Accelerated Digital Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of global marketing and e-commerce for Skyroam, a global mobile data company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

We were looking for a partner to help us scale the business. We had launched with a few internal marketers, but we really wanted expertise in search results from an outside agency that could also help maintain our KPIs. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They primarily helped us with Google Ads, but later on, we did some Bing Ads, too. They worked to scale our traditional search efforts while implementing new tools like Google Shopping, YouTube, and email campaigns. They also helped us create work in additional languages to reach other regions. 

We ran a few tests of adding site link extensions and destination landing page strategies. 

What is the team composition?

We had an account manager who was closely involved, and Eric (SEM Senior Manager) helped launch key initiatives. 

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

My company was already working with Accelerated Digital when I joined. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $90,000 with them as agency fees. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2017–May 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with them on-site link extensions definitely improved our visibility and overall conversion rates. The launch of Google Shopping has been really great since it’s become one of our biggest channels for sales and it’s brought down our cost-per-acquisition (CPA) significantly. Our spend between Q1 of 2018 and Q1 of 2019 is relatively flat, but our conversion rate increased by 15%  and our CPA went down 17%. 

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good, we were always in close communication. We had weekly meetings between our teams, and myself and their CEO would join for bigger quarterly reviews or strategic discussions. They were very organized and communicative about what they were doing and what the results were. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided a very personal touch in terms of their communication. I never felt like I was one of 100 clients, the emails and meetings were all on time. They treated us like their only client. They brought new ideas forward and didn’t just do the status quo. 

Their work wasn’t just about finding something new, it was also about finding things that don’t work and moving on. They were able to balance the execution while still coming with interesting ideas to meet our goals in ways we hadn’t thought of before. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have been more aggressive on some key metrics. We worked closely to meet the goals, but we could have worked together even more to improve those goals. Since they’re the experts, they could have told us more about improving our CPA. In the end, we aligned our metrics and met them, though. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a free-to-play social gaming app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

We were trying to advertise our app on social media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

ADM helped us target our ads toward specific populations on social media to promote our app.

What is the team composition? 

There were two main contacts, including Brad (Director of Paid Social). A third person did the artwork.

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

A business colleague referred us to them. They had used ADM in the past and saw a lot of success.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The campaign was very effective. They drove a bunch of traffic to our app through our social ads, and we earned more installs. 

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We had weekly phone calls with ADM and communicated through emails outside of that. Every Tuesday, we met to go over reports and discuss next steps. Brad was proactive about recommending new things to try.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ADM always suggested multiple ways to maximize our advertising spend. Then, we would try different tactics to see which one really resonated best with people before focusing our efforts on it. They were also very flexible and attentive to our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were a bit expensive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
Make sure that your product is ready to go and that you have the capacity to service a high volume of users. One of the reasons we stopped out partnership was that we weren’t ready to take on all of the users coming to us from our paid social.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the VP of consumer marketplace at a business, which specialized in creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences that benefit the greater good.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

We were working to gain new customers at a low customer-acquisition-cost (CAC).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created several tactics focused on driving new signups at the lowest possible cost. The strategies included lead generation, social media marketing, and campaigns on Facebook, Google, Instagram, Bing, and others. They also gave us several SEO recommendations, which we couldn’t implement on our end but they guided us in the process. Their team also implemented a Google Shopping catalog program. 

What is the team composition?

Between 4–5 people worked with us, including the CEO and Mary Catherine (Senior Account Manager). Others helped with the social media work and some off-shore teammates also supported the campaigns. 

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

They had already been working with my company when I joined, and I kept them on because I found them to be incredibly nimble and attentive to our needs. 

How much have you invested with them?

The cost varied, but we spent under $50,000 total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2018–November 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When I started the role, we were paying a tremendous amount of money to acquire customers, but working with Accelerated Digital, we were able to cut the cost by 75%.

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their approach was great. They were always available and quick to respond. Their ability to pivot was always very impressive, so I loved working with them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were so attentive and took the time to understand our business needs instead of pushing something that’s best practice on us. As a smaller business, we never felt we were getting less attention because of a smaller budget. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they could have improved. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest and transparent about what you’re trying to achieve so they can help you do it. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're an outfit subscription service. I wear several hats but I mainly worked with ADM on our Google Ads efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Accelerated Digital Media?

