21CBS: Rebranding and Revamping an Online Presence
- Matthew East
- Dec 19, 2024
- 3 min read
Client
21st Century Building Services (21CBS) offers high-quality construction services, specializing in new builds, refurbishments, alterations, fit-outs, maintenance, and electrical contracts.
Established in 2001, they serve diverse sectors, including education, healthcare, retail, industrial, offices, and the public sector.
Their client portfolio features notable organisations such as the University of Bristol, Bristol City Council, and the NHS.
Challenge: Creating A New Website
21CBS needed a new website. Their pre-existing site, over 15 years old, no longer represented the evolved company, which now focuses on sectors like aerospace, laboratories, and education.
They wanted to build a future-proof website adhering to best practices, incorporating detailed Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sector information, and routinely updated case studies.
Approach
Process Design
We started by organising all the existing company information, brochures, imagery, and case studies into a central repository.
This allowed us to identify gaps and realise the need for extensive target audience research to pitch the messaging effectively.
Our approach included:
Running a target audience questionnaire
Compiling data to create insights
Developing personas from these insights
Creating messaging based on personas
Designing the website sitemap
Creating website wireframes
Crafting website copy
Designing the website
Solution
Competitor Research
We researched competing local construction companies to see how they laid out their websites.
In terms of UX, this helped us identify what to borrow and what to improve upon.
For copy, this research enabled us to forge a unique tone of voice that felt authentically 21CBS and distinct from competitors.
Design-wise, it allowed us to understand sector norms and find ways to differentiate 21CBS, ensuring their site stood out with a modern and engaging visual identity.
Target Audience Questionnaire
We sent out an interactive Typeform questionnaire to 21CBS’s existing customers, gathering insights on their sector, challenges, and needs.
Compiling the Data
Our target audience questionnaire received over 100 responses, providing a wealth of data.
We created hierarchies detailing main customer sectors, challenges, reasons for seeking third-party support, and preferences for working with 21CBS.
This comprehensive data allowed us to identify key areas of focus and client expectations, which were crucial for developing targeted messaging and a user-friendly website structure.
Marketing Personas Creation
Using the data, we developed marketing personas for the three most common job roles in the 21CBS client base.
These personas detailed intrinsic and extrinsic drivers, main challenges, and ways 21CBS could best support them.
This helped ensure our messaging would resonate deeply with the target audience, addressing their specific needs and pain points.
Messaging
From our research, we discovered that clients valued 21CBS as a family business that integrates seamlessly with existing teams.
Many clients had been with 21CBS for over 30 years due to their personable nature and ease of collaboration.
This key insight shaped our messaging strategy, emphasising 21CBS’s commitment to becoming valued team members and highlighting their long-standing client relationships.
Sitemap
With the messaging complete, we created a website sitemap, allowing 21CBS to see the website flow for the first time and confirm the optimised user experience.
Special attention was given to the case studies section, which needed to be filterable by sector and services, ensuring easy navigation and relevance for site visitors.
Wireframe Creation
Upon agreeing on the sitemap, we developed website wireframes, which are simple line drawings of each webpage with placeholder text.
These wireframes showcased the flow of each page and the placement of calls to action.
This stage was crucial for confirming the user experience and deciding on the most effective language for calls to action, aiming to drive maximum user engagement.
Website Copywriting
Next, we tackled website copywriting, a straightforward task due to the detailed marketing personas we had created.
Our key messaging centred around “Let’s create better spaces together.”
This phrase combined an inspiring call to action with the idea of collaboration, reflecting 21CBS’s core value of integrating seamlessly with clients' teams.
The phrase “Create better spaces” cleverly utilised the ‘CBS’ from 21CBS, tying the messaging directly to the company name.
Website Design
We modernised the existing brand colours of orange and blue, adding a new palette of greens and pinks to provide more options.
Blue and orange remained the primary colours, signifying the construction industry and maintaining brand recognition.
The updated colour scheme brought a fresh, contemporary look to the website, enhancing visual appeal and aligning with modern design standards.
Result
The client was very happy with the website design and sent it on to their IT team for build.
The website is now live and supporting the sales team to land more clients due to a better UX, messaging that highlights precisely how 21CBS adds value to clients, and a design that drives people towards the calls to action.
