1. The proposal
Local news agency YB News came to Castle with an old site and an outmoded brand that was no longer fit for purpose. They wanted a site that performed well in Google rankings and engaged their audience in a way that befitted their vision of what a news agency should look like.
Castle suggested that, in order to improve YB’s market share, they needed to create a corporate image that reflected the size and type of business they had created. To do this, they would need to rebrand with a new logo and a new website to complement this vision. They also decided to rename to Liverpool Business News.
Castle would design and create this new brand to build the news organisation’s corporate image and sales leads through a bespoke design, which would be purpose-built for an interactive news platform such as theirs. This would be done with the aims of increasing user experience, increasing viewing figures and, most importantly, providing a greater Return On Investment through increased sales engagement.
2. The process
The first thing we needed to do was outline and produce a range of conceptual designs for LBN’s logo, before agreeing on a brand style that effectively reflected their needs, one built around the ideas of authority and trust.
Castle then built a user-friendly site that boasted a high level of configurability and integration capabilities (including Facebook, Google, and Instagram logins) with an advanced, powerful search engine, including the ability to search with category tags.
Because up-to-date news is a highly reactive process, part of Castle’s remit was to include a high degree of self-sufficiency into the design of this WordPress site. This was not simply a cost-effective solution but also a way to allow LBN’s staff to quickly edit and upload rapidly changing content without the need for code. Our web development team also incorporated into the content management system a range of enhanced features, such as:
- An innovative search facility that strips back the high visibility, colour-coded headings
- The ability to share all news items, thereby spreading influence
- Relatable articles, meaning site visitors stay longer, thereby increasing conversion rates
- In-frame video capability
- A secure comments section
- A mega menu facility through hover
- Individualised social link connectivity
- A blog and newsletter signup
3. The results
LBN, or Liverpool Business News, now has a suitable platform with which to report business news to a local and wider online audience, with the aim of promoting global events. This includes events such as Getting British Businesses Online (a Google pilot project), The Global Entrepreneurs Congress, and The International Festival for Business. LBN do this by adding subscribers to their weekly newsletter and regular visitors to their website.
The results for LBN have been astonishing. A complete rebrand with the design and creation of a new logo, alongside the completion of a bespoke, fully-functional web platform utilising a range of information and features for customers to access, has led to a 120% sales increase from 2016-2017 (with site figures and traffic increases evaluated through Google Analytics). More importantly, it has led to both new and increased revenue streams.
