Brafton

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-founder of a Digital and Cyber Security Consultancy who provide tailored digital and cybersecurity solutions across the following broad areas of:

1. Organisational Change Management
2. Strategy & Organisation
3. Risk & Compliance

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our organisation required a new website, content marketing pieces (Articles/E-Book and infographic) to support the launch phase of the business. The key goals were to ensure that the deliverables reflected and communicated our proposition aligned to our company mission and brand values.

SOLUTION

How did you select Brafton and what were the deciding factors?

We reviewed several web development/marketing companies and concluded that Brafton were the best partner to work with for the site development. The key decision making points for us included:

1. Understanding of our target customer and the customer journey.
2. The importance of clean design and alignment to the overall branding and marketing strategy,
3. Value and ease to work with.
4. The understanding of the need to ultimately support lead generation and build a business.

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

The key deliverables included a new website, an e-book, numerous thought provoking articles, infographic and design work that can be utilised across the company content pieces. The website development followed a logical approach that included ensuring that Brafton had as much information as possible to support the design and build of the website.

The site included the build of a custom Wordpress theme. All other deliverables included a requirements and iterative review phase to ensure that the outcome was aligned to expectations.

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

A Project Manager coordinated and managed the overall delivery and was supported by a marketing strategist, web developer, graphic designer, content writer and web tester. The core team were complemented by the wider specialisms that are part of the Brafton family.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The key deliverables were all on brand and enabled the business to take a step change in how we communicate and engage with our current and prospective customers. The deliverables all were delivered within the agreed cost and timelines.

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

Project management was always there to provide both feedback/status updates and support the overall smooth running of the engagement. Nothing was too much trouble! The style was engaging, supportive and goal orientated. A web portal enabled us to communicate and see the status of deliverables throughout their lifecycle.

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

They get it! Marketing is all about driving leads and ultimately new business. Every deliverable had this at the heart of what they do. By combining design, content/ marketing strategies and active monitoring of effectiveness this ensured that Brafton could continually learn and refine what was most effective not just now but for the future.

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

None of note.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the manager of digital marketing at a manufacturer of home comfort appliances, headquartered in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. Our company creates portable electric fans, space heaters, air purifiers, humidifiers, and more for the consumer market and distributes internationally.

Additionally we build installed home environment equipment (bath fans, indoor air quality devices, range hoods), industrial and commercial fans, as well as products for the water damage restoration and janitorial/sanitation industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brafton?

We lacked capacity to create informational videos about our various products and consumer self-help issues and common questions. We worked with Brafton to create many short videos that we could use on our various owned channels and on retailer websites to help consumers and customers understand our products and how to use them.

What were your goals for this project?

For each of the video projects, we had separate requirements, but we also wanted a full set of videos that looked cohesive and brand-right overall. Additionally we wanted videos that quickly and clearly addressed consumer FAQs or communicated the top key points of a particular model.

SOLUTION

How did you select Brafton?

Lasko has been working with Brafton for many, many years. We continue to work with the team because of the quality of output and ease of working with the Brafton team.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

They regularly work with us to learn about products and video goals. Next, the team writes a script and provides to us for review/editing. We talk about voice over/talent options.

Once the video is produced we have a chance to review and provide any feedback or change requests (we usually don't have any changes). Brafton finally provides the final video links, which are easy to download and use on various platforms/channels.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We have been working with Brafton for so long, that our feedback process doesn't need to be complicated. It's all a very well-oiled machine at this point! We usually provide script feedback, select the talent, and then review/approve the final videos.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have one Brafton video that has been viewed more than 90,000 times in just 2 years! Usually our videos, particularly the FAQ-focused, have thousands of views within several months. We usually share frequently on social media, our own websites, as well as on retailer sites, as appropriate.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our workflow with the Brafton team is nearly effortless. We always clearly understand timelines, scheduling, and other expectations. They provide excellent suggestions and explanations. The new online project management tool is terrific for giving me easy visibility to our projects -- current, future, and past.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most outstanding part is Brafton's ability to meet deadlines and other requests. I appreciate the level of understanding and trust we have developed over the years, as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing and brand development with FFVA Mutual Insurance, a regional insurance carrier that specializes in workers’ compensation. We’re licensed in ten states in the Southeast. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brafton?

Our biggest challenge and obstacle was content creation. We have a very small and nimble marketing department here. I needed content services because we were starting a blog. We wanted to position ourselves as brand experts and champions in that area.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our original scope started with writing and content marketing. However, we gradually expanded that because of Brafton’s capabilities. Their scope of work has expanded to other areas such as illustration, infographics, SEO strategies, and e-books. 

