Avalaunch Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a software company that develops design software for Utilities and municipalities. In my role I oversee all marketing, sales and customer support activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Avalaunch Media?

We hired Avalaunch to help us grow our marketing efforts. We are a smaller company with an even smaller marketing team. We really wanted to expand our marketing efforts and turned to Avalaunch to help us.

What were your goals for this project?

Expand our digital marketing as well as general company branding and awareness.

SOLUTION

How did you select Avalaunch Media?

We tried using other resources in the past with no success. We met with the Avalaunch team and were impressed with what they had to share with us. We decided to give them a chance.

After a couple months the results spoke for themselves and we have continued to use them ever since.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we decided to move forward we had a series of meetings to describe what we do as a company, what we have done for marketing in the past and what we would like to accomplish in the future.

They presented a number of options that could help accomplish what we were looking for. We reviewed a few of the options together and selected a few to start with.

We started with some content created for sales tools for our sales team to use at trade shows and initial responses to interested parties. Following the content created we moved on to PPC campaigns.

They developed a number of different campaigns and we began the process of developing and fine tuning our PPC efforts. Next we moved on to web development. They lead us in a redesign of our website and optimizing the performance of it from an SEO standpoint as well up upload performance.

They continually look for ways to improve our SEO standing and conversion rates of our site today. The latest project we have started is Marketing Automation.

They team helped us select a tool that would meet our needs as well as our budget. We are currently in early stages of this project.

What was the team composition?

We first met with one of Partners of Avalaunch who then introduced us to other members of the team. We now work with a team of 4 to 5 folks who manage and work the different projects we have going. The size of the team has changed a little over time depending on the active projects we have going.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started with little active marketing from our side. They have greatly helped us expand our digital presence and company branding. We receive new qualified leads daily from their efforts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been great. We have a good flow and understanding of their tasks vs our internal tasks. We meet regularly to make sure tasks are being accomplished and both still have the same vision and direction for our efforts.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Understanding of what we were trying to accomplish as well as the quality of the work they have done. Everything they have produced for us has been top quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Most improvement would come from our side. We don't have a lot of resources to dedicate to helping them. Their web developers are very busy. Getting on the schedule of a web developer tends to be the slowest part of working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cariloha manufactures and sells eco-friendly bamboo-based bedding, bath, and apparel products. I am the VP of Ecommerce and oversee Cariloha.com.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Avalaunch Media, and what were your goals?

We hired AvaLaunch to manage our SEO and to occasionally help with marketing automation tasks as an extension of our email team.

SOLUTION

How did you select Avalaunch Media and what were the deciding factors?

They were selected prior to my joining the company.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

AvaLaunch was trusted to develop the strategic and tactical approach to improving our SEO results.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Several team members have stepped in over the past year+ to assist with the key SEO project, as well as other asks as they have come up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our SEO results have continued to significantly improve, from overall traffic and revenue increases at the macro level to individual keyword ranking increases at the micro-level.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

AvaLaunch is excellent at being organized, communicating and sticking to schedules and timelines, and providing weekly results and updates. They proactively provide QBRs to look back on performance, but also looks ahead and plan for the next quarter.

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

Proactiveness - without having to ask, AvaLaunch is excellent at proactively providing past performance, and keeping us on task for information we need to provide them to complete what they have promised to do.

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

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Mi6 Holding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avalaunch Media?

We needed to decrease our cost per acquisition. We advertise our products on the radio, and then we use online advertising to capture the spillover. It’s a simple equation: whoever brings me the conversions at the cheapest price wins, and that was Avalaunch. It’s not all about price; it’s quality, too.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Avalaunch Media provided turnkey advertising services. This included PPC.

What is the team composition?

Over the years, we worked with roughly 6–8 people. Our main point of contact was one of the owners.

How did you come to work with Avalaunch Media?

We got referred to them by another business associate. 

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent around $500,000. That was just the commission and didn’t include the ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started running our ads with them around 2015, and we finished in June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’d say we consistently experienced cost per acquisition that was 10–13% lower than the closest competitor. As long as we can have good communication, a good price, and a good relationship – we can bring problems to the table and expect that they’re going to get attention – then we have a winning scenario.

How did Avalaunch Media perform from a project management standpoint?

