.  What are the typical hosting platforms you might use? 

• BlueHost
• SiteGround
• GoDaddy

Why do you need to know this?  Because if you want to DIY your website design on WordPress, work with a web developer, or move your current WordPress website into a new theme that’s easier to work with, you will need access to both the domain and the hosting account.

website hosting vs. website domain: Break it Down for me

In the simplest terms, your website host stores your website’s files.  Think of it as renting space where all of your files are stored.  Everything is ‘hosted’ there to ensure your website works properly.

Your domain name is where you created and paid for the name of your website.  You will need access to this so you can point your domain to the new site when it is ready, or update ‘records’ within the site.  Often both the web hosting and domain name may have been set up with the same company, like GoDaddy. 

Things to keep in mind:

• You can move your website host or domain name provider if needed.
• Your company email address is often managed through your website host. Therefore any changes to hosting can temporarily affect your email delivery.
• You may need a private or more secure hosting server.  What factors would determine this?  How many pages your website is, what tasks people are performing on the site, and how much traffic you are receiving at a given time.

Gathering website content such as copy, images, testimonials, graphics, and product descriptions, will take up the bulk of your website development time.

From editing product descriptions to creating discount codes, swapping out images, and adding in a new team member, if you’ll be DIY-ing the new site, through this process you’ll learn how to make edits to keep your website fresh!

7. Easy Website design and development Pricing

If you decide to go the DIY route to an easy website design, there are still costs associated with a brand-new website design or a website redesign. In addition, costs can vary tremendously.  What should you factor into your budget for a website project?

Hosting service for WordPress builds:
About $10/month, unless you need a more private or robust host.

Domain name:
Depending on the name selected, average $15-25 per year.

Website builder:
Squarespace- $16-65/month
Wix- $16-59/month
Shopify- $29-299/month

WordPress is free through WordPress.org, which is an open-source platform. However, you will be charged for any paid plug-ins or 3rd party applications you add to the site. 

WordPress.com is similar to a Squarespace or Wix website builder, where they’ve bundled your typical needs, often including hosting, into packages costing anywhere from $5-50/month. 

Read more here on the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

Website Designer or Website Developer:
This is your cost to have a professional build your website for you.  Typically, you will not need a developer for website builds on Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify.  But again, if you do not have the time or the resources to build your own website, consider hiring someone to help.  Costs: $4,000-$15,000 and up, depending on the amount of customization needed.  Read more about the websites we build and maintain for our clients. 

Plug-ins and 3rd party applications:
You will want to add extra features to your website, typically via a plug-in.  Expect to spend about $5-50/month per plug-in. Typical plug-ins or apps you may want to connect include: Mailchimp, WooCommerce, Zapier, Smush, and Yoast.

Case Studies: Website Design and Web Development by Top Rope Media

beginner Website designer timeline

Building a website by yourself is comparable to home improvement projects.  Be conservative and expect delays.  As a first-time website builder, the time it takes to build a new site or redesign your old site can be anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on the platform you use. 

However, if you have some experience, the time to complete a website build will be much shorter.  Either way, you will learn new skills that will definitely be valuable in the future!  Therefore, here are a few tips to keep you on track:

1. Be Realistic about your website Content Production

As we mentioned earlier in the blog, content production is normally where we see the longest delays in launching a website.  Updating or refreshing your content will require you or someone on your team to write copy, take new photos or videos, and then create any new graphics needed.

How can you stay on track with content creation or content edits for your website?  Dedicate a few hours each week to content production and reviewing the website flow.  Great content and an easy-to-navigate website layout will help you generate better leads, more customers, and therefore increase revenue!   Where to start?  Here is our step-by-step guide to help you generate good content for your website!

Finding it hard to come up with the right copy?  Hire a content writer!  Wishing you had better photos or videos?  Read more about how to work with a professional or learn to take better photos! 

2. Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of the Good

You have your new website or redesign in place.  But, you can’t seem to launch.  Why is there always one more revision!?!  Well, we call this launch paralysis.  And we see it happen.  A lot.  And, with all kinds of projects: websites, blog posts, presentation decks, and even social media posts!

