This Tuesday, the 10th of August sees a return of the UK Sports Networking evening at the Sports Bar And Grill at Marylebone station in London.
On 17th May I attended my first UKSN event. Going down to the basement things were quite literally hotting up. I was astounded by the number of people already chatting away to each other. All credit to the event's organiser, Daniel McLaren, who had persuaded 120 people to attend a relatively new event on a Monday night.
Daniel passed me a champagne bucket & suggested I collect the competition entries myself. Our VIP box at Tottenham Hotspur, (Bluhalo built their website) means I was lucky enough to have 2 tickets to offer the lucky winner on the night.
Going around the room, what a fantastic mix of people! I met someone about to sail around the world, someone with a virtual golf machine, a presenter from Sky Sports, corporates looking for sports sponsorship, fellow sports marketers, merchandisers, software providers, lawyers, the PA, the FA and a few familiar faces along the way.
I have high hopes for this Tuesday’s event where Bluhalo will be once again offering 2 VIP tickets to a Tottenham Hotspur match. If you work in sports I’d definitely recommend the event.
I will finish the post with some words from Daniel McLaren:
“The London Sports Networking event is becoming a firm fixture in the calendar now after our last one back in May attracted over 130 people on the night. This one promises to be even better with great attendees coming from all areas of the sports industry in London. Co-hosting the event with Lewis Howes from www.sportsnetworker.com gives us a fantastic reach with over 30,000 people in our combined groups not to mention websites, Facebook and Twitter! If you are free on Tuesday night and want to meet some great people then make sure you don’t miss out, come on over”
If you fancy coming along, you can buy tickets here.
Laura Hannan
Business Development Manager
Showing posts with label sports website design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports website design. Show all posts
Monday, 9 August 2010
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Liverpool F.C. Smashes Web Records
July saw some huge successes for the Liverpool F.C. website, with fans from all over the world logging in to keep up with the latest news, which included a new manager and a new number 10.
By the close of the month, LiverpoolFC.tv had smashed all previous web records, welcoming more than 4m unique visitors to the site, who enjoyed more than 85m pages - what a July! Previous records hadn't even come close to this astounding performance, with past top performance levels for a single month at 65m pages views (in 2005) and 3.4m uniques (in 2009).
The site, which was designed and built by Bluhalo in partnership with Liverpool F.C.'s internal development team, is one of the most popular sports websites on the planet. The news article which reports this huge achievement also notes the importance of its fans in achieving this success; "Thanks to all of you who visited Liverpoolfc.tv during July for continuing to make the official website of LFC one of the most visited football sites on the internet."
Jocelyn Kirby
Marketing & Business Development Manager
Twitter @JocelynKirby
By the close of the month, LiverpoolFC.tv had smashed all previous web records, welcoming more than 4m unique visitors to the site, who enjoyed more than 85m pages - what a July! Previous records hadn't even come close to this astounding performance, with past top performance levels for a single month at 65m pages views (in 2005) and 3.4m uniques (in 2009).
The site, which was designed and built by Bluhalo in partnership with Liverpool F.C.'s internal development team, is one of the most popular sports websites on the planet. The news article which reports this huge achievement also notes the importance of its fans in achieving this success; "Thanks to all of you who visited Liverpoolfc.tv during July for continuing to make the official website of LFC one of the most visited football sites on the internet."
Jocelyn Kirby
Marketing & Business Development Manager
Twitter @JocelynKirby
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Sports Focus - NFL
In what is proving to be a common trend in the NFL, this past season, like many before it, has had its share of controversy and intrigue. Brett Favre doing his very best to keep things interesting, popping out of retirement to sign for the New York Jets in a shocking move, going on to help their run at the post season...at least...right up until it really mattered when an unfortunate series of bad throws leading to the inevitable interceptions in the last few games of the season, meant that the 1 win Dolphins from the previous season, took the playoff berth in a dramatic turnaround, engineered by the firey Tony Sparano, utilising the versatile "Wildcat" offense to absolute perfection to record an 11-5 regular season record.
As it turned out though, the surprise package of the year had to be the Arizona Cardinals with inspired play from star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and veteran QB Kurt Warner, the Cards proved that a trip to the Super Bowl is not out of reach for any of the teams in NFL, even without much of a running game! Sadly for them the dream was ended by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who proved once again that defense wins championships and theirs, quite frankly, was scary at times. This was epitomised by stellar Linebacker James Harrison, known all season for blitzing the opposing QB into the turf, he appeared as if from nowhere inside his own endzone to pick off Warner and then run the ball the length of the field to score a touchdown, which some may argue was the significant turning point in the contest. Not to take anything away from Santonio Holmes magnificent diving catch which sealed the victory, but I think Steelers fans would be the first to admit that their defense came to the fore again, just when it was needed.
