44 North Digital Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Lexus of London service manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 44 North Digital Marketing?

We wanted to increase the digital presence as part of marketing for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

44 North Digital Marketing mostly does social media, managing our Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. They ask for information upfront, and retain that information so that I don't have to say it over and over. They've also done a total of four videos for us.

I tell them what we're looking for, such as an ad for one of our services or a special promotion for a holiday. There's not a whole lot of back and forth because they know what I need creatively. For example, they came up with an add-on landing page for our detailing service. They did all the creative and added the web link. Now when visitors click on that link, it takes them to the new page.

What is the team composition?

I work with project coordinators who manage specific aspects of the backend of the website. I work a fair amount with the person who does the videos and editing. I also deal a lot with Corey (founder, 44 North Digital Marketing).

How did you come to work with 44 North Digital Marketing?

I got their information from a good friend of mine who knew Corey. I ended up going with 44 North Digital Marketing after speaking with him and his team. They had good, thoughtful ideas. I spoke with many other people and companies that were either too expensive, or I had to spoon feed them the information and still didn't get what I wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

I spend $1,500 CAD ($1,130 USD) plus tax each month. Videos are an additional cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in early 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have exact numbers but I know that we've gotten more traffic and clicks than we had before. People tell us that they've seen our videos, or our Mother's Day/Father's Day special promotions, on Facebook. I just finished up another video with them. We haven't used it for advertising yet, but it turned out to be really cool. I'm excited to use it to promote the business.

How did 44 North Digital Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

If we say we need something by a certain period of time, it gets done. I've been in situations in the past where that wasn’t the case. They're able to work with tight timelines if necessary. I can go to Corey and say that I need some paper or magazine ads done by the next day and they’ll get it done. I haven't had any issues or concerns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm impressed with their creativity and execution. 44 North Digital Marketing comes up with new and innovative ways of doing things rather than just continuing to do the same thing over and over again. Whatever they do is unique and sets our company apart from others. Execution goes hand-in-hand. People are seeing their work and we're seeing an increase in traffic, so obviously it's working. I don't have to worry about doing a lot of the work myself. I just have to give them guidelines and they're able to do everything. I trust that everything that they come up with will be great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any real constructive criticism. If I could, I would spend as much money as possible to work with them more. Their team is very professional. I've seen the other clients that they work with, and it's a pretty cool group of people.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the digital marketing specialist for a company that sells resort, residential, and retirement land lease communities across Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 44 North Digital Marketing?

We needed external resources to build websites as part of our sales funnel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

44 North Digital Marketing create a number of WordPress microsites for us. When we have new land that's being developed for a resort, they create a microsite to help us sell seasonal cottages. Each microsite is used as a sales funnel. They direct all of our search engine marketing and social media traffic to the microsite. It collects leads that we then distribute to our salespeople. They also do some social media advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

What is the team composition?

The two people I work with are a project manager and a digital lead.

How did you come to work with 44 North Digital Marketing?

I can't answer that because I wasn’t here when we started working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around May 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's been a very successful campaign. The large microsite they built for our resorts is fantastic. It loads quickly because it's not overrun with information. It serves as a direct sales funnel. They also set up a drip campaign on their email platform. It’s done a great job of keeping less qualified leads in the loop so we can hopefully convert them in the future. We're not making drastic changes to the microsite anytime soon, and will probably continue using it next year as well.

How did 44 North Digital Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager is great to work with. He sets realistic deadlines. He lets us know upfront if he's not comfortable taking on a project because they're overbooked. If he doesn't think a project is heading in the right direction, he lets us know about it right away. The digital lead is competent and quick to get the work done. I appreciate the way they check in with us for feedback or any changes we might want.

They track all of the current projects in Google Docs. They keep them up to date on a regular basis. They provide us updates and information on request. We have their contact information and cell phone numbers, and they're available at any reasonable time to touch base with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

My favorite thing about them is they’re very honest and upfront about any problems. No project is totally smooth, but they give full disclosure. It's also nice to not have to chase people down when we're looking for an update.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't really have any negative feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What makes things easy for us is if we put together a budget and a list of priorities before starting each new project. We regroup with them after 10–15 hours to see how much more work it's going to take to get to where we want to be. They’ll help us decide whether or not it makes sense to continue developing the project further.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of the Gasaparotto Group. We’re a boutique leadership development company in Ottawa, Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 44 North Digital Marketing?

