Smithills Open Farm

Smithills Open Farm is a family run working dairy farm with an attached visitor centre. The farm provides the local community with a place to meet a wide variety of animals and showcase how a farm works.

They are open all year round and welcome more than 130,000 visitors a year, as well as providing locally sourced goods.

Brand Development

Website Design

User Experience Services

Website Development

Hosting

Brief

Our task was to create an online experience which reflected the great services and attractions on offer, through the development of a content managed website which positioned the farm up against popular competitors while supporting pre-visit preparation, lessening queue time and enhancing storytelling through the integration of social media channels.

Approach

To fully experience Smithills Farm, we carried out an in-depth immersion into the emotional connections that customers and staff have (and wanted to have) with the farm, along with competitor research and analysis.

Our creative strategy was fully informed by what we discovered. People are proud of the farm, what it stands for and how it makes them feel. Everything about it makes them happy, it's much more than a visitor attraction to them, it's a real community. We also took the time to understand how we could best automate manual tasks, such as ticket booking and milk deliveries.

Delivery

Having defined the brand, we worked to bring 'the happy place' ethos online. We made the website an essential brand experience by introducing a new illustrative style, typography and colourway. We established tone of voice principles which tapped into user emotions to make the online experience feel like a happy, fun place to be in the same way as the farm itself.

We also brought logic to the user journey, and developed a clear navigation, so whatever users are looking for is easy to find and relevant. Adding 'meet the animals' and 'news' sections helps the customer feel part of the brand. Integrating a ticket booking system and having a focus on the Q&A section helped reduce administration and enquiries into the farm.

The technical build of a flexible structure also allows the farm to change the creative on the website to match seasonal needs. The development of the new website, together with new printed materials to match has helped bring the offline and online even closer together.

Visit the live site

Results

Both farm customers and staff have praised the website.

35^%

increased average monthly engagement
24^%

increase in footfall since the launch of the website (Aug 18)

all our work

Our tried and tested approach ensures that our clients connect with the right audience.
how we work

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 28 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Jordan Fairhurst 
 19/03/2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had the pleasure of working with Think EQ on a few occasions and they're amazing and easy to work with.

The team are all really friendly and fantastic in bringing ideas to life. Whether they be existing ideas or brand new concepts, their creativity is brilliant.

They're a breeze to work with as they have great communications and time management, meaning we could meet various tight deadlines.

They ensure the best service possible for their clients and will definitely will be working with them again in the future.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Toby Wilman 
 11/03/2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The team at ThinkEQ have been awesome, right from our first meeting through to the continued work we're doing together to evolve and improve our brand.

We started off with a full brand update and website build, and we were so impressed by the team and the outcome that every time we've needed extra support the team are and will always be our first port of call.

If you're considering working with the ThinkEQ team, I can't recommend them enough, they are all super nice people, uber professional and incredible at what they do.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Tim Smith 
 05/03/2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We (Kalibrate) have worked with ThinkEQ for a few years and the team have always been super responsive in support and proactive in finding opportunities for us to optimize our site. Thanks to Drshna, Rich, and Andy.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Jonny Mantel 
 28/02/2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had the pleasure of working with Think EQ, and we are really impressed with the results.
From the start they really took the time to listen and understand our requirements and turned that into our site. They have continued to help us develop other ideas where required.
Communication is always really great throughout all the projects we have had and I would highly recommend them.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   K 180 
 26/02/2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I can’t recommend ThinkEQ enough! They did an amazing job refreshing my WooCommerce site—it looks so much better and we regularly get positive feedback about it. Rupa, Rich and Andy really took the time to understand what I needed, and their attention to detail was spot on. They kept me updated every step of the way, and nothing was too much trouble. The whole process was smooth, stress-free, and honestly a pleasure. If you need a website refresh, these are the people to go to.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Fireproof Fire Engineering 
 26/02/2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Really happy with the outcomes of the website project we took on with them. Highly recommended. Great to work with and will definitely think to put more work their way.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   jaya verma 
 24/06/2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Drshna has guided us through the process of developing our website to a high standard. I have found her to be approachable, friendly and accessible. She provides guidance that is tailored to our service and specific audience.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Oli Grandidge 
 13/06/2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Thank you for providing us with a reliable and efficient service.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Martin Collinge 
 10/06/2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Professional but friendly, they have built a great high performing website for us. We get monthly performance reports and any questions we have are promptly answered. Thanks.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Prash Ladva 
 03/06/2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. An organisation that treats you like family; putting people before profits.
Working with the team at ThinkEQ has been the single best decision for our business. Their support and expertise goes beyond the scope of web and app development, as the team are always on hand to help sound board any ideas, connect you to individuals in their network, and be part of the entreprenerial rollercoaster with you.
They completely understand the founders' journey, and are on-hand when things go wrong! Whether it is product development, design, strategy, marketing or proof of concept to implementation - look no further.

Brief

Approach

Delivery

Results

35^%

24^%

We are
just brewing up quizmasters bad joke tellers problem solvers Bant and Dec coffee drinkers early risers dad dancers focussed animal lovers DIY averse back once again for the renegade master EQ

Drop us an email

hi@thinkeq.co.uk

Give us a call

01204 216206

Go social

Smithills Open Farm

Brief

Approach

Delivery

Results

35%

24%

Drop us an email

hi@thinkeq.co.uk

Give us a call

01204 216206

Go social

35^%

24^%