Varsity Spirit
Multi-Persona Website Transformation
How we transformed Varsity Spirit’s digital presence to create personalized user experiences across multiple personas.
Client
Varsity Spirit
Industry & Services
Location
Memphis, Tennessee
Client Overview
Varsity Spirit is a fashion and educational enrichment company serving middle and high school athletes and coaches. Founded in 1974, the company has established itself as a leader in the cheerleading and dance industry, offering camps, competitions, apparel, and educational content through various business segments including Camps & Competitions, Brands, Fashion (Clothing), and Varsity TV.
As a company that has been around for nearly five decades, Varsity Spirit was at a critical juncture where they needed to modernize their digital presence to maintain their competitive edge and continue serving their diverse customer base effectively.
The Challenge
Before working with CloudMellow Marketing, Varsity Spirit faced significant challenges in using their website as an effective marketing tool to engage multiple personas. They lacked a clear buyer journey for different user types, making it difficult to convert curious visitors into engaged buyers.
Website Transformation
Before: Outdated & Confusing
- Confusing navigation
- No persona targeting
- Poor conversion rates
After: Personalized & Modern
- Persona-specific experiences
- Clear buyer journey
- Optimized conversions
Key Pain Points
- No clear buyer journey for different user personas (athletes, parents, coaches, gym owners)
- Outdated website that didn’t serve multiple constituents effectively
- Complex sitemap with confusing user loops
- Declining leads and low brand visibility
- Lack of personalized content for different business segments
The main goal was to create a new website that would replace their outdated platform and serve multiple constituents with personalized content and targeted marketing. Since buyer journey goals differed for each constituent, we needed to navigate a complex sitemap while delivering results for each key business area.
With Varsity Spirit now relying primarily on digital presence to generate leads for various business ventures, the website had become the main instrument of their sales strategy. The company aimed to recover declining leads and improve brand visibility through modernized user experience and digital marketing approaches.
Our Solution
To help Varsity Spirit meet its branding and marketing goals, we implemented a holistic experiential approach that integrated seamless content and design navigation by organizing various website elements strategically.
Our Design Process
Persona Research & Mapping
Deep dive into user segments and behavior patterns
Wireframing & Strategy
Collaborative planning for optimal user experiences
Dynamic Implementation
Building personalized content systems
Testing & Optimization
Data-driven refinements and improvements
Phase 1:
Persona Mapping & Strategy
We began by mapping out personas and business areas to identify overlaps and visualize redundancies and confusing user loops that made the previous website difficult to navigate. This foundational work was crucial for understanding how different user segments interacted with the brand.
Phase 2:
Wireframing & Content Strategy
We created two phases of wireframes to plan design and content visually:
- Phase 1 Wireframes: Served as a shell for website structure with dummy content, capturing goals and elements of each page
- Phase 2 Wireframes: A more collaborative approach with the Varsity Spirit team to integrate new website content into preliminary design aligned with branding needs
Phase 3:
Dynamic Content Architecture
We created dynamic content structures that would adapt based on the type of user viewing the page. Every piece of dynamic content was created based on specific needs and pain points of each user segment, then refined using data and behavioral tracking of website activity.
Dynamic Features Implemented
- News and video feed modules that filter content by relevant persona
- Specialized promotions targeting specific buyer segments
- Streamlined conversion funnels for returning users
- Persona-specific navigation and content recommendations
User Experience Innovation
Persona-Based Navigation
Dynamic navigation that adapts based on user type – athletes see different content than coaches or parents.
- Athletes
- Parents
- Coaches
- Gym Owners
Smart Content Filtering
News feeds, promotions, and video content automatically filter to show only relevant information for each user segment.
- Real-time personalization
Phase 4:
Design & Brand Identity
The design stage focused on bringing Varsity Spirit’s vision to life while acknowledging that each business segment has different personalities. For example, the school segment (junior high and high school teams) required a traditional vibe connected to sporting events, while the All Star segment needed a more fashion-driven, competitive approach.
Through extensive research into unique personalities, behaviors, and motivating factors of each persona segment, we developed content and design that spoke directly to each group. This meticulous attention to detail helped us create research and data-backed content that we knew would convert at higher than average rates.
Phase 5:
Custom Integrations
To achieve long-term business goals, we developed several custom integrations:
Internal Ads System
Custom design system for housing product releases, camp announcements, and sale offers throughout the website.
Smart Contact Routing
Singular form system that routes submissions based on personas through self-identifying steps.
Salesforce Integration
Automatic fetching of camp and competition data from Salesforce, minimizing manual updates.
Permission Management
Tiered login permissions enabling delegation of website management tasks across team members.
Our Unique Approach
Rather than creating a one-size-fits-all website that spoke to everyone but truly understood no one, we invested time in deeply understanding each user segment to create meaningful website personalization. This approach was essential for increasing Varsity’s retention and conversion rates.
Unlike many design agencies that rely on static design and stale visuals, our approach combined data-backed research with dynamic UX design and behavioral functionality. This strategy helped Varsity grow its profit margin by effectively appealing to each segment of their ideal buyer while comprehensively covering all aspects of their business.
What Made Our Approach Different
- Deep persona research instead of assumptions
- Dynamic, behavior-based functionality over static design
- Data-driven content strategy backed by user research
- Comprehensive business segment coverage
- Long-term scalability through custom integrations
“Detailed metrics and performance data available upon request.”