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A well known greatest follow for right now’s enterprise leaders is to “stroll the speak” — match their very own actions with the priorities and values they encourage others to display.
Advertising and marketing maven April Rudin, founder and CEO of The Rudin Group, simply did that not too long ago with the rebranding of her agency’s web site. Its marquee motto: “We predict in a different way.”
“It was a giant effort,” Rudin stated in an interview with ThinkAdvisor. “As a advertising agency, if we will’t display a really clear worth proposition for ourselves with a web site that appears visually interesting and communicates our message, then it’s going to affect how our purchasers and prospects take a look at us.”
However — as she advises her purchasers in wealth administration and associated areas to do — Rudin additionally needed to make her agency’s new web site stand out.
“I had a transparent imaginative and prescient in my thoughts that I believed represented our model, which was ‘good enjoyable,’ she defined. “I needed it to be good, after all, as a result of we’re in monetary providers, so it’s gotta be good and display data, eminence and authority.”
On the similar time, Rudin stated, the web site wanted to have a lighter facet.
“I needed it to be a little bit bit cheeky, fascinating and barely edgy — in order that it demonstrates that advertising doesn’t at all times must be actually conservative or hew to what others are doing. There’s much more latitude in how manufacturers can consider themselves right now,” she stated.
Right here’s the primary half of our interview, by which she covers all the pieces from the necessity to eliminate inventory photos to the significance of getting an FAQ web page; the second half of the dialogue, which focuses on branding, will probably be posted individually.
THINKADVISOR: Earlier than your current rebrand, what was your web site’s focus or goal?
APRIL RUDIN: Once I launched my agency in 2008 — a time of turmoil within the markets about 15 years in the past — I believed that companies actually wanted to suppose in a different way about their model and the way they had been approaching purchasers.
I’ve two Gen Z children of my very own and observed that monetary providers manufacturers seemed previous and musty.
I used to be in all probability one of many first entrepreneurs to make use of the phrase millennial, and I got here up with this idea of multi-generational advertising about 12 years in the past. Since then, occasions have actually modified. It’s an previous story and time for one thing new. Similar to we advise our purchasers, it’s necessary to refresh and keep related.
I had the identical kind of feeling now as in 2008 — it’s a transitional time and a possibility for us to speak to potential prospects in new methods.
What’s new along with your model and web site?
Our theme is how this can be a completely different time, and we’re considering in a different way. Folks ought to suppose in a different way about how they go to market with digital media, social media and all of the completely different applied sciences that at the moment are powering manufacturers. It’s a extremely fascinating time.
Additionally, private manufacturers have gotten extra necessary, if not as necessary, as agency manufacturers. It’s laborious to dig into a few of these huge manufacturers. However as soon as you understand the private model and you understand the folks, you’ll be able to attain out to a few of the folks [at a firm].
Loads has modified in 15 years, and we need to guarantee that we seize all of that.
What was the strategic considering behind the rebrand?
It was a giant effort, and I’ll inform you why. As a advertising agency, if we will’t display a really clear worth proposition for ourselves with a web site that appears visually interesting and communicates our message, then it’s going to affect how our purchasers and prospects take a look at us.
I had a transparent imaginative and prescient in my thoughts that I believed represented our model, which was “good enjoyable.”
I needed it to be good, after all, as a result of we’re in monetary providers, so it’s gotta be good and display data, eminence and authority.
Alternatively, I needed it to be a little bit bit cheeky, fascinating and barely edgy — in order that it demonstrates that advertising doesn’t at all times must be actually conservative or hew to what others are doing. There’s much more latitude in how manufacturers can consider themselves right now.
How did you create and launch the brand new web site?
It was an enormous challenge, however the hardest factor with any challenge like that’s getting the fitting tone. As soon as I had this concept of good enjoyable, it grew to become actually simpler to speak what we needed to do.
We employed our personal exterior advertising people to assist us, simply as we might encourage our purchasers to do. It’s tough to speak something about your self. It’s like writing your individual resume. It’s laborious to be goal. I’d advocate that different companies do that.
Why else is it useful to get exterior opinions when rebranding and making associated modifications?
We’ve produced many many web sites ourselves. So we imagine that there’s worth in getting exterior opinions on copy, on design, on shopper expertise — on each facet of a web site.
We employed an outdoor company to check out our personal work, which was a extremely fascinating train. It was necessary to essentially distance myself from the work.
As a founding father of a agency, I do know it’s necessary to take recommendation. You could do it. All people wants to do that — distance themselves from your individual opinion and soak up skilled recommendation. Take it in and perceive it as simply that: skilled recommendation and never anybody’s opinion.
What are an important steps for updating a web site?
Relating to updating your web site, it’s necessary to first take into consideration your message(s) and viewers. And tone.
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