Belimo is building a network for former employees, led by its recruiting team. It wants to send former employees news and invitations, but there is no list for that: existing data on former employees may not be used, and there is not yet a way to ask people when they leave. So the recruiting team contacts former employees one by one on LinkedIn and sends them the link to the website. Belimo wanted a place where former employees sign up themselves and decide for themselves whether they want to be part of it. After the event website for Women in CleanTech, this brought Belimo to Noevu for the second time.
Client & industry
- Belimo Automation AG · Hinwil ZH
- Manufacturing
- Network for former employees
Project
- Concept and web design
- English website with its own domain and its own mailbox
Result
- List started empty, without an import
- First RSVPs for the alumni evening
Why separate sign-ups for the alumni network and the alumni evening?
Belimo's brief envisaged one form with two boxes, one for joining and one for the evening. The website separates the two: “Join The Network” for the network, “Alumni Event Registration” for the evening. Our reasoning: people would rather sign up for an evening than for a list, and anyone who signs up is in contact anyway. Those who can't come or are not sure yet still stay connected through the network form. What mattered to Belimo was that visitors see right away what they are signing up for, and that the evening gets its own registration.
When you ask people for something they don't have to do, give each request its own form. Anyone asked to decide on membership and an event in the same form isn't quite sure what the sign-up is for. Point from one form to the other: that way, someone who was only looking for one path finds the second one too.
What belongs on an alumni website?
Belimo wanted a simple, clear design: professional, serious, built for the long term and in keeping with its culture and brand. Since every visitor once worked at Belimo, the site carries Belimo orange, the ABC Diatype typeface and real photos instead of AI images. It is built with Squarespace.
A home page with two paths
Below the motto “Once part of Belimo, always part of Belimo.” come a note on the next alumni evening and two buttons: “Join the Network” and “RSVP for the Alumni Event”. So anyone arriving via a LinkedIn message from the recruiting team chooses right at the start. Further down, “Why Belimo Alumni Network” recalls the mission former employees helped build: energy-efficient buildings and smart technology.
The form for joining
Above the form it says: “Drop your details once, then forget about it. Updates surface a handful of times a year, only when there's something worth sharing.” First name, last name, email and phone are required; the last role or team and the years at Belimo are optional. The box for updates is not pre-ticked; only those who want them tick it. Finally, the form asks about the evening, with the answers “Yes, reserve my spot!”, “I am not sure yet” and “No, thank you”.
Programme and registration for the evening
The schedule of the first alumni evening is set out as a table with time, agenda item, host and location: a tour of the new Nexus building, a short business update, then dinner and conversation. The registration asks for first name, last name, email and phone and offers to join the network at the same time. At Belimo's request, there is an optional question as well: “Anything you'd like answered during the evening?”
How do you build an alumni network without an existing contact list?
Belimo did not carry over any existing contacts: the list started empty, and every entry came in through the website. Everyone in the alumni network today chose to be there. A little over two weeks after go-live, the first RSVPs for the alumni evening came in.
I greatly appreciated our personal and efficient collaboration. In particular, I found the creative approaches to solutions very professional, modern and effective.
Go-live is only the beginning: next, Belimo asked how newsletters to the alumni could be sent directly through Squarespace.
A free conversation shows what a website for your network could look like – with sign-up, so your former employees stay connected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a company alumni network?
A network for people who used to work at a company. Members stay connected to their former employer and hear what's new there.
What details does an alumni sign-up form ask for?
For the Belimo Alumni Network, first name, last name, email and phone are required. The last role or team and the years at Belimo are optional. The box for updates is not pre-ticked.
Can an alumni website be built in a group's corporate design?
Yes. The Belimo Alumni Network website carries Belimo orange, the ABC Diatype typeface and real photos instead of AI images. Images and brand guidelines are kept in the Belimo brand portal, to which Noevu has access.
Which platform does the alumni website run on?
On Squarespace, with its own domain and its own mailbox for the network. The site is in English.
