Bourbon Gospel

Bourbon Gospel's Revamped Digital Presence - A Collaborative Journey with Oaken Digital

At Oaken Digital, we pride ourselves on our expertise in website design and development. Our passion for creating stunning, functional, and user-friendly websites has led to numerous successful projects, and our recent collaboration with Bourbon Gospel is no exception. Bourbon Gospel, a group of Bourbon enthusiasts established in 2015, aims to "Preach the Gospel of Bourbon to the uninitiated and the enthusiast." In this blog post, we'll delve into the details of our work with Bourbon Gospel, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of this website redesign and migration project.

The Challenge

Bourbon Gospel's original website was hosted on Squarespace, which limited their ability to collaborate on content creation, manage content efficiently, and engage with their community effectively. They needed a more versatile content management system (CMS) that would allow for improved collaboration, user experience, and integration with social media and email marketing.

The Solution

We chose to migrate Bourbon Gospel's website to the Ghost CMS for its ease of use, flexibility, and robust features. Ghost provided the ideal platform to accommodate Bourbon Gospel's growing needs, while also offering a future-proof solution for their expanding community.

Design & User Experience

Our first priority was to create a custom theme that would capture the essence of Bourbon Gospel's brand and industry. We designed a modern, visually appealing theme that not only represented the group's passion for Bourbon but also improved the overall user experience for their customers. The new design is both engaging and easy to navigate, allowing visitors to explore the website effortlessly and find the content they're interested in.

Collaboration & Content Management

With the migration to Ghost, we made it easier for Bourbon Gospel's team to collaborate on content creation and management. The platform allows multiple people to access and manage the website's content, streamlining the content production process and fostering a more dynamic, collaborative environment.

We also implemented a newsletter and free subscription feature, enabling Bourbon Gospel to automatically send website posts in a predesigned, email-friendly template. This addition has helped the group stay connected with their audience, providing regular updates and fostering a sense of community among Bourbon enthusiasts.

To further enhance Bourbon Gospel's online presence, we used Zapier to automate the process of posting website content to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This seamless integration allows Bourbon Gospel to maintain a consistent presence across multiple channels, increasing their reach and engagement without the need for manual intervention.

Local Enthusiast Groups

As part of Bourbon Gospel's mission to create a thriving community, they maintain local "Bourbon enthusiast groups" on social media. These groups are dedicated to discussing industry news, sharing new bourbon finds, and providing information on where to find rare and allocated Bourbons. Our work on the website has made it easier for Bourbon Gospel to manage and promote these groups, further strengthening their community.

Conclusion

The collaboration between Oaken Digital and Bourbon Gospel has resulted in a revamped website that not only enhances the user experience but also streamlines content management and collaboration for the Bourbon Gospel team. By migrating to Ghost and implementing various improvements in design and functionality, we have successfully elevated Bourbon Gospel's online presence and set the stage for their continued growth and success in the world of Bourbon and whiskey enthusiasts.

At Oaken Digital, we are proud to have played a role in Bourbon Gospel's digital transformation, and we look forward to witnessing the impact of our work as their community continues to flourish.