The American Cancer Society is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to the elimination of cancer, and the fight for health equity. Established in 1913, the society has funded more than 550 grants totaling in health equity and disparities research; implemented cancer control interventions, and partnered with community organizations and coalitions to help those most in need.
The H.E.R.O Initiative is the society’s commitment to continue this work. To better facilitate the goals of the H.E.R.O Initiative, ACS hired VisualFizz to update the acsheros.org website to be mobile-responsive, incorporate interactive features, and drive faster conversion points to key areas, such as community support, and volunteerism.
In this case study we explore the web development and UX design elements of the ACS project, and explain how projects like this seemingly small one grow into a robust ongoing marketing relationship.
Partnership With VisualFizz
The partnership between The American Cancer Society and VisualFizz began with a lengthy RFP process. According to the ACS team, “deciding factors for VisualFizz were responsiveness, communication, clear strategies, and a timeline of the deliverable.”
Those characteristics would prove useful, as the “simple webpage refresh project” would soon grow into a full scale web development project on an accelerated timeline. Fortunately, the VisualFizz team is renowned for their ability to adapt and produce high quality work under immense pressure.
Webpage Development
The initial goal of the ACS – VisualFizz partnership was for VisualFizz to provide web design guidance on a webpage highlighting the racial disparities of cancer treatments in the United States, or as the client put it,
“The charity needed a website refresh after falling stagnant around 5 years. Our goals were to update as mobile-responsive, to add in interactive features, and to drive faster conversion points to our key areas of community support and volunteerism.”
However, a review of the webpage revealed an opportunity to improve the webpage beyond a simple update. Instead of a refresh, the VisualFizz UI/UX and web development team would create a fully functional, dynamic, mobile-friendly microsite with user-friendly funnels, and conversion-focused landing pages to ensure full optimization. VisualFizz would also provide training and education to manage the website, hosting and maintenance.
The client wanted to ensure that the website was dynamic in order to ensure that users feel as though they are part of the web experience. While doing so, they also requested to ensure that the VisualFizz team builds something that is easily transferable to their team for future updates. This meant that it was our job to add technical additions to the web experience while also focusing on an easy-to-use back-end process for ongoing changes and updates.
Results: A Mobile-Responsive Webpage Delivered in Record Time
The result of the American Cancer Society – VisualFizz partnership is a fully-functional, conversion-focused, mobile-friendly microsite that better supports their mission. The ACS partnership also highlights a characteristic that is often overlooked in a digital marketing agency – adaptability.
Though our partnership with the American Cancer Society started as a simple webpage update, it evolved as our team uncovered more opportunities. That’s the sign of a great digital marketing partner – the ability to find and capitalize on opportunities to improve conversion, increase visibility and encourage engagement with the brand.
Client Testimonial
The results of the American Cancer Society – VisualFizz partnership are best described by the client themselves. Below is an excerpt from a Testimonial written by the Director of Marketing for the American Cancer Society.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
The deliverable was beautiful, few things to tweak with the constant communication, and most importantly on time.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.
Superior project management leadership, and I consider myself a strong PM at heart. They cut the clutter of too many comms tools and patch you right into their PM to limit the firehouse of extraneous messages. Again, they get to the point and are effective.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Their humbleness, good-nature, willingness to collaborate always, technical skills, and creativity impressed us.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
No… VisualFizz team’s output was phenomenal. They implemented several changes while keeping communication open. They also consistently delivered on time. Customers can expect dedication, commitment, and professionalism from them.
If you have a web development project or website refresh project that has stalled, then now is the time to contact VisualFizz for a consultation. We’ll listen to your goals; chat about your brand, and get to work creating a custom strategy to not only complete your project, but unlock the true potential of your brand.
Update: Since writing this case study, the American Cancer Society has decided to close its Heroes program and no longer supports the website.
