Big Sea

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-owner of a local member dining club platform. In addition to restaurants, we provide value to members for local businesses (i.e., shopping, travel, entertainment, pets, health, and beauty). When a member joins, they receive half-off an entree and an alcoholic beverage of their choice at one of the restaurants and bars on our platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Big Sea?

Before launching our platform, we were looking for a technology partner that could help us develop our brand, website, social media presence, and a marketing strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Big Sea initially helped us create our brand and imagery, along with a marketing strategy. They also designed and developed our mobile website, which acts and feels like an app.

What is the team composition?

I probably interacted with about 10 people in total, with two main points of contact: Dzuy (CTO and Managing Partner, Big Sea) oversaw the technology side of our work, while Andi (CMO and Managing Partner, Big Sea) helped us the most with our branding.

How did you come to work with Big Sea?

My business partner and I were researching local companies and interviewed a few different vendors. In addition to being recommended to us, Big Sea won us over with their strategic approach to our project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since August 2016 and continue to work with their team to upgrade and maintain some of the work they've done. As we grow, we anticipate continuing the relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Big Sea delivered out-of-the-box solutions, helping our company craft everything from the ground up. We're so proud of the brand and what they've helped us create. Over 2,000 people have signed up for our program thus far and not a single person has reported any issues. In the year that our platform has been live, it hasn't crashed a single time.

How did Big Sea perform from a project management standpoint?

Big Sea employed multiple members of their team to various pieces of our project, using a waterfall approach. It always felt as if they were working on our project and that we were prioritized. They continue to be extremely responsive and accommodating.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to problem solve and genuinely listen to their clients sets them apart from others. Their capacity to step out of creative comfort zones to help us come up with solutions and unique branding led to fantastic results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We were developing a new type of platform, so we were learning together. Had we done anything differently, we might not have ended up with as good of a product.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good concept of who you are and what you want to accomplish. Be prepared with as much information and research as possible, but be open to feedback and new ideas from their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of Pin Chasers, a bowling entertainment company serving the west coast of Florida.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Big Sea?

The initially rebuilt our website, but now they handle our entire digital footprint and marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built us a WordPress website that includes information about our business and where to contact us. The site also includes features like a form generator add-on from wufoo.com that allows customers to reserve lanes and facilities for events. There’s a page where our competitive community can see weekly standings and updates. The site also enables customers to view and download our food and drink menus.

Along with building our website, Big Sea handles the entirety of our digital and footprint and SEO marketing. They manage our HubSpot CRM platform, schedule social media posts, handle our advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and maintain our Google AdWords account. They also create content for our blogs.

Currently, we’re working with them on a third upgrade for our website.

What is the team composition? 

We work with a client manager, as well as a developer, designer, and a content creator.

How did you come to work with Big Sea?

Big Sea acquired the company who built our first website, and we decided to continue partnering with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We have a budget of $2,500 per month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve partnered with them since 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve helped us grow our business annually for the last three years — upwards of 8 percent and above. 

How did Big Sea perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good at keeping us apprised of our digital progress. They use an agile marketing system to manage everyone assigned to us. We meet monthly to go over the prior month’s performance. We meet four times a year to go over quarterly performances. Once a year, we’ll have an annual review of our progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bowling is a very old industry, but not very well-known. They understand that in order to market for us, they have to get to know our business needs and our customers’ needs. Very few digital companies take the time to really study and listen to their client, but they’ve taken it upon themselves to do just that. That has allowed us to be on the forefront of digital marketing and set an example for the rest of the industry. Big Sea is a big piece of our success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set your own standards and expectations, regardless of who you work with, so they can best help you achieve that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an institution of higher education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Big Sea?

The software system that we'd been using was antiquated, and we wanted to move to an inbound marketing software. We didn’t want to just increase the volume of applications; our goal was to improve quality and diversity of applicants.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a ton of background research on who we are, our strengths, and weaknesses. Big Sea helped us figure out our value proposition, and then articulate it to prospective students from different walks of life.

They oversee our entire inbound marketing strategy. They create content—including smart, or dynamic, content—for the website, blog, email, and social media. They also execute an SEO [search engine optimization] plan.

What is the team dynamic?

Our lead contact is Maria [Content Director, Big Sea]. We’ve also worked with several other copywriters and designers.

How did you come to work with Big Sea?

We found them through the HubSpot website for certified marketing agencies. They were one of several vendors we sent an RFP [request for proposal] to.

What stood out in the proposal was their expertise with the entire HubSpot software system. They also had knowledge and experience working with other institutions of higher education that we didn’t find in other vendors.

We brought 3 vendors to campus and selected Big Sea. We liked their familiarity with our location, and their ability to talk without using technical jargon.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work began in September 2015, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen improvements in the metrics used to measure class quality and diversity, as well as an increase in the total number of applications. The HubSpot software allows us to track year-over-year click rates, opt-out rates, open rates, and SEO performance data.

Big Sea has done a great job figuring out who we are as an institution and targeting our message to attract the right applicants.

How did Big Sea perform from a project management standpoint?

They use an Agile method of working in sprints, which we’ve found very helpful. They send weekly reports, quarterly reports, and hold bi-weekly phone calls. Day to day correspondence is done through the product management software, Teamwork. It allows us to go in and see what's going on, to make edits, and to send emails. We also use Google Docs. If there’s an urgent issue, we can reach them on their cell phones.

Maria is very responsive and flexible. If we ever asked them to change direction, there’s no resistance. She’s always willing to talk about our deliverables, figure out how to meet our needs, and not need to charge us more.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they took time to learn about the institution and figure out our voice. They create content that speaks to prospective students using language we would normally use.

Everything they do is custom. Their corporate culture is very much aligned with ours.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Communications & Marketing Manager of a non-profit company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

nonprofit

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Big Sea to accomplish?

• Fractional CMO
• Marketing Strategy
• Digital Advertising

SOLUTION

How did you find Big Sea?

Referral

Why did you select Big Sea over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Big Sea were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We needed a fractional CMO to help gain a clearer picture of where we stood in the field. Big Sea conducted research to define personas and target audiences, and developed campaigns and messaging across web/email/social media. They also clarified goals and KPIs, delivering monthly reports. They were always accessible and available beyond just our weekly meetings. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They established our Google Ad Grant, increased our social media following, and drove more traffic to our website while also boosting email engagement. 

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

Their team consistently met or exceeded deadlines and was always available beyond our scheduled weekly meetings. They use Asana to ensure everyone is on the same page and that projects continue to move forward. 

What was your primary form of communication with Big Sea?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are very creative and tuned in to all the latest trends and best practices. Very technologically savvy. They're also all just lovely people to work with. 

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

No, they're very responsive to their clients needs. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

 At Marcus Institute of Integrative Health we are a team of experienced clinicians dedicated to integrative health and who believe in the power of listening. Our evidence-based services diagnose and treat often-overlooked conditions that affect quality of life, including autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, metabolic disorders, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Big Sea?

We needed help with a website refresh.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Big Sea has worked closely with us on a website refresh that focuses on content strategy and optimization, copy refinement, and brand positioning. The team has also helped us with monthly blog posts, newsletter production, and social media content.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with 2–5 teammates from Big Sea.

How did you come to work with Big Sea?

I wasn't part of the hiring process.

How much have you invested with them?

Confidential

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2025, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen improvements in our website analytics, including traffic, engagement, and conversions.

How did Big Sea perform from a project management standpoint?

Big Sea's project management is good. The team delivers on time. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Big Sea is easy to reach, personable, and timely on deliverables.