How do you get around your stagnation?  Depending on the type of site you are building, you can push it live on a separate host domain and invite co-workers, close friends, and brand ambassadors to use it.  These are your beta testers.  And instead of just asking for feedback, create an anonymous form.  Or, offer them a discount on products or services to make purchases through the new site.  Then, you can make tweaks as feedback is submitted.

Once you have a few dozen people using the site, this will get your team comfortable with launching to a wider audience! 

One of our more recent website builds was for Crypthulu Studios. Designed on Squarespace, you can see how little things like font selection and graphics really help bring this gaming studio’s website to life!

Final thoughts on an easy website design

Your website is often the first place people interact with your brand.  And on this ‘first date’, you want to make the best impression!  Therefore, set clear goals, determine your budget, pull together a team to help, and set a conservative timeline. 

We are happy to help you along the journey, so please reach out if you have questions. Let’s start at the trailhead together!

Meredith McConvill, Top Rope Media

Website updates: how to maintain a wordpress website and avoid problems

Need to make a few WordPress website updates?  Perhaps new images, fresh copy, or an update to sponsors or staff?

Well, what about the updates visitors can’t see?  Like updates to plugins, themes, php, etc.  Or what if your site is not loading, has crashed, or worse has been hacked??

Well, we’ve heard from a lot of non-profits and outdoor brands over the years that need help with WordPress website updates.  In addition, some are also concerned about their website’s vulnerability, and about how secure it is when collecting a customer’s private information during payment processing.

So, we’ve pulled together our tips from website builds this year to help you with your WordPress website updates and overdue maintenance!

Before we dive in, if you are seeking to build a new website, create new content, generate more leads, or you currently work with Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify, read both our How to Use Your Website to Generate Better Leads and Easy Website Design and Maintenance blogs first!

Why DO You need to Update Your WordPress Website Frequently?

Why make website updates periodically?  Because if it’s outdated or slow to load, it takes less than a second for someone to form an opinion and decide whether or not they want to use your services, support your non-profit organization, or buy your products. 

In addition, WordPress is very different from Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify.  In the simplest terms, you need to make updates often, sometimes as frequently as once a month, to ensure you website works correctly.  

Furthermore, here’s examples of how neglecting your WordPress website updates could create a bad experience for you and your visitors:

•  Webpages are slow to load, not working, or no longer exist
• Checkout process is not working
• Website crashes while using the site
• Your website gets hacked
• You are no longer able to collect email addresses, or generate leads

HOW wordpress website updates become anything but easy

One of the most common problems you might face when making your WordPress website updates is that a web developer or web designer who built your website is no longer part of the company.

Therefore, you need to dig up passwords, contact the old developer, or if an agency built your site, use the dreaded ‘submit a help ticket’.  However, with some careful planning you can cut through the middle man or woman and do it yourself!

Before we begin, here are a few key things we cannot emphasize enough:

• Ensure you always have access to your WordPress website, your website hosting service, and your domain name. 
• You should be the owner and admin of each of these. 
• Have one person as a backup, or a separate email you can log in with in case you lose access to the first.
• Give only essential people access. Do not turn over full admin access to an outside organization.
• Always know how to log into your WordPress site, your hosting service, and where you purchased your domain name!
• Your passwords for each of the three site should be encrypted. Or use a service like LastPass to store passwords. 

More on this in a bit, but if you have a question that can’t wait, let’s chat!

fundraising + ECommerce wordpress websites

As a small business, you may have an e-commerce shop set up to sell products or services online.  Or, if you’re a non-profit, you’ll be fundraising and taking donations.

Therefore, if your e-commerce or payment processing areas stop functioning, it could mean the loss of hundreds or thousands of dollars in revenue, donations, or bookings.

So instead of waiting for something to fail, make it a habit to check the backend of your WordPress website regularly for updates. 

