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The State of Iowa has been building, with the help of an external vendor, a standardized enterprise Marketing Platform.
The Iowa Marketing Platform is a custom Drupal CMS platform designed for organizations and state agencies that require a content model and design system different from the one provided by the DX platform. The websites involved in the Marketing Platform Project have unique branding and content needs that cannot be accommodated by the DX platform. The new platform will provide a customized content model and designs. Participating agencies will create engaging content and maintain distinct branding elements while using a shared, standardized system with a focus on accessibility, and plain language.
Back to topProject Goals
Create a new content model and design system that allows sites to create compelling content and maintain distinct branding elements
Develop needed features to benefit all agencies
Build a stable, reliable platform to ease ongoing support and maintenance
Supply a consistent, easy to use content entry interface
Platform Goals
10-15% - Reduction in Site Content
83% - Accessibility Score in Acquia Optimize (formerly known as Monsido)
8th Grade - Reading Level
93% - Quality Rating in Acquia Optimize
Demo Dev Stand-Ups
On every third Thursday of the month at noon, Lullabot will hold “Demo Dev Stand-Ups.” In these stand-ups, Lullabot will demo the progress and what is happening behind the scenes. Join the fun during your lunch hour to listen in and see what is going on. Program Manager Jessica Van Heuveln has sent a calendar invitation to all marketing stakeholders. If you missed the invitation or want to participate, please contact Jessica Van Heuveln.
Back to topTimeline
Marketing Platform Kickoff and Launch Timeline
| Last Updated: 09/3/2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cohort | Department | URL | Planned Cohort Kickoff Date | Planned Cohort Launch Date | Site Launched |
| 1 | HHS | https://stophiviowa.org/ | 7/5/2024 | 1/31/2025 | |
| 2 | Homeland | https://ready.iowa.gov/ | 9/27/24 | 3/14/2025 | |
| 3 | DPS | https://safeandsoundiowa.gov/ | 12/6/2024 | 4/25/2025 | Removed from scope. |
| 4 | DPS | https://dpscareers.com/ | 2/14/2025 | 7/4/2025 | Removed from scope. |
| 5 | DPS | https://stophtiowa.org/ | 4/25/2025* | 8/10/2025* | |
| 6 | HHS | https://yourlifeiowa.org/ | 7/4/2025* | 12/12/2025* | |
| *Subject to Change | |||||
Schedule at a Glance
A week-by-week overview of what to expect as you prepare to bring your marketing site onto the Marketing Platform.
| Week | Activity | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-kickoff | Review project background and training material | Agencies |
| Review Acquia Optimize reports | Agencies | |
| Identify web roles | Agencies | |
| Week 1 | Design + Strategy Kickoff | Agencies, Lullabot |
| Deliver content inventory/audit spreadsheet and content audit guide | Lullabot | |
| Begin working on the content audit | Agencies | |
| Week 2 - 3 | Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week) | Agencies, Lullabot |
| Continue working on the content audit | Agencies | |
| Attend Navigation & Style Spectrum Workshop | Agencies, Lullabot | |
| Begin working on the context matrix | Lullabot | |
| Week 3 -4 | Attend office hours (30 minutes each week) | Agencies, Lullabot |
| Continue working on the content audit | Agencies | |
| Continue building content matrix | Lullabot | |
| Attend Design Review Meeting (Zoom Mocks) | Agencies, Lullabot | |
| Deliver writing for the web guide, Iowa style guide, and website best practices | Lullabot | |
| Week 4 -5 | Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week) | Agencies, Lullabot |
| Continue working on the content audit and content development | Agencies | |
| Attend Content Matrix Delivery Meeting | Agencies, Lullabot | |
| Deliver content type page tables | Lullabot | |
| Week 5 - 6 | Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week) | Agencies, Lullabot |
| Continue working on the content audit and content development | Agencies | |
| Attend Design Review Meeting (Sample Pages) | Agencies, Lullabot | |
| Week 6-10 | Design built in CMS | Lullabot |
| Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week) | Agencies, Lullabot | |
| Week 10-12 | Content development and content entry | Agencies, Lullabot, DOM DoIT |
| Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week) | Agencies, Lullabot | |
| Launch week | Point your domain to the new Pantheon site | DOM DoIT |
| Implement the redirect plan | DOM DoIT | |
| Archive the original website | DOM DoIT |
Pre-kickoff
Agencies will:
- Review project background and training material
- About the Project
- Accessibility and Inclusivity
- Review Acquia Optimize reports for your site and fix:
- Spelling and grammatical errors
- Broken links
- Text links with “click here” language
- Unpublish any old or outdated content and documents on your existing website.
