411 Locals

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the network coordinator for a painting and party company. We run an in-house entertainment and painting instruction business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 411 Locals?

We wanted more local visibility and listing placements. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

411 Locals is supposed to help us with Google My Business listing and other online directory listings. As part of their service, they’re also supposed to help me with website and video creation. 

What is the team composition?

I initially worked with one salesperson. Since then, I’ve worked with new customer representatives every time we talk.

How did you come to work with 411 Locals?

The engagement started as a robocall. I called them back because I wanted more information, and that started our engagement. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $150. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The project’s status is completely incomplete; I’m truly unsatisfied and have a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve had my fist in the air and been waving it around with a big frowny face while I shake my head. 

Moreover, 411 Locals may have finished the listing part of their services, but they’re still waiting for authorization from Google My Business to verify my listing. However, it’s already discombobulated — they changed the process to phone verification while using a different phone number from what was on the business listing — it’s weird. 

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

411 Locals’ team is loose and unorganized. Everybody works remotely, and they have sloppy coordination. Aside from that, I’ve been under the impression that they’ll meet my requests even if they’re slightly outside of their normal business practices. When I bring this up, I’m brought back to their SOPs. In other words, they’ve used lip service to catch me, and they’re now trying to convince me that it’s better to use their proprietary system. 

How did 411 Locals address the challenges that arose?

411 Locals addresses challenges by carefully repeating the same thing over and over again, stating that they have to maintain their legal duties. That makes absolutely no sense because all I need is to log in to my website. Overall, I expect them to offer directory submissions; I want to have my business listed online and possibly fix my site, but they’ve not done it. 

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

The engagement has yielded zero productivity. I wouldn’t say their work is damaging, but it’s a setback based on unfulfilled expectations and broken promises. 

How was project management handled?

Their project management is poor. I’d do better crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a leaky rowboat than trying to get what I need from them.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

They misrepresent their business very well.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Better interpersonal communication between their departments will be helpful. Usually, I have to wait 15 minutes as I hear their representative say they're waiting for a response from their technicians. If I ask another question, that’s another 20 minutes of waiting for a response. 

More importantly, they should have the ability to fulfill client requests on the agreed-upon time. Close managerial oversight will also be helpful. They must have the ability to escalate issues to the manager. At present, their individual departments are trying to handle their own based on protocol. Finally, they may try to update their computer systems to fit 2021 technologies.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

If you’re going to use 411 Locals, put everything in writing down to the punctuation prior to disclosing any financial information.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Jason Lang the owner and operator of Lang gutters and covers and I hired 411 and they have delivered everything that was promised and has had my phone ring every since signing up I would recommend them to any company morning to further their business I would give them a 5 ***** Rating

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 411 Locals?

I hired 411 locals for local SEO and website design and website marketing and for the local listings

What were your goals for this project?

My goals were to get more calls and more volume of work

SOLUTION

How did you select 411 Locals?

I looked them up on the internet

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They do local marketing and advertising and local SEO and Mapp optimizations

What was the team composition?

Their team composition was to bring in more calls get more customers and keep the phone ringing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They have brought my company much business and many more calls and I'm on the first page of Google 40+ keywords

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I found their customer service and prompt feedback and them doing what they promised

Are there any areas for improvement?

Keep up the good work

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My husband and I own and operate a small business that specializes in WiFi structuring, TV mounting, and home automation. We are the only two employees, so I do office work as well as work in the field.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 411 Locals?

411 Locals was supposed to set a website, create a YouTube video, and manage our Google listing as well as get us on the first page of Google.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to not only obtain new customers but to obtain a better quality of customers. We also expected to save a lot more money per lead.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

411 Locals and another vendor were calling us at the same time, and though they were both lowering the starting fee, 411 Locals was able to get it down to the lowest start-up rate. The start-up rate was so important because we had been burned by a similar company about 2 years prior and were very skeptical. But ultimately 411 Locals won.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They made a website, a YouTube video and set up our business listing on Google.

What was the team composition?

I supposedly had a team but only one point of contact. I had problems contacting my team leader.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The video had nothing to do with the services we offer—it was very confusing. The website had the same problem.

Unfortunately, 411 Locals did nothing but cost us money. They did do what they said they would as far as putting something together, but I sent in photos and repeatedly asked them to fix the video and website. The website had many mistakes and they never were fixed. When they did put up a couple of our photos from the Google business they published a credit application to a warehouse we use. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

No one seemed to know anything about our account any time we called. The person in charge of our account always said the same thing, that she had to speak to the technician.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They did not impress us in any way. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

They should take more pride in what they do because the quality of the work produced was horrible. Not only that but when I told them I wanted to cancel they kept offering me all these different deals to keep us signed up, to the point I even tried to tell them that it would be easier if they just let me cancel. I said I would be willing to try them again in the future and give them a fair review if all went smoothly during the cancellation. Once we finally got them to agree to cancel, they called back multiple times offering deals again, which we found very pushy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a small family company, specializing in roofing and construction works, particularly with wood and wooden materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 411 Locals?

