BrandLume Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Sales & Operations Manager at a company that provides earthworks management software to construction companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc., and what were your goals?

Our website was severely outdated. Our goals were to

1. Redesign a more modern website
2. Communicate our value proposition more clearly
3. Optimize for SEO and re-marketing.

SOLUTION

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

We received quotes from multiple providers and agency types. Brandlume was our choice because they provided

1. great value - affordable
2. were experts in web development and SEO
3. were able to provide the baseline design template we needed.

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

1. Redevelop the entire website.
2. Provided a website road map for them to build.
3. They provided a design template/theme.
4. We edited the theme and design along with their help.
5. Populate content and messaging into the site with their help.
6. Handed off SEO management services to them.

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

Three people.

• A Software Engineer (assisted in design, development and edits).
• An Account Manager (constantly checked in, provided direction, assistance in knowledge).
• A support manager - in case the other two are unavailable. Other software engineers also stepped in time to time to assist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Very impressed by Brandlume team's knowledge of website building and SEO. I'm very happy with what we paid and the final result. Also immediate response - amazing turnaround times on edits.

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

As hands-on or off as you like. There was someone always that got back to me within 24hrs if there were issues. Provided great guidance and know-how.

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

Knowledge and skillsets of website development and SEO.

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

Nope - happy with end result.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of Sandpiper Nursery and School in Grenada, West Indies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc., and what were your goals?

I live on a small island and many of the web developers here do not understand the type of alternate school that we market I chose Brandlume from Toronto as they had developed many small Montessori or other small independent schools and I wanted to work with someone who was familiar with these types of schools and could share the vision of what I wanted our website to look like.

SOLUTION

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

I was looking at other school websites that I liked and I saw the name Brandlume attached. So I made contact.

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

I had an initial meeting with Roy. Everything was laid our very clearly, the steps that needed to be taken, he explained the cloud and the contract and the work required.

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

I worked with 3 people, Roy, Jon, and Alezia. All were very supportive and always available to answer questions or make changes I am not sure of their titles.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new site has been launched, we are getting very positive feedback from existing users and overseas users.

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

I love mark-up and elementor. I would have both open on my desktop at the same time. Any changes I could not make myself, I could add a stickie note on the website using Mark-up, and the team would correct it. The system of being able to see how many changes are requested and which ones are complete makes developing a website so easy!

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

In my 15 years as a director for two new start-up schools, I have worked with 3 different website designers. It usually ends up in a mess with mixed messages and visions for the final site. Working with Brandlume was the most effortless and collaborative experience I have had. I highly recommend them for someone who is busy and wants professional and timely service.

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

Nothing needed for improvement. Exceptional reasonable service with lots of customer support.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am digital marketing specialist of a plumbing supply company based in Los Angeles, California. We pride ourselves on customer service and providing diverse inventories to satisfy all segments of the industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc., and what were your goals?

We hired BrandLume in order to boost our SEO and get us ranking for a number of keywords that we were struggling to get on the first page for.

SOLUTION

How did you select BrandLume Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

We saw that the easiest way to look for a good SEO agency is to search on google and let their own SEO give us an impression of their quality of work. BrandLume was in the top 5 of the search results. After reaching out to all the agencies we decided that BrandLume would most fit the kind of agency we would like to work with.

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

From the very start we were given a brief about the strategy that they would be using as well as a list of protentional keywords that they would be targeting in the first month. From there we were given a full report of the services that were done for our SEO at the end of the month as well as their recommendations for next month.

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

An account manager was assigned to us, not a lot of communication was needed for this project so our only point of contact was the account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was done very well. All of the keywords that we had originally asked for saw huge improvement. The reporting was extensive and extremely informative both about our current standings and potential roads we could go down in, for the future.

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

Very little communication was required from us. They handled everything for us and that’s exactly what we were looking for, when we were scoping out SEO experts.

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

The amount of detail and consideration they had for us as a client. As experts, they showed us potential keywords and opportunities that we had not noticed before. All the other agencies we had worked with in the past, only took our requests without advising if we were going down the right path. BrandLume gave us advice and direction from the start.

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

The entire operation has been running smoothly from the start. Everything has been perfect so far

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am sales and marketing specialist. We provide outstanding auto glass and windshield repair and replacement services. Our shop located in Seattle, Washington

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc.?

We reached out to BrandLume for social media services. We decided on going with their social media management package, which included creating 5 posts a week and posting it on all of our social media, on our behalf.

What were your goals for this project?

The management of our social media had become cumbersome for our team, and we were not seeing any growth in terms on engagement or followers. We decided to hire an agency as they would be better equipped to help us in this regard.