- Identify website roles.
Week 1
Design + Strategy Kickoff: A meeting led by Lullabot to provide details on the process, guardrails, and participation, metrics, and next steps to launch the marketing site.
Lullabot will:
- Deliver content inventory/audit spreadsheet and content audit guide.
- Deliver project checklist, which outlines agency next steps.
Agencies will:
Week 2-3
Agencies will:
- Attend Navigation & Style Spectrum Workshop (60 minutes)
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Continue working on content audit.
Lullabot will:
- Attend Navigation & Style Spectrum Workshop (60 minutes)
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Begin building the content matrix, based on navigation we created in our workshop together. The content matrix is a spreadsheet that acts as a sitemap for your new site.
Week 3-4
Agencies will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Attend Design Review Meeting (Zoom Mocks) (60 Minutes)
- Continue working on content audit.
Lullabot will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Attend Design Review Meeting (Zoom Mocks) (60 Minutes)
- Continue building the content matrix.
- Deliver writing for the web guide, Iowa style guide, and website best practices.
Week 4-5
Agencies will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Attend Content Matrix Delivery Meeting (60 minutes)
- Continue working on the content audit and content development
Lullabot will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Attend Content Matrix Delivery Meeting (60 minutes)
- Deliver content type page tables
Week 5-6
Agencies will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Attend Design Review Meeting (Sample Pages) (60 Minutes)
- Continue working on the content audit and content development
Lullabot will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Attend Design Review Meeting (Sample Pages) (60 Minutes)
Week 6-10
Agencies will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
Lullabot will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Design built in CMS
Week 10-12
Agencies will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Content development and content entry
Lullabot will:
- Attend Office Hours (30 minutes each week)
- Content development and content entry
Dom DoIT will:
- Content development and content entry
Launch Week
DOM DoIT will:
- Point your domain to the new Pantheon site.
- Implement the redirect plan.
- Archive the original website. Site archives are decommissioned after 30 days. After this, you can access a public archive of your old site at Archive.org.
Differences between DX and Marketing
Guidance to help Iowa stakeholders determine whether a site should be hosted on the DX platform or on the marketing platform.
| DX Platform | Marketing Platform |
|---|---|
| An Iowa government agency or department within a government agency. | A marketing or public awareness campaign run by an Iowa government agency or a Governor’s Initiative. |
| Is a .gov top-level domain. | Likely .org or .com, but may be .gov. |
| Content | |
| Provides information about government services so that any constituent can complete a task or learn about something important to them. | Educates a targeted audience about a specific issue or topic. Informs site visitors about opportunities, actions, and support related to that issue or topic. |
| Publishes mostly text-based content and documents. Provides accurate, reliable content about public services, constituent resources, laws, and regulations. May absorb marketing content if it’s limited in scope. | Publishes text-based and graphical content. Frequent use of icons, buttons, promos, and imagery. Provides reliable, audience-specific content about a focused topic. Content depth or format requires a different presentation. |
| Frequently updated, but enduring and permanent. | May be time-limited, such as a microsite dedicated to Earth Day 2024. |
| Includes official government forms (i.e. applications, filings), and tools to access government services (i.e. registrations, payment portals). | May feature lead generating forms, e-commerce capabilities, or interactive content with personalized experiences based on user input. |
| Design | |
| Offers a standardized visual design to convey governmental authority and trustworthiness. Supports a consistent user experience for all constituents regardless of agency. | Offers unique visual designs consistent with a brand or campaign. Encourages familiarity with a brand to increase public awareness with a specific audience. |
Agency Managers
Join us virtually! This three-day event is a unique opportunity to connect with fellow agency leaders, share insights, and celebrate the progress of our Digital Transformation Project!