BOWEN

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I'm an executive at Brooks Waterburn Corp.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Brooks Waterburn is an Insurance Agency specializing in Laundromat Insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire BOWEN to accomplish?

• Redesign Website
• Improve SEO
• Improve Social Media

SOLUTION

How did you find BOWEN?

Referral

Why did you select BOWEN over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

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

Bowen was hired to do an overhaul of entire marketing effort. We are a small business and lack the expertise to effectively communicate our message. Bowen did the following:

• Redesign our website
• design a direct mail piece
• improved our social media presence on Facebook and YouTube.

While the web redesign is done, the social media activity is an ongoing process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Increase website engagement
• increase conversions and lead
• Stronger branding

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

We had an account manager and main point of contact that has kept regular communication via momentum calls and strategy meetings. Our goals were defined at the beginning of our engagement, and they stayed top of mind and delivered on time. We launched based on target deadline.

What was your primary form of communication with BOWEN?

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

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

I was impressed by their eagerness to build something very successful for our business and their ability to think about the big picture and long term strategy .

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

They did a great job with everything

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a partner at a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BOWEN?

We were looking for a company to design a new website and a logo for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After developing wireframes and creating a map of our practice areas, BOWEN designed a WordPress website for us. In addition, they provided photography services and redesigned our logo, taking into consideration different opinions of our shareholders. They continue to maintain and update our website on a regular basis.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a content manager, and their president.

How did you come to work with them?

We reviewed several design companies and chose BOWEN because they were local and had experience working with law firms.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2017 and the website launched in February 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything they delivered was very high quality. We received positive feedback from both our clients and our business partners.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and met all their deadlines. In the beginning, we had weekly calls with shared screens, so they showed us everything they were working on and addressed our concerns. Then, we switched to bi-weekly calls. We also had video conferences and in-person meetings with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They went above and beyond to meet our needs. They did an excellent job and we now use our brand everywhere. Also, they’re great communicators.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We're a large law firm with many practice areas, so content is very important to us. We had to hire a content writer because we needed more than standard website writing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and editor-in-chief of Investor Junkie. We’re a financial publishing website that helps readers make informed investment decisions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BOWEN?

We engaged BOWEN to update our website’s UI/UX, provide backend developments, and assist our overall marketing strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BOWEN worked with us to design wireframes for the site’s new iteration. We shared input back and forth on how best to highlight our content and entice readers. They used the best parts of both our ideas to redesign the site’s frontend.

In addition to a full redesign, BOWEN implemented a lot of technical improvements to our WordPress website. They used MySQL, JavaScript, and CSS to restructure the backend. Their primary goal was to automate the management of our review articles and comparisons of industry tools. Instead of having to manually enter data in multiple places, this development enables metadata from reviews to immediately propagate to other parts of the site, thus making content management easier for our editors and writers.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with several people from their team, but the account manager is our primary point of contact.

How did you come to work with BOWEN?

They’re a local firm, so we found them soon after we began searching for vendors. They had the tech expertise we needed and impressed us with the quality of their designs. The convenience of having in-person meetings with them positively contributed to our selection process.

How much have you invested with them?

$150,000 is a safe estimate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve made a lot of incremental changes to our site to improve its overall UX. Those changes have increased our user’s trust in the platform. The site looks professional and people are happy with the content it provides.

How did BOWEN perform from a project management standpoint?

BOWEN does a great job of communicating what they’ve accomplished in the past week, what they plan to work on next, and making sure everything aligns with our long-term goals. In addition to face-to-face meetings, we correspond via Slack and Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve steadily improved our website over the course of two years. The quality of their design and developments have been key factors to our success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their speed of execution is probably the only issue I have. There’s a formal process to go through when requesting more work and it’d be nice if that could be done quicker.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront with your expectations of them and what results you want to achieve with the project. This is applicable when working with any firm.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of a European-based software developing company. Our focus is on providing services for global clients with various business domains.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BOWEN?

