Will there be more awards for ThinkOTB in 2023?
Creating brands and building websites is our bread and butter as a creative marketing agency. But, when that work creates a happy client and an award nomination, then we’re like cats that got the cream! In 2022 we designed and built a new website for Unity Trust Bank. The site needed to grow their brand reputation and make key information easier for customers and prospects to find. In 2023, we’re extremely proud to say that our work on this website has made us finalists in the ‘Best Website’ category at the Northern Digital Awards 2023. This nomination comes after being finalists in the Digital Innovation category at The Drum Recommends Awards for Digital.
Who is Unity Trust Bank?
Unity is a commercial bank that improves UK communities. By banking with integrity, Unity only works with like-minded customers and together, they change thousands of people’s futures. In 2021 alone, Unity Trust Bank and its customers created and protected 795 jobs. They housed 1024 people and made 101 community facilities ready for families. Our strategy for the new website was led by powerful insights from multiple research types. It centred on developing a clear brand proposition which positioned Unity as a socially responsible bank with strong sector expertise. This would deliver a highly engaging site and grow the customer base in-line with Unity’s strategic vision by:
- Restructuring the navigation and content making it user-led (not product-led), minimising call centre demand, improving signposting and cutting bounce rates
- Building brand reputation and driving engagement amongst key audiences by creating a new ‘Sectors’ section to hold high-quality content that answers customer needs
- Creating a new brand proposition to define Unity’s purpose and expressing it through messaging and design
- Delivering a new brand look and feel with a focus on maximising accessibility
- Creating a full digital campaign to drive site traffic and deliver increased product applications. As a bank that delivers positive impact in UK communities, their work is incredibly relevant right now. To us this means the more customers that this website inspires, the more people that Unity and its customers can help in the UK. Our metrics show that, from new users to session duration and crucial ‘apply now’ button clicks, the new website has driven stats up significantly. Bounce rates are also down to 22.6% from 64.5%.
You can read more about our brand and digital strategy, our creative execution and our development of this user-led website on the Northern Digital Awards 2023 site here.