We wanted them to exclusively manage our marketing effort on Google Ads.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was the usual, get the most logical CPA range, improve ad performance, monitor spending, suggest other possible campaigns/strategies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We didn't search a lot since Tellef (ADM CEO) has worked with one of our founders on other things and we know he is reliable and solid to work with. We knew we weren't going to throw money aimlessly and do a spray and pray method on the ads since his team care about the customer's money and time as if it's their own.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We did the initial planning, scope of the project, what are the expectations, how much we're going to spend, how much or how little we can pull off and if we're going to turn on the spend depending on the results. We're still working with them and they are exclusively managing our Google Ads efforts.

What was the team composition?

I've worked mainly with Tellef (CEO) in the beginning but as our project became stable and there were no other major hurdles to finish we got a dedicated account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ADM helped us revamped our Google ads efforts, and right now we're also trying our hands on Microsoft ads. As I mentioned in the other previous questions, the most solid outcome in this case is having ADM run our marketing efforts with minimal supervision, and the results we're getting are as expected.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Tellef and his team are very easy to work with. They provide you with all the data you need, give you suggestions on what can be improved, but never push or insist anything if you will have some second thoughts on how and when you're going to execute certain actions, like upping your spend, or changing targets, etc.

They give you all the details you need and suggestions for improvement, but the decision maker will always be the client, as long as they ensure you know exactly why and how you're making that decision, they will respect you for it. I don't consider ADM and Tellef as a separate entity from us at this point, I consider them a part of the marketing team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They offer professional services all along the way. When you get third party services sometimes familiarity changes their attitude on how they work with you and/or how they execute projects/plans, since you're now part of their 'family.' I'm not saying there's intrinsically something wrong with that, but with Tellef and ADM you get both, with professionalism and top of the line service being considered first, above everything else.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing specific with our project since it's being done as planned and as intended.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Adsugar Inc is a performance marketing agency. We manage client accounts as well as build and promote our own websites.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

We were looking for support managing some of our Google Ads accounts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our partnership with Accelerated Digital Media was mostly centered around Google Ads campaigns, working with Google Display Network and Google Shopping. 

The team managed our campaigns, creating ad copy, banner ads, and consulting on strategies.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about four people from the team, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

I knew the owner and founder when he was in a previous role. When we identified a need for Google Ads support, I thought of him and reached out. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Accelerated Digital Media from June 2016-June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We experienced a good deal of success working with Accelerated Digital Media. They helped us mitigate our business in a relatively volatile market very well. 

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We tracked Accelerated Digital Media’s tracking on Excel and other internal reporting platforms. We had regular phone calls and emails to provide updates and to decide on plans.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Accelerated Digital Media team are Google experts. They learn continuously as Google rolls out new features, and are always searching for fresh ideas to bring to the table.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As is true for any agency, the most important step is to set clear goals and objectives. Keep an open mind to the new strategies they offer. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a performance marketing agency that manages client accounts as well as builds and promotes websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

We needed a partner to help manage our GoogleAds accounts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Accelerated Digital Media managed our GoogleAds accounts that we use to promote products for our clients. Their team focused their efforts on Google Search and Google Display Network. They also created campaigns for Google Shopping. Their team managed multiple products, produced ad copy, and built banner ads. They also came up with new ideas and strategies for testing. While they consulted on our Facebook advertising efforts, that wasn’t a central part of our engagement.

What is the team composition?

We had a main point of contact but a total of 3–4 people from Accelerated Digital Media supported our account.

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

I communicated with Tellef (CEO) when he worked at Google. He later founded Accelerated Digital Media. When we wanted a partner to help manage our accounts, I thought of Tellef and started our engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our relationship with Accelerated Digital Media started in June 2016 and it concluded in June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our work with Accelerated Digital Media was successful, which is why we engaged them for so long. Regarding returns, we have a volatile business. They managed strict CPAs (cost per action) for each of our campaigns well. Their team was analytical and had good relationships with folks at Google and Bing, which allowed them to get help when needed.