As we mainly focus on the backend of any software project, our company hadn’t paid much attention to our website’s UI/UX. We'd noticed a significant decline in traffic and decided it was the right time to invest in a modern and well-structured website. We don’t have in-house designers, so we decided to outsource the project to a professional design agency.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to redesign our website in order to attract a larger number of visitors, while at the same time increasing the conversion rate. The visitors we wanted were business owners and C-level managers in the IT industry. We also needed our digital presence to be more creative, to help our company stand out from the competition.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After hearing only positive feedback about others’ experience with BOWEN, we decided to go straight to them and not waste time finding numerous design agencies online.

Describe the project in detail.

We started with a discovery phase that lasted for about a week and included daily calls to share our thoughts and vision on how the website looks. We then received the general concept, mockups, and a few initial designs of the main page. The team was really attentive to our feedback and made corrections as we requested. Once the main page was ready and approved by our management, they proceeded to work on the rest of the pages and delivered them in groups, and on schedule.

What was the team composition?

Our main point of contact was a project manager, while two other people also worked on the project: a UI/UX designer, and a graphic designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's still early, but we've already seen an 18% increase in website's conversion rate. We expect even better results over the next six months.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication through the project manager was easy and convenient. We received swift responses and regular updates throughout the project. The team used Slack for communication and Trello to track progress, which worked out really well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

How the team managed to take our ideas and requirements then turn them into an even a better looking and more creative website design. The end result was just stunning.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It’s hard to name something specific. We were very happy with the design.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing coordinator for Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE). We are a multi-service agency that primarily supports people with special needs, but we’ve also branched out into youth services, mental health, and a few other areas. I do most of our digital marketing, website design and upkeep, events, and various other things in the agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BOWEN?

We wanted to do a complete web redesign and rebranding for our agency. We talked to BOWEN about our goals and how we wanted to really stand out above other agencies in our field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BOWEN was able to take our vision and turn it into a reality by creating a dynamic new website that’s a true resource for the people we support, as well as their families and other people who are seeking our services.

Our work with BOWEN was a full-service experience. Beyond the web, they were able to carry that branding into print material. We’re part of a network of agencies, and BOWEN was able to help us create stronger brands for them as well. We’ve even been working with them to create new marketing material, both print and online, to try and recruit good team members for FREE.

How did you come to work with BOWEN?

A former vice president of our agency went out to bid for a new web developer because we weren’t happy with the one we had been using in the past. We interviewed 4 companies, and as soon as BOWEN walked in, we knew they were the right fit. They were young and enthusiastic and they really understood what we were looking for. They also believed in the mission of our agency and they really wanted to learn more about our company before they even proceeded. We sent them so much material so they could become experts on everything we do and then best fit our needs.

How much have you invested with BOWEN?

I’m not privy to that information.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the beginning of 2016, and our relationship is ongoing. The website is launched, but they’ve been a tremendous help to us in so many different areas. We send them more projects each week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

It’s incredible how much their work has helped us and I’m extremely satisfied. The design is definitely more user-friendly, judging by what people have told me. We couldn’t track our old website as it wasn’t optimized for Google Analytics, nor was it user-friendly, and you couldn’t update it. There was old information and stuff locked in the backend, and the support we had was overseas. So, we had a lot of reasons for wanting to change.

How did BOWEN perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re so busy doing so many things in our agency that it’s really easy to lose focus of our goals. BOWEN took the initiative to create momentum goals. Each Thursday, we have a call with them to make sure we’re staying on top of our goals. We set deadlines and use an online project management software. It’s just been a real big help to us.

The great thing about BOWEN is that all their stuff is hosted locally and all of their support is here on Long Island with us. We’ve been able to have several in-person meetings, so they really got to know us and have become accustomed to how we work and what we need.

What did you find most impressive about BOWEN?

They’re very organized and responsive. Everyone on their team has been so interested in learning about what we do, which is super important to us. Being in the human services field, we’re a nonprofit, and everyone who works here is passionate about our agency’s mission. It feels like BOWEN adopted that same passion that we have. Working with them has been a very generative relationship.