Our online presence was lagging behind and I hire 411 Locals to improve it.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a new website and improved search results in our area.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I initially held a phone call with them. After some additional emails and explanations, I decided to use their services.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I provided them with some pictures representing my work and roofing projects. First, they created a website for me with unique content and a lot of pictures, representing my work and projects. Later, they conducted a local SEO project.

What was the team composition?

They handled everything on their end. I didn’t work with anyone individually.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Since my website started to appear on the first page of Google results, and my business became visible on the local map, I’ve received more phone calls and queries via email.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was done by 411 Locals. It was simple and easy for me. We communicated at times that I found convenient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They delivered everything they promised. I am particularly impressed with their local SEO.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The communication needs to be improved for sure. They are using too many technical details. A sense of simplicity could be a great idea.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of Visalia Mattress and Furniture Clearance Center. We supply name brand mattresses at a third of the retail cost.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 411 Locals?

We wanted to increase our visibility by doing some digital advertising and social media work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

411 Locals manages my site and social media platforms. I can submit photos, posts, and anything else I want to be displayed and they’ll upload it quickly. They also researched keywords and provided SEO services for some relevant search terms.

What is the team composition?

We primarily interact with our account manager, but other members of the team are occasionally involved as well.

How did you come to work with 411 Locals?

My boss found them and contracted their services for another store in Modesto, California. He was impressed with the results and decided to send them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $2,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2017, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our primary goal, in the beginning, was to improve our Google ranking, and 411 Locals delivered. I ask every customer how they heard about our store, and the number of people that find us online has increased dramatically.

How did 411 Locals perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m not particularly tech-savvy, but they’ve been very effective throughout the project. They’re very knowledgeable about best practices, and we can trust them to do the job right. We communicate at least once a month, and they send me updates via email every two weeks. Whenever I submit materials for the site, I can trust them to take it from there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very attentive and make sure I follow up when there are questions they need to be answered. They always make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their team is sometimes overeager on the phone, but they’ve achieved quality results.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their proactive approach is great for clients that want to be hands-on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a travel agency that sells tickets to customers flying from the U.S. to other countries. We also provide technical support for customers. I received this service at a discount for my review.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 411 Locals?

We needed to run a Google AdWords campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handle our Google AdWords and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.

What is the team composition?

Our data marketing team coordinates with their team. They have their own data marketing team of two or three people as well.

How did you come to work with 411 Locals?

I found them online. We were already working with them on our Google listing. Since they offer Google AdWords services, we decided to hire them for those as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They’re doing a good job and we’re getting good results. We get about 150 leads every day.

How did 411 Locals perform from a project management standpoint?

They are good with communication and time management. They help us a lot. They are quick and responsive. We use email, Skype, and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a good marketing team that handles their members very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They handle 80%-90% of the project. It would be good if they provided total access to the customer as well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Tim's Painting and More, a painting and house remodeling business with four employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 411 Locals?

I was looking for a vendor that could help with digital marketing and advertising on Google Maps to generate more leads. I was unhappy with the lack of results from a previous vendor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed and executed a digital advertising strategy for Google Maps.

What is the team composition?

I work with an account manager.

How did you come to work with 411 Locals?

They reached out to me directly. Unhappy with the work of my previous vendor, I decided to give them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $200 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since June 2017 and continue to work with them through a monthly arrangement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

My business is now consistently listed in the top three searches in the area on Google Maps.

I'm very happy with 411 Local; their work has successfully brought in more leads. Before working them, I had wasted thousands of dollars on a vendor that didn't deliver results.

How did 411 Locals perform from a project management standpoint?

They've made themselves available to us and have been great about communicating through phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're honest and transparent about their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Magic Data Recovery provides computer services and data recovery. We’re a Microsoft and Apple-authorized shop, and we work with PCs and Macs using RAIDs, SSDs, and so forth. I am one of the principals and techs of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 411 Locals?

We wanted to get the phone to ring by getting more exposure on the internet. We were getting nowhere with our previous tactics until we came across 411 Locals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

411 Locals took four months to work on our SEO, getting us from 7 to 30 calls per day. They made a concentrated effort of online optimization on social media and other channels. They work efficiently and don’t use any Black Hat techniques. In short, I bow to them.

They provide video marketing on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media. 411 Locals has built mobile websites for us and provided customized marketing for them. We had tried other mom-and-pop SEO firms, but we didn’t see any results, even though we spent $900 over two months. People did call for estimates, but it didn’t pan out to something tangible. There were clicks on our ads, but they didn’t turn into business.