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via phone and email. For tracking campaigns, we used Excel. Our internal reporting platforms guided our workflows too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

During our engagement, we worked with Google platforms. Accelerated Digital Media are experts in their industry. They continuously learn as Google rolls out new features. They always looked to bring new ideas to the table.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As in any collaboration, it’s most important to have clear goals and objectives. Also, it’s important to understand test processes and how our existing business is managed. But also, be open to new strategies to bring in new business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior growth manager at Nurx, a telemedicine company. We provide a few services online such as birth control, a prevention pill for HIV, Herpes medication, and more. You can get prescribed the pills online, and they’ll be delivered to you. I manage our entire paid marketing portfolio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

We were looking to scale our search program. We didn’t have any employees inhouse with enough time or Google expertise to do that. So, we were working with another agency, but their performance was flattening out. So, we asked Accelerated Digital Media if they would be able to scale the program.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re managing our paid advertising campaigns, all of which are within the Google portfolio. The scope has involved all of our service lines. The team works with branded search, Google Ads, YouTube, and display campaigns, among other channels.

What is the team composition?

We talk on a daily or weekly basis with Eric (Senior SEM Manager), Jordan (Business Development Manager), and Tellef (CEO). Eric is our main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

My boss, the VP of marketing, had connected with Tellef and Accelerated Digital Media previously. They pitched to her, and she chose them due to having a great past experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ll continue to invest as much as we can while the cost-efficiency remains stable. 

What is the status of this engagement?

They launched with us in Q4 of 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
 
We’ve almost doubled our investment since we onboarded them. They’re not cheap, but it’s a fair price for their ability to scale. If we had been managing it inhouse, I don’t think we would have grown as much.

When people check out, we ask them how they heard about us. A huge portion of them has said they were referred to our services from Google. That’s a testament to Accelerated Digital Media’s work.

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?
 
They’re very communicative. Our budgets change a lot throughout the month, and they’re able to adapt well, making changes on the fly. They’ll push back when a decision is going to harm their performance in the program. They’re so trustworthy. It feels like they’re an extension of the team.

The team has really extensive, insightful Quartly Business Reviews (QBRs). We can expect in-depth monthly updates and easy-to-digest weekly updates. We’ll also hear from Eric a couple of times a week with on-the-fly updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their overall strategy for how to structure an account and manage a program is very strong. Every agency has its secret sauce, and Accelerated Digital Media’s “sauce” is excellent. They’re very smart and always looking to try new things. 

Also, the team has continued the same level of investment in our program as they invested when they first started working with us. We can always expect a high level of service from them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve loved working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay tuned in if you’re curious about the volume of work that’s being done. Make sure you ask questions about all the testing that’s happening.

Eric is very capable of coming up with his own ideas. For example, birth control was a new topic for him. But, now he knows everything because he’s researched, come up with ideas, and tested copy and keywords. He’s very independent about coming up with a testing roadmap. But, a better case scenario would be collaborating on different ideas. It’s always good to bounce ideas back and forth.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of paid media for a growth marketing agency. We do paid media services for businesses as well as specialize in SEO and paid media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

We were looking to establish a paid social partnership with another agency. Essentially, we wanted them to effectively handle our high-spend paid social clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The deliverables of the project occurred in four phases. In the first phase, we kicked off our relationship with the clients. We used proactive communication to build transformational relationships from the ground up. The second phase was focused on aligning our strategy and building out the campaigns and accounts.

For the third phase, our focus shifted to account optimization. This meant we were continuously utilizing the data we were receiving and making constant improvements on the campaigns. The fourth phase was our weekly reporting efforts. This entailed pulling KPIs from the previous week, discussing them internally, and then writing a high-level overview.

In addition to these phases, Accelerated Digital Media also handles some social listening for Facebook and LinkedIn ads. This means they see comments, engagements, and shares, but there is no direct customer support.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with Brad (Director of Paid Social, Accelerated Digital Media). We also have an account manager who coordinates things through Brad. At the initiation of the partnership, our co-founders and their founder discussed the contract and scope of work.

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

We’ve worked with them on several projects now, and they’re our go-to partner for any new type of business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested approximately $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in April 2019 and is ongoing. We expect it to continue in the near and long-term future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The qualitative feedback we’ve received from clients has all been positive. They’ve highlighted the Facebook ads, landing page experience, and mobile app store optimization. Collectively, our clients have expressed that Accelerated Digital Media’s digital strategy is successful. Some agencies look at strategy as a silhouette, but Brad sees it as part of the whole growth, acquisition, and retention. He really values the spend as if it were his own money.

As for hard quantitative KPIs, we’ve also seen a positive impact. Every client’s project that Accelerated Digital Media has worked on has resulted within a +/– 10 target KPI. So, their team is always on track of what the client wants.