Are there any areas BOWEN could improve?

I’ve been so satisfied working with them — they’re a breath of fresh air after compared to our previous vendor. I don’t know how they could improve. Everything they’ve done has really helped us get to the next level.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with BOWEN?

Try your hardest to stick to the deadlines that they establish so you can move the project along. They’re a very efficient team, and they’re great at making updates and doing what you need, but you have to stay on top of your end as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the office manager of a company that provides pavement maintenance. I’ve been here for almost 6 years. I handle all the scheduling, marketing, payroll, and recruitment. I’m involved in almost all of our company’s processes, including the creation of our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BOWEN?

We had rebranded our company, and the website would serve as our new face. Many of our competitors don’t even have websites. They do everything by hand, writing estimates on pieces of paper.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BOWEN developed our new site. They were able to drive home our new identity and everything it involved. We pride ourselves on our professionalism, punctuality, customer service, and high-tech equipment, and we wanted to highlight those qualities on our website. We use a lot of technology and machinery, and we wanted to portray that to customers in the least amount of words possible. Customers also have access to an inquiry form online, which acts as an alternative to picking up the phone. So far, we’re very pleased with the outcome. Aside from the site, they also created a brochure. It was exactly what we wanted.

How did you come to work with BOWEN?

My boss met their principal at an event. When we started talking about building a new site, we looked up their information. We looked at some of BOWEN’s past work and saw that their websites had a clean look to them. That would match our less verbose proposal style. We met BOWEN’s team and spoke to them. The relationship progressed from there.

How much have you invested with BOWEN?

The cost of their work was $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BOWEN in January 2017. They completed the website on June 1st.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The site was launched yesterday, so I couldn’t say that we’ve booked jobs because of it. Many of our customers find us through Google and are driven to the site. The website looks awesome, and we couldn’t be happier about it.  We had a strong web presence, but I know that the new page will make it even stronger. It’s suitable for 2017.

How did BOWEN perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great to work with. We received very friendly service. The team was open to any ideas we had, and the feedback was always positive. They produced a good website, and the communication was excellent.

What did you find most impressive about BOWEN?

We had good rapport and conversations. Even if a change was not something we truly accepted, we could have a trial process and tell BOWEN what we want. They made small tweaks and were never upset about an issue. It felt like a long process, but it was worth it.

Are there any areas BOWEN could improve?

Anyone can improve, but I never found something specific about BOWEN.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with BOWEN?

I would suggest that buyers go in with a firm idea of what they want. It will make it easier for BOWEN to grasp the project. It is possible to go in blind, but the process will become a lot more seamless with a clear idea and vision.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company. 

I've created a Web-based program to allow law firms and insurance companies to purchase litigation support services online. 

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m an attorney by day. I started this as a nights and weekends project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Bowen Media?

I needed a fully functioning website, but I don't have a technical background, so I needed them to do everything.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Bowen Media started on the ground floor in developing this program. So, we worked jointly in putting together the idea. We then did the wireframes together, and they started coding the program. Now, on the back-end, they’re going to be providing support for the program.

What was your process in selecting Bowen Media with which to work?

We contacted Launchpad Long Island, which is an incubator of small businesses and startups. Bowen Media was one of those startups. We have a relationship with Launchpad Long Island, so they were good enough to point us in the direction of Bowen Media. We interviewed several companies and reviewed their proposals. Ultimately, we felt that Bowen Media fit the bill for two reasons. They understood what we were looking to do, and they were local.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I can't disclose that information, but their pricing was fair.

What was the timeline of the project?

The project started in the summer of 2014, and the program was up and running sometime in late February 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you talk about the results of the project and how you feel they performed in terms of the quality of the work?

Bowen Media originally set a very tight time schedule, which I thought was a bit aggressive and even unrealistic on Bowen’s part. I thought the project would take longer because it wasn’t as if they were copying something else that already existed. Although a lot of the things that they used were generally available, they needed to develop an understanding of law firm litigation support services and translate that understanding to make it work in an electronic age. So, they needed a little bit of ramping up to gain that understanding.