The best project that we’ve worked on with them was on a “return-to-work” campaign. It started with an e-book, but then it expanded into a re-optimized page on our website, where they created illustrations and additional 3–4 blog posts. We were also able to do a direct mail piece off of the infographic and the e-book. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with several people from their team, including three writers, 3–4 managers, a couple of strategists, one designer, and a person for email marketing. 

How did you come to work with Brafton?

When I was researching different content marketing companies, it was strictly for copywriting. Originally, I was looking at a couple of their competitors. However, Brafton was their own brand champion. We do one thing, and we do it really well, so they resonated well with us. 

What I really like about Brafton that I thought was unique is how they do their units. I’ve worked with many different agencies and companies by retainer or monthly expense, and accountability isn’t always there. I like Brafton’s approach to that because it was more of an a-la-carte setup based on what worked for their customers versus a monetary value for that month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in November 2017, and it’s ongoing. We kicked the e-book project off in February 2019, and it’s also ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brafton has been a great partner for content and other areas I wasn’t originally intending. Truthfully, they’ve been an extension of our department. They’ve allowed me to build and grow what we can produce for content and other areas. 

We’re actually on our 12th statement of work with them, and we’ve completed nearly 130 projects to date.

Since our “return to work” campaign was far-reaching, it was very well received. We measured results via the email open rate. We were also able to track the page visits from organic and existing site visitors, and we saw how many times the infographic for the blog post was viewed. 

When we started working on SEO and keywords for a web page, we went from pretty much unranked for that campaign to consistently being on page one or two, depending on the region in terms of analytics. We continue to look at the metrics and even toy around them.

How did Brafton perform from a project management standpoint?

I feel they’re an extension of my team, and they keep us accountable. We have weekly calls, and the project manager always follows up with a recap of action items needed on both sides. 

They recently implemented an online platform where I can go in and see what’s in progress on their side or any to-dos for our end, whether it’s a Google Docs file or an illustration. 

Communication has been seamless, and it’s been outstanding because they’re always responsive and informative. Whenever I have a question or want to reach out to them with a specific need, they immediately look into it and make it happen for me.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with several of their qualities — their consistency, relationships, quality of work, flexibility, and adaptability. 

Often, during our calls, we don’t just talk about projects and progress or to-do lists. We use that time as an opportunity to brainstorm strategic initiatives, like how we can use content in other ways and beyond just words. We then see opportunities for each project to become its own campaign. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re checking off all the boxes, and that’s the reason for our long-term relationship and partnership. 

However, perhaps they can have a little more depth in writing tones and styles. That was our challenge in the beginning. We went through a couple of writers to find the best fit for us, but we eventually found that person who knows our tone and voice very well. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to see working with Brafton as a partnership, and the success is based on open communication and willingness to look at the big picture and not to try to limit their abilities. They position themselves for content, but they do so much more than that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of Lightning Labels, a custom label provider based in Denver, Colorado. We print custom labels for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in a variety of vertical markets, including health and beauty, food, beverages, nutraceuticals, cannabis, hemp, and CBD-related products. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brafton?

We hired Brafton to do our blog posts and press release contents on various topics based on our vertical markets, as well as some broader-based topics, such as type of materials for labels, types of lamination, and more. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

On a monthly basis, Brafton provides blog posts for our website. We also have a very strong presence on Facebook and Instagram, as well as Twitter and LinkedIn. Once the content is posted on the website, we distribute it on our social media platforms.  

Once or twice a month, we do a press release on different topics, like when we launch a new product or if we bring in a new senior person to our team. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were attending a variety of trade shows throughout the year so we would bring in Brafton’s content about our attendance. 

They have a specific process in place regarding the development of content. Initially, we went through a creative brief, and they asked for specifics about our business. We provided them either specific keywords or topics that we’d like them to touch on.

Then, they develop a search performance brief based on the information we give. They do extensive research on those keywords and what’s trending in the marketplace. From there, they develop the content. 

What is the team composition?

Currently, I work with Sonny (VP of Customer Experience), who has been a part of our account for eight years. I also work with Tony (Senior Content Writer), who’s my primary writer. Tony has honed in on the key value points of our business and represents us very well in his writing. 

How did you come to work with Brafton?

