How do you address a project that needs to be all things to all people? Here at Point A Media, we start with a clear set of goals.
When we answered the Lufkin Convention & Visitors Bureau's RFP for an all-new website, we knew the organization was looking for something that rolled everything visitors and locals needed to know about the community they love into a beautiful, functional, one-size-fits-all package. We were up for this challenge, but didn't want to take the plunge into this partnership without a plan.
In the process of developing an 18-page definition of our backgrounds, organization's history and skills in response to the initial request for qualifications, we took a long look at our relationship with the Lufkin Convention & Visitors Bureau. To move forward, we also had to consider the strengths of the total team, returned to our battle cry of creating consistency throughout the Lufkin Convention & Visitors Bureau's communications — in all campaigns across all platforms — with a clear set of identity standards, and considered the needs of the people accessing the site.
When the A-Team earned an invitation to return to the table to answer an RFP, we outlined the project through in a 27-page document that gave us a checklist for moving forward, from project timelines and the development process to testing and training. This document included our first site map for the project — identifying seven key sections.
We won the bid and worked with the Lufkin Convention & Visitors Bureau to develop clear goals and act with laser focus to complete a dramatic redesign. The site grew to include nine sections and 76 sub-sections. It launched with 225 content pages, 131 events, 366 photos and more content than the team ever initially imagined. Because of the site's massive back-end databases, it was able to sustain the stretch in content development, while integrating a "Search Site" feature that makes visitlufkin.com even more user-friendly. Today, the site's expansion is only limited by available bandwidth.
All of the above was possible with the forethought that went into the original development goals: 1. redesign the look, feel, navigation and function of visitlufkin.com to create an attractive and consistent message inviting visitors to Lufkin, 2. migrate (and edit) existing web content to a new, customized content management system, and 3. implement new features designed to enhance the site's functionality.
The focus of these goals also emerged as part of the RFP process. 1. Improve access and navigation to key pages. 2. Showcase beautiful photos (that speak to visitors more than text). 3. Center up-to-date information to create an impression of a live, active, engaging site (and destination).
Today, visitlufkin.com is a vast county-wide resource for visitors, meeting planners and community partners. It's beautiful, it's functional, and most importantly, it aids the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau in the organization's leadership role of contributing to the identity and economic well being of Lufkin by promoting the city in a way that will bring tourism business to Angelina County.
