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Award-winning Florida Catholic Media achieves remarkable growth with BLOX Digital

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Cherry Wolf | BLOX Digital

In 2020, Florida Catholic Media embarked on a digital transformation to enhance its online presence and engage readers in a more meaningful way. With the help of BLOX Digital, the team's efforts would lead them to win "Best Website Redesign" (2021) and "Best Website - Newspaper" (2023) from the Catholic Media Association.

"We have continued to build upon BLOX Digital's initial excellent work, keeping our site fresh and engaging," said Kristen Maheu, business and advertising manager, Florida Catholic Media. "To me, the awards also mean that our design is timeless and likely won't go out of style."

Florida Catholic Media produces weekly digital publications for many of the dioceses state-wide. E-Edition subscriptions went from fewer than 100 subscribers to well over 55,000.

Facing challenges head on

The team at thefloridacatholic.org was looking to revamp its online platform and overcome challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We had a small WordPress website, which really didn't represent us well as an established media company," Maheu said. First published in 1939, Florida Catholic Media is the official media outlet for dioceses state-wide including Orlando, Palm Beach, Venice and Miami.

With the help of a dedicated BLOX Digital project manager, the team was able to design the site to fit the needs of their unique audience and mission. "BLOX Digital listened to what we wanted and provided valuable product suggestions," Maheu said.

"When the pandemic hit, our bishop publishers decided to suspend printing our newspapers," added Ann Borowski-Slade, associate publisher. "Thanks to BLOX Digital, we were ready to move our biweekly printing to weekly digital publications."

Setting the stage for phenomenal success

After careful evaluation, Florida Catholic Media selected BLOX Digital as its partner for the website redesign. "Although there were other companies who provided us with quotes for service, BLOX Digital was the only one that offered 'one-stop shopping' for our current needs and future growth," Borowski-Slade said.

Florida Catholic Media now has a free news app available through the Apple and Google Play stores — part of the BLOX Digital suite of solutions.

BLOX Digital's comprehensive solutions suite, including an e-Edition and news apps for both Google and Apple, gave Florida Catholic Media the ideal platform to pave the way for explosive growth:

  • When the site launched, Florida Catholic Media went from fewer than 100 e-Edition subscribers to over 55,000 e-Edition subscribers.
  • Monthly pageviews initially went from 9,300 to 153,000 with steady growth. In January 2023, the site passed one million monthly pageviews, well ahead of the anticipated 2024 time frame.

"If you have a need, BLOX Digital likely has the solution — and it is more professional than anything you can cobble together on your own," said Maheu.

Garnering acclaim and achieving remarkable results

The remarkable outcomes achieved through Florida Catholic Media's partnership with BLOX Digital garnered acclaim from the Catholic Media Association.

"In the Catholic Media Association, there are 141 publisher websites, and all can compete for the award," Borowski-Slade said. The team was thrilled with the feedback from the 2023 judges:

  • "The designers are adept at clean white space and the story summaries are perfectly presented. The content is varied and thoughtful."
  • "There's a lot of material here and it is incredibly easy to access."
  • "The longer I looked at it, the more I liked it."

Through the comprehensive solutions and unwavering support provided by BLOX Digital, Florida Catholic Media successfully enhanced its online presence, expanded readership, and positioned itself as a leading media outlet for more than 1.7 million Florida Catholics.

"BLOX Digital exceeded our expectations. Were we to do it all again, I wouldn't trust anyone else with our project," Maheu said. "The team at BLOX Digital are experts. Trust the process, trust their advice."

For more information, visit https://www.bloxdigital.com.