The relationship between our company and Brafton was already in place when I started working with Lightning Labels. I did happen to look at some other competitors, but Brafton’s content development process is high-quality and affordable, and the turnaround times are very good. 

The writer I’ve been working with really understands our business and hits the proper tone of voice that we’re trying to achieve, so I decided to maintain the relationship.  

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent about $300,000 in total with them, or about $25,000 a year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Brafton since 2008 and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website is tagged on Google Analytics, and we’ve seen a consistent increase in the number of visitors and time spent on our blogs year-over-year — we’ve definitely seen a lift that way. Organically, we’ve seen a rise in revenue, so we know that people are engaging with our blog posts and reading them. 

We’re also seeing a quote request on our blog pages, where someone can request pricing for an item. 

How did Brafton perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s a very smooth process. We typically communicate through email. We have quarterly meetings with them to go over metrics and they make recommendations where there’s an opportunity to optimize the content.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve got a budget to maintain and marketing dollars are always tight, so knowing I’ve got flexibility with them is good. They’re always willing to work with us and bring new ideas to the table. 

They — especially Tony, our writer — understand our business and are able to communicate our value points and what Lightning Labels is. Tony is able to drive the right tone of voice and showcase our brand well. That, to me, has been the most impressive thing about working with Brafton. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Prior to Tony being my account writer, I had some other writers who didn’t hit the mark. However, I appreciated that I was able to go to Sonny and express my concerns. They made adjustments on their side to make sure that I got what I needed. 

There have been times when turnover happens in terms of either the account manager or the content writer. At the end of the day, they always made good on it. Twelve years later, I’m still doing business with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend Brafton because I think they take the time to know your brand and they have good turnaround times. I’ve recommended them internally to our sister brands and everyone that I’ve recommended Brafton to has been happy with their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the customer communications manager of eSpatial. We’re a business mapping software company. We provide data visualization and analysis software for businesses through mapping.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brafton?

We were trying to work on our SEO. We wanted to start generating new content as well as optimize some of our older content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brafton handles our content marketing. They’ve also done some nurturing work where they’ve written emails and direct campaigns for us. Our email audience is people who've signed up for a free trial or done a discovery call with a salesperson. There are also emails focused on longtail follow up, and the Brafton team did some of our newsletters as well. Additionally, they’re doing some of our PPC and Google Ads work currently.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with an account manager. Other team members we’ve worked with include a project manager and two writers. In total, we’ve had about six people working on our account.

How did you come to work with Brafton?

We found them through a web search.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $30,000–$45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a number of the pages they created go to the first page of search results. One of the pages has been our top converter for free trials and it has a high conversion rate. Brafton has been easy to work with and very responsive. They slot in where we need them and are flexible. Their quality of work is great.

How did Brafton perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well with project management. Their team keeps us in the loop and presents us with tracking sheets. We can always see how things are going and where each piece of the content funnel is. We primarily deal with our account manager so it’s nice to have one contact person. He’s been great. We hold weekly calls to discuss everything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s a major relief to have that flow of content coming in. It’s nice to have something new to put up on our blog. Brafton has made things easier for us than when we wrote everything internally. They make our lives easier. We don’t have to chase them or come up with the ideas ourselves. Their team handles the keyword research. Having their expertise on the keyword research side has been very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more access you give them, the smoother everything will go. When they’re able to see your metrics, it makes it easier to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Brand Manager for Inspirage, a global consulting firm solving business critical challenges for our customers from design to delivery. We deliver end-to-end consulting and implementation solutions that link Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Product Lifecycle Management, Supply Chain Management and Logistics Management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brafton?

The Inspirage Marketing Team is small but mighty. We originally teamed up with Brafton because we were in need of technical writers to supplement our team. Since then we have utilized their team for much more than just technical writing.

They have worked with us on website updates, video creation, eBook design, case studies, advertising and more. Probably the largest project we teamed up with them for was a complete overhaul of our website in 2016. 

What were your goals for this project?

As our original goal back when they were only writing blogs, we wanted to increase the SEO of our website landing pages and draw more readers to our blog. With each new project, the goal has remained similar: increase engagement in our website by creating quality content and advertising. 

SOLUTION

How did you select Brafton?

I believe the Brafton sales team pitched my old boss back in 2014! Since we were in desperate need of writers, we signed on pretty quickly. The additional services, the attention to detail and the relationships we've built have kept us coming back. 

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We are in our sixth year working with the Brafton Team. Over the years the scope of their work for us has changed, but we have consistently had them created 2 blogs per month for our website.

