We’ve been working with Gilbert & Cleveland Estate Agents for the past year, managing all their marketing and PR activity across the five local offices. One of our key objectives from early on was to improve the firm’s online presence and digital marketing. However, before doing this we had to go through a lengthy brand evaluation and introduce a refreshed set of brand guidelines to help them achieve more consistency across all marketing materials and channels. This included the introduction of their silhouettes which represent the five local office areas and their lettings service. The new materials produced following the brand refresh have been well received and the silhouettes are becoming synonymous with the company.

Once this had been completed we could then set our sights on their online marketing. We spent several months working with the partners and staff at Gilbert & Cleveland to scope out the new website and establish the user journeys and experience. We also spent time reviewing the competition and working with our partner development company to plan the aesthetics and functionality of the site.

The agreed aim was to create a cleaner, fresher and more user friendly website with a modern feel whilst maintaining their unique selling points and traditional branding; we wanted to embrace modern methods of selling property without compromising their personal touch and excellent service. It was crucial that the website was responsive for desktop, tablet and mobile screens and that branding was consistent with the newer image that had been introduced.

The new site also needed to:

• Greatly increase traffic and visibility
• Increase awareness of the firm and its services
• Generate new enquiries and capture data
• Integrate better with social media channels
• Integrate with their existing property software

Other requirements included being able to clearly display property details across all devices with the ability for users to share with friends, book viewings and download further information. We also wanted to reinforce the firm’s position as experienced, trustworthy and knowledgable estate agents so spent time building up valuable content such as guides on the selling and lettings processes as well as information about local areas and recommendations from buyers/sellers.

The website launched just before Christmas and we are all delighted with the results. The new look is clean and contemporary while the informative and engaging content ensures that the firm’s unique values remain at the forefront of what they do.

To visit the website click here.