With 411 Locals, our AdWords spend actually made sense for the business. There was a return on investment. They went through a due-diligence process and found out what areas could bring us better exposure and work for us. They came back with stats, and sent us enough information for us to know exactly where to concentrate. Our work relates to IT, so 411 Locals covered all metropolitan cities which could utilize these services. Even if I changed my line of business, 411 Locals would continue to be my marketing company.

We simply told them what our objectives were and where the pain was. We had to be a bit patient to see results, but we saw them after a week or two.

Their customer service is great, sometimes even too much. We don’t need too many calls, but 411 Locals stayed in touch with us until they got what they needed. We were kept informed and given updates, so that, in the end, we could make an informed decision. The team is very tenacious, and their techniques actually work for us.

How did you come to work with 411 Locals?

We were working with another company and sometimes had trouble even getting an update from them. We spent around $1,000 over two months and got nothing concrete from it. We did receive estimate calls, but that was it. We were referred to 411 Locals. With them, it was a completely different experience. We simply told them where it hurt and what we needed, and, after a two-month period, we saw our ranking come up and actually stay there.

How much have you invested with 411 Locals?

The cost of 411 Locals’ work is between $800 and $1,200 per month, depending on the listing we’re running.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with 411 Locals in 2008 or 2009. The work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The reports we get from 411 Locals detail the number of hits we get on the website, and where people are coming from. We also see how many calls we’re getting, accounting for only the ones which are above one minute. We only contact 411 Locals when the site needs to be optimized, but, for most of the time, it has a constant high ranking.

How did 411 Locals perform from a project management standpoint?

They follow up constantly, and, if they can’t get a hold of us over the phone, they will try email and text. It becomes too much for us at times. 411 Locals’ team is on top of its game, and they ensure that we’re up-to-date. They follow up, and they also follow through, making sure we don’t fall off the wagon.Their customer service is great, sometimes even too much. The team is very tenacious, and their techniques actually work for us.

What did you find most impressive about 411 Locals?

They're the real McCoy; they actually deliver. Other companies say they can do a lot, but, in reality, we don’t see a difference, and there’s no follow-through. With our other company, we always got their voicemail and had to do our own research in order to find out how the website was ranking. We had some doubts about 411 Locals, but they saw that we are an IT company, so they provided ample stats, including from platforms like Alexa. We had a number of charts at our disposal. I don’t open them anymore, but I do archive them for later use. The results are there, in the form of customers. I’ve referred many clients to 411 Locals. When a customer asks us about website work, we tell them about a company which not only develops websites but also makes sure that people can find that website.

Are there any areas 411 Locals could improve?

It would be great if 411 Locals kept longer hours. 

BACKGROUND

I own a painting company and have been in business for over 20 years. We service Chicago; I'm in the Lincoln Park area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

I needed to find modern methods of generating business because it's a lot more competitive than it used to be to get customers. I still rely heavily on flyer advertising because it generates the best return.

SOLUTION

I was approached by 411 Locals to do some SEO [search engine optimization] work back around 2010. At the time, they were small, and I was one of their first customers. They update my Google Places page and also did a little Google Adwords management.

I left 411 Locals and worked with two other terrible SEO companies in the past when I was upset. The second time I returned to work with 411 Locals was in late 2016.

After starting the work again with 411 Locals, I saw immediate improvement by getting a couple of more keywords to rank on Google 1st page. 411 Locals decided to revamp my website early this year to make it more modern and helpful for search engines.

I spend about $200 per month with 411 Locals for the past seven years or so. In that time, I spent a year or two working with other SEO firms.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

I'm pretty sure I get more leads with 411 Locals because my phone rings more. I do not check the metrics reports, and I'm never really online. I left this company on two occasions but came right back because they are the best. I really hated the other SEO firms and came back because of 411 Locals' honesty and customer service.

In the first month of having the new site live from February to March 2017, new sessions were up 88%, but my bounce rate was also 85%. About 89% of my traffic was from new visitors. I like the new design of the site better because it's modern.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Astrabuildhomeimprovementma.com

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Home improvement business 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 411 Locals to accomplish?

• SEO
• Marketing
• Leads

SOLUTION

How did you find 411 Locals?

Referral

Why did you select 411 Locals over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from 411 Locals were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

After working with 411 Locals for over three years, I decided to transfer my online marketing campaign to Olly Olly. However, 411 Locals refused to grant access to my Google Business Profile, blocking the transfer of my 43 five-star reviews.

When I addressed this with an account manager, his condescending response implied he might delete my account and its content, including the reviews. This experience strengthened my resolve to take action.

Despite the risk of losing my reviews, I’m determined to seek legal counsel and do whatever it takes to regain control of my profile. I will not allow a marketing company to hold my business hostage without holding them accountable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Not many. 8-9 customers in all of three years.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

No

What was your primary form of communication with 411 Locals?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Nothing is impressive about them.

Are there any areas for improvement or something 411 Locals could have done differently?

Yes, shut it down