Case Study: Educational Consulting Firm Increases Online Inquiries with Transformational Brand & Website Strategy
“Janet has a knack for high-quality deliverables, and I appreciate that. I like things to be well-done and Janet does, too, so I trust her recommendations.” - Elizabeth Hall, Founder, Hall Educational Resources
The Overview
Educational consulting firm Hall Educational Resources needed to refresh their outdated brand strategy, brand identity, and website to represent them and present a professional front. Founder Elizabeth Hall wanted a website that streamlines their operations and speaks directly to their target audience. SkyHouse Creative was delighted to partner with Elizabeth for a total rebranding and website redesign.
Here’s a snapshot of their positive results so far:
Increased online traffic thanks to showing up more in searches
Increased inquiries thanks to clear, professional branding that drives prospects to call
Elevated brand presence to give an edge against the competition and increase leads
About Hall Educational Resources
Prior to establishing Hall Educational Resources (HER), Elizabeth spent years navigating various schools and programs for her three children, each with their unique learning style. She found herself helping parents identify answers and options for their students. Eventually, Elizabeth realized her calling in guiding families and bringing them a sense of clarity and calm to what can often be an overwhelming process.
The HER team has meaningful relationships with many independent day schools and admissions directors. They continue on their mission to empower families with the tools and knowledge they need to identify a range of insightful, evidence-based educational possibilities that will engage their student’s talents, intellect, and passions.
The Challenge
Elizabeth was not happy with HER’s outdated brand image and website. It wasn’t an accurate representation of their brand or services, nor did it resonate with their ideal clients. The educational consultants needed a professional image and a powerful website that drives traffic and leads. Elizabeth recognized that her business would never reach the next level without investing in branding. We set out with three main objectives:
Objective #1: Clarify their niche services and identify their ideal client. To build a solid brand strategy, we would need to determine who HER serves best so they could refine their messaging and services. Their target audience should be able to relate to and trust the HER team. This would also be critical for Elizabeth and Amy to grow the business and team.
Objective #2: Create a clean, professional and unique brand. Many of HER’s competitors have outdated, overwhelming brand assets and websites — we would need to make HER a cut above the rest! This would mean ensuring that it catches the attention of prospective clients, speaks to their needs, and delivers a positive experience.
Objective #3: Redesign the website. The website would need to be visually appealing and easy to navigate. Visitors should be able to find what they need and understand what HER does quickly. It should also drive more conversions and streamline the engagement process. Bottom line: Avoid text-heavy, complex content and create easy navigation.
The Solution
First, SkyHouse guided Elizabeth through the brand strategy process. Narrowing down their services and honing in on their target audience allowed us to refine the vision for their website and other assets. We built the rest of the brand around this, ensuring HER speaks directly to families and students and maintains brand consistency.
Next, it was time to put the strategy to work! We designed a modern brand identity that exudes trust, confidence, professionalism, and empathy. The blue and white combined with soft neutrals simultaneously convey professionalism and calm, while a touch of pink adds a hint of femininity. A sleek, modern font suite topped off their clean new look.
With a clear brand identity, we forged ahead with creating new social media assets, stationery, brochures, and onboarding documents. Then we redesigned the website to be beautiful and functional. We developed an intuitive site structure that lays out their three service categories, mission and values, and philanthropic work. No matter where prospects encounter the brand, they now understand immediately what HER does, who they serve, and experience a cohesive brand presence.
The other vital tool on their website is the new contact form, which is simple but gathers the essential starting information to streamline their discovery process. Now, HER can start every new prospect conversation knowing what service they are interested in, their child’s grade, and their specific needs/interests. It also asks visitors how they heard about HER, allowing them to gather important marketing information.
“Our website is professional and visually appealing! I think that is a huge difference from others in our profession as many have cluttered or visually overwhelming sites, as well as many that are DIY types of websites. Ours draws the viewer in with the attractive branding, colors, look, and how it is so well laid out.” - Elizabeth Hall, Founder, Hall Educational Resources
The Results
The redesigned HER website appears more frequently in Google searches and drives more online inquiries. Elizabeth says the website makes an excellent first impression on both families and school admissions directors, thanks to its professionalism and clarity. She also reports that they rely heavily on their service descriptions and team bios.
Additionally, the contact form has shortened their lead time. Prospective clients can easily submit their information, and then an HER consultant receives the inquiry via email and schedules the initial call — meaning no more phone tag! The form creates a smoother process for both prospects and the HER team.
The rebranding process helped HER assess their service offerings, messaging, and target audience. They have clearly defined their niche and tightened up their services, focusing on their strengths and allowing them to serve families and their students better. It’s also given Elizabeth direction on where to add more bandwidth and availability.
“People raved about our new branding and website! They love our lettermark [logo] especially — that has gotten a lot of attention! They love how professional, clear, and concise our presentation is on our website. We have also received a lot of positive feedback on the mission statement section of our website, which I love! It has been very well received and something we are extremely proud of!” - Elizabeth Hall, Founder, Hall Educational Resources
Looking Ahead
Elizabeth is confident that the refreshed brand strategy and identity as well as the website will be pivotal in HER’s continued growth. In fact, she is excited about continuing to work with SkyHouse in the future. Elizabeth will look to us for help keeping their site fresh and current and staying on top of web and branding trends.
Elizabeth explained that she chose SkyHouse because of our crisp, clean style and cutting-edge, creative, targeted approach. Reflecting on the project, she notes that she was most impressed with our ability to translate her vision into reality with such a beautiful, user-friendly outcome.
It was a pleasure to work with Elizabeth on the HER website! We admire their passion and unique approach and are excited to see how they continue helping students in their educational journeys. SkyHouse looks forward to partnering with HER on their future branding and website projects.
“Janet is so calm and reassuring to work with. She always stayed the course and helped reassure me that everything was going to fall into place.” - Elizabeth Hall, Founder, Hall Educational Resources