SOLUTION

How did you select BrandLume Inc.?

They were recommended to us by a close friend and we had liked the work that BrandLume had done for them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They presented a general feel for what their 5 posts were going to be and after some back and forth, we settled on what we would like to see be posted. With each post we commented and make small tweaks until they understood our style and vision. After they understood our tastes better, we began to auto approve their posts and from there they are managing our posts with almost no supervision.

What was the team composition?

We were put in contact with an account manager who took care of everything from their side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest achievement is all the time that is being saved by me and our team members as now we don’t have to worry about our social media accounts at all. After they took over posting we have also seen a substantial rise in both our engagement and our number of followers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very efficient. We were provided with a comment box directly beside the drafts of our posts where we were able to directly give feedback on each individual one.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their process is very efficient and time saving. All of our feedback was internalized by the team quickly and the back and forth between us and the company was very minimal.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything was handled amazingly, I have no complaints

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a self-employed musician.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BrandLume Inc.?

I wanted to have a functional website running, so their team helped me with the website design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At first, I asked them about their WordPress expertise. I thought that it would be the most user-friendly platform. The team provided guidance about which package I should purchase from them, which included a comprehensive service with landing page development.

Along with that, I wanted to be able to maintain the website myself. Since I’m a musician, I wanted to upload videos and audio tracks and change the content myself.

I wanted the site to feature my performances through video and audio. I also wanted there to be an option that allowed customers to contact me, so their team put together a contact me field linked to my email.

What is the team composition?

I was in contact with three people.

How did you come to work with BrandLume Inc.?

I researched web design companies, and I found that they had good reviews. Out of the three or four companies that I looked into, they were the only ones that responded comprehensively.

BrandLume Inc. offered to set up a meeting, and in that meeting, they laid out all of the benefits. It didn’t seem like they were trying to upsell me significantly. I was most impressed with their response.

How much have you invested with them?

For everything, it was just under $2,000 CAD (approximately $1,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We had our first meeting in November 2020, and our site launched that December. They’re providing ongoing support and hosting services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BrandLume Inc. is skilled in website design. Since we’re currently in the middle of a pandemic, I’m not performing at events or weddings, but the site is ready when the world opens back up.

I found that they were responsive in terms of any inquiries I have. I never felt that I was waiting long for a response. The team talked me through how to maintain the site, but if I want to add a blog or another design element, I know that I can contact them for that.

If anything goes wrong, I can contact them as well. Once, I noticed some of the audio and video components were switched, so they went ahead and fixed that right away.

How did BrandLume Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they performed very well. In the beginning, they provided the best guidance that would be useful to me.

Their team had great input on design elements throughout the engagement, but they were willing to listen to what I really wanted. They took my music experience into account when making their decisions.

We mostly communicate through email, but we did have a few Zoom meetings to talk through options. When they coach me through different processes, we do screen share to teach me how to work with the site.

What did you find most impressive about them?

BrandLume Inc. is very thorough. They took the time to be thorough initially, even when they didn’t know whether they had my business.

I would be surprised if many companies could’ve done much better in terms of response time and design. The team moved quickly and efficiently throughout the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they’re trying to attract smaller businesses like me, they might need to think of options geared towards those.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear communicators in what you want. They’re very responsive. If you don’t have clear ideas, they can help out there. But if you’re clear about your wants and desires, they’re very likely to follow through for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am digital marketing strategist at a skateboard shop. Our shop located in Mansfield, Texas

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc.?

We enlisted BrandLume’s services for a complete brand design from the ground up while also creating the package design for our product.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to have a logo that’s new and unique while also creating the brandling surrounding it. After he had a look and feel for the products branding, we need to have a package that was equally impressive and could stand out on shelves and on your computer screen.

SOLUTION

How did you select BrandLume Inc.?

We found them through this website actually. After some initial meetings we were impressed by the amount of knowledge that the expert we were paired with had, so we decided to move forward with the order.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The first steps were that we provided them with designs that we liked and asked them to create something in the same ball park as them. After we had a chance to look at the drafts the were sent, we found a few that looked very unique and eye catching.

From there we asked them for some color changes until we decided that the design was perfect. After our logo and branding was finished, we went through a similar process for the package design

What was the team composition?

It was me directly communicating with an account manager who forwarded all of the changes to the designers that he was managing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome turned out to be exactly what we were looking for. The package looks eye catching and unique while at the same time matching with the branding and feel of the company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They delivered right on time each appointment. We never felt like they were taking too long for the designs

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The amount of unique varying designs that we were presented with was mind-blowing. We have worked with agencies before and the designs they present us with are usally 4-5 variations of the same design. With BrandLume we got over 15 designs that all looked completely different from each other.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything was perfect from top to bottom

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager of a supply chain management company. We primarily service the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector, along with a variety of other companies. We provide warehousing and distribution, transportation management, transition management, and IT systems integration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BrandLume Inc.?

