L’Éventail - Digitalizing the oldest Belgian magazine
L’Éventail
Born at the same time as Belgium itself, L’Éventail is the oldest magazine in the country. Through wars, social upheavals, economic transitions, and technological revolutions, L’Éventail has witnessed Belgian history.
The magazine delves into cutting-edge trends, be it in lifestyle, art, culture, and society, without ever abandoning tradition.
However, to continue its mission in the digital age, L’Éventail needed better tools.
By engaging Caracal, L’Éventail sought the best technical and creative partner to assist its journey toward renewed digital maturity. Our team was delighted to meet their expectations by focusing on several crucial elements.
Challenges
L’Éventail's primary challenge revolved around its website, which presented multiple issues.
Firstly, the site no longer reflected the brand's identity. It neither matched the brand's self-perception nor the image it aspired to convey.
Moreover, the website was outdated, both visually and technically. It did not meet current standards, wasn’t responsive, and was seldom updated.
This led to a significant lack of trust among online users, now accustomed to websites offering superb user experiences. This not only harmed L’Éventail's brand image — with a website being one of the primary assets a brand can leverage — but also hindered sales and payment collections. No payment system was in place; everything was done through bank transfers.
Thus, the site wasn't a revenue source for the magazine but could even negatively impact its revenue due to its outdated appearance and lack of user trust.
Today, your website is the flagship of your digital presence. If it has such problems, it jeopardizes your viability, emphasizing the importance of updates.
L’Éventail trusted Caracal to address these challenges and overhaul their website from A to Z.
Methodology
To fulfill our mission, we began with an analysis. We aimed to understand the strategies employed by other magazines to grow through their websites.
We wanted to comprehend what the best were doing so L’Éventail could join their ranks.
Website structure, user experience, payment systems, visual and written content were scrutinized across various magazines with strong digital footprints.
Armed with these insights, we transformed L’Éventail's website into a true powerhouse.
Solutions
We started by redefining a simple digital graphic charter to work with, including colors, colorimetry, and fonts. The logo didn’t require reworking.
The goal was to have branding consistent with L’Éventail's self-image and the image it wanted to portray.
Then, we overhauled the site's structure.
For a magazine, it's vital to prioritize sections based on importance. We analyzed site data to rank sections by visitor numbers, noticing that the most visited section was underemphasized. Thus, it took center stage in the site's revamped version, enhancing user experience.
Next, we implemented L’Éventail's online payment system.
Previously, subscriptions required an annual bank transfer, manually validated by L’Éventail's team. We introduced monthly card payments, boosting revenue.
We also added a paywall, encouraging users to subscribe — a common magazine practice. After reading three free articles, users must subscribe to continue accessing content.
This made L’Éventail's website a pivotal player in the magazine's growth.
Before the launch, Caracal faced a delicate task: migration. The old site was Joomla-based, while the new one used WordPress, necessitating the transfer of 2,500 articles without negatively impacting SEO.
Following this, L’Éventail's site became technically superior and visually contemporary.
Additionally, we continue assisting L’Éventail with their new site. Martin Remacle, Caracal's Operations & Project Manager, dedicates two weekly hours for in-house coaching at L’Éventail. It's vital to us that clients grasp and manage what we develop for them.
A new era for L’Éventail
Caracal's efforts will significantly influence L’Éventail.
The revamped design and website structure enhance user trust and spotlight L’Éventail's content.
This strengthens the brand image, facilitating subscription sales, now technically feasible with our solution.
Also, the site's improved performance boosts its search engine ranking. With over 80,000 monthly page views, subscriptions have surged.
This leads to increased revenue for L’Éventail, providing additional funds for varied investments. The brand can produce more content, diversify mediums, or promote for greater visibility.
The website revamp is foundational to this virtuous cycle.
This investment is highly valuable, especially when backed by the right team with a long-term vision. A website, crucial to your digital presence, must evolve continuously.
L’Éventail understands this, and the impact has been significant.
