Enabling Higher Education Technology Services Marketers Through Effective Content Management
RESULTS
We transformed Apogee’s outdated website into a dynamic, user-friendly platform, enabling their marketing team to independently manage content and effectively showcase their expertise in higher education IT solutions.
🙌 Big news! Apogee has been successfully acquired by Boldyn Networks
Focus
Challenge
Apogee’s website had become a bottleneck for their marketing efforts. The existing site was outdated, difficult to navigate, and required developer assistance for even minor content updates. This dependency hindered the marketing team’s agility and responsiveness. Additionally, the site’s structure made it challenging for users to discover key content, and the homepage failed to clearly communicate Apogee’s services and value proposition.
Solution
COLAB collaborated closely with Apogee’s marketing team to reimagine the website’s structure and functionality. The project began with a comprehensive overhaul of the site’s information architecture, creating a more intuitive and scalable framework. From there, COLAB implemented a robust CMS equipped with custom controls, allowing the marketing team to utilize flexible layout tools, manage a sortable and filterable resource library, showcase case studies effectively, and independently handle SEO settings. This transformation empowered the marketing team to create and manage content without developer intervention, enhancing their ability to support business growth and adapt to changing needs.
Problem
Apogee had outgrown its website. The existing site was dated and used by the sales team as a brochure rather than a proactive sales tool. While the company had been comfortable building market share for years, the new CEO and CTO had a vision for expanded services that the marketing team was excited to implement.
The existing site required developers to make more than the most fundamental changes and improvements. The site structure and IA were not intuitive, making it difficult for users to discover key content. The Homepage didn’t clarify who they are and what they do. While quality resources existed in the insight section, the site didn’t provide tools to make it easy for visitors to find relevant content. Overall, the site was hampered by ineffective tools and baked-in practices that didn’t meet current marketing standards.
Solution
We first tackled information architecture (IA) work, collaborating with the Apogee marketing team to determine a better way to structure site content. After establishing a structure we believed would accommodate growth in the mid-term, we considered what the marketing team would need to pivot this structure in the future.
From a design perspective, we wanted to represent Apogee authentically as an IT support organization that actually cares about its clients, employees, and community relationships. Beyond this, it had to demonstrate the expertise and credibility they have worked hard to establish over the years.
Finally, we tackled the technical challenge of creating a content management system (CMS) that would allow the marketing team to be more self-sufficient. We implemented CMS controls to enable the team to choose their destiny, including layout tools across the site, a sortable and filterable resource library, and case studies to showcase their successes.
Outcomes
Mission accomplished. The marketing team is more empowered than ever with the power tools they need to grow the business. They have flexible layouts for every page with a full block editor implementation and custom blocks at their fingertips. Their resource library is easy to manage, making it easy for administrators to focus on creating valuable content. Landing pages are housed in a dedicated section for easy management. SEO controls are self-managed, allowing for fine-tuning and implementing organic search strategies. The team continues to build upon the company’s reputation in the marketplace, establishing thought leadership in content marketing and showcasing Apogee’s unique expertise in higher education IT solutions. We are excited to continue working with Apogee as we make significant progress toward their marketing vision.