I’d give them a five out of five. They helped us track analytics every week. If I asked for more information, they scheduled a call immediately and spent as much time as necessary answering my questions. They tried out all of my ideas, no matter how crazy they were. When you’re advertising, you never know what’s going to work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their patience and willingness to continue pursuing the client’s goal set them apart. I’m not the easiest person to work for; especially when it came to the money we were spending, I was quite demanding, and I was probably unreasonable at times. A lot of companies and contractors will bail on you when the times get tough, but Avalaunch never did. They just kept trying.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d say they could use a little help with Amazon advertising. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Bring them your targets and goals, and don’t be shy about defining what it is you want to accomplish, even if you think it’s unreasonable for the market to deliver. Show them what you want, and then let them bring it to you. It seemed to me that I could bring them my Christmas wish list, and they could meet it. That’s why we didn’t turn them down and continued to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a Financial and Wellness Company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Avalaunch Media?

We hired Avalaunch Media because they can highly recommend by numerous business contacts. I met with o e of the partners Jason Coulam and was intrigued instantly because of his approach on truly creating value for my form and not just looking for a transaction

What were your goals for this project?

To have the best intro video possible to accompany our website and overall marketing strategy

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Multiple credible references

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Avalaunch became our CMOand overall partner with digital marketing strategy

What was the team composition?

I worked with the entire team from front desk experience to meeting with partners and leadership

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got much more delivered than I could have imagined. The Avalaunch team went above and beyond to make sure we were completely satisfied with our strategy and marketing product

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

One of the best and easiest working relationships I have ever had

What did you find most impressive about this company?

That they are driven by value creation and long term relationship management and not just transaction.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I am guy satisfied with the work and partnership I had and continue to have with Avalaunch Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of business development for an engineering trucking company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avalaunch Media?

We’re looking to relaunch all of our sales products and collateral.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us put everything one brand, one look, one feel. There was a lot of collateral design. This included sales sheets, our website, campaigns, tradeshow booths, and a new product launch.

In our industry, digital ads and social media campaigns aren’t as effective because we know who we’re targeting. The put together an account-based marketing strategy because we have a pretty small pipeline of potential business.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with four people and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Avalaunch Media?

I’ve used them in a previous position and I really enjoyed working with them then. We gave them another project to do, and they really knocked it out of the park, so we gave them the rest of the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $10,000, and have signed another contract for $70,000 over the next year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw almost a 200% increase in our pipeline from their project.

How did Avalaunch Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great and are really easy to work with. We have standing weekly meetings and then we had additional meetings to discuss whatever needs to be done. We communicate with our contact over phone or email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work is always great. They always deliver on time, which is fantastic. My quarterly goals are specific, and they’ve never fallen short. Not only is the product good, but their team is also reliable and accountable. They’ve produced a good return on our investment.

I also like that the cost goes up and down based on need, in addition to our standard retainer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more control we give them, the better the deliverables. They’re good at their jobs and know how to deliver in an efficient way. So my advice would be to trust them and let them do their job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for a payment processing company. We handle all transactions that customers have on the frontend which includes credit cards and electronic transactions. We make sure they all get processed and the merchant or person receiving the payment gets paid.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avalaunch Media?

We hired Avalaunch Media for a couple of reasons. One was lead generation and the other was increasing the company's online visibility.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They mainly provide us with PPC and SEO services. Initially, it was just limited to SEO from the standpoint of keywords, breadcrumbs, titles, etc. More recently, because they had done a lot of the SEO work upfront, the team participated in the creation of three pieces of content. 

Most of the content has been created on my side just because our industry is so specific and there is certain knowledge you need to have. It’s often hard for outsiders to write content for us because they don’t know the nuances and breadth of our business.

Avalaunch Media helped me form the ad strategy. I contributed to the development of the keyword list and provided ideas around the types of ads we could create, including some of the copy. The team took that and went further with it, expanding and changing the copy. 

What is the team composition?

I work with three people including a project leader, their VP of client strategy, and another teammate who focuses on PPC.

How did you come to work with Avalaunch Media?

At the previous organization I worked for, I interacted with Avalaunch Media’s VP of client strategy. He had done some work with us at this other company and we were quite pleased with it. 

When I came to the new organization and told them what we needed to do online, I suggested Avalaunch Media. The president of the company had also heard of them so that made it easy to engage with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2019, but we really didn’t get any campaigns going right away because there was a start-up period. The campaigns started in September 2019. We still have a contract in place, but the current situation complicates things.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We never had a marketing department before, so everything was done more ad hoc. There is no baseline to say that leads increased from X to Y. During the time with the PPC ads, we went from zero to between 20 and 35 leads a month, it just depended on the month and the campaign. 

It varies on what is going on in the economy, especially because our business changes focus as we deal with multiple verticals. As a software company, we deal with maybe 10 or 15 verticals because the software applies across them.

How did Avalaunch Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a great project lead who is really good at writing notes and following up with people. I check Google ads and performance dashboards that I have access to regularly. I also insist on a bi-weekly meeting in addition to any email communication.

