Bird Marketing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am director and service manager of a family-run refrigeration and air conditioning company. We offer commercial HVAC solutions from design and planning, through to installation and commissioning. We also have engineers and technicians who can repair, maintain and service all types of commercial HVAC systems. Our company has been in business for over 30 years and we provide services to companies all over the United Kingdom.

Our clients include independent SMEs all the way through to multinational corporations. Our expertise covers everything from heat pumps, air conditioning systems, refrigeration systems, chillers and air handling for a wide range of commercial settings (e.g gyms, warehouses, retail outlets, data centers and supermarkets).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited, and what were your goals?

We instructed Bird Marketing to design, plan and execute a digital marketing campaign aimed at increasing our online presence. A lot of our clients come through referral and existing contracts, but we wanted to bolster our position as a leading commercial air conditioning and refrigeration company in the United Kingdom.

We have had a website for over 15 years, but it had just been left without much input from us and was a bit outdated in terms of style and functionality. We spoke to Bird about a few different options and what would be the best way to increase our traffic and conversions through the website in a sustainable way. I decided to invest in a website redesign with the aim of improving the look and experience for people who visit the website.

At the same time I wanted to have the website optimised for search engines, as this would make sure we were more visible to potential customers who are searching for commercial HVAC services online. Bird were instructed to perform all of the market research to make sure we were targeting the best avenues for the business and they were also to manage our site expansion on an ongoing basis.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Bird was the most prominent company when I was searching for services. They had a good number of positive reviews from previous clients and customers on Google and I also saw the same on their Clutch listing. The experience of dealing with them from first contact made me feel confident that they were professional and they would be able to give us the outcomes we were looking for.

A notable point in the process for me personally was going through their onboarding because it was slick, refined and well-presented. The aims were set out clearly and the contracts were straightforward so it set the stage well and made it an easy choice for me.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

I have had some exposure to web design through working with a previous website developer but I am not really that up to date with what goes into digital marketing or website design. The scope of work followed Bird’s processes for designing websites for better user experience and optimising websites for search engines.

Bird talked me through everything at the beginning so I had an idea of the big picture but for the most part I just left them to it. We had an initial design and planning meeting with the web design team and a separate kickoff meeting with the search team. Meetings were collaborative and the way the discussions went; the brief was pretty clear from the outset and I was happy that our aims were understood.

The search engine optimisation was to run alongside the website design so that everything would progress as quickly as possible. Then when the new website design had been finalised it was just a case of replacing the old design and we were able to hit the ground running. This strategy worked really well.

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

I first liaised with Lewis the Sales Director. We spoke a fair amount about the project and he was great at walking me through the process. Once instructed I dealt with a Website Designer named Phil and the Technical Director Jake was also present through many stages of the website development. From the search team I dealt with Jo who is a Search Executive and the Search Manager Luke. I have also been in contact with Callum and Mohammed from the support team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I am currently around 8 or 9 months into working with Bird and my general feedback would be that we are really happy with where we are. The new website launch has improved the website style and it is much more engaging from a user perspective.

The website rankings have gone up as a direct result of the search team’s work and we have seen a dramatic increase in the enquiries through the website. We are working on an ongoing seo plan and are looking forward to continuing with the team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The web design and search teams have a very professional working style. I found they were good at working around my availability and this was something that helped me manage my input around keeping the business running smoothly day to day. Whenever I have an urgent question or note for the team I can call in to the office and get to speak to someone straight away - always really helpful and things are dealt with quickly.

I also speak to the search team using whatsapp for business which is handy for back and forth communication on the go. To be fair once the website design aspects were sorted and signed off everything was pretty much taken care of on my part. I get updates from the search team when they are needed and we can see everything progressing nicely from our end.

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

Bird is a really well organised company and working with them was a great experience as a client. We have moved our website hosting to them so they literally look after all aspects of our website and online presence. Everything is under one roof and based on my experiences so far we are in capable hands.

It is worth pointing out that I have gone from reading great reviews about them to writing one myself and I think this is testament to the company and the staff there. I have actually had a separate website designed by them for another business since the first project and am really happy with that too so I would recommend them to anyone.

