We have finally finished what appears to have been the longest and craziest relaunch and rebrand EVER (not that I’ve been through any before!). I can safely tell you that our new website is live and fantastic, with an awesome new logo, much more interactivity, a new splash of colour and a more techie and modern feel to it. I’m extremely proud of the work that everyone has put in to make this such a success for us, from Marketing, HR, Operations, Management, and every single member of staff for sharing in the excitement and buzz around us, publicising us across their networks and being just as enthusiastic about a new era for the company as I am!
We’ve had a lot of work put in on all levels, and that work will continue even now to ensure that we keep this brand new Vertex at the top of its game. Naturally these things don’t go without their hiccups, so technical difficulties have led to some duplicated efforts and bug fixing in places, but as a whole I feel it has been pulled off pretty damn successfully – even if I do say so myself!
SO. Perhaps you want to know what’s involved in such a mammoth task as this? Let me tell you…
- Research into what we were lacking in, and how we should improve our presence (how do we want to appear to our leaders, to our current staff, to new staff, to our clients, to our candidates, to other customers and partners, to competitors in the industry, how do we fare, how can we further distinguish ourselves, how can we be better),
- Planning between Management and Marketing – lots of draft phases and redesigning and rethinking
- Website design meetings, including logo design and associated publishing collateral design (letterheads, business cards, template designs for documentation internally and for external publication, pantone colour scheme, imagery for printing onto stationery or mugs and other jazz,
- Optimisation research and implementation (SEO, key words, what defines us as a company, how do we want to be found on the internet, what do we want to be known for, do our keywords match the visual image we’re conveying alongside our corporate culture, Google rankings – how to get us on page 1 everywhere, tagging for all online content including blogs, social media, videos, press releases, website content),
- Writing new content, rewriting old, getting everything up to scratch etc (lots of long hours and tedious proof-reading and cross-checking, but definitely worth it!)
- Generating buzz – preparing a build up schedule of content and teaser imagery and information to get people interested and in the know, utilising our internal network to promote that (people are power), touching on traditional press and other media to promote this – magazines, TV, radio, blogs, forums, social media, viral, flashmob),
- Trial – getting the dummy run out there and ensuring bug fixes are as sorted as can be prior to public launch
- GO LIVE!
Of course, this is by no means an extensive list, but it covers the gist anyway!
It has been manic, stressful, exciting and SO WORTH IT. I’m really glad that I joined the company just before this process went into its final stages. I have really enjoyed being a crucial part of the development and decision-making behind this whole project, and I will defy anyone who thinks that our new logo and website aren’t as awesome as I think they are! …(unless it’s constructive criticism, then I might let you off… maybe…)
So for now, I leave you with a list of links to our fantastic new stuff, and a cheeky glimpse of our new logo. I encourage you to check out our videos, to look at our social media, and DEFINITELY have a browse on our new website – even if you’re not into IT or searching for a job.
If you have any questions, or would like to chat more about this process, by all means get in touch!
You can find us: On the web, you can Like us, or Follow us…
We’re on Linkedin… and Google+ too…
And we’re not shy of filming either!
You can also read our blogs on: virtualisation and the cloud, digital entertainment technology, hardware and software, graduate jobhunting and interview advice, recruitment stories and musings, HR in our workplace, and of course Marketing!
By Natalie Boon.
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