31/May/2011

postalheritage.org.uk

The British Postal Museum & Archive is the public identity of the Postal Heritage Trust. This charitable trust was established in 2004 to manage the public records of The Royal Mail Archive, and to develop access to the museum collections of the former National Postal Museum.

The BPMA is an independent charity but its history is strongly linked with that of the Royal Mail Group.

The Challenge

The major challenge was that the wider public did not necessarily understand that the BPMA. The programme of events needed to be publicised effectively, while the traditional museum experience - displays, interpretation and engagement with objects – needed to largely take place online.

The online catalogue and the website’s search function were popular elements, but did not always provide users with the information they want.

Our Solution

We created a website that provided an instant impression of BPMA, was user friendly and intuitive to existing audiences and exciting and attractive to new audiences. The new website is ambitious and memorable and has become an essential tool for researchers. We were driven to create an accessible and inclusive site that offered equally rich experiences for every person who visits.

We developed a community that all enthusiasts, professionals and general audiences could engage and be apart of.

Results

The website has only been live for 6 months, but in that time we have seen traffic, visitor retention, and page views per visitor all up 120% compared to the same period last year.

After launching its integrated online shop, site traffic increased by 20% in one month.

Reviews

“Both the content and design have been significantly improved, with a cleaner layout, extensive photo galleries and larger images making the site much easier to browse.”

***** - Web User Magazine

“An excellent Join the Conversation section allows you to view and take part in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter and see the latest blog all on one page. A site rich in information and illustrations and easy to navigate. As the BPMA has been forced to shelve plans for a proper museum, this site is the next best thing and (...)merits regular visits.”

Online Philately

 

What we did:

• Design
• Content Management
• Mailing List Manager
• E-marketing
• Online Shop
• Social Networking Integration

postalheritage.org.uk