Ultimately, even though they didn’t meet their own deadline, from my perspective they did just fine. They spent the time to comprehend what we were doing. So, at the end of this process, they are just as versed as we are in how litigation support services are to be delivered.

Is there anything unique about Bowen Media that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

They’re very good at staying ahead of the curve in terms of how the look and feel of the site should be, so it doesn’t have a jaded or boring look. They have a very good sense of colors, fonts, and design. They know what’s developing now and what’s kind of been overdone. So, when they’re designing your Web page, you’re not just getting a flat-looking package. You’re getting something that feels like it’s three-dimensional.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I think they’ve done a very good job in terms of managing their time and getting things done. The schedule wasn’t as they proposed, but I never realistically expected them to meet their original aggressive deadline.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We’re a neighborhood pizzeria, and we like to consider ourselves a quick service restaurant. My father and his brothers started the original location in 1969. They’re still active in the business, but their sons and my cousins operate the stores on a day-to-day basis. 

There are seven locations now, we all have very similar menus. Some are different based on different demographics of where the store is located, but we like to keep things similar when possible. We’re located in Nassau County, Long Island, and we’re pretty much all around the county, so we have pretty good name recognition at this point.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am owner of some of the restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Bowen Media?

We had an old website that wasn't modern or effective, so Bowen Media helped us put together a beautiful new site. We do a lot of Web ordering directly. We’ve been doing it for almost 10 years now. 

We’ve seen an increase in Web ordering every month but, in order to process an order online, the customer had to go through our outdated website built in 2000. We wanted a nice site that was simple, told people about us, and listed our different locations with a menu.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We put together a brand new, state of the art website that’s mobile friendly. We now have a catering page where people can email us about certain parties and events because we love doing catering. We put together an employment form to try to find employees. We are selling our gift cards on the site. There are about a dozen new benefits that we’re receiving from the new site.

What was your process for selecting Bowen Media with which to work?

They were referred to me by another restaurant business that I’m friendly with. We saw his site and we loved it. It was cutting edge. There are five business owners of Mario’s who each own separate locations, so one member from each brought a couple of different website companies to a meeting, and we narrowed it down. Bowen was the company that we decided to go with based on previous work and a recommendation from the other restaurant owner.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was less than $10,000.

When was the project completed?

This project was completed in the first half of January 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

It’s still very early and hard to measure results. Dan Bowen [the CEO of Bowen Media] is very hands on, so he texted me that we would receive monthly reports, which I’m looking forward to seeing, to see the actual results, and to see how many page views and clicks we’re getting. From what I understand, he said that we had 30,000 page views last month, so that was exciting. 

Feedback from customers has been great and online customers love our ordering system. Customers are able to print coupons on the website, so we’ve gotten compliments on that. I’ve gotten some feedback about catering through that, and I found a few job applications, some employment forms filled out from the PDF that we have on the menu. It’s still very early on, but everything’s pointing in the right directions, I think our partnership with Bowen Media is going to be successful.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They were extremely professional, they were very responsive, and they moved at a great pace. The project in total took about six months, but we had seven different stores having to agree on designs and everything. So, if anything, the holdup was on our end. 

They worked with Basecamp. That project management tool really made it easy for everyone to be able to respond and be on the same page. They had a separate Web designer that would contact us, they would meet with us whenever we needed to, they had their own photographer, and they recommended a freelance writer. 

I wouldn’t know where to start. With hiring the right photographer and all the smaller tasks, they’re a full-service company where they handled it from soup to nuts. From hosting the website to registering the domain names, they made life easy for us. Operating busy restaurants, I didn’t have time to do all that on my own.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I don’t think so. I think they were very competent. They handled it exactly as I’d hoped they would.

What advice would you give to a future client of theirs?

If you have a goal in mind for what you want your website to do, just stay organized and they can take you there. At first, I was overwhelmed with all the stuff I had to do, but they walked us through the whole process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We’re an environmental consulting and management firm. Our headquarters are in Long Island, N.Y. We have six offices nationwide and more than 250 employees.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m the director of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Bowen Media?

