Anticipated Digital

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO/owner of a coaching, consulting, and management services firm. I've run it for over 15 years and wanted to upgrade the scattershot and referrals business with a real marketing strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Auden Digital?

Two projects:

1. Listen to and understand my wide range of possibilities and help me narrow into a focused strategy.
2. Create my online presence, LinkedIn profile, website, and complete digital strategy that matches my capabilities and rhythms.

What were your goals for this project?

Grow my audience.

SOLUTION

What is the team dynamic?

Update! My previous complaints have been resolved to my full satisfaction.

How did you come to work with Auden Digital?

Update! My previous complaints have been resolved to my full satisfaction.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

We had some disputes. As of this review, we’ve now fully resolved those disputes to my satisfaction. 

How did Auden Digital address the challenges that arose?

We addressed challenges via Slack, email, and sending of attachments back and forth to resolve our challenges.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

The front-end of my website looks extremely professional. I am not ashamed to share my URL anymore.

How was project management handled?

There were some disputes here that have been fully resolved since my last review. We had differing expectations and had to work through them. 

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

The designer, Ellie, was incredible as both a listener and a designer.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Expectations setting. My complaints have been resolved now to my full satisfaction.

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

Know what you want! 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on January 28, 2020.

Isaiah McPeak

Growth Consultant

Business Services

1-10 Employees

Austin, Texas

$10,000 to $49,999

Sept. 2019 - Jan. 2020

Project summary: 

Auden Digital was hired to streamline a consulting firm's marketing strategy and enhance its online presence. Key services include web design, SEO, and marketing execution.

Feedback summary: 

The project suffered from several missed deadlines, weeks-late responses to questions, and a lack of updates. Auden Digital did not set expectations at the beginning, which resulted in the client losing confidence in their ability to deliver.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO/owner of a coaching, consulting, and management services firm. I've run it for over 15 years and wanted to upgrade the scattershot and referrals business with a real marketing strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Auden Digital?

Two projects: 1. Listen to and understand my wide range of possibilities and help me narrow into a focused strategy. 2. Create my online presence, LinkedIn profile, website, and complete digital strategy that matches my capabilities and rhythms.

What were your goals for this project?

Grow my audience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I vetted 5 vendors by calling their leads.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The scope of work ranged from digital marketing strategy to SEO to all kinds of general marketing execution to project management and regular reporting.

What was the team composition?

Alex = CEO of Auden. Sometimes I thought he might be lead and sometimes not. Erica = Project Manager. I think. But she didn't really. Ellie = Web designer. Did a great job. Others were involved, but they never told me who or how or reported any information.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My project had timeline after timeline and commitment after commitment missed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Days and weeks would go between my questions and answers, even to really simple questions like "what's next?" or "how was that blog I wrote?" or "would this match my strategy?" kinds of things.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

How well they listened and talked up front.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Project management and expectations setting. This company is allergic to setting and managing expectations.

Ratings

Overall rating: 1

Quality: 3.5

Schedule: 0.5

Cost: 4

Willing to refer: 0.5

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Simple Plan IT, a digital risk management and IT consulting firm. We help small businesses manage their digital risks and maximize the use of technology within the organization.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Auden Digital?

I was trying to revamp our digital presence. Prior to working with Auden Digital, we had a website that was aesthetically okay, but it had no functionality. There was no tracking or automation built-in. I sought their services in order to help build those out and revamp our online presence and design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of their big involvements was the integration of HubSpot. We previously didn’t have HubSpot integration nor the ability to track and run campaigns based on the visitors that have come to the site. We built a brand new site and there wasn’t a whole lot of outline to carry over from the existing site, which was built on a completely different platform. 

They also added a shopping cart so we could actually sell one of our products directly to consumers rather than always having to be in contact with individuals. Now, we’re able to process the shopping cart online and run advertising and marketing to help promote that.

What is the team composition?

There were four people involved in my initial project. Alex (CEO) was involved in the initial setup and was basically coordinating the deal. 

They also brought in the project manager who was my point of contact throughout everything, such as scheduling follow-up and kickoff meetings and making sure that both parties were communicating and had everything that they needed. 

I worked with another person who was responsible for helping to build the content strategy, developing the content that was going to be on the website, and making sure that it was SEO-friendly and aligned with our brand. 

The fourth person I worked with was Liz (Digital Marketing Coordinator). She was the person responsible for setting up the HubSpot integration and marketing automation tools within the website. 

How did you come to work with Auden Digital?

I found Auden Digital through our military connections. I’m a military veteran and so is the owner of Auden. 

