One of the oldest investment firms in the U.S., Hilliard Lyons has been growing, protecting, and managing client wealth since 1854. Thanks to deep local connections, great client service and a strong emphasis on building relationships, Hilliard Lyons has grown to become an enterprise with over 60 local offices and 1,100 employees.
After a full rebranding, Hilliard Lyons was ready for a new website, built with Drupal 8 on Acquia, that represented the new brand. The new site needed to build trust by presenting an innovative, growing business, without losing sight of the relationship focus the company had always been known for.
The Challenge
With three distinct microsites under the Hilliard Lyons brand, we needed to fold them all together into a single website. Additionally, dozens of new local wealth advisor pages would need to be created and integrated, enabling current and prospective clients to experience Hilliard Lyons’s personal touch.
Lastly and most importantly, the new Hilliard Lyons website would need to be designed, developed, and launched in a 3-month timespan.
The Approach
Having a short timeframe to design, build, and write copy for such a complex website, our team’s organization and agility were put to the test. Drawing from a comprehensive, insight-driven strategy, we quickly moved to IA, design, and copywriting to ensure development had the time it needed to deliver great results.
increase in site traffic
increase in user sessions
Strengthening the Brand
Hilliard Lyons’ services were largely separated across three sites that didn’t feel or appear connected. As such, bringing them together cohesively was mission critical.
We merged the three sites into one, developing and hosting the new site using Drupal 8 on Acquia. Not only would Acquia deliver the dynamic, mobile-ready experience Hilliard Lyons was seeking, its improvements in load speed, flexibility, and security offered the experience and performance goals they were after.
Rediscovering Roots
Hilliard Lyons built its business on giving personalized, next-door neighbor experiences to clients. Through human-centric design and great copywriting, BFM was up to the challenge of introducing that legacy of service to prospective clients.
Using the new brand guidelines, our designs had a fresh, modern spin and a user-friendly navigation, giving Hilliard Lyons an aesthetic edge over its competitors. In copywriting for the new site, we took a client-first approach to messaging, using a warm, conversational tone to make the brand relatable and better communicate the kind of service clients could expect.
Results
Despite the short timeframe, we launched the Hilliard Lyons website on its planned deadline, and instantly saw traction with users.
As well as having clear impacts on site traffic and user sessions, our development work through Acquia also improved load times by an impressive 78%. Now with its brand refresh and people-focused digital transformation continuing, Hilliard Lyons can continue to grow well into the next century.
