Like most non-profit groups, The San Jacinto Museum of History (SJMH) depends upon individual and corporate sponsorship, as well as endowments, to sustain its many worthwhile roles in the community. To help, Bravo Zulu contributed a user-centered Web site designed to support their educational programs and accelerate their fundraising efforts.
A short drive from downtown Houston, San Jacinto is the site of the final battle for Texas independence. This dramatic scene on April 21st, 1836 pitted Sam Houston’s outnumbered Texas army against the Mexican forces of General Santa Anna, whose shocking defeat ultimately led to the U.S.–Mexican War and the territorial expansion of the United States to the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most important battle sites in the country, not to mention a heck of a fun daytrip.
The SJMH serves a number of functions in the community. It’s an informational, recreational and cultural attraction for everyone from genealogists to journalists to military historians. And it’s a steward of history, promoting friendship between Texas, Mexico, Spain, France and Latin America. Its many important roles require a lot of financial ammunition.
With the goal of increasing revenues and savings, Bravo Zulu devised a web-centric strategy to help SJMH optimize each marketing dollar.
Designing for Dollars
Leaving William Shatner and sock puppets out of the equation, websites can—and often do—accelerate the rate at which an organization brings in revenue—even in challenging economic conditions.
And we’re not talking about huge investments in technology. We’re talking about simple, smart design that makes the most of the medium. Our new site design helps drive revenue for SJMH by enabling site users to:
- Become a member and donate online via secure credit card transactions
- Shop online at the museum’s gift shop
- Plan an individual or group visit
- Learn about big-ticket corporate sponsorship
- Find information about the battle, facility and association
The new site’s information architecture helps users find exactly what they need in a way that orients, informs and persuades. It also helps users find what they need more quickly and makes enrolling or renewing existing memberships a snap.
For the first time, the museum’s extensive collection of artifacts has been brought online, allowing users to view many of the fascinating and curious objects that usually require a supervised trip to the monument’s basement (yes, there’s a basement at this Texas landmark).
Once enticed to visit, there’s easy-to-find information about the facility’s pricing, schedule, news, and upcoming events—even tips on planning a visit. Every page of the site was designed with our main objective in mind: easy access online access to the museum’s rare collections and increasing revenue.
Cost-Effective Content
If a penny saved is indeed a penny earned, Bravo Zulu also helps SJMH save big bucks with SAM, our powerful web management tool. Content generation and management can be a bottomless pit for both marketing and IT departments. SAM enabes the museum staff to edit their own Web site—add content and new pages, or make other content revisions—without relying on expensive programmers or outside vendors.
Since the site’s launch, its number of unique visitors has doubled. More contributions. Increased savings. Better value. Now SJMH has a site that not only truly communicates its tremendous value to the public, but also contributes to its long-term success through user-centered design.
Need to bring in more bucks?
Contact us.