The international series game at Wembley Stadium was played out between the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, with the Saints coming out victorious in a highly entertaining affair. In a game that featured two of the best offenses in the league, it was a Jonathan Vilma interception as the Chargers had been driving down the field which essentially sealed the win for the black and gold. Hopefully English NFL fans will be treated to an equally entertaining game in October this year, when the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccanneers come to town.....roll on next season...with a little less Brett Favre please!
Simon Evans
Account Director
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Sports Focus - Spurs
At first glance you may be wondering exactly why a digital agency is writing about sports. But look again and you will see that not only are we a digital agency, we are huge sports fans too, which is great, because we’re also the digital agency of choice for some of the biggest names in the sporting world. So along with our digital expertise, marketing opinions and forward thinking technical posts, we also like to pay homage to our sporting pedigree. As our first in the series, this month’s Sports Focus looks at the season for Spurs…
To describe this past season as being turbulent for Tottenham Hotspur would be an understatement of the highest order. Spurs fans are probably used to riding that emotional roller coaster more than many other sets of fans around the league but with the way things played out over the past 10 months, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that it was something straight out of the Hollyoaks school of script writing! Thankfully for the club and its fans, Daniel Levy seems to have finally got it right with the appointment of Harry Redknapp from Portsmouth.
After kicking things off back in August under Juande Ramos, a return of only 2 points from the first 8 games proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the Spaniard's back and swift changes were made including back room staff, coaches and even the tea lady......although that's still a rumor! As with many new managerial appointments, the impact was swift with a 2-0 victory coming against Bolton at home, before Harry had even taken a full training session. A memorable 4-4 draw with bitter rivals Arsenal at the Emirates stadium followed, featuring a 40-yard David Bentley volley (eventually proving to be his only significant contribution of the season) against his old club and a 2 goal comeback from 4-2 down with 89 minutes on the clock...that Hollyoaks bunch had been at it again! Despite a small blip of form away from home around the turn of the year with somewhat undeserved losses to Newcastle, West Brom, Wigan and Bolton, Spurs fantastic home form, 1 loss under Harry, with a club record of only 10 goals conceded ALL season, they found themselves pushing hard for 7th place and European qualification on the final day, when at one stage relegation had been a very real possibility. Arguably, the January transfer window re-signings of former lillywhite heroes Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane being one of the key factors in what was a remarkable campaign.
Throw into the mix a Carling Cup final lost on penalties to Man Utd after out playing the champions for large parts of the game, rubber stamped by the fact that young keeper Ben Foster won man of the match; Harry Redknapp can be truly proud of the work he has done so far and more importantly be hugely optimistic that with a few key additions in the summer (and maybe a few under-achievers on their way out) building a side around the likes of Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and the always inspiring Wilson Palacios, challenging for the top 4 next season alongside teams such as Everton, Man City and Aston Villa is almost a given.
Simon Evans
Account Director
To describe this past season as being turbulent for Tottenham Hotspur would be an understatement of the highest order. Spurs fans are probably used to riding that emotional roller coaster more than many other sets of fans around the league but with the way things played out over the past 10 months, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that it was something straight out of the Hollyoaks school of script writing! Thankfully for the club and its fans, Daniel Levy seems to have finally got it right with the appointment of Harry Redknapp from Portsmouth.
After kicking things off back in August under Juande Ramos, a return of only 2 points from the first 8 games proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the Spaniard's back and swift changes were made including back room staff, coaches and even the tea lady......although that's still a rumor! As with many new managerial appointments, the impact was swift with a 2-0 victory coming against Bolton at home, before Harry had even taken a full training session. A memorable 4-4 draw with bitter rivals Arsenal at the Emirates stadium followed, featuring a 40-yard David Bentley volley (eventually proving to be his only significant contribution of the season) against his old club and a 2 goal comeback from 4-2 down with 89 minutes on the clock...that Hollyoaks bunch had been at it again! Despite a small blip of form away from home around the turn of the year with somewhat undeserved losses to Newcastle, West Brom, Wigan and Bolton, Spurs fantastic home form, 1 loss under Harry, with a club record of only 10 goals conceded ALL season, they found themselves pushing hard for 7th place and European qualification on the final day, when at one stage relegation had been a very real possibility. Arguably, the January transfer window re-signings of former lillywhite heroes Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane being one of the key factors in what was a remarkable campaign.