Avalaunch Media is local, so I can go in and meet face-to-face with them. Sometimes there is no replacement for that because you can draw things on a whiteboard and discuss it at the same time, but there is some value in having someone local to me. Now, a lot of our weekly meetings are conducted over the phone.

They have their own version of a dashboard that I have access to. It shows the PPC activity and shows what they have been doing. The dashboard tracks activity and results over time as far as PPC leads.

The other thing that is kind of unusual about our relationship is that, because of my experience with them in the past, they also provided me with my marketing automation software, so I bought that through them.

Additionally, Avalaunch Media provides me with access to the landing page software and another piece of software that you normally wouldn’t expect in a typical agency relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personal nature of the relationship certainly helps and it is hard to put a value on it. Avalaunch Media is very interested in making it work for you and in understanding your business as well as they can in order to figure out ways to improve it.

For example, about a month ago they pulled some of their team in together and had a brainstorming session just on my particular business. 

It wasn’t just the people directly involved in our project, but also other people from the organization who were sets of fresh eyes to see if they had any suggestions which I thought was good. 

It is a value add to me because there are things that they will see from a strategy standpoint and from an experience standpoint because of who they deal with that we otherwise wouldn’t have access to. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

All agencies, especially those that are in a growth mode have a similar type of problem where they have to spread the resources that they have across all their different clients. 

The challenge with agencies, in general, is that you don’t always get the attention in certain places. In SEO, they do foundational work with a lot of activity upfront, and then the activity peters off for a while until you ask them about it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to make sure you have clear goals and understand the markets you want to play in. Understand what the objective of each campaign is, the kind of expenditures you expect to see, and how you expect to manage them.

Coming in with that kind of detail, or at least a very good outline of what you are looking for, is extremely helpful for Avalaunch Media and other agencies that I have dealt with.

Additionally, do a little bit of homework of your own to understand exactly what kind of keywords and phrases work with your particular customers because the team isn’t going to know that. They will be able to see generalized terms but providing those insights will be helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Stepstone Connect, a Utah-based Telehealth company with clinicians throughout the United States; Stepstone treats first responders, veterans, and others suffering from trauma and its often accompanying conditions and disorders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Avalaunch Media?

Stepstone hired Avalaunch to handle its branding and design when the company formed in 2018. They have been a valued partner ever since, handling a range of services for the company, including advertising and marketing, SEO, and strategic development.

What were your goals for this project?

Exceptional branding and design that would set us apart in the industry and ongoing advertising, marketing, and business support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was a lengthy vetting process as we sat down and interviewed several firms before settling on Avalaunch.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Earlier meetings with the design team discussed who we wanted to be as a company and what goals we wanted to accomplished. While branding and design was underway, we met with Avalaunch on strategic goals, SEO, advertising and marketing, and a host of other matters. Avalaunch has provided A to Z services for Stepstone.

What was the team composition?

We've worked with close to two dozen Avalaunch employees over the past two years. We've consistently interacted and worked with SEO specialist, Beau Graves, our account representative, Josh Brereton, and principle, Jason Coulam.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The company won an award for the design of Stepstone's logo and Avalaunch has been an integral part of our steady growth.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our account-project managers are outstanding. More often than not, they are pushing us to remain on task, not the other way around.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I rarely give reviews because rarely does a company exceed my expectations – but Avalaunch has done just that. Their deep pool of talent, coupled with superb account communication and representation, sets them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP for BMA Banking Solutions. We’re a financial institution's core processing system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avalaunch Media?

We wanted to expand our marketing efforts into the digital. Up until we hired Avalaunch Media, we didn’t have a digital presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In addition to Google Ads, they provided various services that would help us reach an audience through digital. They helped us create campaigns that would help us target different clients.

We have a marketing committee that is comprised of some Avalaunch Media members and a few internal teammates. That committee then determines all the materials we use and manages the content writers and designers. Our team does most of the content because our industry is so unique and has a lot of regulations, but they do all of the leg work. They take our content and then their writers make it more engaging.

They put a team together to migrate our website from Squarespace to WordPress. We put together the content, but they did the designs and how it flows.

What is the team composition?

We have one main contact, she has a support person, and they bring in support when we need them. I know that we’ve worked with at least four content writers and a team of designers.

How did you come to work with Avalaunch Media?

We went through an analysis of five different companies and determines that we wanted to work with Avalaunch Media based on their presentations, their skills, experience, and their location. They’re local to us.

How much have you invested with them?

They charge per hour. Between last year and our plans for this year, we will have spent about $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2019 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website went live last week, and it looks great. They provide us great information through a monthly report. They measure the conversion and click rates. They’ve also improved our SEO, so we expect a dramatic improvement when it comes to our rankings.