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

Bird weren’t the cheapest option but they were competitive. I can see the value proposition and having worked with them I think it’s great value considering what they put into their projects. Instructing a digital marketing company was a bigger investment than we first anticipated but we are seeing the returns in a short space of time. We have kept the ongoing marketing plan to make sure we build on the great work that has already been done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide gold standard recruitment services in the Microsoft Dynamics marketplace. As a specialist in our sector we deliver outstanding recruitment services and we act as a trusted advisor for highly specialist and challenging staffing requirements. Our understanding of the Dynamics marketplace and Microsoft stack in general is built on our knowledge of the sector and experience of recruiting in this space. I am a founder and director of the business and am still actively involved in working with clients and candidates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited?

I engaged Bird to design, build and host our website. They also developed a plugin that connects the website with a Client Relationship Management (CRM) and Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We also have a support plan with them to make sure the website is secure and that all of the plugins stay up to date so that we are compliant with data protection and GDPR.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Our office building was located near Bird Marketing so I used to pass the Bird office and got to know the team really well over time. I already knew they create great sites from seeing the final product on projects they were working on. Their developers are incredible and the work they were doing was really high quality so, based on all of the above, selecting Bird was the obvious choice for website design.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

While a lot of our work comes through referral, I believe that a professional recruitment company needs to have a proper web presence. In essence, the website just needed to have basic functionality and a professional looking design. We also needed to have a contact form that filtered enquiries from clients and candidates so that we could manage online enquiries in our CRM.

The project was fairly straightforward and the brief was to design a sleek, modern and engaging website to make sure our online presence was aligned with the quality services we provide. I also thought it was important for us to be as efficient as possible with managing website enquiries so Bird developed a way for submissions to be automatically filtered and populated into our database.

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

I worked with Lewis, Phil, Jake and Jaden. Lewis is in charge of the onboarding and Phil, Jake and Jaden all took care of the web design and development aspects. Top team!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The whole project was a success from the outset. This is pretty much what I expected from Bird anyway but it was a great experience having them work with us on this. Our website looks great and was built really quickly. It’s a simple design that looks modern and works really well with the brand we want to portray. Submissions through the contact form fitler straight through to our database and we get notifications so it’s really easy to keep on top of everything that comes through. I am also happy that everything conforms to industry standards with the handling of personal information.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I had a pretty good idea of how the teams at Bird work because of the proximity of our offices. I think knowing them in this way made workflow easier and because it was just down the corridor it was no problem to get things sorted face to face. We had a kickoff meeting with the team which just felt really natural and two weeks later we had initial designs and the integrations were being worked on. We had a live website with all the relevant functionality within a month of instruction.

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

I know the teams work really efficiently and their processes are properly designed to get things done with best practice in mind. They had to do some research and development to integrate the CRM and ATS aspect. Jake and Jaden’s development skills are second to none (I work with developers day in day out too). I know Bird are busy all the time and this is a good sign in itself. I really appreciate them turning things around so quickly and even though we have a pre-existing relationship with them they did not rest on their laurels at all.

There were no delays with the project and the website they designed was beyond what I envisaged at the start. The additional functionality is a bonus and I am content having our hosting and everything with them because it means I don’t have to worry about the website at all.

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

Nothing really springs to mind, but the only criticism I could have would be about how much information was conveyed to me about the workings of the integrations. I have a reasonable understanding of the big picture, but some of the development terminology goes over my head. I got a bit lost when it came to conversations about how things would function and just said to the guys that I trust their judgement with it all. This turned out perfectly too so no issues from me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A London based, family run cleaning company with in excess of 30 staff. Under the J&I Cleaning and Grease Gone brands we offer all manner of specialist cleaning and building maintenance services from weekly janitorial cleaning, end of tenancy cleaning to kitchen deep cleaning and ventilation cleaning. I am a director and am responsible for business development and the day-to-day running of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited?

