Blue Sail has just launched Within Warwickshire a new microsite promoting the best of rural Warwickshire to visitors. It is one of 18 projects we are working on in the County to deliver the Warwickshire RDPE Welcome to the Countryside programme on behalf of local and regional partners.
Before any technical or creative discussions took place about the microsite, we needed to be clear about target markets and how we could capture and communicate what is special about the place. We needed to open up Warwickshire beyond the well-known attractions of Stratford and Warwick – great as they are. We also needed to come up with a name that was clear and appealing. Once we had done that we were ready to think about logos, style, website design and colour palettes. While Dot Tourism was delivering that for us and sorting out functionality, we had to determine criteria for what should be included and why, then identify the businesses for inclusion. Then of course there is content to write, walking and cycling trails to check out, proofing and images to source. It kept a large Blue Sail team very busy for several months!
For anyone who has developed a website from scratch this is all familiar territory but of course a website, however well designed, appealing to look at and read, is only part of the story. It has no value unless people visit the site, use it to find out what is available and then book. So while we sit back and admire our own handiwork, we are aware that in a crowded website world we can’t be complacent. The next stage for us is help drive business to the site through a programme of PR including competitions and press trips. We are also helping develop the potential of the product to ensure Warwickshire continues to offer plenty for visitors to see and do.
In the meantime anyone for a weekend away in rural Warwickshire?