Below we’ve outlined a few steps you can take to update your WordPress website and prevent future problems.

1. login to your wordpress website or domain hosting service

2. look for plugin, theme or core wordpress updates

Once you get into the backend of your website, check for plugins, core updates, or WordPress themes that need to be updated.  Critical issues such as the site failing to load or being hacked can happen if these are not kept up to date. 

Typically you’ll be looking for a red circle notification with a number in it, indicating the number or updates or notifications you have waiting. 

Before you begin, we recommend backing up your site before you begin any WordPress website updates.  Especially if you are not familiar with WordPress or how your site was constructed. 

We have our site backed up through our domain hosting service, and we also use Updraft Plus to automatically keep our website backed up.  However, as Updraft Plus is a plugin, you will need to keep this up-to-date for it to function correctly!

Once you’re ready to begin, work in this order:

• Core WordPress updates
• Theme updates
• Plugin updates
• Finally, make any updates to your images, copy, add new pages, etc.

Furthermore, you will want to remove any plugins you no longer use.  If you’re unsure whether or not the plugin is still used on your site, leave it in place until you can check with your website developer. 

Need help?  Contact us!  We can support you with website development work at an hourly rate to get you back up and running! 

3. What happens if this doesn’t fix the problem?

If you’re still having issues with your WordPress website, depending on your website hosting plan, you may be able to contact the their help desk.  Then, their support team can identify why you’re having problems and make the changes needed at no cost to you. 

However, be patient.  Helper ticket submissions may not be addressed for 24 to 48 hours, or even longer.

Another tool to use is a website monitoring service.  These services provide security and will continuously monitor your website and report to you immediately if there is something wrong.  Issues that can be detected:

• Malware
• DNS warnings
• Site being blocked or hacked
• Website down or crashing

Therefore, if you want to try a website monitoring service, to give you peace of mind, we recommend Sucuri.  Keep in mind, website monitoring services are not cheap, about $199/year to start.  However the basic plan is perfect for those with small businesses, bloggers, or non-profits that do not have a web developer on hand.     

4. Asking for help: Website development Pricing

Costs for web development support can vary tremendously based on the root of the problem, how much customization needs to be done, and when you need the work completed.  If your WordPress website has crashed or has been hacked, you need help right away!  Therefore, this is when paying for those more robust hosting plans and website monitoring services come in handy! 

However, if you continuously have small issues with your website, it may be time for a redesign.  And with the new features available with Wix, Shopify, or Squarespace, you may no longer need to use WordPress!  Read more about the differences between each in our Easy Website Design and Maintenance blog.

Furthermore, you will not need a developer for website builds on Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify.  However, if you do not have the time nor the resources to build your own website, consider hiring someone to help.  Costs vary widely from $2,000-$10,000 and up, depending on the amount of customization needed.  Read more about the websites we’ve built and maintain for our clients. 

Web Development Case Studies

Final thoughts on website updates

Since your website is often the first place people interact with your brand, you want to make the best impression.  Think of it as a first date!  Therefore, here’s our final tips to keep your WordPress website up-to-date and running smooth:

• Take an hour each month to ensure your WordPress website is up-to-date. 
• Give only the essential people access to your WordPress website. 
• You should have at least two people that have access- you plus one other, just in case you lose access. 
• Assign advertisers, marketers, or other non-essential team members limited acccess. 
• Lose a team member?  Remove them immediately from access to all of your backend systems! 
• Use a tool like LastPass to store your passwords.  We can’t stress this one enough!

We are happy to help you along the journey, so please reach out if you have questions.

 Let’s start at the trailhead together,

Meredith McConvill, Top Rope Media

How A Learning Management System can help your outdoor, Fitness or lifestyle brand

Want to learn how to use an e-learning platform, aka a learning management system, to enhance your customer’s experience and nurture brand ambassadors? Well with the holidays coming, and concerns still looming about the pandemic, you can bet many shoppers will be spending their time online.

So, in preparation for this, we’ve helped a few of our clients deliver content like videos and education courses in a fun and memorable way, and for viewing in the comfort of their own homes!

