Since opening in 2005, ConnectOne Bank has been putting their clients at the forefront, leading to the financial institution’s current expansion across New Jersey and New York. To keep up with its growth, ConnectOne collaborated with ZAG Interactive on a new website to offer a more a contemporary way to explore services, products and solutions for its current and prospective clients, and communicate the difference between ConnectOne and other banks. The result was a website that lives up to the bank’s tagline – “a better place to be.”
Starting with strategy
Bringing together key stakeholders from ConnectOne and the ZAG project team, a discovery session uncovered short- and long-term business goals and marketing objectives for the site, from ConnectOne’s brand messaging to defining success metrics. ZAG’s digital strategists identified ConnectOne’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities within its geographical footprint and in the online space. Guided by this overall direction, ZAG put together a new website architecture and design strategy.
Connecting via content
To demonstrate that ConnectOne is committed to its clients’ businesses, communities and futures, the new site offers fresh content and messaging that speaks directly to the user and their unique needs. The ConnectOne Difference is truly felt throughout a dedicated section of compelling proof points.
Differentiating by design
Further distinguishing the bank from the competition, the site design is distinctively “ConnectOne.” Following brand standards and applying creative concepts, ZAG’s designers created two unique options for review, refinement and approval. The selected layout, reflecting feedback from usability testing, displays ConnectOne’s unique color palette, custom iconography, graphical elements, and lifestyle imagery. It is a clean, clear and visually consistent interface. Best of all, the website is designed using responsive design and ADA website compliance best practices, delivering a seamless experience for users, regardless of their viewing device or disability.
Coding for performance
Seeking security, scalability and easy of management, ConnectOne chose Kentico CMS for the site build. Some of the many features include a site-wide search, embedded calculators, and a convenient contact form. Additionally, ZAG’s developers created a custom locations management tool and rates management tool, allowing for easy updating of this critical information throughout the entire site.
Marketing for business
While the new site serves as a solutions provider for ConnectOne’s customers, it also delivers as a marketing machine for the bank. Throughout its content-laden pages, users are treated to recommended products, relevant promotions, and cross-sell opportunities in real and meaningful ways. ConnectOne also now enjoys a landing page template, giving ConnectOne’s marketers an opportunity to improve conversions for a variety of online and offline marketing tactics.
Interested in creating a digital branch for your institution? Talk to a ZAG specialist.