Sector
Consumer

Location
Essex & Suffolk

Website
bijouxtoots.co.uk

The Bijoux Toots, based in Sudbury, describe themselves as ‘a covers band with a twist’, and mix Bluegrass & Folk with Pop & Rock to add a new element to the covers band formula. The Toots base their sound around strong vocal harmonies, adding ukulele, accordion, mandolin, fiddle, bouzouki, guitar and double-bass to support their trademark sound.

This trademark sound has attracted attention up and down the country, with The Toots frequently performing at festivals, parties and pubs. While their popularity has grown, The Toots have been working behind-the-scenes on recording a new CD, and have recognised the release of this as a good opportunity to also relaunch their website with a fresh new look.

Brand Facts

  • The Bijoux Toots are a unique covers band with a focus on strong vocal harmonies, combined with accordion, mandolin, fiddle, bouzouki, guitar, ukulele and double-bass.
  • They have been described as putting an amazing twist on popular songs with sheer good humoured energy.
  • The Toots approached Mackman as we designed their previous website and were perfectly positioned to help them relaunch their brand.

Project Facts

  • Having built the previous Bijoux Toots site, Mackman was approached to perform an upgrade using responsive website design and social media integration.
  • A fully responsive and content managed website needed to be developed and launched using WordPress.
Bijoux Toots website screenshots

Our Process

Promoting a unique covers band

The previous Bijoux Toots website had been built using WordPress, but the template used did not support the necessary features required to perform a straightforward upgrade to responsive design. It was therefore decided to perform a complete re-design using a more up to date template.

The Bijoux Toots listed requirements for the following features:

  • Social media integration (Instagram and Twitter)
  • Audio file hosting
  • Video file hosting
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Easy to maintain

The Challenge

It was very important that the new site be launched to coincide with the release of the new CD, so the working time frame was set at a little over eight weeks, a tight timescale that Mackman delivered on.

The Results

A fully responsive and content managed website was developed and launched using WordPress, with Instagram and Twitter feeds integrated into the home page. Automatic updates to these features ensured that the site always looked up to date. SoundCloud files were built into the Songs We Love page – this approach reduced the page load speed to a minimum, as the files are hosted elsewhere.

YouTube videos were added to the Video page – this approach again ensures that the page load speed is kept to a minimum, as the files are hosted elsewhere. An easy-to-update Testimonials element was added, which will add new testimonials to the appropriate areas across the entire site automatically. In addition, training was provided to ensure ease of maintenance post-launch.

Bijoux Toots Website on an iPhone

On behalf of The Toots, we would like to say how happy we are with the band’s new website. It was a pleasure collaborating with the Mackman Group staff from design conception to completion, they have produced a professional, easy to navigate and beautiful looking website, which will help boost the bands exposure and enhance our reputation. Nothing was too much trouble and their advice, help and guidance has resulted in a website we are all proud of. Mackman Group also designed out latest CD sleeve to mirror the design of the website to a ridiculously tight deadline, again to a wonderfully high standard and professional finish. We can’t thank them enough and would highly recommend their services.

Pete Long, The Bijoux Toots
Bijoux Toots Website