Since 2020 we have worked with Bird on multiple projects:

• Website Design & Brand Development - the goal for this project was to design a website for a new brand and launch standalone site for new cleaning services
• Custom Development - the goal for this project was to develop an online booking portal that customers could use to conveniently book and manage cleaning services online Ongoing
• Search Engine Optimization - the goal for ongoing services was to make sure our services could be found by potential customers searching the internet.
• Website Design - the goal for this project was to re-design, launch and manage the website for J&I Cleaning brand

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Hiring Bird for the initial project came after we searched for the best web design companies in London. I researched multiple platforms, including Clutch and Google Reviews. Bird was one of the companies that consistently had good reviews and their own website had a modern design.

On that basis we shortlisted them and asked them to submit a tender proposal for the website design for the Grease Gone Cleaning brand. Bird was selected due to the level of professionalism and attention to detail in their proposal. It contained a well structured plan with clearly defined timescales for the project.

After working with them we were entirely satisfied and confident that they could deliver for subsequent projects. We will continue to use them for any future projects because of the quality and consistency of the work.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We have worked with them on so many things over the years that it is difficult to identify all of the scope for each project. We currently have concurrent projects for portal development and a redesign of our J&I brand website.

The breakdowns for each project have made sense from a commercial perspective. If ever there was something that we wanted to change or add to a plan, although rare, it was never too much trouble for them to make changes and accommodate our wishes.

It feels like they go above and beyond for us, but their other customers clearly have similar experiences so it is just a great company to work with.

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

We have literally worked with every department and have always been looked after. Their support team is outstanding and gives quick responses to anything that comes up. They host our sites and keep everything up to date and secure.

The web designers are fantastic at what they do and everyone in our company is proud of how great the websites look. As we have had websites designed and we also have ongoing services we work with one of their content writers. The copy is consistently good quality!

The search team does a phenomenal job and our Grease Gone website is high on the Google results page. What we have learned about Bird is they do not rest on their laurels.

Things can move very quickly in the real world and in the digital space too. 2020 and 2021 presented us with opportunities as well as many challenges and their teams have really helped us adapt our online presence and move forward in challenging market conditions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had some ideas about what to expect when working with a digital agency. Over the time working with Bird, we have been introduced to so many new marketing ideas that have blown our preconceptions out of the water.

As mentioned, they have well formed plans and have really transparent processes. I just trust them to do what they do so I can concentrate on our business.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Accommodating. The work gets done in a timely manner. With ongoing projects there is an efficient workflow between us and them. We usually communicate via WhatsApp because it keeps our conversations in one place and it’s easy to drop a message in the chat.

I am not inundated with messages and when they do contact we just exchange a few messages and it is sorted.

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

Consistency is key. It is such a pleasure to work with them and they integrate almost as a department of our business. Over the years, we have not been disappointed, which has come down to the expert knowledge they have in-house.

The combined teams come up with insights and ideas about things that I would not consider. The experience they have over so many areas is invaluable to us as a business. It is great to have them working alongside!

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

We had to wait a little for a project slot to become available for the first project. This wasn’t an issue as we appreciate good companies are not usually able to take on projects immediately. I am glad we waited because we found a true gem!!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of a large accounting firm in Essex. We have in excess of 30 staff and we offer accounting services for self-employed and businesses in the United Kingdom.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited, and what were your goals?

Myself and other directors put aside time to review our client acquisition strategies. The business had been in operation for 12 years and in that time many of the clients we worked with had come through word of mouth and good reputation. This has enabled us to grow over the years but we noticed that more work had been coming in through our website.

The website has been live for many years but never really been worked on so the stream of work that it started to generate was of interest and was something to build on. I hired Bird to see how well the site would work with some resources directed towards it. We decided PPC was a good way to quickly test it and hired BIrd to create and manage a 6 month project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I believe in the power of word of mouth. Just speaking to people I know about the experience they had with Bird made me comfortable to hire them

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

As mentioned, PPC was the focus. At this point we were sure the website could work as a conversion tool. The content and presentation was good enough and people were contacting us through it already. The first step in the project was researching. Bird have a suite of tools they use to find the best targets based on the services we offer. There was a good budget and we had calculated the maximum bid based on various formulas provided by Bird.