In addition, there are now many affordable and easy-to-use learning management systems that can help you not only educate consumers, but also open up new revenue streams for your business.

What is a learning management system or LMS?

First, LMS is an acronym for Learning Management System, but you may have heard this called online education, e-learning, virtual classroom, etc. This system, or software application, allows you to manage and deliver e-learning content like videos, courses and quizzes.

In addition, an LMS will usually include in its functionality:

• e-commerce capabilities to allow for purchasing of courses/memberships
• track student registration and course progression
• ability to message course registrants to share assignments and feedback
• 3rd party tools to extend the LMS’s capability

Before we dive in, if you have a question that can’t wait, let’s chat.

AN Example of an LMS used in the Outdoor Industry

A great example of an LMS begin used in the outdoor industry to create more knowledgeable brand ambassadors? Expert Voice.

How does it work? First, dozens of outdoor and lifestyle brands like Black Diamond, Camp Chef, or DaKine provide content in the form of videos, text, and imagery. Second, they’ll provide multiple choice questions to test the knowledge of someone that has read through the content or watched the videos.

Next, the content is organized within Expert Voice’s LMS, and once the customer passes all the quizzes, they ‘unlock’ a greater discount on their favorite brands.

Expert Voice is currently available to outdoor industry professionals such as mountain guides, retail shop employees, ski resort personnel, and brand ambassadors. And, below is an example of how Mammut is using Expert Voice to create, well, experts.

Who should be using a learning management system or LMS?

You might be surprised at the types of outdoor, lifestyle, health and wellness brands that can benefit from an LMS. Therefore, don’t eliminate a learning management system as a digital marketing strategy without doing your research.

Think creatively about the services you offer. Could all or part of those services be delivered on-line? If the answer is yes, an online learning tool might be right for you.

We’ve also seen the trend to build online courses, and e-learning resources grow as COVID-19 safety concerns have impacted small businesses.

So, if you are delivering education-based content or want to grow a brand ambassador program, you can benefit from using an LMS.

Case Studies of Outdoors, Health and Wellness Brands that Use an LMS

What benefits does an LMS provide for a small business?

Major benefits to using a learning management system

Monetization

Most LMS platforms have user registration and payment functionality built into them. Therefore, as soon as your course or program is ready to go live, you can start registering students and monetizing your services.

As an example, one of our clients, the American Avalanche Institute (AAI), uses an LMS to provide avalanche education at a rate that’s very cost-effective for the average skier or snowboarder. $30 compared to an in-person course, which starts at almost $400. It certainly does not replace the fieldwork you would do in-person, however, it gives AAI customers a great introduction to snow safety.

In addition, the LMS provides the American Avalanche Institute with potential new customers that may pay for a more extensive course in the future.

Scalability

If the program you want to create is 100% online, you can scale it quickly. And, without much additional effort. Even if your business model requires some hybrid of online and in-person interaction.

Therefore, hosting your services in an e-learning environment allows you to be more efficient. In addition, you decrease the need for 1:1 interaction with your frontline staff.

Customer & Client Engagement

First, if you use a webpage(s) to deliver your educational content, here’s one of the first challenges you’ll run into: Content organization and flow.

LMS platforms were built with these challenges in mind. Therefore, e-learning software platforms do an excellent job of providing a framework for you to organize your content and create a great user experience.

Second, an online learning application provides the opportunity to create and manage virtual events. So if you have thoughts of teaching a virtual fitness class, or hosting an online product demo, using an LMS is beneficial. Here’s more ideas for what kinds of virtual events you can host through a learning management system.

Third, we love using learning management systems to create more engaged and knowledgeable brand ambassadors. Read more about our work building brand ambassador programs for athletes and outdoor brands.

LMS Pricing and time commitment

Learning Management System Platform fees & setup

Costs for a new LMS can vary from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand of dollars. This would increase significantly for a fully custom LMS solution.

