Effective October 1, Cranford.com will have a new purpose – a more robust, social website – focusing on our community and all that is great about Cranford and our neighboring towns.
Cranford.com was originally founded in November of 1996 as a website dedicated to being “Your guide to everything Cranford” with a strong focus on the business community. Over time it has broadened into a resource for township employees and residents alike featuring mostly township information. The site underwent a major redesign in 2015.
When Cranford.com owners Bill and Gina Tipton were notified that the Township Committee was going out to bid in search of a new website provider in the Summer of 2017, a thought occurred. This is a chance to bring the site back to what it was originally intended to be; a showcase for our Cranford businesses, a resource for our residents focusing on all of the things we love about Cranford, as well as a way to show everyone else why they would want to visit or even move to Cranford!
“Although we are disappointed that we will no longer be the provider for the Township website after 10 years of service – over 20 years in total from when Brian Jenkins built Cranford.com – we are very excited to begin the sites new chapter,” Gina said.
“We are changing with the times, listening to our businesses and residents and going back to our grass roots,” Gina said. “Of course we are saddened by the decision. We met some really great people along the way and loved being the local provider for the Township but at the same time we are very excited for the birth of a more robust, social site – focusing on all of Cranford and its surrounding communities. This new structure is intended to give businesses and residents the social information they want in all one place.”
Their new priorities will focus on:
- Making Cranford.com (the name will stay) a greater focus on the business and resident experience.
- Empowering business advertisers the opportunity to have landing pages – on a high traffic website – a must have in 2017 small business marketing.
- A robust events calendar featuring all that is happening in Cranford and our surrounding neighborhoods.
- Community news with prominent links to Renna Media Publications, most specifically Cranford Monthly.
- And hopefully as a result of all of this, improving information and the experience for our audience.
“It has become very clear to us that residents like the information that Cranford.com provides with links to its very popular Cranford Web Facebook page and Twitter and Instagram accounts,” Gina said. ‘We want to be a newer, hipper version of Cranford.com, Your Guide to Everything Cranford.”
“We will be taking a patient approach to our new site. We’re not going to build a new site and say this is it,” Bill added. “We are going to work with our businesses and residents to make this the best social town site. We’ll be constantly growing and adding to the site as the need arises. Be on the lookout for good things to come!”