The team actively managed the campaign over a six month period and reported back to me in monthly meetings. As the project progressed we also considered the prospect of optimising the website to get more traffic from organic search too. In much the same way as the PPC, we had a good budget and spoke to the team about what we wanted from a successful project. The SEO complimented the work they had already done really well

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

There was some crossover on the PPC and SEO project. I work with Lew, Jack and Luke who cover different parts of digital marketing for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

PPC is a great tool for us but it has not been something we relied on. We can turn it off or on according to how busy we are. We are more than 18 months into working with Bird to have enough workload from word of mouth and SEO. I have continued with SEO to make sure we stay where we are on the results pages and they now host our sites and keep all of the online stuff in order for the business.

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

I read some of the reviews on Clutch before writing my own review and the sentiment is shared. Great to work with. Friendly, efficient, dependable and brilliant at what they do.

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

I got to know the team and the business well. We’ve taken some inspiration from Bird on more than just marketing. They have some really slick processes and the culture there is a breath of fresh air to be around. We’ve built a great relationship and I have no worries with our website.

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

I personally wish they had been more persistent with me at the start of the process. Lewis mentioned the benefits of SEO without being pushy enough so we still went ahead with PPC. The experience of PPC was worth it, but it probably would have been better for us to have looked at SEO only because the PPC isn’t actually being used most of the time, but the SEO is.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Newrest Funerals is a modern funeral service and we offer funeral arrangement services online. This is a less intrusive service than a traditional funeral service and we offer a convenient way to deal with a difficult issue during a time of great sadness for many people. The bereaved can begin arranging funeral services 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, when they feel up to it. For people interested in planning their own arrangements we offer funeral planning services as well. I am a director of the company and Newrest Funerals has grown from a family business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited, and what were your goals?

We offer a compassionate and caring nationwide funeral service. A website was designed for marketing purposes. We wanted to be available at any time because bereavement can happen at any time. Grief is a big pressure when somebody dies so we wanted a website that the bereaved could use when the time was right for them. It had to be fully automated and easy to navigate and with clear information. The site lets people choose from different options including religious or humanist ceremonies, burials or cremations.

New Rest Funerals can give assistance with coffin and headstone arrangements. The vision was to make arranging a funeral as simple as possible. Users were to be able to find the information they want and then book a call back where we can take care of everything. Marketing the website nationally started when the site was launched. I wanted to see the site generating organic enquiries as quickly as possible. We have a very good service and promoting the website properly is a high priority. Search engine optimization and ongoing digital marketing was part of a plan to build the presence online for customer acquisition.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Bird was recommended to me by a close friend - I trust their opinion but did a little bit of research. I ended up on Bird’s clutch profile so happy to write a review here.

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

The team there created a full plan from day 1 of the website design to the initial launch. Content writing, design, imagery, logo, everything was done by Bird. They have the vision and knowhow so they just walked me through everything early on. Initial designs were really good. The build went smoothly and they made sure everything on the backend worked properly. My expertise lies elsewhere other than websites although I know I wanted to concentrate on organic search because it is better long term value. I started the seo plan as soon as possible to get a strong start and see the site start being picked up nationally.

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

Web designers were Jake and Jess. Luke, Jack and Ed were the search team. Lewis was the main contact throughout the process but I liaised with everybody mentioned at various stages.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I know online marketing is competitive. From my perspective I was realistic in expecting a website to start off with and we got that. Bird delivered. It is beyond what I envisioned and I think the execution has been spot on. As far as the marketing side was concerned I wasn’t expecting to be top of the rank overnight but wanted to see positive results. To be fair I built on my understanding of search engine optimization working with Bird and I see they have implemented things well. The website is beginning to get picked up and is trending upwards. We have also had conversions from organic search which is an amazing result after such a short amount of time.

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

They have been fantastic to work with. They are knowledgeable in their field and work flawlessly as a team. I like the communication on whatsapp - it's easy to do on the go and quick back and forth gets things sorted a lot of the time. There have been a few calls with the team and we had some zoom meets. Always worked around me and was really accommodating. The project has been done very quickly after kickoff. We had to wait a while to start to fit into their workload but was happy to wait.

