AASM Digital Ecosystem
Rebuilding 4 Web Properties Into a Unified Digital Ecosystem for a 13,000-Member Medical Association
Led the complete rebuild of aasm.org, shop.aasm.org, sleepmeeting.org, and astep.aasm.org — replacing fragmented platforms and inconsistent branding with a unified, modern web ecosystem.
Understanding the Problem
The AASM digital ecosystem had grown organically over years into a fragmented collection of disconnected web properties. When I took ownership, the state was:
4+ web properties built on different platforms with no shared design system — WordPress with custom themes, an Avada template site, iMIS/ASI association management software, and separate ASP.NET applications
4 different font families across properties (decorative serif, Antic Slab, Poppins, and system defaults) with no typographic consistency
The e-commerce store was buried inside the members.aasm.org AMS portal — users needed separate credentials to browse products, and the storefront had Telerik JavaScript errors in the console
3 separate authentication systems with no single sign-on: SAML SSO for the main site, AMS login for the store, and a separate ASP.NET portal for ASTEP education
sleepmeeting.org operated as an isolated property with no AASM branding in the header and a minimal footer with no cross-site navigation
CSS and JavaScript errors across properties — Elementor chunk loading failures on astep.aasm.org, SiteGround Optimizer breaking stylesheets
Marketing Technology Manager
Led the digital ecosystem rebuild across 4 web properties for a 13,000+ member medical association. Managed the full lifecycle from platform evaluation through launch, coordinating across IT, membership, education, and executive stakeholders.
Platform evaluation and vendor selection for CMS, e-commerce, and hosting
Information architecture design across 4 web properties with distinct audiences
Shopify store build with member/non-member dual pricing and product taxonomy
WordPress theme development and template standardization for aasm.org, sleepmeeting.org, and astep.aasm.org
Cross-domain analytics architecture with unified HubSpot tracking
Stakeholder alignment across IT, membership, education, and executive teams
How I Solved It
Information Architecture & Ecosystem Mapping
- Audited all existing properties: aasm.org, the AMS-based store at members.aasm.org, sleepmeeting.org, astep.aasm.org, plus satellite sites (foundation, engage, learn, ISR, career, sleep education)
- Mapped the full cross-site linking architecture — aasm.org as the hub connecting to 12+ subdomains and external properties
- Defined navigation taxonomy: 7 main categories on aasm.org with mega-menu dropdowns, plus utility bar linking to all satellite properties
- Established persona-based routing: clinicians, facility managers, technologists, students, patients, and conference attendees each get clear pathways
WordPress Ecosystem Rebuild
- Rebuilt aasm.org on WordPress with WP Engine managed hosting and Cloudflare CDN — replacing the aging theme with a custom build featuring mega-menu navigation
- Modernized sleepmeeting.org from an Avada template to a purpose-built conference site with countdown timers, speaker features, and registration integration
- Rebuilt astep.aasm.org with Elementor for the education team's content management needs, featuring career pathway bifurcation (Start vs. Advance Your Career)
- Standardized on Open Sans typography, navy (#0E4065) and orange (#ED7C40) brand palette, and consistent footer patterns with affiliated site cross-links
Shopify E-Commerce Platform
- Migrated from the iMIS/ASI AMS storefront (members.aasm.org) to a dedicated Shopify store at shop.aasm.org with the custom 'Noire (AASM)' theme
- Built dual-pricing architecture: every product displays both non-member and member prices (30% discount), driving membership value perception
- Created multi-dimensional product taxonomy: browse by format (Books, Slide Sets, On-Demand Modules, MOC Exams), by professional credit type (CME, MOC boards), and by role (Sleep Physician, APP, Tech, Student)
- Integrated 11 payment methods including Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay — plus abandoned cart recovery and post-purchase nurture workflows via HubSpot
Cross-Domain Analytics & Tracking
- Deployed unified HubSpot tracking (portal 40691978) across all 4 properties — creating a single member engagement view regardless of which site they visit
- Configured property-specific GA4 measurement IDs and GTM containers for clean per-property reporting while maintaining HubSpot as the cross-domain layer
- Implemented Cookiebot consent management across WordPress properties for GDPR/CCPA compliance
- Set up Hotjar heatmap tracking on aasm.org to identify navigation and engagement patterns across the mega-menu structure
Brand Governance & Template System
- Created shared component patterns across all properties: card-based layouts, consistent CTA styles, unified footer structure with affiliated site links
- Established annual refresh workflow for sleepmeeting.org — standardized template system so year-over-year conference rebranding requires content updates, not full rebuilds
- Built style guide documentation to prevent design drift as multiple teams update different properties
- Implemented consistent social media integration and newsletter signup patterns across all sites
Multi-Platform Web Ecosystem
Architected a distributed web ecosystem spanning 4 primary properties and 8+ satellite sites, unified by shared analytics, consistent branding, and cross-site navigation architecture.
WordPress (WP Engine)
Primary CMS for aasm.org — custom theme, mega-menu navigation, Yoast SEO, Cloudflare CDN with Brotli compression
Shopify (Custom Noire Theme)
E-commerce platform at shop.aasm.org — dual member/non-member pricing, 11 payment methods, product taxonomy by role and credit type
WordPress + Elementor
Microsites for sleepmeeting.org (annual conference) and astep.aasm.org (technologist education program)
HubSpot (Portal 40691978)
Unified marketing automation and contact tracking across all 4 properties — the single source of truth for member engagement
Cloudflare
CDN and edge security for 3 of 4 properties, with Brotli/Zstandard compression and DDoS protection
GA4 + GTM
Per-property analytics with property-specific measurement IDs, supplemented by Hotjar heatmaps on aasm.org
Strategic Decisions
Why Shopify instead of WooCommerce for the store?
The old store lived inside an iMIS/ASI association management system at members.aasm.org — users needed AMS credentials just to browse products. Shopify gave us a dedicated storefront with modern UX, member pricing via discount codes, and zero dependency on the AMS platform. It also eliminated the Telerik JS errors that plagued the old system.
Why separate GA4 properties per site instead of one cross-domain property?
Each property serves a distinct audience (clinicians, shoppers, conference attendees, technologist students) with different KPIs. Separate GA4 properties keep reporting clean while HubSpot's unified portal provides the cross-domain member journey view where it matters — in the CRM.
How did you handle 4 different design systems becoming one?
The old ecosystem used 4 different font families (decorative serif, Antic Slab + Nunito Sans, Poppins, and AMS defaults) with no shared color system. We standardized on Open Sans with a navy/orange brand palette and consistent card-based layouts. The conference site (sleepmeeting.org) kept its maroon accent for event identity, but shares the structural patterns.
Impact & Outcomes
Technologies & Tools
Compliance & Governance
Capabilities Demonstrated
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Schedule a ConversationKey Learnings
The Store Was Hiding Behind a Login Wall
The old store required AMS credentials to browse products. Moving to Shopify with a public-facing storefront immediately changed the economics — members could see the 30% discount they were missing, and non-members could discover products they didn't know existed.
Unified Tracking Beats Unified Analytics
We deliberately kept GA4 properties separate per site because each has different KPIs. But HubSpot as the unified CRM layer gives us the member journey view. Trying to force everything into one analytics property would have created noise, not insight.
Template Systems Prevent Annual Panic
sleepmeeting.org used to require a near-full rebuild every year for the new conference. Standardizing on reusable templates with parameterized branding (dates, city, colors) turned a multi-week project into a content refresh.
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