CompuWorks Case Study
Since 1987, CompuWorks has helped hundreds of organizations rethink what they can expect from technology and get more from their IT investment.
What We Did
- Discovery
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Photography
- Video Production
- Website Design
- Custom WordPress Development
Our first meeting
CompuWorks is a leader among its peers in the industry and was looking to break into new territory. They're well known in the Berkshires and they were looking for ways to reach new customers in Albany and the Pioneer Valley.
Initialy we decided that a Google Ad Campaign would reap the immediate rewards they wanted. We took a look at their website and had some doubts - the best ad campaign can only send viewers to their website. And their website was not converting viewers into clients.
We learned that they have never been happy with their website, and in fact, were not a part of the team that created it. So how do we do better? The next step in our process was to learn about CompuWorks - ask questions about who they are, listen to what's important to them, understand what customers need to know about them. We call this Discovery.
Discovery is flexible
The discovery process for CompuWorks was unique to them because discovery is amended to fit the client. In their case, we needed to know everything we could about their motivation. We asked them to describe themselves, and how others describe them. The answers to this kind of inquiry gave us a place to start.
Next, we looked at their competition. We documented the best websites and marketing materials we could find in the IT industry, then reviewed what we found with the CompuWorks team so we could decide what we wanted to build. The goal of our discovery sessions was to help CompuWorks make informed decisions about what they need to do, and then build everything on the list.
Once Discovery was complete, we compiled and delivered a document set that included:
- Brand Attributes: words that define their brand
- Industry Research: what works for others
- List of what to build: everything we want
- Website map of pages: the finished website structure
Our next step was to draft a proposal for the work to come and the estimated price to make it happen.
The leap from a verbal description to a visual one
Now that we had a much clearer understanding of who the company was and what their clients needed, we created a set of mood boards to visualize it. We want their visual style to represent everything we learned in discovery, and we need the client to be part of the decision making team. These mood boards are meant to start a visual conversation and to learn what the clinet likes and dislikes. They are tweaked, sometimes combined, and turned into a finished website design.
Not a single stock photo was needed.
We noticed something missing from all of CompuWorks marketing materials - their personal touch. The connection between the faceless IT company that solves problems, and the faces of the people who make their company so great. We worked with Christina Lane and Noak Sandvik to photograph employees and produce videos to be used throughout the new website.
Client Success Video
Right away, we understood how important client success is to CompuWorks. They've often told us that a win for their client feels like a win for them. This video is an extension of our aim to put the client in the foreground, and to show how technology can have an impact on any business.
During filming we were introduced to the CompuWorks team, the team at Scarafoni Financial Group, and the staff behind the dance at Jacob's Pillow. They were kind enough to let us show a personal relationship between CompuWorks and the clients they serve.
The First Conversation Video
During Discovery, we asked founding partner Alan Bauman to tell us about that first conversation he has with every new client. He summarized how that goes so well, we wanted prospective clients to hear it for themselves. Our idea was to film Alan saying those words in an interview style, and then play the video on the Contact page of the website.
The end result is better than we hoped for. Alan prepared some text ahead of time and the result is engaging. This video will be waiting for website visitors who make it to the Contact page of the CompuWorks website but haven't made that first call, yet.
A very SEO friendly website
While the creative team was designing mood boards and selecting typefaces, our SEO expert Doug Betensky was researching keywords for all 46 pages of the new CompuWorks website.
With SEO research, we're certain that the content we create for the website will help CompuWorks appear in the search results they want to show up for. After 2 months of work, we provided a blueprint for writing content for every page, including page keywords, header tags, page titles, descriptions, and strategic page elements.
We think we've succeeded in our goal to create a website that looks and feels like the company it represents. And we're confident that CompuWorks will have some new clients to look forward to.
“As a founding partner of a 30-year-old managed IT services firm, I often have the need to recommend experts outside of our core competencies. Gemini Creative is one of a very small number of trusted partners whom we never hesitate to recommend to one of our clients. They have both the design sense and the technical skills that are difficult to find under one roof.”
“Their websites look great and communicate clearly. And when there is a need for a web application to simplify and improve office tasks, they have the experience and capabilities to pull it all together. This team consistently delivers top-notch results and they do it affordably.”
Alan Bauman Founding PartnerCompuWorks, Ltd.
Berkshire Theatre GroupPittsfield, MA
Berkshire Theatre Group initially approached us to see how we could improve their current website. Through discussions and creative thinking, we helped them determine a pain-point: distinguishing their theaters.
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413-854-4599 sales@gemini-creative.com