By Jeanne Murray.
moss+ross has served nearly 200 clients, grown to 20+ associates, and offers a suite of services to nonprofits, including temporary staffing through m+r interim solutions. As we begin our second decade, we have launched a robust new website commensurate with the powerful services offered by the firm. Beyond excitedly announcing “hey, look what we did!” we also want to share our process. We used the same approach to our internal project that we do in communications counsel with clients.
In our consulting engagements, we advise clients on goal setting, strategic messaging, and integrated communications planning. We followed our own advice as we revised the website:
Setting Goals: The impetus for the upgrade was, frankly, modernity! The previous site was seven years old, which is light years in web technology, and as we took a closer look, we realized we had also outgrown the content structure. Over the years we had added webpages when we created new services such as Executive Search and the Faith Communities division, updated the client and team lists as we grew, and continued to use the website to field inquiries. The structure was flexible enough, but it had a few charming quirks that forced us into less-than-optimal implementations, including for mobile devices. To initiate the redesign, we examined analytics, set goals for the user experience, and established design guidelines.
Aligning Messaging: We had talked about a web upgrade for a while, but it was our strategic planning process that underscored the need to align where we are going with what we are showing. As we articulated mission, vision, services, sectors, core values, etc., we also clarified how to tell our own story. Key elements of this storytelling include highlighting client success, in a client’s own words if possible, and demonstrating the expertise of all team members in addition to that of the partners.
Integrating Communications: moss+ross has several channels for such storytelling, including our e-newsletter, website and social media, marketing packets, client proposals, advertising and media placements, and community engagement. Our strategic plan helps us focus on what, our marketing plan on when and where, and our communications plan on making sure we’re consistent in how we tell the stories. A key design goal for our website is to make sure we are making these stories easy to see/feel/hear by making it easy to access our people, our content, and the impact of client success.
Please take a look and let us know what you think!