We hired them to design a new website for us, as well as a new brochure. 

Our industry is a bit different. Although we have some forms on the website, lead generation isn’t a big part of its purpose. Our existing site was mainly informational, and our goal was to update it from a design perspective and give it more robust content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BrandLume basically created a brand-new WordPress website for us. We’ve also hired them to maintain our site and SEO on a monthly basis. Additionally, they’re hosting the website.

We have ample information on the site with regard to the services we provide. BrandLume has made call-to-actions throughout the site to make it easy for visitors to get in contact with us. We also have a careers portal.

What is the team composition?

We dealt with a technical person right off the bat — not with salespeople — and that person was knowledgeable regarding all of their services. They were able to accurately answer any questions we had at every step of the way, and they were responsive and easy to work with.

I’m not sure how many people BrandLume had working on the website. We had a dedicated account manager, along with a more senior person overseeing the project. They have dedicated service teams for the web design aspect, SEO, and so on. I’ve interacted with at least five people, and I know that there are more than that behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with BrandLume Inc.?

I checked Clutch first. I actually got in touch with someone at Clutch who connected me with two agencies. BrandLume was not among those, but I did find them on Clutch, along with about three others. We met with all of them, and they all pitched to us. 

We had a series of follow-ups to qualify the candidates further, and we chose BrandLume because they’re somewhat of a one-stop-shop. They provided all of the services that we were interested in. Web design and graphic design were the more immediate ones that we needed assistance with, but we’ll also be hiring them in the spring of 2021 for video production work. They’ll also create some landing pages for campaigns we’re looking to run over the next few months.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $21,000 CAD (approximately $16,400 USD), which includes brochure design and website development and maintenance. The value will probably exceed $25,000 CAD (approximately $19,500 USD) once we’re finished with everything.

They definitely provide good value for money. BrandLume falls within our budget, and they don’t nickel-and-dime us. If anything, they’ve gone beyond what we’re paying for. They’re transparent with fees and pricing structures; there are no long-term contracts.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started out with the brochure, which was completed in the July–August 2020 period. The website creation process ran between August–late-November, and BrandLume is continuing to provide maintenance, management, and hosting services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the website less than a month ago. BrandLume set up analytics, and our metrics have definitely shown improvements already, but it hasn’t been a long enough period for me to have data. Our website is night-and-day from a functionality and design perspective, and that’s the most apparent result so far. Everyone internally is quite pleased with it.

I have visibility on what budget has been spent on SEO services, and, a lot of the time, BrandLume ends up doing more than what we’re paying them to do. There’s a lot of goodwill on their end because the partnership aspect is important to them. I’ve worked with a lot of agencies where the opposite has been the case.

BrandLume has put in a lot of effort and work on a monthly basis, and we’ve been particularly pleased with the SEO results.

How did BrandLume Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

It took a bit longer to complete the project, but that was because of the amount of time we needed for internal reviews and approval. BrandLume could’ve probably wrapped up the project in a month and a half, but we had multiple revisions on our end.

We wanted more of a partnership and a vendor that we could grow with, one that would understand our business. Because of BrandLume’s structure, we were initially concerned about whether we’d get that kind of relationship with them, but we definitely have. Our account managers have been super responsive and helpful.

We added on to the initial project scope because we were happy with BrandLume’s services and level of responsiveness. Our communication has been through email, and we haven’t used any particular tools. I would’ve liked a bit more communication from them on some occasions, but things moved quickly overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s hard to find an agency that does everything in-house and does it well. We’ll find one that does web design and branding, but they won’t do video production, because that’s a whole other set of services. If they say that they do, they usually hire third parties to do it. I haven’t tested BrandLume’s video production services yet, but they’ve executed quite well on what we have used them for.

Also, they refer to themselves as a marketing services wholesaler. BrandLume not only provides services to clients directly but also to other creative and branding agencies globally. They say that we’re cutting out the middleman by working with them, and this is why they’re a bit more affordable compared to other agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I feel that there’s always room for improvement with creative projects because everything is so subjective. What I think looks good from a design perspective may not be what someone else does, or vice versa.

From a graphic design perspective, I wasn’t super impressed with the initial design brochures that they provided, but I worked with them. I let them know what I wanted and provided some examples, and they were able to execute really well from there. Those designs weren’t really what I had in mind, but someone else might’ve liked them, so I can't really say that BrandLume is at fault. It’s just the nature of creative projects.

