Posted on Thu, Dec 04, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 4, 2008 - Visitors might notice something a little different about the new online headquarters of MLT Creative: Everything.
The Atlanta-based B-to-B marketing firm just unveiled its new Web site, which has been completely redesigned from the ground up. According to President and Creative Director Billy Mitchell, the decision for the online overhaul was part of a broader initiative to court new clients.
"When MLT began to ramp up our new business initiative," Mitchell says, "all of the partners agreed that we needed to make the Web site the center of our efforts."
Before they could embark on their quest to reach prospective clients, the agency had to ensure they'd be giving off the freshest first impression possible. A potential influx of Web traffic from first-time visitors called for a site that was at once engaging, interactive and regularly refreshed with new content..
"We knew that new people would be visiting the site immediately as soon as we started the new business outreach," says designer Ryan Duffy, "so we knew we had to pay special attention to the redesign and rebuild. The added challenge was accomplishing that without losing focus on the ongoing needs of our clients. So we're talking some serious overtime."
Though the original iteration of mltcreative.com served the company well for a long time, it had become dated in recent years, resulting in a laundry list of items upon which Duffy sought to improve.
"I think some of the obvious things were, just the technology that we used to develop it was old," he says. "We weren't using any CSS styling, we weren't using any modern technology, and the functionality was poor. I think the other aspect of it was that (the old site) really just didn't show any of our culture, or who we were as a company."
Duffy formed an internal team to focus on all aspects of the site, looked into how other agencies were injecting personality into theirs, and came away with more tips on what NOT to do than anything else.
"A lot of agencies now have slick Flash Web sites that have all kinds of bells and whistles with things flying in, and jumping off," he says. "Really my central idea was to strip everything down to its core."
Duffy started out with four aesthetic concepts - ranging from "a real simple, kind of Swiss design," to a more complex look that, in the end, would have been difficult to maintain. Eventually, he says, "we kind of found a middle ground that was stylistically appealing, but also one that we knew we could build a solid foundation on."
The color palette now consists of what Duffy describes as "coffeehouse earth tones" - "A lot of 'earth-based colors (greens, oranges, yellows, grays, etc)," he says. New sections include: a more in-depth introduction to the MLT campus in Clarkston, GA; a PR page listing all of the agency's recent press releases; not one, not two, but three separate blogs upon which MLT employees with their respective ears to the ground record their most recent musings on the ad industry; a flip-through Flash portfolio displaying all of their recent high-profile projects; a fun section showing off the company's impressive private collection of vintage ad characters; and, last but not least, a fun, semi-humorous bio section showcasing the plethora of personalities that populate their offices.
"The new site shines because of our culture," Duffy says.
Mitchell agrees. "I think it turned out great," he says. "I think we've got consistent branding ... It's not like we completely reinvented our branding, we just took it to another level." Most importantly of all, he adds, it accurately positions MLT as a leading B-to-B agency
"We've received great reviews from existing clients, and analytics confirm a huge increase in new traffic," Duffy says, "and we're all newly committed to keeping the site an ongoing, ever-improving part of our new business outreach."
As for Duffy's new status as one of MLT's bloggers-at-large, "It's fun," Duffy says. "I think the interesting thing about it is it makes you take notice of your environment around you."
"It's real interesting," says Mitchell of his own weekly-updated, advice-dispensing column, called Man On The Street Beat. "It's easier than I thought it would be, and we've seen evidence of it already helping to increase our search engine optimization. It's just become kind of a natural part of the workflow in our week."
You can find MLT on the Web at www.mltcreative.com.
About MLT Creative
MLT Creative, based on the east side of Atlanta, GA, with a Northeast office in Rhode Island, was founded in 1984. Known as the idea launch padTM for B-to-B marketers, MLT Creative's services include strategic planning, positioning, brand development, advertising and sales promotions.
Contact:
Chase Mitchell, Public Relations
MLT Creative, 404-292-4502, chase.mitchell@mltcreative.com