Additionally, for the past year or so, they have been interviewing and writing up one client case study per month. We have added on additional projects as they arise. We have worked with their team on content like demo videos, eBooks, whitepapers, etc.  

In addition to creating content, their team has helped us with a handful of advertising campaigns. This has included both search campaigns and retargeting. Their team both writes the copy and produces the ads. They also monitor the results. 

Finally, their team has helped us with web design. They completely an entire redesign of our website in 2016 and we launched a new customer stories section in 2019.

What was the team composition?

We have consistently worked with both a project manager and a technical writer since we started work in 2015. Over time, we have worked with additional team members as we have added projects, but our core team has remained at 2-3.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our original goal was to increase blog traffic. We've accomplished and surpassed that goal. Some of those original blogs back in 2015 remain our most popular blog posts to this day. Overall, our website updates, gated content and advertising have increased our web traffic and decreased our bounce rate. Exactly the results we were looking for.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our team has worked well with the Brafton Team over the past 6 years. It's truly a team effort on both sides. Our Brafton Project Managers have kept projects on time and on budget, without letting details slip through the cracks. 

Our team has remained generally the same while we have experienced some turnover on the Brafton side. Through all the team updates; however, we have been able to keep the content churning. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm constantly impressed with how easily they "get" our business. We have a fairly complex footprint and yet their writers and Project Managers are able to jump right in and interview our team members and write blogs like they are full-time Inspirage employees. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

We've had a few ups and downs in the past 6 yeas, but I can honestly say that our current team has very little room for improvement. They're knocking it out of the park. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for a security products company. We have everything from drive-up equipment and safe deposit boxes. Our firm also offers products for physical security and electronic security such as video surveillance, access control, ATMs, and more, basically anything you’re going to find in a branch.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brafton?

Our website needed updating based on my strategic change recommendation. Initially, it took a lot of convincing for some of the senior management but we were able to push through with our plans. I was aware that I couldn’t do everything myself and I needed someone who would successfully partner with me to create the success that I envisioned. 

We needed someone to help establish us with content marketing and Brafton was the perfect candidate for us. Ultimately, we wanted to shift the positioning of our website to make it a platform for content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brafton built both websites with us with the intent of making the platform for content. A year later, we achieved our goals. We’ve created everything from video, e-books, white papers, case studies, blogging, and more. They’ve helped with pretty much the whole gamut.

I’m in charge of the marketing department and I’m the most knowledgeable when it comes to where the strategic priorities are going to be. As a result, I provide Brafton with the direction in order for them to kickstart the project’s goals.

We meet on a very regular basis in terms of making adjustments. I map out the overriding strategy and we build what we think is going to make sense for communicating that strategy that resonated with our audience. For instance, we found that infographics, while they’re beautiful, they didn’t really quite connect in the same way as a video would. That shifts the strategy that we pursue with our tactics and, in terms of the messaging, that all comes from me.

I would dictate a strategy, tell them what I want and the team would follow that. I provide Brafton with background and help them work through an outline pulling other people in the organization for additional input. Then they go back and save me a tremendous amount of work and they’re able to give me a rough draft after. Fortunately, they’re fairly thick-skinned about it. 

I’m a perfectionist but I also know my business better than anybody else does so I usually tear it apart and rebuild it with them. We do a couple of rounds of that usually and then it’s good to go. Sometimes it comes to me in absolutely perfect shape but that’s not necessary. It really depends on what it is and how significant a piece of content it is. 

They’re the ones who are very good at beautifying it, making sure that it pulls people in through how it looks, not just what it says. Brafton actively posts with me on my website. From there, my challenge is a matter of the content being there and how to share it. I work with our internal sales team to get the word out. We use social media, email, and various other methods to try to push that content out there.

What is the team composition?

Right now, I actively work with an account manager, a creative director, a writer, and a video team. I also have somebody who works with me in email marketing and LinkedIn sponsored content as well as on the website development. All in all, I’d say there are 7–10 people from Brafton.

How did you come to work with Brafton?

I identified several content companies. They had to be able to backtrack and create a website with me to start with, that kind of limited who I was going to work with. I went based on reputation and pricing was part of the consideration. Some of the folks I came across had the teams but the teams were all subcontracted. 

Brafton has people who are on the Brafton team and that was something that was really appealing to me. Consistency is always a question mark because people do leave and get promoted but I have felt more or less that the transitions have been fairly smooth.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$90,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017 and the work is ongoing. We launched both websites that fall.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been a tremendous industry resource and helped us establish our brand. I think Brafton really boosted our brand reputation, our visibility in the industry, and our consideration as a thought leader. The things I pay attention to are how these work on our website. 