If I could give one critique, it would be having more frequent communication. BrandLume is extremely responsive once we reach out to them, but it would be nice to have more frequent communication, without us having to reach out to them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

BrandLume is a good agency to work with for people that know exactly what they want. We had a vision in mind for everything related to the website, but they’re probably not the best fit for someone looking for help with their broader strategy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Marketing a flooring company based in Las Vegas. We have the largest selection of flooring inventory in Las Vegas, from wood, to tile, to stone. We have it all

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc.?

We purchased their PPC monthly management package, in order to have someone create and manage our PPC campaigns

What were your goals for this project?

To have an effective PPC campaign in order to both convert more customers and to get more impressions.

SOLUTION

How did you select BrandLume Inc.?

They were recommended to us by a friend. After the initially meeting between us and BrandLume we have a chance to review their case studies that pertained to our industry and we thought they would be a good match for what we are looking for.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

At the start of the project we had a smaller budget and wanted to more focus on very specific keywords instead of broader ones. Over time as we saw the results of the campaigns as well as seeing our CPC get substantially better, we decided to increase our budget. We are currently very happy with the sales that the PPC is bringing into the site and are looking to doing social media PPC with BrandLume in the near future.

What was the team composition?

They have a team of PPC specialists but we were in contact with an account manager and all of our communications went through him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our CPC was lowered considerable over time and our campaigns had excellent conversion.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had meetings when required and anytime we had a question our account manager was fast to respond. We never felt like we were kept out of the loop.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The care for detail they demonstrated really impressed us. They worked hard to decrease our CPC instead of just running our campaigns and putting them on autopilot. Our previous partners would rarely make changes to the campaigns or further optimize them than required. With BrandLume they provided us with weekly refinements where before we would receive monthly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None at all, they did everything right

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Marketing at a tire shop headquartered in Stockon. Stockton Wheel Service has been providing specialty wheel and custom wheel services for over 124 years. As specialist in custom wheel repair and widening, our craftsman breathe life back to damaged wheels and make your narrow OEM wheels FAT & TALL.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc.?

We hired BrandLume to create us a website on WordPress from scratch as there was a lot of restriction on our old website that was being hosted on shopify. We noticed that after many attempts in adding features to the website that shopify would not be a good platform for our website so we needed developers to build and migrate the info from our old site to a new one.

What were your goals for this project?

To build an e-com website from scratch that would allow us to sell our products as well as book appointments, provide product advisory help, and have an extensive wiki related to our industry

SOLUTION

How did you select BrandLume Inc.?

We searched for a partner online by looking on Google and they happened to be in the top searches. They reached out to us quickly for a meeting and were helpful in how they way they explained what would be best for our business.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We handed over the details of the old site to them and they began migrating over the info to the new website. Shortly after we were presented with a prototype and we made refinements from there until we were happy with the design. From there we sent them the layout for the new pages and functionalities we wanted and they began implementing them. after providing feedback they would take care of all the changes.

What was the team composition?

We were in direct contact with an account manager that managed his team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, the website looks and feels great. We have not had any speed issues like we did before with the old site and every part of it is working perfectly. The project turned out exactly like we had asked for.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. During the entire process, our account manager took care of everything and we were never required to contact anyone besides them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They work fast and effectively. They took our ideas and gave them life and that’s all we could ever ask for from a company.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The entire encounter was very professional, I don’t see any room for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am project manager at a pipeline contractor company. We're specializing in the installation of natural gas and oil pipelines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrandLume Inc.?

We hired them to design a brand-new logo from scratch based on the ideas we had in mind.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to have a logo that stands out while also being subtle and classy. We are very particular about the small details, so we wanted an agency who would be able to make small changes on the fly.

SOLUTION

How did you select BrandLume Inc.?

We found them through a quick google search and after looking at their past works as well as their unique process for logo design, we decided that they would be the best option based on the experience and variety that they provide.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The project started with us being given an intake form that asked for our color preference, general feel, and details relating to what we were looking for. about a week after we were given around 20 different designs and from there, we picked our favorite one and continued to refine until it matched our vision.

What was the team composition?

We were given an account manager who forwarded all of our requests to his design team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received exactly what we were looking for. They made refinements to the logo and now it looks fantastic.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

BrandLume was fast to respond and the changes we request were all taken care of swiftly. Overall, the workflow was great

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed at which the produced top-notch designs. They gave us 20 drafts in under a week as well as making refinements in only 2 days. Very happy with the speed of production

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that I could think of, start to finish we had a great experience