1. **Content Guidelines**
- At VVC we understand the creative passion that drives authors like you to share their expertise and experiences with our audience. As you craft content for our library it's important to remember that our goal is to inspire inform and engage our readers. We value diverse perspectives and unique insights but also have guidelines to ensure that all content aligns with our standards and values. Please read these guidelines carefully before submitting your contributions. As a part of the VVC community your voice matters and we're excited to help amplify it.
- Who Is a VVC Guest Author?
- Guest authors are the ”special sauce” of our blogs. You are the VVC team members who day in and day out provide support to military-connected students and staff and faculty at our university partners. You are the enrollment counselors career coaches student success managers and marketers who guide these students on their educational journeys. You are the veterans and military spouses who have walked in their shoes. Your insights expertise and lived experiences are invaluable and we invite you to share them with our readers.
- Who Are the VVC Audiences?
- Virtual Veterans Communities (VVC) caters to a wide spectrum of audiences all connected to the military in some way. Our readers include active military personnel veterans military spouses and families considering higher ed or already underway with their degree or certificate. We also provide valuable insights for administrators and faculty at our partner universities to help them support their military and veteran student population.
- The content we deliver serves different purposes for each of these groups.
- For our military student audiences we provide guidance support resources and a sense of community. This blog focus is generally institution-agnostic (not specific to any one university) and can be found on our VVC Advice for Students feed. This is the bulk of the content we produce for this audience.
- University-specific content is also produced and we rely on our embedded team members to help inform and write these pieces. The current example of this content stream is found on the GGU Military Blog.
- For higher ed administrators we offer insights and understanding to better support their military-connected students. This content is featured on our main VVC Blog and promoted via our Military Connected Student Newsletter — distributed monthly to a list of higher ed administrators at institutions nationwide.
- Best Practices in Blog Writing
- Writing for an online audience is different from traditional forms of writing. It requires a strategic approach to ensure your message is heard loud and clear. Here are some best practices to consider:
- Consider Your Audience: Always keep your readers in mind. Whether you're writing for military-connected students or higher ed administrators your content must meet their needs and address their concerns. Tip: What are some of the most commonly asked questions students have that you find yourself answering? The questions people have are usually the same things they’re searching for online. Therefore a blog article answering a specific question is highly useful to the user!
- Optimize for SEO: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of improving an article's visibility on search engines. SEO helps your content rank higher in search results making it more likely to be seen by your target audience. One way to optimize your article is by incorporating relevant keywords throughout the text. These are the words or phrases that people are likely to search for when looking for information related to your article. Mention keywords (or phrases) throughout but mostly focus on creating high-quality informative content valuable to your readers. By striking the right balance between incorporating keywords and providing valuable information you can improve the visibility and reach of your article.
- Make it Skimmable: To captivate the average blog reader it is crucial to deliver content that is concise straightforward and compelling. Grab their attention with a succinct and engaging writing style allowing them to grasp the essence of your message quickly. Break up your content with H1, H2, and H3 headings. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and succinct. Let the content “breathe” with lots of white space and images. This makes your post easier to read and helps search engines understand your content better.
- Include a Call to Action: Encourage your readers to take action after reading your post. This could be a prompt to share your post, leave a comment, or reach out for more information.
- General Formatting Guidelines
- Aim for a word count between 600-800 words for your post to be effective and SEO-friendly. Try to keep paragraphs around 4-6 lines max. Readers, especially online readers, really appreciate white space. This length is ideal for providing detailed, valuable content without overwhelming your readers.
- Headings are not just decorative; they guide your readers through your post and make your content more digestible. Use H1 for your title, H2 for main headings, and H3 for subheadings.
- Adhere to AP Style for all content, including military terminology and references. Hyperlink the text with any referenced sources and try to link back to at least one previously published article on our corresponding blog feed! This also helps with, you guessed it, SEO.
- The VVC Voice
- At VVC, we speak to our readers with empathy and professionalism. We understand the unique challenges our military-connected students face, and we address them with respect and support. While maintaining this professional tone, feel free to share personal anecdotes and experiences. Remember, our readers value your expertise and perspective.
- Visual Identity
- Visuals are a powerful way to enhance your message. They can convey emotions, illustrate concepts, and grab attention. However, it's essential to maintain VVC's visual identity. This means using images that align with our brand and resonate with our audience.
- VVC's Visual Identity & Brand Standards
- Visual identity is a key component of VVC's brand. It does more than simply make our blog visually attractive; it communicates our values and mission and fosters a sense of belonging in our community. Our brand colors are a mix of blues and greys. These colors represent authority, loyalty, power, professionalism, and trust. Our bold sans serif font exudes confidence and clarity, effectively accentuating our position of authority and unwavering dedication to our mission.
- When choosing images, we lean towards those that depict post-service life, education, and community. Photos showing veterans or active duty members in their professional and personal lives, students engaged in academic activities, or images conveying a sense of community resonate well with our audience.
- VVC's Photo Style
- The photos we use at VVC are carefully selected to have a consistent aesthetic that reinforces our brand identity. We use high-resolution images that are clean and simple, with clear focal points. We prefer natural lighting to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Our images often feature people, allowing us to showcase the diversity and unity within the military community.
- When editing photos, we aim for a balance between authenticity and aesthetic appeal. We avoid overly dramatic filters or alterations to keep our visuals grounded and relatable. Remember, our ultimate goal is to foster a sense of connection and community; our visual identity plays a vital role in achieving this.
- Use of Stock Photos
- At VVC, we adopt a nuanced approach to our visual storytelling, especially when it comes to representing the military community. Instead of resorting to the typical, perhaps cliche military stock photos, we prefer images that reflect a more realistic and relatable portrayal of military life.
