Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

OVATION Awards Winning Entry
Communication Management
Electronic, Digital and Interactive Communications
AWARD OF MERIT
Organization’s Name: Real Estate Council of Ontario
Entrant’s Name: Sherri Haigh
Division/Category: Division 1: Category 12 – Electronic, Digital and Interactive Communications
Title of Entry: RECO Website Re‐Design
Time Period of Project: September 2010 – March 2011
Brief Description:
The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) undertook a website re‐design of www.reco.on.ca to develop a
comprehensive and informative, yet easy‐to‐navigate website that would offer relevant content to RECO’s two
very different core audiences: real estate professionals and home buyers and sellers.
Business Need/Opportunity:
RECO is a self‐managed, not‐for‐profit corporation, responsible for administering the Real Estate and
Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA 2002) and associated regulations on behalf of the provincial
government. RECO protects the public interest through a fair, safe and informed marketplace. RECO’s
core purpose is to foster confidence and uphold integrity in real estate transactions.
RECO’s overarching communications mandate is to showcase the benefits of a regulated real estate
industry, while also informing the public of their rights as home buyers and sellers.
RECO determined that the existing website did not effectively communicate with either registrants or
consumers. Prior to the website re‐design, RECO had enhanced its exclusive portal for registered real
estate professionals, MyWeb. By placing many of the regulatory forms and resources necessary for
registrants on to the portal, much of the remaining website content was redundant. Additionally, the
website did not address the different needs of the two primary audience groups (registrants and
consumers) and the navigation lacked a professional appearance.
Research: RECO conducted research to better understand the existing perceptions and information needs
of the intended audiences:
• Communications audit – RECO worked with a third‐party agency to identify areas for improving
existing communications with both registrants and consumers;
• Public survey – RECO used a nationally recognized polling firm to conduct a public survey to
measure awareness of the organization and found that only 1 per cent of consumers visits the
RECO website for information when purchasing or selling a home; and
• Environmental scan – RECO reviewed websites of other regulatory real estate organizations and
delegated administrative authorities to gain insight into how to best communicate with diverse
audience groups.
Analysis: RECO analyzed the insights gained from the communications audit, public survey and
environmental scan and identified the following recommendations for the website redesign:
• Tailored content – Real estate professionals are looking for different information and resources
than home buyers and sellers. The final website would need specific areas for the two groups to
find information relevant for them;