Of course, this all matters in the context of our sales. We were happy with our sales last year, but this year is more difficult. Although, we expect everything to be fine by the end of the year.

Over time, their understanding off our business has improved. The content writers, in particular, continue to produce better work. I can tell when they bring on someone new because we have to make more edits when we review it. They’re very good at flowing and accommodating our needs. For example, if we need something done and the writers who normally work for us are busy, they can bring in other writers to accommodate that.

How did Avalaunch Media perform from a project management standpoint?

On a scale of 1–10, they’re at an eight or nine when it comes to communication and project management. A few months ago, they gave us a new account executive, and that significantly improved communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re knowledgeable about their industry and their business. They really know what they’re doing. They hire good, talented people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this point, no. Whenever we get frustrated with something, they accommodate us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Advanced Sign, DBAs Woodland Manufacturing and CraftCuts. We make custom signs for business and home decor, we sell mostly online through e-commerce and lead generation. Our shop is located near Boise, Idaho. I am VP of Marketing, I handle all marketing channels and am responsible for creating traffic and revenue for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Avalaunch Media?

We hired Avalaunch Media to help manage our Pay-Per-Click channels for Woodland Manufacturing and CraftCuts.com. We were using a different firm, but it was very large so we wanted to try a smaller firm and see if we could get more focused attention on our adspend.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to increase efficiency in adspend, and consistently hit our ROAS goals.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our in house Digital Strategist convinced us to give Avalaunch a try. He had a professional relationship with an employee at Avalaunch and believed Avalaunch could do a better job than our existing PPC management company. The Digital Strategist left our company a few months later, but we have stayed with Avalaunch because we are satisfied with the results.

Describe the project in detail.

Our in house Digital Strategist was mostly involved in the initial strategy when we started this project. In the years since then, I have been on weekly calls with our rep at Avalaunch, discussing opportunities, efficiencies, campaigns, and all things digital advertising. They did not make any structural changes to our website.

What was the team composition?

We have had 3 project managers in about 5 years. One left the company and one got promoted to be the supervisor of our current project manager. So, I have a working relationship with my project manager, his manager, and even his manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our current project manager has done a great job growing our revenue while achieving our ROAS goals. He is passionate about growing business and is good at managing PPC campaigns, a winning combo for someone in his position.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everyone at Avalaunch is very responsive to our communication and they do a good job of listening to us. I meet with our project manager once a week via Zoom. I also feel comfortable requesting a meeting with his supervisor, or a member of the leadership team if needed. They are a receptive bunch.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our project manager is good at what he does, we are very satisfied with how he manages our account and grows our business. The firm has a down-to-earth, small size vibe while still being very professional. Their branding is spot on. They have semi-annual conferences that are super fun, going to Google or skiing at Sundance.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I do wish they would implement some kind of task management software like TeamWork or BaseCamp to track what we talked about, calls to action, etc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Sidewinders, LLC. We refurbish and repair generators and motors both in the field and on a factory basis. We service local motor customers as well as customers all over the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Avalaunch Media?

We have used Avaluanch Media to help us brand our company with a brand guide. In addition, Avaluanch has helped us develop graphics for promotional material, including brochures, line cards, email signatures, logos, etc.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to promote our company from being a small, mom and pop shop business into something recognized worldwide in the industry. We wanted our branding and marketing materials to show the professional, developed company we have grown to be.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I searched for Digital Marketing teams and chose Avalaunch based on a previous relationship with one of the owners. The previous professional relationship had always been good with reliable and consistent customer service.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Brochures / Line Cards: We wanted Avalaunch to create several brochures advertising our Hydrogenerator CAP program for customers. In addition, we've recently had them complete a line card for our Motor Services Shop.

Branding: We asked Avalaunch to do a modified branding package for us.

Logo: Avalaunch has worked to complete a rework of our previous logo as well as develop a more stacked version. We wanted to standardize our logo and color schemes. Avalaunch was to incorporate those in all our print and email communications.

Animated Digital Logo for Emails: Avalaunch worked with us to develop an animated digital signature for use in Company emails.

What was the team composition?

I've worked closely with the principals of the firm, as well as their management and team in graphic design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All projects were completed on-time and on-budget. The project leaders worked to ensure their products were consistent with our requests and we were happy.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Project Managers and Principals of the company are easy to work with. They responded quickly via email and phone. They worked diligently with my team to ensure our requests were being met, despite having some challenges.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have always been impressed with the company because of their excellent customer service as well as their adherence to budget and schedule. I felt they took our ideas and built upon them to create an excellent final product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.