Throw into the mix a Carling Cup final lost on penalties to Man Utd after out playing the champions for large parts of the game, rubber stamped by the fact that young keeper Ben Foster won man of the match; Harry Redknapp can be truly proud of the work he has done so far and more importantly be hugely optimistic that with a few key additions in the summer (and maybe a few under-achievers on their way out) building a side around the likes of Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and the always inspiring Wilson Palacios, challenging for the top 4 next season alongside teams such as Everton, Man City and Aston Villa is almost a given.
Simon Evans
Account Director
Monday, 15 December 2008
NFL UK launches new website
We are pleased to announce the launch of NFL’s official UK website, NFLUK.com.
The new launch sees NFL UK’s five year old website receive a complete redesign, with focus on fan engagement through the creation of a strong community offering and social media focus which includes a forum, ‘locker room’, blogs and fan profiles.
Bluhalo was chosen to develop the site following a competitive pitch between a final short list of three agencies. The new website sits alongside our other high profile sporting clients which include Liverpool F.C., Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Andy Murray, Hi-Tec, SWRT and Prodrive.
Bluhalo’s Managing Director Spencer Gallagher commented: “I am delighted that NFL UK selected us to work with them on this exciting project and am incredibly pleased with the end result – a website that exudes the true spirit of NFL. When it comes to engaging fans digitally, Bluhalo has an impressive track record and I’m looking forward to seeing the site evolve with additional features over the coming months.”
Alistair Kirkwood, Managing Director of NFL UK, said: "Deepening the connection with our fans is an important part of our activity in the UK and a vibrant, community-driven website plays a major role in that. We are delighted to be working with Bluhalo and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership."
The new launch sees NFL UK’s five year old website receive a complete redesign, with focus on fan engagement through the creation of a strong community offering and social media focus which includes a forum, ‘locker room’, blogs and fan profiles.
Bluhalo was chosen to develop the site following a competitive pitch between a final short list of three agencies. The new website sits alongside our other high profile sporting clients which include Liverpool F.C., Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Andy Murray, Hi-Tec, SWRT and Prodrive.
Bluhalo’s Managing Director Spencer Gallagher commented: “I am delighted that NFL UK selected us to work with them on this exciting project and am incredibly pleased with the end result – a website that exudes the true spirit of NFL. When it comes to engaging fans digitally, Bluhalo has an impressive track record and I’m looking forward to seeing the site evolve with additional features over the coming months.”
Alistair Kirkwood, Managing Director of NFL UK, said: "Deepening the connection with our fans is an important part of our activity in the UK and a vibrant, community-driven website plays a major role in that. We are delighted to be working with Bluhalo and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership."
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Online Communities
What is it all about?
Community is at the heart of so much of the internet – it is what builds and drives the internet. So much so that the communities spread beyond the online world to become as significant in the real world as things we are all used to in everyday life.
Over recent years, big players have invested a lot of money into social areas of the internet – by and large leaving many in the business asking “why?” After all there is no obvious immediate return, but there must be something to get from it – the levels of investment show just how serious large companies are about getting involved. Like a great many things on and off line it becomes a ‘bandwagon’ and everyone jumps on board, quite often with no real direction and no idea what they want to do. This results in a lot of big announcements that fail to add up to much.
At Bluhalo we approach things differently – community and social development takes time and trialing, and more often than not goes off in directions that no one even considered at the start of the project. That however, is the key to being successful online with communities and social offerings. The best way of achieving this is to give the project time to breathe – this gives the client the chance to learn from the community and establish what works best and what people would actually like to have. The one thing that has been proven time and time again is that internet communities like to have a say, to feel like what they say matters and they definitely do not like being dictated to.
Is it right for your business?
The short answer is – maybe. The longer answer is; yes, if you are prepared to engage and put the time in. Engaging with people is at the end of the day what communities are all about – allowing customers and companies to communicate, find out what they really think and want, provide new ways to interact with your brands, new ways for customers to tell others how much they like your brand and new ways to find and share information.
Having a direct link with your community can achieve more for your company than the best focus group or most in depth research. Suppliers of technical products have long been aware that forums and newsgroups are the best way to identify bugs and issues so that new releases can be made available to the community. This advantage does however come at a cost and companies have to invest time to allow individuals to interact with and learn from the community. This can be slow at first to yield results, but to companies who make the effort the rewards are extensive and long lasting.
