|
Monroe Bank serves central and south-central Indiana from its headquarters
in Bloomington. The bank has a strong brand that’s focused
on customer service and community commitment.
Monroe Bank’s old site didn’t reflect their brand or
meet their changing needs as they reached out to new markets in
the region. The design was generic, the code wasn’t search
engine-friendly, and the site architecture was confusing. And when
did they need the new site? Yesterday.
See
and learn more
Brand: Our design built on the Monroe Bank brand
by using its signature green along with warm accent colors. While
many banking sites feature “lifestyle” photos that show
generic people working with laptop computers, we chose photos in
which people look directly at the visitor. With rich textures, classic
colors, and friendly faces, the photos create an immediate emotional
connection and demonstrate how Monroe Bank’s people make all
the difference.
Site architecture: Our navigation system “chunked”
information into major and minor categories. We narrowed navigational
choices on the home page to key categories, then offered visitors
access to a wealth of information one click down. One photo is assigned
to each category of information so visitors can easily tell when
they’ve switched categories. We also created a series of ads
for the site to tell the visitor about related offerings in other
categories. Finally, we added a search engine and site map as additional
navigational aids.
Content: The redesign also allowed us to greatly
expand site content. The new site describes products and services
in greater detail, and account comparison charts and other tools
help visitors decide which product is best for them and how to contact
the appropriate staff. In addition, the bank can now easily promote
special programs, such as its banking and travel club, special seminars,
and community events. We specifically wanted to promote online banking,
so we created visual and textual aids to drive people to that product.
The redesign brought a quick and overwhelmingly positive response,
immediately leading to more sales. Search engine ranking is good
and both customers and internal staff find the site much easier
to use. Because the site captures the brand so well, its design
elements are appearing in new print materials. Plans are underway
to make site content dynamic, integrate online and offline marketing
efforts, and publish additional financial planning content to help
attract search engine traffic. In December 2006, the
site was featured in Community Banker, an
industry trade magazine, for its powerful brand impact. In May 2007,
Monroe Bank received a Maxi
Award, one of the industry’s highest accolades, for this
site design.
View
the live site
Cairril has a great grasp of the larger
picture and is one of the best collaborators I’ve had. She
knows how to listen. She doesn’t stop at the words I say—she
digs deeper to learn what I really want. She was the perfect choice
for our site redesign.
Our new website is leaps and bounds
beyond our previous site. Cairril would be a great choice for anyone
who wants marketing to be a bigger piece of the whole. Working with
her was overwhelmingly positive—I’d trust her with any
marketing problem.
Danise Alano, Vice-President of Marketing, Monroe Bank
|