However, costs to purchase and build out an e-learning tool have come down a lot over the last few years. And, there are many feature-rich affordable options for the small business owner to choose from.

We recently used the LearnDash WordPress plugin to build engaging learning environments for Catalyst PT & Wellness. Why? It is a fraction of the cost of most other tools. In addition, LearnDash is used by some big names in Higher Education and corporate America. This provides a huge degree of confidence for our clients.

Regardless of what e-learning technology tools you choose, there will be development and integration requirements. Let’s hop on a call with you and/or your website manager before you decide on which LMS platform to use.

Content Production

Content production will be where you will spend the most time and energy as you start to build out courses. Even if you already have a ton of great content about your latest snowboard design or mountain bike glove, it will still need to be organized into a comprehensible structure for your users.

As an example, if you want to use an LMS to teach a class on how to take better photos or videos using a smart phone, you’ll need to create a content library with step-by-step images or videos that relate, and write out the copy and quiz questions to progress the user through your course.

Either way, you should have a very clear outline of what kind of experience you want to create and the expected outcome.

Marketing and Promotion

Once you have all the pieces in place, you’ll want to share the course offering with your current and potential customers. So you’ll need a distribution plan to launch across all of your channels: email, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, website, industry publications, in-store, events, etc.

Be sure to set aside some time, and budget, to create a marketing plan to promote this new online offering.

Next up, what pitfalls and roadblocks you should watch out for. However, if you have more questions about content production and distribution, check out our digital marketing services and let’s chart a course together!

What are the LMS roadblocks and pitfalls to watch out for?

Be Realistic with your Content Production Needs

Similar to home renovations, take a conservative estimate of the time and effort needed for content production. Then, add an additional 20%! Creating great content will require you, someone on your team, or your brand ambassadors to write copy, shoot photo or videos, and then design each step in the course.

We can’t stress enough how important it is to dedicate a few hours each week to content production. You and your brand ambassadors should be doing this already to help you generate better leads on your website. But, if not, here’s a step-by-step guide we wrote to help you generate good content for your website, and in this case your LMS!

Still, no matter how well you plan, things will come up. So, expect it to happen. Just like when the contractor says he’ll be done in 2 weeks. You know it’s gonna be more like 4. Be prepared. Experience has taught us a lot about content development. So, if you’ve never done this before, this is where we’d recommend hiring a content writer.

Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of the Good

You’ve created an online course. Developed the content. And, you are almost ready to go. But, you can’t seem to launch. Why? Because every time you present your new e-learning course someone, they have just…one…more..change. Sound familiar?

We see this type of launch paralysis. A lot. And, with all kinds of projects: websites, e-commerce platforms, blog posts, video editing, presentation decks, even social media posts!

Here is one way to get around your stagnation and push your online program live. Once you have your content produced, have a beta testing phase built into your launch plan. Beta testing is a big deal for feedback, but it also allows stakeholders or your boss to get used to real people interacting with your business in this new online environment.

After beta testers, create a list of those who will help you promote the new program- your champions. Offer them VIP access. Provide a big discount (40-70%) in exchange for them going through the course. Ask them to provide feedback. In addition, ask them to share the program with their network. On social media. Or, through a review or testimonial. Be specific in what you expect for the discounted VIP rate, but make sure they are getting value.

Once you’ve completed both steps, this will usually help everyone get comfortable with the idea of “launching” to a wider audience.

Define a clear strategy and value proposition

You have to deliver value to your mountain biker, rock climber or skier. If not, your course, and your brand ambassador program, won’t go anywhere. Therefore, ensure you define, very clearly, what you are providing for your customers and brand ambassadors as soon as possible in this process.

As an example, the American Avalanche Institute moved most of their in-class training to an online environment due to concerns about COVID-19. They will still provide field sessions for their students. However, they can now provide the classroom portion in easily digestible online segments.

In addition, with sales of backcountry touring equipment up over 300%, we’re predicting a big season for beginner backcountry travelers. Therefore, AAI’s entry level course, Avalanche Fundamentals, is now completely online, and for just $30 bucks!

