Aspire Digital Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I just started a new company. We make an autonomous robot that shoots UVC light that kills pathogens.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aspire Digital Solutions?

I hired them to set up a website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We sat down with Aspire Digital Solutions and came up with content for this new company. We gave them plenty of information, and they took 30–40 pages of documentation and are now building out the website. 

The team is currently doing design work, and they will then track who is visiting our website and the click-through rate (CTR). That way we can identify interested leads.

They are also putting together an information page for people who are interested. I give them some direction, but I also allow them a fair amount of liberty to come up with something that will have a fresh look on the design side.

What is the team composition?

I interface directly with Christine (Co-Founder & CMO) and Bill (Co-Founder & Director of Web Development).

How did you come to work with Aspire Digital Solutions?

I had worked with them before at my other company. I knew Christine, and when she explained what she did, I knew that she could help me with the website for my other company. 

How much have you invested with them?

We plan to spend under $2,500. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is excellent. I would work with them again, and I would definitely recommend Aspire Digital Solutions to other people. 

How did Aspire Digital Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is quite good. We’re on target at the moment, and I’m looking forward to the launch. I was able to sit down and meet with them, but most of our meetings are now virtual. When we give her something she needs, Christine gets back to us right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had another website designer years ago, but that was a poor experience. Aspire Digital Solutions is very nice and accommodating. The team also gives us fresh ideas about how we can accomplish our goals, and they do everything on time and within budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. I’ve been satisfied. They communicate well and guide us when we’re going in a different direction.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them face-to-face because there will be a better flow of ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a few businesses that sell building products such as windows, doors, and screens.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aspire Digital Solutions?

They’ve been helping me market all three of my businesses.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve kept in constant contact with me as they’ve undertaken marketing as well as website design and development projects for my companies. We’ve also relied on them for print advertising, such as new brochures that keep our messaging up to date. For the site design project, they closely collaborated with our team, sharing ideas and taking feedback into account during the build.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with Bill (Partner) and Christine (Owner).

How did you come to work with Aspire Digital Solutions?

After interviewing them, I knew that Christine was right for the job. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a total of $5,000–$10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been impressed with the website design. In terms of marketing, they’re prepared with 700–800 contacts for an upcoming campaign. I trusted them with the work, and they’ve done a great job so far. 

How did Aspire Digital Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done a great job of meeting deadlines.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

All aspects of the project were done well. They handled the pandemic’s effect on the relationship empathetically.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them face-to-face.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Auditory Insight. We advise senior leaders in healthcare companies on creating successful commercialization strategies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aspire?

Our main challenge was maximizing our online presence to reach our target market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I came in with some basic objectives. Aspire then thought about the initiatives that would help us achieve our goals and took the time to understand my market and my clients. They then helped me with website design. They added the ability for potential clients to download a free research node.

What is the team composition?

Bill (Co-Founder & Director of Web Development) and Christine (Co-Founder & CMO) are my main points of contact. They also have website developers and a graphic designer on their team. 

How did you come to work with Aspire?

I put a lot of time into evaluating a number of boutique ad agencies and website development firms. I settled on Aspire as the best fit for me. 

What is the status of this engagement?

It began in February 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I think of Aspire as being an extended part of my team. 

How did Aspire perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is great. Bill has a solid technical understanding of how to implement a marketing strategy onto a website. 

Aspire is good at coming up with functional options in terms of how we might accomplish particular goals. They do a good job of being available when I need them, but they also don’t needlessly do work when it’s not necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Aspire has a sincere commitment to my success. They are invested in my company, which is a great feeling. Additionally, they have tremendous attention to detail and will do as many drafts or updates as it takes to get it right, which sets them apart in this business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind right now; they are doing fantastic work for me!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the President and CEO of a company called St. Johns Fragrance Company. We are a direct-to-consumer men’s fragrance and personal care product provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aspire Digital Solutions?

We needed to update and upgrade a variety of functionalities on our website, including the design and internal analytics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The main deliverable that we worked toward with them was to redo the entire website. That included building the e-commerce store that we have, redesigning all of the UI and providing some refreshed brand collateral, and then working with a copywriter and photographer to really revamp the actual product content that we were using to advertise as well.

In particular, they have developed a really excellent lifestyle section of our blog that highlights things we think are interesting to people who buy our products. So we highlight different cars, or jazz musicians, and then tie those into the lifestyle of people who use our products as well.