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

Bird have been great over all. On the project side they are impressive in all areas of the web design experience looking back over the whole thing. Newrest has a fantastic website and the marketing is ongoing. Working with the teams has been a pleasure and we want to continue working with them to build on the great work.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Infinity Addiction Solutions are an addiction treatment service in Essex that helps people find the right sort of help and support to deal with a range of addictions from alcohol and drug dependency to food and gambling addictions. No two people are the same so there can be a lot of things to consider for treating addiction.

We offer tailored solutions to help our customers overcome their problems in a sustainable way. I am the Managing Director of the business. Having spent over 20 years in the addiction treatment sector I started Infinity Addiction to help give people the best available options for private treatment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited?

As a new company it was important to have an online presence from the start. I wanted to make sure the website could be somewhere to direct potential clients and service providers. I also wanted it to be a marketing tool to increase awareness of our services in London and Essex. We hired BIrd Marketing to design a website from scratch and to optimise the website for search engines.

As a new business we needed to make sure the website demonstrated our credibility and created trust with people who have complicated addictions. We needed to create an informational resource that could be used independently of our services to raise awareness of issues around addiction. We also needed to make sure people who visited our website would understand what we could do to help too.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I spent a lot of time searching for a good company online and looked into a few web designers in Essex and London. I saw that Bird have a really good reputation for designing websites so they were on the shortlist of 5 companies that I wanted to speak to about the website build. I spoke to one of the team members and they were really professional and helpful from the first conversation.

I spoke with two other agencies, but two of the five companies didn’t even answer the phone! I got a follow up call from the sales director Lewis. He took time to speak with me about what I wanted and what was achievable over the time frame. He sent over one of the most professional proposals I have ever seen and this really sealed the deal for me. Bird Marketing’s own web presence was strong and their marketing materials were great.

The proposal included a comprehensive plan with a timeline on delivery, plus lots of really useful information. It was a no brainer.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Starting with a blank canvas meant they had to do pretty much everything from designing my logo to making sure there was content on the website. They had a great content writer to create the text for the site. They sourced really good images to include on the pages too. It was important to launch a website as soon as possible so the team got a core structure set out and developed the website really quickly once the project started.

Once the core website had been launched I wanted to do as much as possible to power up the new website so it would show in Google and other search engines for the services we can offer.

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

I worked with two teams at Bird at different stages and simultaneously. The website design was headed up by Jake who is a Technical Director and Jess who is a Web Designer. They were both great at communicating and clearly had a great eye for designing websites.

They managed the content writers and were great at keeping me updated with necessary information. I maintained contact with Lewis throughout the project too, which was great to have one individual to keep in touch with. I also worked with several people in the SEO team. Luke was the Head and Jack and Jo were also points of contact.

They were always responsive and made understanding the logic about what they do as easy as it can be. I understand the basics but some of the insights and the way they have been applied have been so valuable. I think the fact the teams at Bird work so well together makes the end results so much better. Great teamwork.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This was a new business venture and the first website launch I had been so personally involved in. After dealing with Bird I quickly learned to trust the outcomes. First draft of the website was spot on. Better than I imagined. The content was great too. It reflected the company ethos and the services we provide really well. It is the same situation with the search engine optimization.

We held two really informative meetings early on. Again I understood what they were doing and was confident they understood me. We are 12 months into this now and the website is generating leads and that speaks volumes. I ended up with a well designed website that is helping grow my business.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Flawless. Communication was great. When meetings were essential we had them online because of COVID. When a WhatsApp message would do we put ideas together in there. The sales presentation set the tone for everything and they have things set up really well. Designs were consistently good, content was always what I wanted and the seo presentation gave me so much insight.

The way they presented data helped me grasp what they were showing me. I think they have a really great company with teams in different departments having specific knowledge. Great set up.

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

Accountability. They have literally taken care of everything and I feel like they care. The way it has worked has turned Bird into an extension of the company. If I have any questions or queries things get sorted really quickly. I have even had responses to questions on a Saturday morning! The quality of their work reflects the quality of their people. I enjoy working with them and they get results

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

I have been working with Bird on an ongoing basis for well over a year now. During the early stages of the project I was overloaded with day to day tasks. Finding time for additional things like checking the content took longer than it should have because I was so busy. When the page content came over in a word document I read it and thought it read well enough.