So, AAI is addressing concerns about classroom safety well before the start of their season. And, increasing students’ level of comfort. That is valuable.

The result? The kick-off of their 20/21 season was by far their busiest to date! Several courses were sold-out weeks after releasing the course schedule!

Final thoughts

We believe in the power of learning management tools to help small businesses like gyms, outdoor equipment, and apparel companies expand their offerings, educate their brand ambassadors, and better connect with their consumers. And, create new revenue streams!

Taking the steps to produce online courses and programs is a big investment. Therefore, building out an LMS shouldn’t be done without a clear strategy.

That said, if you’ve done the research, and feel like an LMS might be something that is right for your business, please reach out.

Let’s map out your e-learning strategy together!

generate better leads and grow your business

Want to learn how to use your website to generate better leads and grow your small business or non-profit?  Well, when we begin these projects with each client, we ask them to think about what a “lead” means for their company and how they plan to capture them.

A lead for us is an email address, but for some, it’s a phone call, a contact form completion or a follow on social media.  Be clear on what a lead means to you and your marketing team before you move on to the next step!

How to Spot a Good Lead: The Elusive Mountain Pika

A good lead is like the elusive mountain pika.  Rarely seen in the wild, this creature roams quietly through the rocky talus fields, making itself known only when in need of sustenance or to sound the alarm before diving back into its burrow.

When it finds a spot in the sun, the mountain pika may linger, basking in the glory of its warmth.  When spotted by the curious hiker, cameras and phones come flying out in the hopes of capturing this recluse of the wilderness.

Similarly, when we spot a good lead, we clamor for its attention.  We immediately email, call, InMail or the brave few may show up on their doorstep.  We are not providing the lead with any education or nourishment, we just want to sell, sell, sell.

And just like the shy mountain pika when it feels under attack, the lead disappears back into the wilds of the interwebs.

how do you capture a good lead?

Now that you’ve defined what a good lead is for your brand, how do you capture it?  And once you have it, where do you keep it?  This elusive mountain pika needs food and water, so be strategic with your planning of lead capture and lead nourishment.  Let’s set up your lead capture strategy first.  

Ways to capture a lead for your outdoor or lifestyle brand:  

There are a number of ways to capture a lead, but here’s the most common ways we capture an email address for our clients:

• contact form submission
• event activation
• download of gated content
• website footer – newsletter sign-up box
• landing pages

Where to store your leads

Having a good CRM or Customer Relationship Management system in place allows you to not only store leads, but also track additional information.  This might include how the lead came in and when, what their social handles are, and when your last contact was. 

We use Monday.com or Insightly at Top Rope Media, but have also worked with Blackbaud, SalesForce, Memberleap and Hubspot.  If your organization has a membership component, you seek financial contributions and membership dues, then having a CRM in place is crucial. 

Pro tip: Be wary of the ‘all-in-one’ solutions. 

Many companies will promise their CRM can not only help you track leads, but also manage accounting, do email marketing, social media planning, etc.  After 20 years of working in marketing and fundraising, we’ve learned there is no out-of-the-box solution that will do everything well.  Most larger brands and organizations will require some CRM customization.

If you need help selecting a CRM, or using a tool like Zapier to connect your CRM to say your email marketing platform, send up a smoke signal.  We offer consulting services to help get you moving quickly. 

Generate Better Leads by Producing Better website Content

Several of our clients have asked for a new website design, or major a refresh of their current site.  Why?  They want something more visually appealing, easier to navigate, and easier to help them generate better leads. 

Curious as to one of the primary ways we generate better leads at Top Rope Media?  We create better content.  Where does that content live?  On our website.

We should all be long past the days of buying lists and followers.  And yes, we certainly recommend paid advertising for many of our clients to help generate brand awareness and revenue.  However, we find the best leads come from the playing the long game and creating good content. 

Again, where should that content live?  On your website.