When I came on board our website was in Drupal format, and it was a mess. I hired a company out of Colorado to redo the website but they dropped the ball too many times. I hired another company, but after they revised the site, they disappeared. At that point, I decided to go with WordPress because I was more familiar with it and could do my own updates. Drupal wasn’t really right for us anyway.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

I had the content already, and Bowen Media did everything else. They did the development, organized the content, and recreated the whole website. We’re now in the second phase of doing SEO [search engine optimization] because I need to increase the hits to our site, and they are handling that as well.

What was your process for selecting Bowen Media with which to work?

I sent a proposal to Bowen Media, and they turned it around within one or two days. I told them what I needed and how quickly I needed it, and they stepped up to the challenge.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’ve spent between $16,000 and $20,000 working with Bowen Media.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

We started working with Bowen Media in May 2014, and the site launched in November.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I use a marketing platform for metrics. When we launched in November, we were at about 30,000 before the end of the year. We’re just doing so much better now because it’s indexed correctly. So, even without the SEO, we’ve already increased about 15 percent.

How satisfied are you with the work of Bowen Media?

I’m very satisfied. They heard what I wanted, they made suggestions, and they partnered with me. After the launch, they trained us. They constantly provide support for us. I don’t look at them as a vendor. I look at them as a partner. We share the same goals and challenges.

As far as the site is concerned, the design is beautiful. It’s exactly what I wanted, and it’s bright and modern. The feedback I’m getting from everyone in the company is nothing but positive. Clients also love it, and now the business development people are using it as a tool when they go out on calls because it’s so easy to manage. It loads correctly, it looks good, and it has a very professional feel.

Is there anything unique about Bowden Media that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

Their customer relations and management are outstanding. They have a great combination of high quality, great designers, and great people skills. A lot of other companies have great designers, but don’t have the discipline; they miss deadlines or fade away. Bowen has the business aspect of their work down, and they have that combination of quality and creative design. They’re a young company, very smart, very innovative, extremely professional, and very passionate. They’re a fabulous partner, and I want to stay with them forever.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Be prepared to work hard, because they will keep you on track. They’re a very young company, so their image is young and hip; kind of Bohemian. But that has nothing to do with their professionalism. If you agree on deadlines, they will make sure you keep them. Trust them, because they know what they’re doing. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask. They’re great at explaining things.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

There’s no weakness. I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We create private platforms for the security marketplace. We have offices in Manhattan and Long Island.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m the vice president for client services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Bowen Media?

We needed to create a new website. Our old site wasn’t modern enough. We also needed some help with our marketing materials.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They provided full design, development, and marketing material for the website. They also helped with individual marketing initiatives, ongoing training, and ongoing support.

What was your process for selecting Bowen Media with which to work?

Through referrals and online research, we narrowed our alternatives down to five or six providers. After interviewing Bowen Media, we felt that they could meet all of our needs. They seemed professional and their catalog of past work was impressive, so they seemed like the right choice.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’ve spent somewhere between $10,000 and $50,000 in working with Bowen Media.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How satisfied are you with the work that Bowen Media has done for you?

Overall, we’re very happy with the results. We continue to make changes based on our needs, and they are very responsive and professional about making those changes. We haven’t had any problems in our experience with them. The relationship is ongoing, and it’s going well.

Is there anything unique about Bowen Media that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

They provided us with a lot of feedback. We had lots of ideas, and they have so much experience that they could tell us about some pitfalls we might encounter by taking a certain approach. They weren’t just listening to what we wanted and agreeing with us, but they were a big part of the decision-making process.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. There is nothing that I really can identify.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

I would certainly encourage them to work with Bowen Media since my experience with them has been nothing but positive. It seems like they’re growing and extending their reach, so things are only going to keep getting better. Also, I would suggest that if prospective clients were to look around at other providers, they would see pretty quickly how Bowen Media stands out from the others.