Ultimately, everything out there, whether you’re communicating the content via email or social media, you’re trying to draw them back to our website is what we track. We did see a considerable leap in the number of users or site visitors once we started with them.

How did Brafton perform from a project management standpoint?

The team’s project management has been done fairly well. Although there was someone we worked with who really knew my business, they had to step back but the Brafton team really gets it and is on it. 

Brafton just came out with a customized portal and we’re just getting up to speed on it. It’s officially kicking off this month. It’s nice because you can literally be approving the content instead of doing back and forth email. Everything is loaded on the portal where we can request changes or take a look where something is in the process. I’m already excited to see where we can go with this.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a real willingness to deep dive into our business. The team also tries to understand our business challenges instead of just broad brushing it. There’s not one answer and not one industry is the same. I feel that Brafton is an extension of me and that’s a nice thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

To some degree, I feel it might be helpful to change things up a bit with the team only to keep the content fresh. That’d be my suggestion because I have one writer. It’d be nice to circulate it a little bit more to make sure it stays fresh in terms of the perspective of that writing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Put into it what you expect to get out of it. In other words, you need to educate Brafton with regards to your business and really put in the time to try to bring them up to speed in order for them to fully understand and be able to turn around and give you the product you’re looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at CloudSmartz. We’re a custom software application development firm that provides global delivery services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brafton?

We reached out to them with content creation and lead generation as our primary goals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The engagement started off with Brafton producing a few blog posts so we could get to get additional content out there and build brand awareness. I'll provide the topic, minor outline, and reference link for each post. They’ll do the research and draft a detailed outline for our approval. Finally, they’ll write the post. They utilize automatic posting, so the new content gets released as soon as we approve it. This way, we don’t have to worry about execution. To give customers a greater interactive experience than looking a fact sheet, we explored additional mediums of content creation.

In addition to blog posts, Brafton provided an entire digital content strategy by creating infographics, e-books, and white papers. We collaborated with them to organize a keyword list because we’re a niche provider. They used their tools and expertise to implement an SEO plan for us. They also created videos, both animated and scripted, and did some social media work as well. Continuing the engagement, we’re moving forward with a social media revamp later this year.

What is the team composition?

There are usually 4–5 people we work with during weekly meetings. However, I talk to the account manager and project manager more frequently.

How did you come to work with Brafton?

I’ve used Brafton in the past when I worked for another company. As a result, I hired them because I knew what they could do. Plus, they’re on the East Coast and offered a price point that was affordable on my budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000–$35,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve helped fine-tune our message across all mediums. From a content creation perspective, we've got an additional 90 pages of blog posts and other content created since the start of this engagement. That influx helps improve our Google ranking. Regarding lead generation, we’ve created about 10 landing pages that garnered 81 leads, a quarter of which were industry specific. We expect the increased web-traffic to drive continued the growth of lead generation.

How did Brafton perform from a project management standpoint?

I can reach out to me any time of the day and they’ll usually get back to me within 24 hours. They’re good about being on top of everything. I’m usually the one holding the process up, so they’ve been very patient and get everything done promptly. Additionally, we just got assigned a new account manager and the transition was very smooth. It’s worth noting when a manager can transition effectively and provide value immediately.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a wide breadth of experience and I appreciate their SEO recommendations. Other companies always try to do too much. Brafton gives you what you need without going overboard. Their patience and flexibility are standout attributes as we’re a hands-on client. We provide complex solutions so getting all the details correct is important. It’s tough for people who aren’t in our industry to fully understand what we do, but they’re quick learners and deliver things swiftly. The content they’ve written has been perfect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to see more in-depth planning to match what we’re doing on a month-to-month basis.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you're a small marketing team looking for an extension to your content creation and website management team, Brafton is a great company to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company works with universities around the country to help promote and grow their online degree programs. I’m the search engine optimization manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brafton?

We manage all the websites for the universities that we partner with, and we needed help to enhance the quality of the content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brafton provides blog content, articles, and infographics for us to publish on our website and promote through internet marketing channels. They provide approximately 90 articles a month for us. Brafton helps with some of our social media accounts. Brafton provides a monthly social media calendar that we review internally and then we also review with our partners to get approval. From there it would get rolled out to the social media networks that we’re working with. We have a lot of interaction between our two teams. We have kickoff meetings where we talk about style guides, the primary focus, the style and tone, and expected delivery. As those articles are delivered, they go through several rounds of internal edits before they go to our partners for review. The infographics are done on a quarterly basis, those are published on the website, and shared socially.

