New Name, Same Organization

Background.

The Trail Conservancy’s mission is to support and protect the beloved Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, a 10-mile-long track along the famous Lady Bird Lake. Located in the center of Austin, Texas, the area is known as the hotspot for visitors to the state.

But when TTF wanted to be seen as more than just a foundation, they came to us for a complete rebranding that changed their name from The Trail Foundation into The Trail Conservancy. Their goal was to renovate their website to help increase traffic, convert visitors, and take their brand to new heights as a respected conservancy.

Challenge.

Our first challenge with the rebranding was that the old website was limited in functionality. Typically, The TTC website was the first thing people saw before visiting the trails. This made the number of hits reach about 2.5 million yearly.

However, the existing website struggled to keep up with the daily traffic due to its cheaper, international hosting provider. We knew from then on that the whole website needed to be redone with a local, trusted hosting provider that could handle the increased demand.

We also had to make sure that the website we developed was modern and provided scalability that would allow any TTC member to update it on their own, with ease.

Lastly, the website also had to be done relatively quickly. The organization was now going through a full transition period, as multiple positions were being moved around to prepare for the new rebranding launch. Therefore, we had to prepare ourselves for working in a bustling atmosphere.

Campaign.

To get the ball rolling and create a perfect rebranding project, we partnered with our friends at GDS&M, a local Austin marketing agency that referred us to the contract. Our roles involved GDS&M creating the guidelines and structure for the website rebranding while our team quickly expanded on them to create a functional, scalable, and visually stunning website.

We used WordPress Engine as the new hosting provider thanks to their tools for scalability and cost-effectiveness. The platform was ideal for TTC and came with automatic security, content delivery networks, 1-click installs, and automatic plugin and backup updates.

After choosing the hosting provider, we incorporated TTC’s new name and branding into the redone UI, incorporating their logo and brand colors into the user-friendly website. And to generate more traffic and convert more users, we created a VR interactive trail tour based on Google 360 Tour. Our team also added educational and informational content that enhanced the user experience and encouraged membership signups.

Results.

The website rebranding and relaunch helped produce about 150 unique visitors monthly, earning roughly 2.7 million users a year. The average session duration also increased by an incredible 44%. In addition, conversion rates went up 15%, year over year, at the height of the trail’s downtime, which is already showing early signs of success.

FIVE

Our ultimate goal was to make a website that would entice people to keep coming back to the trails. We examined TTC’s old website and found that it was a major conversion funnel point. With over hundreds of thousands of visitors a month and well over 2.5 million annually, we immediately knew that we had many opportunities to convert people right there.

But while anyone can make a new website, our team needed to make a website centered around one unique feature that would generate more users and keep them on the site for longer. That answer came in the form of an online tour.

ONE

Our team looked to Google 360 to create an interactive VR experience. Visitors could choose any available trail and immediately be given a 360-degree tour of the area. They could also click on designated points on the screen to see information on a particular feature on the trail.

The experience was completely optimized for mobile and desktop users. To make it more special, we made sure not to rely on Google maps. Instead, we built a custom virtual feature that made touring the trails fun and intuitive.

We also entirely renovated the information architecture on the site. Where the old website only had 25 pages, we grew it to 100 plus web pages intending to give people new information. We added an amenities and ecology section to educate people on the newly added trail features and local ecosystems. We also created sections where we informed visitors about the latest conservation efforts, projects, and newly added ecological and amenity items.

Finally, we even implemented a way for users to keep track of upcoming events by allowing them to synch events and tickets with their Eventbrite app.

TWO

Due to the improved user experience and the interactive VR experience became the second most viewed webpage on the site, just behind the homepage. Because of that, we could convert these users into more donations, committees, and memberships.

TTC’s website was special because we set it apart from any other conservancy website in the US. Thanks to our unlimited budget, we were able to experiment with the new features and ultimately made a fantastic, unique experience that fits right into The Trail Conservancy’s new branding.

Over the course of the campaign, Jägermeister earned millions in engagement from tracked mobile devices across social, web, and ad networks.

But that’s only where it begins. Through earned loyalty and referred demand, brand engagement at retail locations was riding an exponential curve. Each person to interact with the advertising and AR experience would involve their group of friends and, on average, recruit three additional people to engage with the campaign at the POS and social media. A 1:4 investment ratio.

Our ultimate goal was to make a website that would entice people to keep coming back to the trails. We examined TTC’s old website and found that it was a major conversion funnel point. With over hundreds of thousands of visitors a month and well over 2.5 million annually, we immediately knew that we had many opportunities to convert people right there.

But while anyone can make a new website, our team needed to make a website centered around one unique feature that would generate more users and keep them on the site for longer. That answer came in the form of an online tour.

The Work.