You'll have the rare chance to hear firsthand what goes into a winning website from the team who swept this year's Your Honor Awards, including Greenfield Belser's Erika Ritzer and Joe Walsh, and Schwabe's Courtney Marti.
2. #GBwinningwebsites
• quick intro to presenters
• the winners, before and after
• how to usher a successful project
through a partnership and live to tell
about it
agenda
3. #GBwinningwebsites
• quick intro to presenters
• the winners, before and after
• how to usher a successful project
through a partnership and live to tell
about it
agenda
5. #GBwinningwebsites
• quick intro to presenters
• the winners, before and after
• how to usher a successful project
through a partnership and live to tell
about it
agenda
11. #GBwinningwebsites
before
the problems with the old…
• does not convey our strength or
differentiators, neither powerful
nor sophisticated; bland
• behind the digital times, not
mobile friendly
• content dominated by words
• needs more intuitive, easy to
manage CMS
• new website needs to be figured
in the context of a full rebrand
13. #GBwinningwebsites
before
on the plus side,
brief, easily read,
bulleted instructions
in the minus column,
“sales” materials don’t
sell—lack a human
connection and power
of engagement
15. #GBwinningwebsites
the brand promise
Schwabe is focused on your industry, a
member of your team committed to deliver
expertise and ideas, recognizing that every
deal has a dream and every risk, an
opportunity. That’s what it means to be
“represented by Schwabe.”
16. #GBwinningwebsites
• organize around our six core industries vital to the
strength and growth of the pacific northwest
• speak our clients’ industry language to suggest we
understand their challenges and opportunities
• being represented by Schwabe is like a seal of
approval; it means you have a competitive
advantage
• to be represented by Schwabe means that our firm
is a member of your team
represented by Schwabe, the idea
36. #GBwinningwebsites
• short timeline, pressure to implement out new
strategic plan (a culture shift expedited)
• creating content in a new way (industry first)
• building consensus around represented by
Schwabe and re-structuring around industries
• strong collaboration between firm leadership,
marketing leadership, strategists, design
team, developer (FirmSeek)
• successful internal launch with brand book,
thought leadership party and giveaways
challenges and successes
43. #GBwinningwebsites
before
the problems with the old…
• second tier position, middle
of a crowded pack of
sophisticated Toronto firms
• dated, not mobile friendly
• more about us than the
market
• a not so friendly face on the
firm
47. #GBwinningwebsites
the brand promise
Among Toronto-based firms, Blaney’s stands
out for efficient, practical legal services that help
insurance companies, growing businesses or
dynamic startups realize opportunities and make
problems go away. Blaneys’ down-to-earth
lawyers care passionately about your goals.
63. #GBwinningwebsites
• talented third party consultant (Catherine Meaney)
who knew the market and the process; invested
marketing partner
• need for content management efficiencies and
new CMS (chose, Saturno Webback)
• content rethought and then rewritten (huge effort)
• investing in strong original imagery, avoiding stock
• postponed plans for video imagery due to difficulty
(good reality check)
challenges and successes
66. #GBwinningwebsites
• exterior city images of Toronto
• interior images of the office
• portraits of Blaney’s professionals
for biographies
• group portraiture for recruiting
hundreds of images taken by
local photographer
74. #GBwinningwebsites
increase of 43% in users and
33% in page views overall
Google Analytics year over year 6 month comparison
web traffic
75. #GBwinningwebsites
before
15 steps and took 20
minutes per bio for the
multiple versions maintained
Used 35-40% of a full time
equivalent’s time
after
updates are made once in
the CMS in 1 click
Uses 10% of a full time
equivalent’s time
creating, updating and publishing bios
76. #GBwinningwebsites
before
24-step process:
InDesign > Word > Acrobat
75% of a full time job.
after
all content managed via the
CMS, can be easily
converted into a digital or
print “branded” newsletter
immediately.
20% of a full time job.
creating, updating and publishing newsletters
89. #GBwinningwebsites
before
the problems with the old…
• lackluster, unlike people of
the firm
• no promise of value
• imagery that decorates
rather than positions
• dominated by words
• mobile unfriendly
92. #GBwinningwebsites
the brand promise
Hall Maines & Lugrin is an energy-focused firm
with a deep understanding of the problems you
face and solutions you need in the full context of
your business. We know energy.
107. #GBwinningwebsites
• no marketing team—one attorney
contact; outsourced virtually everything,
including data entry
• package of brand strategy, web
design/development and logo
• all new professional photography
• model copywriting
• CMS: Point & Clique
challenges and success
108. #GBwinningwebsites
• quick intro to presenters
• the winners, before and after
• how to usher a successful project
through a partnership
agenda
109. #GBwinningwebsites
• lack of strong leadership (nature of a
partnership)
• content handled too late, lacks project
plan
• misunderstood scope and change orders
• no budget for new professional bio photos
or photo logistics (across locations)
• clients or lawyers choosing their own
images (stock photography hell)
five common roadblocks
110. #GBwinningwebsites
lack of strong leadership
• develop a committee at the outset
• committee becomes apostles for the project
• committee needs decision making authority
five common roadblocks
113. #GBwinningwebsites
misunderstood scope and change orders
get a detailed estimate of what’s included and
what’s not including the often overlooked:
• licensing fees to stock photography
• data entry
• number of design revisions
• post launch maintenance and bug
resolution
• CMS fees
five common roadblocks
114. #GBwinningwebsites
• what you want the CMS to do vs. what
you need it to do
• open source vs. proprietary
CMS decision considerations
116. #GBwinningwebsites
clients or lawyers choosing their own images
(stock photography hell)
• develop a consistent visual style
• have a simple strategy for interior pages
• be conscious of licensing fees
five common roadblocks
117. #GBwinningwebsites
• brand strategy or sharper brand messaging
were a part of each project
• investment, at different budgets, in unique and
custom design approaches to break the
conventional templated site mold
• a collaborative process, involving the people
on the line (partners) along side of marketers,
strategists, designers and developers
common denominators for winners
118. #GBwinningwebsites
• strong firm leadership and project
management in each
• tracking and measuring results and including
them in contest entries
common denominators for winners