First Homes Digital Marketing Stays Brand Consistent

First Homes wants site visitors to know that like its parent organization, Rochester Area Foundation, that it's a community venture. Rochester Area Foundation’s mission is to build and improve the quality of life in the greater Rochester area through philanthropic leadership and community partnerships. First Homes has improved the quality of life for hundreds in Rochester, Minnesota and the surrounding community, by helping them achieve the dream of homeownership.

This brand consistency goal was kept a priority as CWS redesigned First Homes site. Special attention was given to keep with similar branding and structure. Keeping First Homes branding tied with Rochester Area Foundation helps contributors and those seeking assistance clearly see the connection between the organizations.

As stated in a recent Entrepreneur article “The Basics of Branding” establishing brand consistency is done in part by creating, “Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout.”

"People start affiliating your brand with color and images," said Ethan Herber, Marketing and Social Media Specialist at CWS.

Brand Consistency was Created By:

• Using the same template and color scheme
• Using a similar large image rotator

To gain greater clickthrough and conversion rates, creating an engaging and easy User Experience is crucial to a website that markets an organization effectively.

Updates made to First Homes website to improve User Experience include:

• Updated navigation to serve both interested buyers and current homeowners
• Information on their site is now easy to scan
• Google maps integration makes locating homes convenient
• Paypal donation functionality

Marketing through storytelling is also implemented on the First Homes site. They share their compelling stories about their program offerings, the homes they have connected with families dreaming of homeownership. With the eCMS (a content management system exclusive to CWS) the First Homes staff is able to create and add stories with ease.

Congratulations to First Homes on its new website!