- Images featuring individuals with traits common in the military community - such as beards, tattoos, and a generally fit physique - can subtly suggest their military connection. The diversity of our community is also a crucial aspect we want our visuals to reflect. We aim to depict a wide range of individuals, including people of various ethnicities, genders, and ages, with a particular focus on the 25-50 age group.
- Family life is another key aspect of our imagery. Photos depicting family moments or interactions can profoundly resonate with our audience, many juggling military or post-service professional responsibilities alongside familial duties.
- Remember, the goal here is authenticity. We want to avoid overly romanticized or stereotypical military images. Instead, we strive for visuals that genuinely mirror the lives, experiences, and diversity of the military community we serve.
- Pitfalls of Military Imagery
- When using military photography, there are several important dos and don’ts to consider. Do ensure you have the correct permissions and respect all copyright laws. Photography from the Department of Defense (DoD) is usually in the public domain and available for use; however, the correct credit must be given and only in an editorial context (not advertising or marketing). Don't use imagery containing identifiable personnel or military equipment without the necessary clearance.
- As for the Veterans Affairs (VA), do make use of the vast public domain image library available, but don't use images depicting identifiable individuals without their consent. Always respect the privacy and dignity of our military personnel and veterans.
- Lastly, always strive for authenticity, diversity, and respect, avoiding divisive or harmful stereotypes in the imagery.
- Submission Workflow
- When you're ready to submit, prepare your article in a Google Doc and grant editing access to Kellie Artis. She'll review your work with tracked changes, providing notes and suggested edits for your consideration. Once you've incorporated these suggestions, resubmit the updated copy for the final review. At this stage, our content team will take over, selecting suitable imagery in line with our brand identity and loading the final piece onto our sites. Your article will then be scheduled for publication.
- Please share the published article with your networks. If you choose to share it on social media, please remember to tag VVC to facilitate further reach and engagement.
- Conclusion
- Now that you're equipped with these guidelines, we invite you to step into the blog writing battlefield confidently. Remember, your words have the power to inspire, inform, and support our military-connected students and higher ed administrators. We can't wait to read what you have to share.
- Thank you for being a part of our mission at Virtual Veterans Communities. We value your contribution and look forward to your insightful posts.
2. **VVC Market Segmentation**
- CY 2023
- Overview
- This document outlines our market segmentation approach for calendar year 2023. It highlights where we will focus awareness building, lead generation, solution development, and other efforts to meet our near-term strategic objectives and ensure a strong foundation for potential future expansion.
- In order to make the best use of limited resources, we will focus on building meaningful inroads in select segments of the higher education institution and non-institutional provider markets. We will also focus on developing long-term strategic partnerships (versus transactional relationships) with providers whose business and operational models we understand deeply and for whom we can provide a unique set of solutions for enrolling and supporting military-connected students.
- Segmentation and Prioritization
- Segmentation and prioritization approach
- Our segmentation approach defines where we will focus our awareness building, lead generation, solution development, and related pre-engagement efforts. Each segment is defined using three categories of variables which will be considered individually and collectively for purposes of targeting.
- Demographics - both of the providers and their students
- Behavioral factors - particularly in the area of military-connected student enrollment and success
- Geography - including proximity to U.S. military installations and location-based economic factors such as Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates
- Once we begin engaging with a prospective partner, we will further triage/prioritize opportunities based on three additional variables in order to ensure that our limited Sales resources are being put to the best use.
- Qualification Level - using organizational (Problem/Urgency/Solution/Partner) and individual (Budget/Authority/Needs/Timeline) frameworks
- Psychographic Profile - of decision maker(s) and key influencers
- Deal Value - with emphasis on long-term potential
- Priority segments and subsegments
- Our priority segments and subsegments are:
- “Military/Veteran Friendly” Traditional 4-year Private Non-Profit
- Demographic
- GI Bill eligible
- Medium/large total enrollments (1000+)
- Medium/large GI Bill enrollments (50+)
- Semi-selective or open-enrollment
- Behavioral
- No or few Principles of Excellent (POE) complaints
- Committed to serving military-connected students as evidenced by participation in programs such as DOD Military Tuition Assistance, Yellow Ribbon, Student Veterans of America, 8 Keys to Veterans' Success, VetSuccess on Campus, etc.
- Geographic
- In a location with above average Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates
- “Military/Veteran Friendly” Adult & Professional (online continuing education and graduate units at public and private non-profit institutions)
- Demographic
- GI Bill eligible
- Medium/large total enrollments (1000+)
- Medium/large GI Bill enrollments (50+)
- Semi-selective or open-enrollment
- IF PUBLIC: Section 702 (Residency Rate) compliant
- Behavioral
- No or few Principles of Excellent (POE) complaints
- Committed to serving military-connected students as evidenced by participation in programs such as DOD Military Tuition Assistance, Yellow Ribbon, Student Veterans of America, 8 Keys to Veterans' Success, VetSuccess on Campus, etc.
- Geographic
- IF RESIDENTIAL: In a location with above average Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates
- IF ONLINE: U.S.-based
- Non-Institutional Providers
- Online Program Managers (OPMs) - named accounts only for now
- 2U/EdX
- Academic Partnerships
- All Campus
- Bisk
- Keypath
- Noodle
- Pearson
- Wiley/Deltak
- Higher Ed Marketing and Enrollment Agencies - named accounts only for now
- Anthology
- Education Advisory Board (EAB)
- Education Dynamics
- Ruffalo Noel Levitz
- “Military/Veteran Friendly” Traditional 4-year Public
- Demographic
- GI Bill eligible
- Section 702 (Residency Rate) compliant
- Medium/large total enrollments (1000+)
- Medium/large GI Bill enrollments (50+)
- Semi-selective or open-enrollment
- Behavioral
- No or few Principles of Excellent (POE)
