Some 2,200 miles east of the bespectacled geek enclave that is Silicon Valley, Badger Tag & Label Corp.'s Dale "DJ" Jacoby talks about his place in the high-tech universe while at work in his Random Lake, Wis., office.
"I wouldn't say I have a pocket protector," says Badger's sales/marketing manager, drolly distancing himself from Silicon's nerd-dom. "I do believe that more buyers are going online rather than using resource catalogs. Web sites are more specific. They offer more information."
Farther east, on the outskirts of Albany, N.Y., Laura Shore augments Jacoby's assessment. "Compared to print, the web is a very affordable medium. But it's invisible unless you're looking for it," says Shore, vice president of marketing communications at Cohoes, N.Y.-based Mohawk Paper Mills Inc. "You don't stop appearing in the trade journals, and you don't quit direct mail, but you have to find a way to make the web work for you."
It's an issue that companies nationwide are grappling with--how to bend internet technology in their favor. Firms such as Badger and Mohawk have discovered a relatively cost-effective way to widen their market footprints: They've redesigned their web sites. And they're seeing immediate results.
Form Follows Function
at Badger
The new www.badgertag.com launched on Jan. 23. The value of the redesign is apparent in the manner in which its form follows function. Badger's products provide people with the means to communicate specific information. In that spirit, the site offers detailed information about its products.
Custom printing can be confusing, Jacoby says. He says Badger anticipates an eventual increase in sales thanks to the information the site will provide to distributors who are unfamiliar with the firm's capabilities.
Badger's home page displays a ring of more than 100 tags and labels that circle the company's contact information. On the left side of the page, a floating vertical menu follows visitors' every move up and down. (Think of the feature as an interactive tag.)
In addition to the standard "About Us," "PR/News" and "Contact/Corp Info," the site hosts a "Features" section. It guides customers and prospects through the step-by-step process of ordering a tag or label, from paper stock selection to artwork completion and the 10 steps in between. One notable feature is a PDF file that graphically displays various label unwind styles. Separate "Tags" and "Labels" pages offer similar in-depth information, including an easy-to-follow Flash demo showing how self-sealing laminated labels work.
"We're giving people a better understanding of how our products work," Jacoby says. "Our site isn't glitzy. I've seen sites that are colorful, and you can tell they're done by an artist. Our site looks like what we do. We're a manufacturer, and our site is more functional."
Site Aids Identity for Mohawk
Mohawk, which relaunched www.mohawkpaper.com in October, already is seeing positive results. Requests for samples doubled in the five months following the redesign. Shore credits the site's success to the "elegance and simplicity" of its unique Flash design. "We wanted a site that would delight the visitor but also provide solid product and industry information," she says. "By combining Flash and HTML, the designers accomplished both goals."
Unlike standard web sites that simply appear after a URL is entered, on www.mohawkpaper.com four main menu bars shaped like white paper float toward the center of the screen from various directions. The menu bars settle into a staggered yet accessible row that includes "About," "Paper," "Resources" and "Features" sections. Like the Badger site, a plethora of information is readily available. Among other features, the site displays Mohawk's color copy capabilities via 13 easy-to-access annual report covers.
The redesign of www.mohawkpaper.com was part of a new identity campaign that began in 2002. Shore credits the look and feel of the site to designer Lisa Strausfeld of design firm Pentagram in New York.
"I was amazed, when the site launched, at the number of people who were asking questions with our feedback option," Shore says. "What we're doing now--in trade journals, swatchbooks and in all of our advertising--is emphasizing the web site as a feedback tool."
More Tweaking for Both Firms
Mohawk and Badger already are thinking about the next versions of their sites. Shore says the next incarnation of www.mohawkpaper.com will include an HTML background for "Flash haters" and people with slow browsers. In the meantime, Mohawk will collect research to see what other changes should be made while continuing to add content throughout the site.
Badger is considering adding a layer of enhanced customer service to www.badgertag.com, Jacoby says. Instead of faxing or mailing proofs to customers, the manufacturer would add a page to the site that would enable buyers view proofs online. The page also could be used to attract new customers and add value to existing client relationships.
Exactly one month after the new www.badgertag.com launched, a still pocket protector-less Jacoby was encouraged from positive feedback about the site. "We're already hearing back from people who say our new site is extremely helpful," he says.