The options
There are many ways for companies to interact with people online. From ‘old fashioned’ forums to Facebook applications, and more often than not a combination of several different channels. Within Facebook alone there are several different ways of creating an online presence and engaging with people. What works for a company depends on the products they sell, what demographic they are targeting and how fast they can respond to ideas and comments. For brands Facebook offers a great way to allow fans to engage and make statements about themselves within their own Facebook profiles – allowing them to show what they are interested in whilst as the same time increasing brand awareness for the a company.
Of course the best things about building communities online is that the technology to do it is available and built by the wider internet community. These tools only exist because a handful of individuals wanted them to and took the time to create them, by utilising them companies are giving something back to the users of their products. There is no clearer way of a company saying that they like their customers than taking a step into the world of their customers and joining in.
What next?
Simple. Start talking. Have an internal brainstorm to see what your employees think you might be able to do – then with even just a few vague ideas find some time to talk to someone like Bluhalo who can not only help you decide on direction and meaning but implement and maintain your solutions as well. Of course there are many companies out there – but here at Bluhalo we are proud of the ideas and enthusiasm that we can bring to a project, so why not pick up the phone or drop us an email and talk to us first.
David C
Programmer
Community is at the heart of so much of the internet – it is what builds and drives the internet. So much so that the communities spread beyond the online world to become as significant in the real world as things we are all used to in everyday life.
Over recent years, big players have invested a lot of money into social areas of the internet – by and large leaving many in the business asking “why?” After all there is no obvious immediate return, but there must be something to get from it – the levels of investment show just how serious large companies are about getting involved. Like a great many things on and off line it becomes a ‘bandwagon’ and everyone jumps on board, quite often with no real direction and no idea what they want to do. This results in a lot of big announcements that fail to add up to much.
At Bluhalo we approach things differently – community and social development takes time and trialing, and more often than not goes off in directions that no one even considered at the start of the project. That however, is the key to being successful online with communities and social offerings. The best way of achieving this is to give the project time to breathe – this gives the client the chance to learn from the community and establish what works best and what people would actually like to have. The one thing that has been proven time and time again is that internet communities like to have a say, to feel like what they say matters and they definitely do not like being dictated to.
Is it right for your business?
The short answer is – maybe. The longer answer is; yes, if you are prepared to engage and put the time in. Engaging with people is at the end of the day what communities are all about – allowing customers and companies to communicate, find out what they really think and want, provide new ways to interact with your brands, new ways for customers to tell others how much they like your brand and new ways to find and share information.
Having a direct link with your community can achieve more for your company than the best focus group or most in depth research. Suppliers of technical products have long been aware that forums and newsgroups are the best way to identify bugs and issues so that new releases can be made available to the community. This advantage does however come at a cost and companies have to invest time to allow individuals to interact with and learn from the community. This can be slow at first to yield results, but to companies who make the effort the rewards are extensive and long lasting.
The options
There are many ways for companies to interact with people online. From ‘old fashioned’ forums to Facebook applications, and more often than not a combination of several different channels. Within Facebook alone there are several different ways of creating an online presence and engaging with people. What works for a company depends on the products they sell, what demographic they are targeting and how fast they can respond to ideas and comments. For brands Facebook offers a great way to allow fans to engage and make statements about themselves within their own Facebook profiles – allowing them to show what they are interested in whilst as the same time increasing brand awareness for the a company.
Of course the best things about building communities online is that the technology to do it is available and built by the wider internet community. These tools only exist because a handful of individuals wanted them to and took the time to create them, by utilising them companies are giving something back to the users of their products. There is no clearer way of a company saying that they like their customers than taking a step into the world of their customers and joining in.
What next?
Simple. Start talking. Have an internal brainstorm to see what your employees think you might be able to do – then with even just a few vague ideas find some time to talk to someone like Bluhalo who can not only help you decide on direction and meaning but implement and maintain your solutions as well. Of course there are many companies out there – but here at Bluhalo we are proud of the ideas and enthusiasm that we can bring to a project, so why not pick up the phone or drop us an email and talk to us first.
David C
Programmer
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Sports Website Design
It's all about engaging fans.
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
We don’t just design a website to how we think it should look, and we don’t just design a website that follows the crowd, we design a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, we don’t only give you a way to talk to your fans, we give you a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do we get you even more fan-love, but we also get you a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. We give them a place to belong, a place of passion and community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind the way we do a great job at engaging the fans via your website. We focus on user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; we ensure you are accessible – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; we keep it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the list of what we do is pretty long, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
You can check out some of the sports websites we've created by visiting our clients page.
