“You can either do it really, really cheaply, but ultimately look like everybody else, or do it properly.”
As a business matures, its goals evolve. A business that is just starting out will have different goals at the beginning of their journey than when it is older.
After over 15 years of starting his business, Oliver Peace of James Leighton Financial Services realised his business goals had changed. He wanted a new website to reflect this and to keep up with the competition.
So, we stepped in to help him. We completed a rebrand and created a bespoke website with bespoke content to match. This was done alongside an initial SEO project and we are now engaged in a full monthly marketing programme of SEO, Google Ads and social media.
We wanted to find out how the rebrand and launch of the new website has gone down. So, Kerry sat down with Oliver and asked him about his experience with us, the things he liked and how we could improve.
Who are James Leighton Financial Services?
Founded in December 2009 by Oliver Peace, James Leighton specialise in offering fee-free whole of market mortgages to a variety of clients including first time buyers, remortgagers, home movers and investors. They offer specialised options like new build mortgages, enhanced cashback, offset and self-build mortgages.
James Leighton’s main selling point is communication – they are backed by excellent technology but nothing can replace talking to a client about their needs and giving them tailored advice based on that discussion. This is something we have in common!
The initial plans for change
Oliver had already been a client of ours for several years and initially had one of our gold level template websites. It had served him well but, after four or five years, it was starting to feel tired. It was pre-covid when the mortgage market was “going nicely” according to Oliver. James Leighton was profitable and he was looking to invest in the business. He knew that in order to keep up with the competition, he needed a new website.
Big goals and ambitions
Plans for a new website “originated from the growth strategy for the business” said Oliver. His “mission is, was and still is to grow the business ten times” by 2029. Although Oliver said they had never had a lead problem and never really needed to get clients through the website, “part of the growth strategy was to widen the range of lead sources, and the website… was part of that strategy”.
The fruition of a bespoke website and rebrand begins
As talks began between both sides and Oliver’s ambitions for the business became clear, Kerry remembers that:
“We knew we needed something a bit more special for the website.”
A little while after they met, a rebrand was suggested. Oliver admits that they “weren’t thinking quite to the level that you guys were”.
However, every time they talked through the branding process, the idea they needed a bespoke website and rebrand became more “solidified”.
The benefits of the rebrand for James Leighton
We took James Leighton through a complete branding and identity exercise which is a big project and requires a lot from the client, however Oliver said it was an “enormously valuable exercise” and made them understand their strengths and what they were good at. It also helped our creative team to understand the business on a much deeper level, allowing us to then design a website that was James Leighton through and through.
As Kerry put it, “Your website is quite out there for a mortgage broker or financial adviser”. But for Oliver, that’s good because they are different. They don’t follow the same process that everyone else does. So, for Oliver:
“The brand reflects what we’re about.”
As the business is continually evolving, the brand gives them the flexibility to keep evolving with it. So, Oliver’s plans to develop other areas of the business, such as wealth management, will mean that they can open that up as a sub-brand and keep that recognition going.
What WEBPRO did well
Oliver praised our commitment to understanding their business. Kerry agreed that it’s important to “spend time just chatting” and “having that understanding really did enhance what we were able to then provide for you”. He agreed that being able to talk regularly allowed us to adjust how we looked after him and gave him a personalised service. For him, it wasn’t just about our skills in terms of design, website development, branding and marketing, but about WEBPRO’s team.
Oliver appreciated our honesty: “You’ve always been very honest”. This was regarding what they needed to change to get the results they wanted. He said:
“You didn’t just leave it. You raised it with me several times.”
What WEBPRO could have done better
For ambitions as big as Oliver has for James Leighton, the work will never be complete. The initial rebrand and design and build of the new website was just the start of the journey. These need to evolve constantly inline with a complete marketing plan that pushes the business forwards in line with goals and ambitions. Oliver admits that he would have liked “a clearer idea of the road map” but “thinks it would be very difficult to do”. He wanted more “this is where we’re going. We recommend you do this. And if you don’t do this, this will be the implications and it’s bad to do that”. It’s a fair point and something we have taken on board – we had so many discussions about more granular details along the journey but it’s important not to lose sight of the bigger picture at the same time.
What can WEBPRO learn?
Oliver suggested that we should assume no prior knowledge of the process for clients: “Assume we’re completely stupid to begin with!”. Whilst we don’t necessarily agree with the statement, we do understand the point. The process of having a bespoke website created, even without all of the additional complexities involved for the James Leighton project, is a complicated and intense one. It’s important for us to hear how it has been for our clients so that we can focus on making this as smooth as possible for them going forwards.
Oliver also emphasised the need for continual communication because of all the unknowns. He said:
“We don’t know what we don’t know.”
So, it’s our job to communicate what our clients may not know and help keep them on the right path.
Where James Leighton is now with the website
They’ve had “lots of nice feedback” on the rebrand and new website, with their brand being consistent across all marketing channels. They’re getting more website enquiries but, as the “buying process can take three, six, twelve months”, it takes a long time to see the results. Oliver says they’re “still some way off from understanding how valuable those leads are”. But:
“The number of people that we’ve recorded as a web enquiry as a lead origin, that’s definitely increased.”
Oliver believes that James Leighton is now seen as a “much more credible brand” and clients see them as a “real business” because they have the complete marketing package – bespoke website, social media, blogs, Google Ads. All thanks to us!
The future
Oliver said that he now needs to start thinking more longer term again with what he needs to do. He’s got his mind set on the next phase of the business.
“I feel like we’re just at the beginning, we’re not at the end of something.”
Kerry said, “You’ve created your baseline and we’re going to continually build on it”.
And that’s essentially what running a successful business is all about – building layer upon layer until you eventually get to where you want to be. We’ve helped Oliver rebrand and create his bespoke website so that he stands tall above the competition. We’re here for Oliver for the next phase of his business too.
Click here to see our James Leighton portfolio.