Internally, we’ve consistently noticed we don’t have to worry about any client communication or performance. Brad and this team take care of everything. It’s an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach when it comes to working with them on projects. We know they’ll always deliver, and it’s a huge relief off our shoulders.

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style is great, and their teammates are all spot-on. We have no gaps when it comes to communication. They’ve never missed a meeting and are always prepared for calls. During the calls, they take charge and are proactive in both listening and communicating.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The two biggest traits that distinguish them from other providers are their realistic expectations and direct communication. By realistic expectations, I mean that Accelerated Digital Media is very upfront about setting rational benchmarks based on performance that we can see in the near and long-term future. Many others have grandiose ideas or irrational numbers, but not them. Accelerated Digital Media takes the time to explain the reasons why they’re doing something inside the accounts and how it’s going to affect the overall strategy.

Also, their natural ability of direct communication is very impressive. Both their written and verbal communication skills are professional and quite frankly, perfect. There’s always great grammar and spelling in our correspondences. Their messages are short, concise, and quickly get the point across. It saves everybody time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I wish we had more projects to work with them on. Our company supplies those though, so it’s more on us than them. We love working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
My biggest piece of advice would be to make sure your partnership is the right fit. Accelerated Digital Media takes a lot of time to vet out new projects. They view projects a long-term growth partners and only focus on clients who’re seeking that type of relationship.

Be sure to sit down and have a conversation with them about where you see the growth of the partnership going. They’re willing to have that open and direct communication. It’ll become pretty clear if the partnership makes sense for both sides.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a toy company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accelerated Digital Media?

The top-line challenge was that all of my sales to date were organic. I wanted to enter the paid media space to increase brand awareness and accelerate sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed a number of their team’s offerings related to social media strategy. Eventually, we focused on paid social media ads via Facebook and Instagram. The ads run on feeds and drive them to our website for purchase. Their team edits the copy that I write to ensure it’s optimized based on best practices. They check that it’s not too long and includes buzzwords that are proven to be better drivers of calls to action. While there’s a bidding system that places our ads, we don’t operate on a PPC basis for those ads.

What is the team composition?

I work with a point person, Brad (Director of Paid Social, Accelerated Digital Media), who takes care of tasks related to our account.

How did you come to work with Accelerated Digital Media?

A colleague referred us to Accelerated Digital Media.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we spent $25,000 on the ad buys.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our relationship in October 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m satisfied with their work. We sell many more than the amount we spend on paid social media ads. All in all, our efforts achieve the ultimate goal of increasing awareness and driving sales. My social media following on Instagram has grown almost 100% since we started paid social with Accelerated Digital Media. The sales numbers that we’ve hit dwarf previous sales numbers when we relied on organic social media only.

How did Accelerated Digital Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Our weekly call with their team is helpful. Brad explains processes such that I understand paid social strategies more, which I knew nothing about when I entered the space. Their team’s responsive and makes changes when an ad isn’t working. We’re not foolishly spending money on ads for a week in between our communications that aren’t performing well. Their team lays out the data and analyzes it in real-time to make sure that our money is spent as efficiently as possible. They are helpful in providing analysis and suggestions on different possibilities and areas to focus on next.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service combined with their competency sets them apart from the competition. They distill a complex process in my business in a way that is comprehensible. Their team explains which strategies to invest in and why. They continue to find ways for me to digest all of that information.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Start with one goal in one avenue of their services to make sure that you’re comfortable with their communication style.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Managing Director of a nonprofit. 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

International relief non profit

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Accelerated Digital Media to accomplish?

• Media buying strategy
• media buying
• program growth

SOLUTION

How did you find Accelerated Digital Media?

Referral

Why did you select Accelerated Digital Media over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• deep digital media knowledge demonstrated during RFP

How many teammates from Accelerated Digital Media were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Manage media budgets, build media plans and strategy matrixes, ongoing optimizations, performance reporting - monthly and quarterly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Less back and forth edits and confusion, efficient meetings, strong performance.

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

Learning curve at first but yes they do their best to deliver items on time. They are very accomodating to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Accelerated Digital Media?

Virtual Meeting

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

I was impressed with their expertise in the space and their ability to quickly learn about our programs and business

Are there any areas for improvement or something Accelerated Digital Media could have done differently?

Can get better with reporting on things other than simple last touch performance and thinking more wholistically across other channels and the larger program.