What types of content should you create

Now that you’re onboard with writing good content to help you generate more well-qualified leads, what type of content should you create?  Well these days content comes in many forms.  Video still rank as one the most-consumed pieces of content.  Accordingly to Wyzowl, 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

If you’re new to video, we’ll tackle how to get started in an upcoming post.  For now, let’s talk about what other types of good content you should be creating to generate better leads:

• Case studies
• Infographics
• Blog posts
• Videos or Vlogs (upload to YouTube or Vimeo, and embed the link on your website!)
• Checklists or resource guides
• Comparisons, rankings or reviews
• How-to or explainer videos
• Articles for trade publications, or local/national news outlets
• Press releases
• Podcasts
• White papers or eBooks

How Good Content Can Improve Your SEO

Now that you’ve learned what types of good content you can produce, don’t let your content stream dry up!  By building a library of evergreen content for your readers or viewers, and having it live on your website, you can easily link to these pieces throughout the year. 

All this good content will also help you create better search engine optimization (SEO).  Not quite sure what SEO is?  Read more about it in our Website Design and SEO blog post.  So instead of paying an agency to manage your SEO, save your money and start by writing good content!

content marketing: What to write about or record on a video

What types of content should you produce and write about?  The first step should be to start a list with the top questions you are asked about your product, service or organization. 

For example, if you create a list of the 24 questions people most frequently ask you about your service or product, then an honest and thoughtful answer to each of those questions could be your first 24 blog posts or videos!

Create authentic content that focuses on your audience’s needs and addresses their pain points.  As an example, one of the most frequently asked questions we receive is a form of “What will this cost?”  So instead of hiding that from potential clients until they receive our proposal, we address it on our Services page.

Tools to Help You Write or record Good Content

Where else can you find what written or video content your audience needs and wants and therefore generate better leads?  Through your website or Google Analytics, look at the pages with the most views (besides your homepage) along with the pages people spend the most time on. 

Need help finding more keyword phrases to include in your content?  By using the tools listed below you can create a good list of keywords or keyword phrases that are often searched for in relation to your product or service: 

• Keywords Everywhere
• SEMRush
• Buzz Sumo
• Google Search Console
• Google Keyword Planner

More Tips for Writing or recording Good Content

Be consistent and stay on brand.  As an example, most people come to our website for two separate content tracks: adventure travel and marketing.  Although we personally have an interest in what the Utah snow forecast looks like for this week, or the latest puffy jacket to hit the market, we do not write about it in our blog.

We generate better leads by staying consistent with the content we produce.  So, stay focused on offering solutions to your audience’s most frequently asked or searched questions.

content creation vs. content distribution

So now you know what types of content you can produce to generate better leads. In addition, you learned what to write about or record in those pieces of content.  What’s the next step?  Distributing that content. 

Since you cannot expect people to stumble upon your great content simply through search alone, help them find it through content distribution.  That great blog you just wrote, or that video you just recorded for YouTube (which is embedded on your website) can be shared in a number of different ways. 

Here’s a few distribution channels we use:

• Email: via an email marketing platform like Mailchimp
• Social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn)
• Paid advertising
• Online forums
• Networking groups  

How do we keep track of the content we’re distributing?  We create a content calendar to stay organized and use publishing tools like Hootsuite to track when, where and what we’re sharing.  Examples of other tools you can use to organize your content: 

• Excel, Google Sheets, Buffer, Post Planner, Hubspot

Need Content Production and Distribution Help?

Need help getting started generating better leads, or want us to create and manage your content production and distribution?  If so, read more about our Services and Pricing to see if we’re a good fit for you.  Have a quick question for us?  Send up a smoke signal or leave us a comment below.

Lastly, if you’re seeking more tips on digital marketing, check out these posts:

• 7 Steps to Crafting Your Perfect Email Strategy
• Website Design and SEO for the Outdoor Industry
• 8 Steps to Kickstart Your Online Advertising with Facebook and Instagram

To learn more about what we do on the regular, follow Top Rope Media’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Until next time, happy content writing!

Meredith