Equity

About EQUITY

Equity is the only Trade Union to represent artists from across the entire spectrum of arts and entertainment. Formed in 1930 by a group of West End of London performers, Equity quickly spread to encompass the whole range of professional entertainment so their membership includes actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors.

Launch website - www.equity.org.uk

The key objectives

Equity approached netXtra knowing that, ultimately, they wanted to be THE recognised representative body for performers, an authoritative voice for the profession and the natural source of information for the industry. With their website having been in place for a number of years, and over this time grown appreciably in scale, the architecture, design and overall user experience had not developed to keep pace with website best practice.

Their view was that they needed a new, credible content-managed website, integrated to their Microsoft Dynamics CRM, that provided effective online information and services to key audiences — one that compares favourably with other leading unions and answers all the needs of both Equity members and the industry itself.

An area in which they felt that they had never been overly successful in the past was in appealing to focus members of the profession, namely high-profile members and young members. A solution was required, one that portrayed Equity as a strong, effective trade union which performs admirably as their members' mouthpiece. The focus of the website should not only be voicing the members concerns but it should also work hard at affiliation with agents and employers on members behalves. In its design, the website needed to be professional and clean, informative rather than entertaining but remaining "cool" to appeal across the board. The clarity of the site and speed of the user-journey to get to where they needed to be was paramount with a lack of "gimmickry".

The Members' area was required to feel more personal and relevant with calls to action being prominently and clearly displayed.

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The solution

NetXtra pulled on their many years of experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM (customer relationship management) system integration, to build and integrate a website which will help Equity create a sense of community and loyalty to the union which exceeded their expectations. The website gives a platform for presenting influential and impactful campaigns, feeding back successes to give confidence and increase member engagement.

In order to help solve the need to encourage new members to join, to retain and communicate more effectively with existing members, and to make the overall online experience more useful and rewarding, netXtra approached the integration intelligently. On integrating the new website with Equity's Microsoft Dynamics CRM system, netXtra provided intuitive modules which cleanse the member's data upon registration; whilst incorporating seamless processes such as postcode checks and bank detail security validation. Members are now able to manage and update their own profiles, renewals and information preferences, significantly cutting Equity's administration overheads.

To address the issue of making the new site relevant, engaging and "cool", while keeping it clean and professional, netXtra introduced "talking heads" videos on the homepage. This gives prospective members first-hand advice and experience of the true benefits of Equity membership through real life experiences from prominent and influential existing Equity members and performers. Not only do potential Equity members benefit from these but they give a feeling of "community" and confidence to the existing member-base knowing that these individuals, well-respected in their industry, have respect for the union.

Additionally a redesign to the online integrated "Membership Directory" also makes life easier for members and talent agencies alike. It provides the facility to search a selection of Equity members by name, by their physical appearance, and by skill sets, in order to match the performer to the part. Improvements were also made to the Job Information Service (or JIS) facility on the site giving members the forum to pitch their talents directly to those looking for entertainers and equally a marketplace for employers to announce their opportunities for Equity members.

Commenting on the appointment of netXtra to develop the new site, Campaigns & Publications Officer, Phil Pemberton said "we at Equity knew what we wanted from the new website and how we could improve on what we had. Appointing the right company to develop the site was imperative." Phil added "With an impressive client list, netXtra convinced us that they could provide what we needed. The netXtra project team has been great to work with and the new site is a vast improvement on its predecessor."

The benefits to Equity of having an integrated content-managed website

• Seamless integration to Microsoft Dynamics CRM thanks to netXtra's unrivalled experience with this particular CRM.
• Real-time membership Equity renewals allows users to personalise their own profile and keep personal preferences up-to-date.
• Has increased Equity's membership through better promotion, campaigning and campaign reporting and by adding more value to Equity membership.
• Provides members and prospective members with easier access Equity's resources and a simple way to voice their issues and get them heard by those who can help.
• Intuitive navigation that is sympathetic to the needs of a wide-ranging audience.
• Easy-to-use Content Management System that gives authorised users the ability to make content updates from any PC or phone with internet access.
• Search engine optimised, putting Equity top of most related keyword searches.
• Comprehensive website statistics that allow Equity to evaluate website effectiveness and tailor it accordingly.

For more information please contact netXtra on 01787 319393 or email: info@netxtra.net.