Macias, Gini & O'Connell
Online Makeover Positions MGO to Compete with the Best
California-based Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP (MGO) is a leading certified public accounting and management consulting firm, named one of the nation’s top 30 fastest growing CPA firms by the Public Accounting Report. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, MGO has grown from a small, local firm in Sacramento to a 150-employee statewide operation serving clients in the technology, real estate, manufacturing, government and nonprofit industries. The firm’s client roster boasts a number of high profile entities including CalPERS, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the City of San Diego, and a number of multinational clients with overseas operations.
Identifying the Challenge
When MGO came to Blue River, the organization had outgrown its website in numerous ways. Having emerged from a respected regional firm to a top-tier industry competitor, MGO needed a website and online business strategy that would more accurately position it as a viable alternative to the public accounting world’s “big four” -- Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). The new site would need to convincingly reflect the organization’s leadership to both prospective employees and clients.
To help MGO achieve this goal, Blue River developed a two-fold strategy:
1. Communicate excellence through design.
2. Communicate leadership by showcasing expertise.
Excellence through Design
From the moment online visitors entered MGO’s website, they needed to experience the same quality and leadership online that has made the firm a success. An elegant new design answered this need by visually communicating expertise, great taste and strong corporate standing. The dramatic re-design set the stage for MGO’s audiences to clearly and easily delve into the site’s content.
Showcasing Expertise
With a beautiful new design in place, Blue River went to work on its next strategy – showcasing MGO’s talent and leadership by highlighting its expertise. The approach: give MGO’s audience a glimpse inside the mind of this impressive organization. To do this, Blue River created an array of online venues where MGO’s experts could share their insights and tips with online audiences:
1. MGO Perspectives – Frequently published articles, tips and guidance addressing industry issues and how they affect public accounting clients.
2. Inside MGO – The firm’s corporate blog that allows visitor comments.
3. Hot Topics – A collection of MGO articles focused on common and pressing industry questions and concerns.
Using these avenues, MGO’s client base and prospective employees would have a solid sense of the organization through helpful, smart information.
Keeping the Future in Mind
To support MGO’s dynamic growth, the organization’s new website was converted to Blue River’s Sava Content Management System, allowing MGO to maintain, expand and change its site with ease. MGO’s marketing staff would now oversee and expand the site using helpful workflow features, intuitive templates and familiar editorial controls.
Results that Say it All
MGO’s new site launched in April 2007 and has been an immediate success. The site was recently the only professional services site selected as a finalist in the “Website Overall Design” category for the 2007 American Business Awards, a contest featuring more than 2,000 entries nationwide. In addition, MGO has also received a marketing achievement award for website redesign at a recent Association for Accounting Marketing conference, further reinforcing MGO’s position as an industry leader.
“Being selected as a finalist along with companies like Accenture, Delphi and Verizon is testimony to the quality of our marketing team and our work with Blue River,” said MGO Partner Kevin O’Connell on the American Business Awards nomination. “The new site has given us the online appeal we need to attract prospective clients and strong talent to our organization.”