Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science

Turning a mortuary school into the go-to place for future morticians by focusing on their USP and brand positioning

The Brief:

JC Design and Media was hired to help PIMS not only build a new website that incorporated the updated visuals of their brand, but also help enhance their overall strategy and bring their story to light.  

From restructuring the layout and navigation, to incorporating improved accessibility and showing more of their brand’s personality, the new website embodies the care and approachability of the institution and staff alike. The PIMS team now also has full access to their site along with receiving regular updates on traffic and site performance, something they did not know before.

In the first three months of launching, the new site traffic led to more quality clicks, organic search results wildly improved, applications were up year over year (especially in the off-season), and there was a reported increase in leads.

Scope of Work

  • Brand Strategy
  • Website Redesign
  • Interactive Forms & Applications
  • Website Traffic  Monitoring & Insights

Results First Year Post-Launch

  • Increased nation-wide leads
  • Noteable increase in applicants year over year
  • Organic search is the top traffic source, followed by direct search
  • 26.7K organic users with a 45% bounce rate and 12K direct users with a 69% bounce rate in the first year after launching
  • A clear direction on their brand strategy, resulting in more effective messaging for their marketing efforts

Print Design

They needed to stand out to their target audience at events, and so we strayed from the typical brochure and print materials to share their story in cost-effective yet impactful ways. The improved interest utilizing this collateral was noticeable.

Before

The team at PIMS stated prospects had a difficult time finding information on the site, with the application process also being confusing due to needing to go to a third party in order to apply. They wanted a more streamlined process, to convert more leads, and an emphasis on why they do what they do.

Now

The site focuses on the journey of the prospective student, guiding them through the pertinent information they need. It quickly addresses questions and concerns, makes the application process simpler by alllowing them to apply directly through the site, and also shows the human and personal side of PIMS.