A lesson from Grolsch on why to invest in your Corporate website

6 months on and Grolsch’s most recent web report reveals that national website traffic is up by over 100% on the same period from the previous year... So, what makes the Grolsch corporate website so effective?

In July 2017, we launched a ‘revamped’ version of Grolsch’s corporate website, http://www.koninklijkegrolsch.nl/, after many months of planning and building behind the scenes. The existing site we’d worked on with them a couple of years before was good - it looked modern and handled vacancies with ease. Many large corporations may become complacent at this point, but the team at Grolsch strive for excellence, and decided to invest in making the site even better in 2017.

This came in the form of consolidating their portfolio of smaller sites into their existing website, and adding new and interesting features. 6 months on and Grolsch’s most recent web report reveals that national website traffic is up by over 100% on the same period from the previous year...

So, what makes the Grolsch corporate website so effective?

1) It’s useful

This may seem like an obvious thing for any website to be, but many miss the mark. Grolsch have given their website many useful purposes for different demographics - it’s more than a shop front, it:

• Lists current job vacancies and allows users to apply via the website
• Has a ‘Press Room’ which allows staff or press to easily download company assets like logos and key imagery
• Keeps visitors informed with nutritional information and facts about sustainability
• Allows individuals to apply to receive funds for initiatives that align with Grolsch’s values, by promoting economic growth and social cohesiveness in the local region
• Gives visitors a reason to come back, with a regularly updated news/blog area

By creating useful tools, Grolsch allows followers of their brand to interact with them in a manner of different ways via their website, and give them a reason to keep coming back - this dialogue and purposefulness creates an engaged audience.

2) It has a personality

Part of the revamp of the Grolsch website was about focusing on the personality behind Grolsch as a brand. How did they achieve this? By:

• Investing time into telling the story of Grolsch’s rich heritage using a visually engaging timeline
• Not being afraid to focus on telling users about their values (Confidence, Passion, Focus and Craftsmanship) and their visions for the future (to become the winning brewery of the Netherlands in 2020).
• Proving they are socially responsible, with an area dedicated to Sustainability
• Introducing individuals from across the company’s areas - not just CEOs, but a selection of the people who make it all possible.

Grolsch haven’t held back on demonstrating who they are as a brand thanks to their admirable history and equally admirable goals, both for the brand and for the rest of the world. As a visitor, you’re drawn to the warmth of the company’s story and given plenty of opportunities to identify mutual values.

3) It’s big on user experience

The site as a whole feels high quality and this reflects on their brand, but also makes the user experience clean, easy and enjoyable. This one can be hard to pinpoint, but there are a few key features, some of which were added in 2017, that give Grolsch’s website visitors a quality user experience, including:

• Clean web design that is easy to navigate, consistent and on-brand
• High resolution, professional imagery that conveys the quality of the brand
• The ability to translate pages from Dutch to English and back again, at the click of a button
• Simple social sharing options, allowing users to pass on Grolsch’s news without leaving the site

We’ve particularly enjoyed working on this project over the past couple of years, and seeing the results have proved that Grolsch have got the right idea - it is worth dedicating the time and resource to your corporate website. And, Grolsch are not about to stop now, with plans to increase interactivity and fresh content throughout their Careers section to engage on an even deeper level with prospective employees in 2018. Watch this space!