But once I actually saw it on the page I understood the journey a lot better. So I asked them to place all the content on the pages in future and it made the process so much more convenient for me. This was just a small change that helped me manage everything and it showed that Bird can do the little things to make everything run smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I launched an online store in November 2019. The website allows people to discover and purchase a wide selection of CBD products in the UK. It was my vision to build an online store that would help people discover the many benefits of CBD as it is a natural product that can help with a range of ailments like joint pain, sleeping problems or even anxiety.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited, and what were your goals?

The website was a completely new venture so we basically started from scratch. I hired Bird Marketing to build my vision into a reality. Everything initially centred on the website design including content creation and logo design. The site needed to be an ecommerce store and I needed to be able to list products for sale directly, as well as have capability to manage drop shipped products too. I wanted to have a functional website that gave users a great experience; to achieve this the website needed to look good, be easy to navigate and be a secure and trustworthy place for people to buy products.

Building a resource hub was something I believe can help people learn about the holistic health benefits of CBD. It follows that I want to make people aware of good quality products and make them accessible to people who want to use CBD to improve their health and wellbeing. I was also conscious that we needed to be visible so optimising the site for search engines was also something I considered.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Choosing Bird was easy. I saw from my research they had built great websites and worked with impressive companies. They had good reviews on Google and Clutch. Going through the sales process was straightforward and I was confident in the ability of the company to deliver. Having had conversations during the initial phase it was easy to see what I would be getting at the end of the web design process.

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

As part of the proposal there was a complete process that outlined key steps along the journey from first meeting to project completion. There was a kickoff meeting during which I tried to get across the big picture ideas for the project. The designers went away and worked their magic, coming back with a logo design and complete layout idea for homepage, product pages and blog posts.

The majority of what was done up to this point was perfect. I had some ideas about design and after some minor edits the skeleton of the site was ready. At this point the team helped to upload products and test the functionality of the website. Because it was built in wordpress I needed some guidance on navigating the back end to manage stock and add posts etc. Once everything was launched I decided to engage the seo plan lasting 6 months. This was a real eye opener and a valuable experience working with the seo team.

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

The teams work separately for web design and seo. So I first liaised with Lewis who is in charge of the sales side of things and he was present throughout the journey. Jake was in charge of the development and design of the site and Zoe was the designer I worked with for the logo and web design. All really professional and good at understanding what I wanted and how to get it right. The seo guys Joseph and Luke opened my eyes to another side of the website.

I didn’t fully understand how seo worked (and there is always more to know) but they did a fantastic job of talking me through how search engines operate and what good seo practices can do for performance. We had regular meetings and the idea exchange was useful for me. I got immense value from this experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My website went from a standing start to converting organic traffic into sales in the first 12 months. Everything was built in a timely manner and there were no delays in launching the site. It all looked great and worked without any bugs. There was an issue with a plugin but because I had everything hosted with Bird it was sorted quickly. I think having it all in one place makes things easier to manage.

Starting from scratch was always going to be a challenge, as with any new business. Search engines take time to register sites and show them on the search results but there are things that can be done to help the chances and I am glad that I chose seo as well as web design because the site is ranking for some great keywords and there is a great platform to build on.

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

Easy to work with, it is great to spend time talking with anyone from Bird. I like the way they organise their workflow. There were not lengthy meetings or long documents/ walls of text. 9 times out of 10 I dropped a message in the group chat and got a response really quickly. The teams were coordinated all the way through - including the COVID lockdown in March 2020.

You wouldn’t have known there was anything amiss with Bird even though the world had stopped turning for most businesses. They have different departments and each has an effective way of doing things. Seeing how they all work together makes you realise how much goes into a good website behind the scenes…

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

Flexible and responsive. They went above and beyond for us, and it's something that I never experienced before with other companies. It was like one big team all working towards the same goal. I’ve got a great website. It is hosted with them, they have done the seo and everything works well. If anything breaks I contact support and I know issues are rectified quickly. It’s a well-oiled machine and completely deserving

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

There was a delay from the time I first spoke to Bird until they could start the project. It was a bit frustrating to learn there was a lead time before we could get started because the time felt wasted. That being said I understand that good companies are rarely free straight away and waiting was definitely the right option.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am director of a finance company based in Essex. We are a family owned business that offer various loan options to people looking for short term finance in Essex. We also have a website to offer loans for people outside of our local area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited, and what were your goals?

