When the Hello Bar burst on the scene, it was a revelation. With one line of code a marketer could draw every visitor’s attention to one, important message they needed to push.

No redesign. No extensive code.

(source: HotelReviewSite)

But as time has gone on, I’ve noticed three things:

1. These bars are no so common, I hardly noticed them anymore. After testing this theory on a side project, the numbers agree.
2. Resorts usually have multiple current and important things to say.
3. The first place my eyes go on Facebook is my red alerts count. Same on my phone.

So I created a goal for myself as this idea started to simmer:

“Give ski resorts a way with no extra work, coding, or redesigning to give important information extra visibility on their website the way Hello Bar used to for other sites.”

Here’s what I came up with.

Step #1) Hashtag to Add
One thing about these bits of information is that they are rarely shared just on the website. Instead, they are almost always posted to social as well. So why make a resort marketer post something twice? Instead, by adding a specific hashtag like #skidot…

…to important information, a script could automatically fill the alert list with the contents and links of those tweets.

Step #2) The Alert-Count Dot
Next, I’d use a simple, round user-icon that carries the power of the red alert-count. This would require just one line of javascript and would hover above your site wherever you wanted it to be (different for desktop vs mobile).

Here’s how it might look up close…

…with a full-size example as well.

Because it would be independent of the website, it wouldn’t require any changes in current design or CMS setups. And because the alerts aren’t living in the dot itself, the number of alerts could grow and shrink with how much current information needs to be spread and wouldn’t be limited to just one.

Step #3) Lightbox Alert List
If someone were to click on those alerts a simple lightbox would pop up displaying all the alerts with links that would take the visitor to wherever there are more details about it.

They could also mark alerts as read which, if the alert count went to zero, would remove the red alert count from the dot or even hide the dot completely.

A few cookies and you’ve got a list that is tied to a specific user and comes and goes as you add and they notice.

1, 2, 3 Go?
It’s a simple idea, but one that follows the goal of “zero effort with measurable benefit.”

These things rarely are game-changers on their own, but together can add up to make a significant impact on the marketing success of a brand the way Hello Bar has done for years.

So, what do you think? Any value? Any feedback? Any better ideas?

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.