Case Studies - Business Support Guide
For the fourth year running, the Business Innovation Centre has commissioned Live Expertise to produce its North Staffordshire Business Support Guide.
Delivered as both an online updatable website, and as an offline CD business card, the guide is an essential resource for new-startup and SME organisations across Staffordshire.
Background
The Business Innovation Centre (BIC) is a Staffordshire-based organisation offering support, guidance, and funding opportunities to promote business growth through innovation.
Each year the BIC produces a directory of business support resources, match-funding initiatives, and grants available within the region. Rising costs and resource constraints meant the BIC needed to explore new ways to deliver the directory, and asked Live Expertise for help.
Challenge
- Provide an alternative medium for the directory
- Allow the BIC to make updates to the directory content throughout the year
- Reduce production and distribution costs
- Transfer the existing directory content into the new solution
Solution
Live Expertise used our Live Breeze solution with the Breeze Directory Manager module functionality to provide a management framework for the directory content.
The existing Support guide was transferred into the new solution, and staff at the BIC received a comprehensive training and support package to allow them to update the directory. When all changes were complete, the directory was converted automatically to static web pages and exported for production as a browsable CD-rom.
The CD-rom version of the guide is supported by an online copy, which can be updated throughout the year by the BIC as initiatives and funding structures change.
The guide has proved so successful that the BIC have just delivered a 4th edition of the directory, featuring business-card sized CD-roms. In addition to brand updates, hosting and management of the online directory, and some content changes, Live Expertise were able to assist with direct mail preparation, to help the BIC get the guide out to over 1800 businesses throughout the region.
Continued analysis of website activity means that Live Expertise are able to provide the BIC with data to demonstrate the success of the directory in order to secure future funding for the directory.
Click here to view the Business Support Guide, or contact our sales team to discuss how to make your catalogues and directories work more effectively.