We know that a lot of our customers come from repeat business. We’re a local company and we’ve been in the area for over 50 years. This is great for our reputation but we wanted to get our services out there to more new customers through online marketing. Firstly we wanted to maintain our presence for the local services as there had been several companies popping up doing similar things. We know competition is strong and we needed to give the website some attention to keep ahead. Secondly, we wanted to increase traffic to our website so that we can get more enquiries for nationwide services as these are offered online only and present great long term commercial opportunities for us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I did some googling and found some local companies. There are so many companies out there so I just looked for ones with good reviews on Google. I contacted a couple of agencies in London and Essex - our company is based right on the edge of the two. I remember speaking to Lewis Ward as a point of contact at Bird Marketing and he came across really well. Easy to speak to, knowledgeable and professional. We had a few conversations over the phone and Lewis sent me a pack over with information about the seo process. I’ve worked with web designers and seo companies in the past and this pack was professional and well laid out. I liked that I could see what would be done, why it would be good for the website and how much it would cost. It was really that simple. I was happy to proceed and we signed up to the seo plan with Bird.

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

Our website had been worked on by a different seo company but we noticed things seemed to stop moving forward. The first thing Bird had to do was work out what was working and what could be improved. After my conversations with Lewis there was a meeting with the seo team during which we discussed the business and our commercial intentions. There were some really good ideas around what could be done but the team wanted to do some research around the best keyword choices. We had another meeting about a week later where they came back with really detailed research for specific services we offer and how many searches these terms got every month. There was a lot of data and after everything was explained I understood how everything could be used to form the plan for the work that would be done from there. There was some troubleshooting on the website and some areas for improvement were discussed. We agreed to build new pages to cover all the services we offer and create tracking so that we can see where our enquiries are coming from.

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

I have dealt with a few members of different teams. Callum in support has been great at sorting out some little things that weren’t to do with seo. Joe, Luke and Lewis have all been in regular contact on Whatsapp and they have all been great to deal with. I have since dealt with Jake and Aiste from web design as we have chosen Bird to help us launch a new website and I am impressed by them too.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The numbers suggest our rankings have stabilised and we have seen some impact from the new pages as well. The website now ranks for much more and we have got better measures in place to keep track of everything. Every month Bird have done what they said they would. The work is always top quality and I have been happy with the service. There were a few niggles with the site and the team have helped to get everything sorted. Any issues at all have been dealt with rapidly.

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

Well-organised. They keep me notified about the important things and don’t bother me with the small stuff. It has got to the point where I am confident that they have done a great job so they could almost work without me there. I noticed that they get the business and know how to work in a way that suits me. They seem to care about doing a good job which is reflected in the way they do what they do.

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

I have been impressed across the board. I hired Bird because of their reputation and all the positive reviews online. It’s great that their own website looks slick and professional and they rank highly for what they do so they clearly have a good model. I was happy with all of the recommendations that were made and the research they did at the beginning was really deep. We learned a lot about SEO from the meetings with Bird. It’s nice to have a company live up to its reputation. They clearly have good processes in place and I’m happy to be yet another positive review for this great company.

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

I have been generally impressed by everything Bird have done. The team are great and work well together. It has all fitted together well and I’m not sure what could be done differently because I don’t work in the website game.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Director of an Environmental Recruitment consultancy. My role includes the management of recruitment processes for external organisations - we help companies to secure the right candidates and ensure the their hiring processes run as smoothly as possible.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited?

We approached Bird to design and build a fully functional website to post job listings. In addition to this, we required a strategic SEO plan to help ensure my company is visible when potential candidates search for suitable job roles.

What were your goals for this project?

