Erickson Strategic client Small Business Insurance Solutions launched their new site recently.
This was an interesting marketing challenge and, in some ways, points toward a new trend for small businesses.
SBIS is a small insurance agency based in Northern Virginia. They came to me armed with a modest budget and big plans. The short version:
- Develop a viable marketing strategy
- Elevate their image
- Build a new web presence
- Upgrade all their marketing materials
While a typical DC-area agency wasn’t in the cards, they needed the high-level strategic guidance you’d find in one. Budget didn’t allow us to do the strategy and bring in both a designer and web developer.
Our solution was to work through an expedited version of our brand process and get a better handle on SBIS, their buyers, and their buyer’s needs. Armed with that, we decided to start with a WordPress-based web site. We chose a premium theme from StudioPress that was appropriate for SBIS and their audience. This minimized design costs and virtually eliminated web development fees. Interestingly, the theme we chose largely drove the visual identity. Our designer created their new logo and subsequent collateral based upon the color scheme built into the theme.
This is not the approach for everyone. And it certainly isn’t the A-to-Z approach favored by a typical agency (including my old one). But it did allow SBIS to spend their budget on what they needed most – strategic direction. Of course I’m a bit biased, but I believe their logo, web presence, and collateral turned out top-notch.
An interesting approach for smaller businesses. What do you think?
