When you work with Drawing Board Studios, it’s always about the personal experience.
My client Patricia Price and I started meeting over Starbucks this summer to discuss how I could expand and improve her marketing efforts for her company, Patricia’s Arts and Music.
Patricia began her company to provide music and acting classes to families in the Summit, New Jersey area. However, after speaking with Patricia, I learned her classes are far from typical and so much more than meet the eye!
Patricia uses music and acting as a creative platform for children to connect to the world around them. Through musical and theatrical expression, Patricia’s students learn to think critically and compassionately in a nurturing environment and celebrate their unique imagination and personality!
One of the primary projects Patricia needed help with was her website. Her existing website which she set up herself, wasn’t cutting it. So together Patricia and I sketched out a path for her new website — re-defining her brand to align more closely with her mission while creating a more user-friendly experience for her customers.
See what we did. ALL ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET!
1. BETTER BRANDED HOMEPAGE: A home page should clearly define who you are, what you offer, and the unique value you bring to your customers.
What We Did....
Placed Patricia’s company name and tagline in a prominent header making it visible immediately
Added a slideshow with Patricia's students actively taking part in classes next to her mission statement using a large easy-to-read font
Used a consistent pastel color theme, whimsical organic shapes, and loads of white open space to underscore Patricia’s creative, playful brand personality
2. BETTER USER EXPERIENCE: A good user experience includes an easy-to-understand interface, intuitive navigation, clear messaging, and comprehensive content — ultimately building trust and credibility in a brand
Patricia offers two types of classes: Little Movers and Shakers (music for younger children), and The Little Actors Studio (acting for school-age children.)
What We Did....
Prioritized the information from Patricia's existing website and re-wrote class descriptions ensuring that the most important class details were front and center
Put all essential sign up information in one central place using a bolder font (price, age, time, place) following class descriptions
Assigned specific colors to represent the two different classes
Added a Call to Action button for easy and seamless online sign-up
3. MORE MULTI MEDIA AND VISUAL CONTENT: People are naturally hard-wired for visual communication. Using large clear, colorful photos and videos is a tried-and-true way for reaching and engaging customers
What We Did....
Embedded a video of Patricia singing her signature HELLO song on her ABOUT page.
Added a second video of parent testimonials (a marketing gold mine) on Patricia's TESTIMONIAL page
Added lots of high-resolution photos of engaged students singing, dancing and acting throughout Patricia's website
What We Did...
Designed a unique FOOTER in a bold navy blue color block that appears on every page so contact information is always available.
Added a silhouette of a young student playing maracas on the FOOTER for added visual interest
Included multiple ways of contacting Patricia i.e. email, phone, form, etc
Added a new section "A NOTE FROM PATRICIA" a place for parents to get updates and class information
Made Patricia's website mobile-friendly and added keywords for searchability.
Ultimately, our aim was to create a simple but professional website for Patricia's Arts and Music that clearly represented her unique creative service with a great user experience.
Today, even the smallest businesses like Patricia's Arts and Music need a smart, functional website to stay competitive. Word of mouth just isn’t enough. A website, even a simple, affordable one, is an essential marketing tool for personalizing your brand, sharing information, staying connected with your customers and of course — finding new ones!
If you’re a small business and contemplating your first website — or updating an existing one — reach out to drawingbrdstudios@gmail.com 908-868-0862. Like you, we are a small business with a goal of bringing out the best in all our clients through honest, actionable, affordable and creative marketing content.
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