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
We don’t just design a website to how we think it should look, and we don’t just design a website that follows the crowd, we design a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, we don’t only give you a way to talk to your fans, we give you a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do we get you even more fan-love, but we also get you a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. We give them a place to belong, a place of passion and community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind the way we do a great job at engaging the fans via your website. We focus on user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; we ensure you are accessible – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; we keep it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the list of what we do is pretty long, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
You can check out some of the sports websites we've created by visiting our clients page.
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Sports Website Design - it's all about engaging fans
We’re the largest bespoke website design and build agency for the UK sports industry. And why is that?
Because we’re good at engaging fans.
So, how do we do it?
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
It’s important to have a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, you need to be certain that you not only have a way to talk to your fans, but that you have a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do you get even more fan-love, but you also get a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. Give them a place to belong, a place of passion and a place for community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind engaging the fans via your website. Focus needs to be given to user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; accessibility – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; keeping it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the key to a successful sports site actually makes for a pretty long list, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
If you’d like to speak to us about engaging your fans, call Vimal Patel now on 07958 723427.
Because we’re good at engaging fans.
So, how do we do it?
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
It’s important to have a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, you need to be certain that you not only have a way to talk to your fans, but that you have a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do you get even more fan-love, but you also get a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. Give them a place to belong, a place of passion and a place for community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind engaging the fans via your website. Focus needs to be given to user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; accessibility – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; keeping it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the key to a successful sports site actually makes for a pretty long list, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
If you’d like to speak to us about engaging your fans, call Vimal Patel now on 07958 723427.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
AndyMurray.com Launches
Bluhalo is delighted to announce the launch of a new website for world-class tennis player Andy Murray.
The new website, which will include a full content management system, a video section and a blog, will also allow Andy to update fans on what he’s up to anytime of day and night via a Twitter integration.
Bluhalo, who is also redesigning Jamie Murray’s website, has designed the new website to give an engaging fan experience as well as focusing on increasing website traffic and monetisation of the website.
The new website, will sit alongside a number of other high profile sporting websites from Bluhalo’s portfolio including Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Hi-Tec, Subaru World Rally Team, The Premier League, and Prodrive.
Vimal Patel, Business Development Director at Bluhalo comments; “It’s great to be working for one of the UK’s top sportsmen on a site that embraces the best of social media to truly engage the fans and enhance the user experience.”
Rob Stewart, Editor of Andymurray.com comments; “Because Andy's a busy guy, it was important that we found a way he could keep his fans up-to-date without needing to be tied to a laptop.
With so much based around his mobile phone, it's going to be dead simple for him to update the site wherever he is, and with the minimum amount of hassle."
For more on AndyMurray.com view the client case study or visit AndyMurray.com.
The new website, which will include a full content management system, a video section and a blog, will also allow Andy to update fans on what he’s up to anytime of day and night via a Twitter integration.
Bluhalo, who is also redesigning Jamie Murray’s website, has designed the new website to give an engaging fan experience as well as focusing on increasing website traffic and monetisation of the website.
The new website, will sit alongside a number of other high profile sporting websites from Bluhalo’s portfolio including Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Hi-Tec, Subaru World Rally Team, The Premier League, and Prodrive.
Vimal Patel, Business Development Director at Bluhalo comments; “It’s great to be working for one of the UK’s top sportsmen on a site that embraces the best of social media to truly engage the fans and enhance the user experience.”
Rob Stewart, Editor of Andymurray.com comments; “Because Andy's a busy guy, it was important that we found a way he could keep his fans up-to-date without needing to be tied to a laptop.
With so much based around his mobile phone, it's going to be dead simple for him to update the site wherever he is, and with the minimum amount of hassle."
For more on AndyMurray.com view the client case study or visit AndyMurray.com.
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
Engaging fans - What? Why? How?
We’re the largest bespoke website design and build agency for the UK sports industry. And why is that?
Because we’re good at engaging fans.
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
We don’t just design a website to how we think it should look, and we don’t just design a website that follows the crowd, we design a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, we don’t only give you a way to talk to your fans, we give you a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listed to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do we get you even more fan-love, but we also get you a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. We give them a place to belong, a place of passion and community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind the way we do a great job at engaging the fans via your website. We focus on user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; we ensure you are accessible – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; we keep it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the list of what we do is pretty long, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
Because we’re good at engaging fans.
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
We don’t just design a website to how we think it should look, and we don’t just design a website that follows the crowd, we design a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, we don’t only give you a way to talk to your fans, we give you a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listed to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do we get you even more fan-love, but we also get you a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. We give them a place to belong, a place of passion and community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind the way we do a great job at engaging the fans via your website. We focus on user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; we ensure you are accessible – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; we keep it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the list of what we do is pretty long, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