My main goal was to have a functional website that enabled me to post job listings without sacrificing design. Being a recruitment company meant that the site had to be secure and candidates' information also needed to be safe. I wanted a clear and concise SEO plan which would enable high rankings and generate applications from job seekers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to me by another Recruitment company.

Describe the project in detail.

Initially we went to their office for a kick off meeting where we had a brainstorming session with the team members involved. During the meeting we discussed various design ideas for the website. Bird then went to work and sent various drafts at the agreed milestones.

To their credit, each draft required only minor changes and it was a really streamlined process. Once the website was launched we went back for another meeting with the SEO team to discuss what we were targeting.

Throughout the process communication was high within both teams - I am now a part of a WhatsApp group with the SEO team which means all questions and queries are answered very efficiently.

What was the team composition?

Throughout the sales phase we spoke to Lewis who is the Account Director. Once we had agreed costs we had a face to face meeting where we also met Jake, the Project Manager.

Once the website was complete and launched we went back for another meeting to kick off our SEO campaign. This is when I met Luke and Grace, both of which work on my account on a monthly basis. The team are great!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve had a few clients asking who it was who designed the website and complimented on how easy it is to use. I am already starting to see the results of the SEO plan. I have access to log into their reporting portal which keeps track of how well the website is ranking. Very good!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project management was good and the team made it very clear when I should expect drafts. They kept in frequent enough communication and delivered everything when they said they would. Cannot ask for anything more!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

No question was too much (I am not a web developer so I had many). I was listened to and ideas were easily incorporated into the site. The SEO team’s communication with me has been consistent and clear throughout. Bird Marketing has always been easy to approach and I would recommend them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I’m really will struggle to identify any flaws with Bird Marketing’s process and team members - in my experience they have been fantastic!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an Accountant for a Bookkeeping, Payroll and Accountancy company based in Essex, Oscar Fairchild. My role involves managing the finances within a multitude of clients, in a variety of industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bird Marketing Limited?

We hired Bird Marketing to help us achieve our dream website. We had a particular style that we wanted, and the brand image we want to display to our clients whilst generating potential leads.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal for this project was to create a website which helped generate leads and prospects for the company. We envisioned something sleek and simple which would make it as easy as possible for leads to contact us.

In addition to this we wanted the design to illustrate who we are as a company, and the energy we bring to each of our working days. We had a particular style set in our heads and weren’t too sure if anyone could meet it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were recommended Bird Marketing by one of our clients who had previously worked with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Our previous website was one that had a confusing layout and our services were not clear. We found that users couldn’t find our information easily and that we had a high bounce rate. We decided to simplify the site and optimise it the best we could, with no avail. We were then recommended Bird Marketing by a client and decided to give them a call.

From the get go Bird Marketing listened to everything we said. We had as many face to face meetings as needed, and a group Whatsapp so we could be kept in the loop at all times. Communication was high at all times. As soon as we had the first meeting and agreed on the design, it was smooth sailing from there.

What was the team composition?

Initially we spoke to Lewis who is the Account Director, he explained to us what sort of package we would need and sent a proposal. After review we then went into Bird Marketing’s offices and met Jake, the Project Manager, where we discussed designs and had a short introduction to the Graphic Designer, Zoe, who’d be creating some graphics.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

It’s hard to measure really but since the new design has gone up we have definitely had a lot more calls. It’s been nice because people seem to be more comfortable talking to us due to the new Team Page on the site. Our analytics have improved to, especially our bounce rate.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had an initial call with Lewis, the Account Director, who talked me through the initial process and then was invited to the office for a face to face meeting. During this meeting I was able to describe the site I wanted, the objectives for the site, and show them some designs that I liked.

The Project Manager, Jake, then explained what could be done and what couldn’t bearing in mind the price range we had agreed. It was a great meeting and I Ieft having agreed how I would like to be kept in the loop and how often. I have no complaints for Bird Marketing with regards to project management. The project was stress-free and the outcome even better.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I found that their knowledge and expertise was second to none. They clearly explained the process to me, how things worked and even gave me a tutorial afterwards to show me how to work the site. Everyone was willing to help and answer whatever questions they could.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Truthfully, I don’t think there is anything I think they could improve on - the project was truly stress-free.