We needed help with web development and establishing a digital presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided 44 North Digital Marketing with some analysis and survey results about our market and location, and they helped us conceptualize and design the site. Once we approved a stylistic theme, they created the layout for the interface. They implemented the design and imagery with a bit of help from our internal graphic designer.

They also did some visual work for us. Corey (Founder & Digital Marketing Specialist, 44 North Digital Marketing) produced three videos and incorporated them into the website, creating a multi-media platform that’s more engaging for our customers.

Basically, they completely built our website, handling every phase from ideation to execution. We’re also planning to launch some SEO campaigns with their team in the future.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Adriana (Web Design & Branding Specialist, 44 North Digital Marketing) for the earlier design phases of the project. Then, she handed the work over to Jillian (Web Developer, 44 North Digital Marketing) for development and launch.

How did you come to work with 44 North Digital Marketing?

I worked with them while at a previous company, and I was very happy with their work. Additionally, Corey is a former member of the Canadian military, as am I. We’re both part of a group of retired military people in the corporate and entrepreneurial fields. I crossed paths with him a few times through that organization but only reached out after viewing his LinkedIn profile. It really caught our attention, so we decided to work with him and his team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from April–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve received many compliments on the website’s professional design and the quality of the videos.

How did 44 North Digital Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They were highly communicative and responsive, but not overwhelmingly so. I interacted freely with their experts without much oversight from Corey—he just kept a bird’s eye view on their progress. Their team members collaborated efficiently with one another, seamlessly transferring their work from one person to the next. Overall, they were very flexible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I could tell Corey had a military background when it came to executing projects. He’s pragmatic and detail-oriented. Every step was explicitly planned, and his team did it all. I could go to them with any of my needs, and they’d go above and beyond to help me out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While working with them at my previous company, we had a few misunderstandings. I changed the scope several times, which cost me more money and put us a bit behind schedule. On our second engagement, it wasn’t an issue.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Barrie Construction Association, a membership-based trade association. We’re a source for members that need tender information. We host events that lobby the province for change in legislation and education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 44 North Digital Marketing?

We solicited 44 North Digital Marketing’s services to engage our members in current offerings, retain client membership, and attract new members.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

44 North Digital Marketing did a deep dive into our services. The board of directors and business development committee sat down with Cory (President, 44 North Digital Marketing) and myself to discuss the main points. Cory came back with solutions in how to maintain member retention and engagement.

Their team refreshed our website with a lead generation button. If someone wants more information, they can click the button, enter contact information, and receive a PDF. We use the contact information for email automation, and gauge their interest in joining.

Cory held a focus group for members and surveyed them. Through that, he compiled a marketing strategy briefing with ten modules that spelled the plan out.

44 North Digital Marketing created electronic and print collateral. They organized new revenue streams as well. Their team revamped our social media accounts to display a consistent message. We have brochures and booklets for new members.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Cory.

How did you come to work with 44 North Digital Marketing?

We found 44 North Digital Marketing through an online search, and we narrowed the search done to three or four companies. We chose a different company in the beginning, but it didn’t work out. We switched gears and signed 44 North Digital Marketing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with 44 North Digital Marketing between January–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a long game, but we’ve had an increase in new members due to the website, automated emails, and other invitations. We knew that it wasn’t going to happen overnight, but we are pleased with what we are seeing. Getting new members is a challenge, but Cory’s work puts us in the right direction.

How did 44 North Digital Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

44 North Digital Marketing has been amazing every step of the way. They’ve surpassed expectations and met every deliverable’s deadline. The marketing strategy Cory configured was impressive and detailed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cory would take a few notes during a meeting and would come back with a clear vision of what needed to be done and how. 44 North Digital Marketing’s creativity is outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I could change one thing, it would be the price, but you do get what you pay for, and they provide an excellent service.

Any advice for potential customers?

Nothing specific. I’ve referred them to a few people, and everyone has been delighted with Cory.