On top of that, they have worked to help me understand what tall the best practices are in terms of reaching and attracting new customers. Their team has advised us on content for our marketing emails and how to structure our content for SEO and has recently taken over our social media accounts as well because of how well they understand our brand and business goals.

What is the team composition?

I interface directly with their two principals, Christine (President) and Bill (Web Development Director), and they have a network of people who provide the specific services that we need through them.

How did you come to work with Aspire Digital Solutions?

Their team came recommended to us through a friend who had used them, and they were also local to our office in Connecticut, so we interviewed them along with a couple other firms. We wanted to rework the site but didn’t want to have to reinvent the wheel entirely, and in that interview process, their team was the one who most understood that methodological balance, so we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $80,000 with them in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started around August 2017 and is still continuing today.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I primarily look for new email addresses signed up for our newsletters and direct increases in actual sales revenue. Email signups have been way up throughout the pandemic, and now my online sales are starting to see the results of that as well.

A lot of marketing organizations have a hard time understanding that click-through-rates and conversions don’t mean very much unless you’re actually making money as well, but Aspire Digital has always been on the same page in terms of that main priority, and we’ve definitely benefited as a result.

How did Aspire Digital Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team delivers more consistently than almost any company I’ve ever worked with. They’re always cognizant and respectful of my budget, and they’re extremely creative in everything that they do. They always come back to us with graphics and messages that really stand out, which is a big part of the reason that we’ve continued to grow our involvement with them over time.

We have no issues with meeting deadlines for particular tasks, and they are always able to handle any one-off tasks that I throw their way throughout the month.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest factor distinguishing them from other companies I’ve worked with is that they have taken a genuine interest in our business and making sure it succeeds. The quality of their work comes in large part from the understanding of our goals. They’ve developed that picture by putting in the work to understand our strengths, weaknesses, and needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We really haven’t had any issues that I would point to as something that they need to be doing differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them as often as possible about everything relevant to their work. Sometimes I forget to include them in conversations about trade shows or other things, but whether I’m asking them to do something or not it can be really helpful for them to know what we’re doing as a company. The more insight into the bigger picture of your work that you can give them, the better they will be able to do their job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a conference speaker and have been in business as an independent since 1998. My main focus area is non-verbal communication and body language.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aspire Digital Solutions?

I wanted to grow my business, particularly in the times of the global pandemic. Typically, I speak at conferences but had to transition to webinars and remote meetings due to COVID-19. I wanted to redesign my website and had trouble getting quality work for my money with past web partners.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided me with website design for my business and a tremendous amount of personal guidance for running the platform myself. I had an existing site, but they completely rebuilt the platform. The only thing that was left of the previous site was the domain name.

When I wanted to change some of the verbiage on the transition from the old site to the new site, he was able to make changes for me to witness and approve in real-time. Bill (Co-Founder & Director of Web Development) brought me up to speed on blogging, held strategy sessions, and optimized my LinkedIn page. Now, we’re working on a blog schedule for post-COVID non-verbal behavior. 

What is the team composition?

I worked most closely with Bill and Chris (Co-Founder & CMO). There’s another resource that handles their technical work, but I didn’t work too closely with him.

How did you come to work with Aspire Digital Solutions?

I know Bill’s father personally. When I spoke with him about needing a new provider, he mentioned his son’s business. I didn’t take him up on that for about a year. When I was having too much trouble with my previous partner to continue paying for their services, I called them. They were able to help me within hours. 

How much have you invested with them?

I pay a fee of $49 each month. On top of that, I’ve spent about $1,500. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since the fall of 2019. I hope to continue our relationship long into the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a phenomenal job designing my website. People have actually called me for a referral to my website partner. When we started the relationship, I didn’t have a LinkedIn presence. Now, I have over 1,000 followers and 115–130 views each week from that source alone.

One of my early blog posts on LinkedIn had over 600 views within a week. I’m noticing major leaps in LinkedIn activity all the time. They were also helpful in finding new and creative venues to showcase my work through blog content.  

How did Aspire Digital Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were willing to listen and respond to my needs effectively. If I had questions, they were able to take me onto a Google platform that helped us solve problems together in a remote fashion. They made changes whenever needed and are always patient with me when I need time to produce content. If they promise, they deliver. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their quality and creativity in website design has gone above and beyond my expectations. In particular, there is a very impactful feature on the website that lists the many organizations that I’ve worked with over the years. People have been very impressed with that, and that’s due to their creativity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve been very pleased with them and can’t think of anything negative. Typically, I ask for them to lead me through the process, and their advice is always on the mark. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I appreciated them contacting me by phone. That was accommodating because it helped me provide instantaneous feedback that wasn’t sterile as texts can be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The mission of the New York Certification Board (NYCB), a project of ASAP, is to strengthen health and human services outcomes and enhance the recovery-oriented skills and capacity of the workforce.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aspire Digital Services?

