Mecklenburg County: Website Optimization

The Client

Based in southwestern North Carolina, Mecklenburg County is a local government entity that provides various programs and services to its residents. The county maintains a website where citizens can access information about county services, programs, and resources.

The Situation

Mecklenburg County embarked on a transformative digital campaign strategy to enhance consumer outreach through personalization. The county needed to expand its digital reach and improve engagement by tailoring content to its diverse audience's unique needs and preferences. Its key goal was to increase the relevance of communication, ensuring that citizens receive content tailored to their unique needs and interests.

The Challenge

One of the primary hurdles Mecklenburg County needed to overcome was low user engagement, with many users quickly dropping off the site without exploring further or uncovering the content they needed. This was largely due to a lack of personalization, which made it challenging for users to find relevant, tailored information. The inability to surface the right content at the right time led to a fragmented experience that failed to capture users' attention or encourage deeper interaction with the site.

The Solution

Mecklenburg County partnered with Acquia partner, Perficient, who served as the implementation partner supporting the project's strategy, design, architecture, and build. The project focused on transforming the county's digital outreach by leveraging personalization to engage a broader audience and deliver relevant content.

The team began by analyzing user behavior and segmenting audiences to understand their needs and preferences better. This insight allowed them to tailor content that resonated with each user group, providing a more personalized and meaningful experience.

The teams used Acquia's suite of solutions to power the transformation:

Acquia Site Studio allowed the team to build and iterate personalized experiences across the site quickly.

Acquia Personalization enabled the team to present content dynamically based on user behavior and preferences.

By seamlessly integrating personalized content, the teams improved engagement and ensured users could uncover the information they needed more efficiently, increasing satisfaction and facilitating deeper site interactions.

The teams’ use of Acquia's solutions was instrumental in achieving the County’s goals. Acquia’s tools empowered the teams to create a scalable, future-proof solution that ensured the site could adapt to the growing needs of the county and its citizens. By leveraging Acquia's robust platform, Mecklenburg County was able to foster stronger connections with the community, drive engagement, and set a new standard for personalized outreach in local government.

The Results

The project achieved significant results that have made a measurable difference in user engagement and overall site performance, including:

Increased program participation: The personalized content strategy drove more attendees to county-hosted programs and services, with a noticeable increase in participation.

Reduced site drop-offs: Site drop-off frequency was reduced, as users found the content more relevant and were encouraged to explore further rather than leaving the site prematurely.

Higher engagement: The site substantially increased click-through rates, with users engaging more deeply with the personalized content.

These improvements highlight the project's success in creating a more engaging and user-friendly experience, leading to greater participation and satisfaction from Mecklenburg County residents. The strategic use of technology has positioned Mecklenburg County as a leader in the digital transformation of public service outreach, showcasing the impactful role of personalization in creating meaningful, data-driven experiences.