| | Project Details
The Situation – Incorporate Premium Subscription Services
RainToday is the online publishing arm of Wellesley Hills Group, a management and marketing consultancy to professional services firms. The RainToday Web site serves as a marketing vehicle as well as a resource with thought-leadership, offering a wealth of content that includes articles, research, and online events .
RainToday was launched by Synthenet in 2005 and then relaunched in 2008 to bring the site to the next level. The re-launch was built around the addition of subscription services, including RainToday membership, a premium subscription option providing anytime/anywhere access to a broad range of strategic marketing and sales information. A newsletter was introduced as part of the subscriber offerings, and ecommerce capabilities were enhanced to sell research, how-to guides and other tools. RainToday also added onsite registration for its two monthly Webinars.
The Solution – Site Customized Exactly to Client’s Needs
“Much of what is new on our site was custom developed from scratch,” explains Erica Stritch, General Manager of RainToday. “Synthenet was amazing at figuring out what needed to be accomplished and making sure everything works from a technical perspective. There was a great deal of collaboration, mainly because there were many aspects to the re-launch that required we understand how each piece affects other things.”
“Synthenet knows what they’re talking about and understands what you need,” continues Stritch. “They can implement a project and get it done in a good timeframe, delivering on what they’ve promised. They stay on top of issues and work quickly through any that arise. There is a high level of trust because we know they’ll do it well.”
The Outcome – Surpassed Expectations for Membership Growth
Six months after the RainToday relaunch in June 2008, the site had gone from 0 to 44,000 subscribers and there were already 450 paid members — numbers that are still on the rise. RainToday offers a free trial membership that has a 50% conversion rate.
“We have far surpassed our expectations for membership,” asserts Stritch. “We also implemented an automated e-mail series with Synthenet that has gotten people engaged and coming back to the site. The feedback from our readers is that the site is easy to use and makes it easy to find things. We are contacted all the time from people wanting to know who developed the newsletter and created the site design.”
Summing up her comments on RainToday’s relationship with Synthenet, Stritch says, “Synthenet is the technology behind RainToday and we could not do what we do without them.” | |