Website, Advertising & Graphic Design

Challenges:

Norfolk Botanical Garden’s website was based on a proprietary Content Management System (CMS) which was no longer supported by the vendor, making it difficult to update and maintain the website. The design utilized an extensive amount of Flash, making it incompatible with many modern mobile devices and invisible to search engines. In addition, users struggled to navigate the site and find the information they were looking for.

Solution:

NBG’s redesigned website is powered by WordPress, giving them the ability to create pages and update content on the fly. In addition, the system also uses a powerful ticketing system so NBG can sell tickets online, making it easier than ever to visit the gardens. Content is organized in pockets so it is simple for users to find the information they need.

Results:

Within one year of the website's launch, traffic from tablet users increased by 44%, time visitors spent on the site increased by 20%, and organic search referrals increased by 50%.

In 2013, vh.Agency worked with NBG to promote their 75th anniversary through numerous channels, including a microsite, digital marketing campaign, commemorative poster, gala invitations, and other print components. A pay-per-click campaign, display ads, and retargeting generated an increase in ticket sales and also helped promote events throughout the year. In addition, new animated banners were rolled out every month to advertise various events and exhibits. The campaign was a tremendous success, generating huge spikes in ticket sales and website traffic.

Client Testimonial:

“Norfolk Botanical Garden hired Visual Harbor to redesign our website and are thrilled with the results. We received RFPs from many national companies and Visual Harbor rose to the top. The staff is brilliantly creative, highly professional and cutting edge. They met timelines, attended additional Garden meetings and even brought us coffee! They were very easy to work with and staff responded to communications the same day. Our team was completely amazed by their creativity and knowledge. The website is not only beautiful, but much more functional for our staff, members and guests. We are able to conduct more business efficiently and effectively and the ongoing support is outstanding. We were extremely pleased with the process and the results.”
Donna Krabill, Director of Education and Communication, Norfolk Botanical Garden