Through that military connection, he shared with me some of the different programs that HubSpot was running, specifically the discounted services for veteran-owned businesses. His company is a HubSpot partner and was able to load these programs out so I would qualify for those discounts. That’s why I chose to work with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent almost $15,000 so far on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in July 2020, and we’re still working with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m looking at ROI to measure success. When I look at that, I’m looking at deals to be generated and revenue based upon the resources that they put in place.

Now, we’re able to track where our lead generation source is coming from. I’m able to see the tools that they’ve put in place, how conversions are doing, and other things of that nature.

How did Auden Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a pretty smooth transition process. There were a few milestones built within the whole process from start to finish. Starting from the ground up, I allowed the team to guide and steer the creative direction because that wasn’t really my forte. My skill set is providing security services and not really marketing services.

In my opinion, the whole process from start to finish went pretty quickly.  Understanding what would be aesthetically pleasing and functional from a marketing standpoint, the team did a phenomenal job in helping to scope that out and executing out the timelines they set. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say the level of professionalism, expertise, and speed of response are most impressive about them. If I had a question, comment, or concern, I felt that they were heard and understood. They responded in a way that was easy for me to understand, especially being someone who’s not super gifted when it comes to understanding marketing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If there was a point of improvement, it would just be something with the payment structure. As somebody who runs projects, I prefer more milestones rather than buying or paying for projects in full upfront. There was a little bit of back and forth in the beginning, but once we got to a good working relationship, it became very easy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be fully transparent with them and let them know what it is that you’re trying to accomplish in all facets and what your goals and expectations are. Then they’ll make sure everything is set and that you clearly understand where things are, what you can expect in terms of the outcomes and results, and what the limitations would be with any ideas that you have. 

That was one of the areas that they were really good at. Make sure that you’re open-minded, and at the same time, fully transparent with what you’re trying to accomplish, and they’ll be able to help guide you there. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a cannabis technology development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Auden Digital?

We hired them for marketing services. We were trying to make a cannabis accessory that could connect to apps and smart home products. Auden Digital manages all of the marketing tasks for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve taken care of everything from our website to social media presence and Hubspot. They also helped us with SEO and PPC. 

What is the team composition? 

Alex (CEO) is my main point of contact, but I also worked with Kelly (Marketing Coordinator) and one other person. 

How did you come to work with Auden Digital?

Alex actually reached out to me. He found me on a Facebook investor group. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $5,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September, and our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re really strong with analytics. Alex tracked metrics for everything we did. Since we haven’t officially launched the product, I don’t have any sales data to measure success. However, I’m happy with the work they’ve done. 

How did Auden Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered everything earlier than expected. The team worked quickly and efficiently. It was very impressive. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Alex’s knowledge and expertise stood out to me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

I think it’s best to run all of your marketing needs through them. They’re a one-stop-shop, and it’s more cost-effective to package everything together. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run a travel blog that is specifically designed to target U.S.-based Millennial women looking to maximize their vacation days on a budget. There is a lot of research and writing involved to make this site effective. Therefore, the design of my site is critical. If something looks amiss, I can lose a potential subscriber.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Auden Digital?

I sought out their help with a specific CSS issue. I am not too well versed in CSS styling, and was looking for an expert to properly adjust the look and feel of my site and make it more user friendly.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to improve the look and layout of the widgets within my website. They were looking quite clunky and outdated and it cheapened the look of my blog.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I stumbled across this vendor via a Facebook group where I was attempting to find help. AD responded right away

Describe the project in detail.

Once I went with AD, we hit the ground running. Alex immediately scheduled a Zoom call to walk me through how to fine tune the CSS. I appreciated that he demonstrated how I could fix this myself, should the need arise. Some custom CSS code was written, and now my blog is looking lovely.

What was the team composition?

Alex was the main point of contact and the person who guided me through improving my site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yes, the comments section on my website had been giving me trouble. It was poorly designed and likely turned off readers from commenting because the view was so poor. Alex gave my comments section a much sleeker, custom look.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective, the communication was quick and timely.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm impressed by how quickly they are able to do what they say they will do. You'll get a nice result very quickly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I am aware of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive VP of a manufacturing company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Manufacturer

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• CRM Implementation and Development
• Website Development
• Marketing Strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find Anticipated Digital?

Upwork

Why did you select Anticipated Digital over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Anticipated Digital were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

• Hubspot implementation
• web development
• SEO optimization 
• marketing strategy

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Sales

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

Terrible project management. Very rarely showed up on time, very rarely fully completed any single task. Had excuses daily for why he didn’t show, promised to work extra to make up for it but never would.

What was your primary form of communication with Anticipated Digital?

Virtual Meeting

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

Nothing

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

This man should not own his own business. He is incapable of managing himself and in the end, he attempted to extort us by shutting down our entire website.