We needed some new pages for our website and improvements to our web functionality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aspire is doing iterative improvements to the current web functionality. For example, they updated a range of forms that have to appear on the site, maintaining a level of confidentiality while still being user-friendly. They are just finishing that up today.

They completely cleaned up the Facebook page and have integrated Facebook posting with the news page on the website. They’ll be adding new pages to the website in the near future.

What is the team composition?

Bill (Co-Founder/Director of Web Development) and Christine (Co-Founder/CMO) are my two points of contact.

How did you come to work with Aspire Digital Services?

They were referred by a trusted colleague.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $2,500. We don’t pay a retainer, only an hourly rate. It works out to roughly $500 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Facebook integration was a major headache for me, and Aspire completely took it over. They turned the entire Facebook page around practically overnight, picking up where our previous vendor had fallen down on the job. I’m thrilled with it, and I like working with them.

How did Aspire Digital Services perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve never dropped the ball. They’re very responsive and supportive. They immediately acknowledge when I put in the next job and give an estimated timeframe. They deliver what they promise when they promise it. The most important part is that I don’t have to track their work; I can trust they are doing it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Compared to my past experiences, I’m quite impressed with their responsiveness and attention to detail. I don’t have to double-check their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t run up against anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The key to working with any consultancy is to know what you’re trying to achieve. You don’t need to know how to get there, necessarily. Aspire will absolutely deliver in their field.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the confidential secretary to the supervisor of a town in New York.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aspire Digital Solutions?

We had a previous developer who suggested we move to a WordPress Divi template, which I knew virtually nothing about. After having paid him in full, he checked out of the engagement and we were left with an unusable site and a looming launch deadline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our goal was to migrate the content of the existing website over to a new platform that would allow it to be user-friendly and compatible with mobile devices. Aspire Digital left no stone unturned, starting by finding glitches, cleaning code, and improving SEO and functionality so that it was ready to launch in less than six weeks.

From there, they sat with me personally and helped explain how the site works and everything going on behind the scenes so that I would be able to manage the site on my own. They are continuing to help train people in our municipality government to use the site and make it much more user friendly than it had been before.

What is the team composition?

We had a few coders, a designer and one of the principals working exclusively on our project with us. 

How did you come to work with Aspire Digital Solutions?

I found Bill through a meetup group posted for web designers. I was searching for a team to replace a single developer and hit the jackpot.

How much have you invested with them?

They offered an affordable hourly rate to migrate and clean, and we now have a yearly maintenance contract. The total cost was well under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Now that the pandemic is going on, the website has been a critical element of our administration’s communication with the community When the virus started, I had to work constantly to gather information for our weekly newsletter and transfer it onto the website. Thanks to their help, I learn new features of the template we use every day and have been able to slash the amount of time I have to spend on any given task pretty much in half.

We have a lot of traffic to the site, and our newsletter alone has about a 60% open rate. The click-through rate is almost the same, which we are very satisfied with. The other thing is that more people are now using the mobile version instead of the desktop version, which means that we are finally able to really take advantage of the traffic potential that we could have had all along.

How did Aspire Digital Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their whole team is very meticulous and hardworking. Bill is accessible and continues to problem solve. He’s very good about not skipping steps that might save time in the short run but hurt our SEO in the long run.

They’re also very good teachers. The last person I worked with was intimidating and made me feel stupid when asking questions, so I wasn’t able to develop my skills at all, but they have been super patient and a lot of fun to work with as well, both over the phone and with in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an incredible depth of expertise and skills with the specific template that we are using, Divi. They were able to help us get the website exactly where it needed to be because of the experiences that they had with similar projects in the past.

That not only helped us move quickly but also gave us a lot of confidence in the outcome of the project from the beginning, which I really appreciated. They also have an incredible aesthetic ability, and I am very excited to reach the stage where we are beautifying the site as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t have anything. They are a great partner in every way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best way to come to them is with a pretty loose idea of what you want because they’re very creative and hands-on, but they also listen to what you want and present you with options that you might not have thought of otherwise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the administrative assistant to the CEO of our company and in addition lead all marketing initiatives alongside of him.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Aspire Digital Solutions?