How did you come to work with Brafton?

When I was hired, Pearson was already using Brafton. When I came on board, we were only using them for 30 articles a month. I liked the quality and communication so much that I tripled the amount of volume we were doing with Brafton.

How much have you invested with Brafton?

We spend between $100,000 and $200,000 with them monthly.

What is the status of this engagement?

I know we’ve worked with them for over three years, but I don’t know when the engagement started.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our engagement online has been very good. The turnaround times of getting everything approved has been much better.

How did Brafton perform from a project management standpoint?

We use email, phone, and Basecamp to communicate and Brafton is very responsive. Brafton listens to our feedback, and they’re a really good partner.

What did you find most impressive about Brafton?

It’s a combination of excellent communication, excellent customer service, and the quality of their work.

Are there any areas Brafton could improve?

Brafton could offer more services so I can use them more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Profiles is a creative, marketing, and technology recruitment firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. We have supporting offices in Philadelphia, Richmond, and Washington, DC. Recently Profiles has made a national footprint to include the markets of Chicago, Dallas, Northern New Jersey, and San Francisco. Our recruitment services provide Fortune 500 and midsized brands with candidates in the marketing, creative, and technology space. Staffing solutions come in the form of contract, contract for hire, direct hire, and managed services. My role is the Director of Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brafton?

Profiles’ executive leadership strongly believes in investing in the company's marketing department. We wanted to augment our internal staff to include a copywriter in order to increase our search rankings, gain a greater visibility online, and position Profiles as the subject matter expert in the creative staffing space. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project includes two long-form blogs per week. Topics are published from a content calendar that we create together. The content calendar is based on targeted key phrases that correlate to our business offerings. The relationship begins with a kickoff meeting amongst you and your dedicated account team. The intake meeting will document your creative briefing to ensure all Brafton team members understand our vision, goals, obstables, tone, audience, and a means to measure results. A weekly cadence of deliverables had both of our teams in a groove in no time. Once the content is written, Brafton will optimize the page title, URL, header tags, keyword usage throughout, internal link, and supply images and alt text. Each article is sent via email requesting our feedback. With one or two rounds of revisions, we then submit the approved copy that is streamed directly into our CMS and published in real time. Monthly reporting calls are held to review how our rankings and lead conversions performed site wide.

How did you come to work with Brafton?

I vetted a total of five firms and freelancers who I found through content agency research and Upwork (formerly Elance and oDesk). Brafton was then referred to me by a fellow marketing friend who worked at an enterprise staffing firm. I was hesitant my budget couldn't compete but made the call to learn more. The rates were fair and scalable. The access that Brafton has to resources and publications is a big selling feature. We now have a dedicated team of five---writer, strategist, and account manager--for less than the cost of one full-time copywriter. 

How much have you invested with Brafton?

We spend $16,000 per year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in March 2012 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Writing a good article that can be found is essential to attracting inbound leads and that's what they help us achieve. We’ve seen a 16% YoY in organic traffic from blog articles alone. Overall organic traffic increased 22% YoY. To know that blogs alone contributed to 16% of that increase tells a big story. Recently, we aligned our content strategy to support B2B client lead generation. In staffing, marketing efforts must attract both prospective clients and qualified candidates. We’ve been publishing a lot of content to attract and nurture the B2B audience in support of sales growth. Understanding the challenges of B2B marketing and then seeing the results in organic traffic is very telling of Brafton's impact. 

How did Brafton perform from a project management standpoint?

Brafton's team is spearheaded by an Account Manager who is our main point of contact. That person has an understanding of web, digital, and SEO. The team is always available and we communicate by email, except for our monthly meetings by phone. The success that comes from the relationship is also very reliant on the efforts you put in as a client. It is not a 'set it and forget' journey. It takes a collaborative team to produce an impactful outcome to your business. 

What did you find most impressive about Brafton?

There are other agencies who have content agencies who offer shiny bells and whistles that Brafton doesn't but they come at a premium. If you’re a marketer with a vision and strategy for how content will improve your business but don't have the copywriting resources to execute, then Brafton is a true partner that is good at what they do, and are the biggest bang for your buck. 

Are there any areas Brafton could improve?

Their creative library could be improved. They’re pulling stock images to support our articles and those are limited.