We were looking to try and bring our 5 part company to the next level through new websites and social media presence. Although the company has been in existence for over 20 years, it was dated and hard for the public to understand on the web.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was simple, drive more traffic, generate more leads, close more business. Although simple, it is something in this ultra saturated modern day internet presence that was hard for us to attain. We have a large diverse portfolio and it is hard to manage each one at all times.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had networked with Christine through business events and decided to hear what she and her team had to offer. We met several times as we had a large project to undertake and budget to adhere to, therefore needed to decide what we wanted to really hone in on first.

Christine was patient yet made clear what she thought would invaluable and other items that we could for the first year punt on. She had a flawless, intricate proposal full of detail and a true plan, not just numbers. I really felt her proposal was far superior to any other marketing agencies we had worked within the past.

It also helped that she was a "one-stop shop." so we didn't have to worry about meeting with multiple vendors which takes more time and money. With her knowing our vision, she could carry it through all of our strategies (web, social, print)

 Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Their work is detailed, timely and consistent. The largest part of our first year project was creating 5 new websites for all of our brands.

They made it interactive, and worked with us side by side ensuring we liked every single click along the way. Bill who handles the back end of the sites took his time explaining how they all worked so that we could also make changes if needed. They are LARGE websites, therefore the navigation was vital to this piece of the puzzle.

For print and digital ads we have given them the idea of what we are looking to convey to our clients and they have come back not only timely but with good content that we either tweak or use at first send.

In addition to your standard marketing they helped us generate over 2000 new emails through their server set up in our restaurant. Customers log in for wifi and approve the usage of their emails which has allowed us to have a much greater reach for future advertisements and events.

What was the team composition?

We mainly work with Christine who spear heads all ideas, strategies, and vision. Bill is her right hand guy working on all web sites, computer and IT development. He has a huge knowledge of SEO and uses this in his platforms as well.

We have also just started to work with Kelly who is on hand for visual and social media presence. She has started to set the foundation for our social media platforms and build upon it for the next coming year which will further help us in that department.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From the first year we invested, our businesses in all divisions have increased but certain in particular have really blossomed. We have an increase in leads online and did greater business revenue for the year 2019. This was our main goal when first reaching out to Aspire, and yet they have blown it out of the water with our expectations, we are extremely excited for what we will be able to accomplish together for 2020.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is amazing between all of the team members. I can tend to be a very direct and fast paced individual. At times, other companies were not able to meet my criteria as far as deadlines are concerned. They are on top of it and that helps ease my mind. They are highly effective communicators and are readily available for any questions, comments, needs.

They are open to feedback and I am again, very critical, so some are not able to handle critiques, whereas they will work with your feedback and bring it to life, but not sacrifice what the main goal is. I highly recommend their services to anyone who either needs to plant their foundation or bring their company to the next level!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What I found most impressive was their attention to detail, the clear and concise organization of the projects and paperwork and the speed and quality of their performance.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As with anything there are always rooms for improvement, since they are so well versed in all areas of marketing I think they may wish to expand their team so that they could reach more clients faster but can also maintain their quality that we love them so much for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-founder of Insideanimalag.org

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

INformational website

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• design and create a functional, interactive website

SOLUTION

How did you find Aspire Digital Solutions?

Online Search

Why did you select Aspire Digital Solutions over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Company values aligned

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

Aspire designed a very funcitonal site that delivers key information visually and by search engine

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Always responsive and adding to site development in areas we were not sure of or didn't know

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

Project management was topnotch. TImely, responsive, and helpful. 

What was your primary form of communication with Aspire Digital Solutions?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

How easy they were to work with

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

I can't think of anything that Aspire Digital Solutions could have done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Good Directions

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We design and manufacture home and garden products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Redesign website and make it more retail focused
• Help with wholesale marketing
• SEO
• Social media

SOLUTION

How did you find Aspire Digital Solutions?

Online Search

Why did you select Aspire Digital Solutions over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Aspire Digital Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

They effectively redesigned our website using a beautiful new theme and heavy SEO to gain visibility. In addition they created sell sheets and email marketing to promote products to our wholesale customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website is generating a 25% increase in sales YOY.

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

Yes - very timely and great recaps after meetings. They truly listen to our pain points and provide effective solutions.

What was your primary form of communication with Aspire Digital Solutions?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

They get us - seems weird to say but our business is somewhat complicated and they u our customer.nderstand

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

Nope