Brolik

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Executive Officer of Atargis Energy Corporation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Atargis has spent over a decade pioneering a breakthrough in ocean wave energy conversion. Unlike traditional buoyancy and drag-based technologies, our Directional Cycloidal Ocean Wave Energy Converter (CycWEC) operates offshore, fully submerged, leveraging lift-based fluid dynamics—the same principle that revolutionized wind turbines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Update website
• Update Branding

SOLUTION

How did you find Brolik?

Prior experience with Brolik

Why did you select Brolik over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Prior experience

How many teammates from Brolik were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Previous website was more directed and research and development so had an academic "feel." We needed to update to a business/investor orientation as well as bring our branding to a more professional level.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Multiple branding concepts developed by Brolik; reviewed with our team and after some iterations a final branding approach selected. We're very pleased with the outcome. Further the existing website needed significant updating and improved user experience and fell. The Brolik team, led by Jason did a great job.

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

Brolik's team was v ery responsive to our needs and the project, which was on a very tight schedule, was delivered on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Brolik?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team at Brolik was very professional, great commitment to the project and communicated with us every step of the way. We had an extremely tight time schedule, and they executed very well.

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

No; great team to work with and a fantastic finished product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive of tix4cause

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

tix4cause is a platform that connects users to their favorite event tickets for a fixed fee while donating half of our proceeds to a charity of the users choice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• General Marketing
• Strategy
• Growth

SOLUTION

How did you find Brolik?

Referral

Why did you select Brolik over others?

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

How many teammates from Brolik were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We hired Brolik to strategize, design, and deploy all of our marketing efforts. This was broken down into multiple stages, each with specific deliverable. The first stage was focused on an overall maketing assessmenet of our brand, industry, and growth opportunities. They delivered a final report outlining various areas of opportunity as well as recommendations of how to proceed forward in the second stage. Once this was finished, we began stage 2, which was focused on the low-hanging fruit areas of improvement in our over all branding, brand awareness, and marketing strategy. We began with designing new marketing emails to re-engage our old users and engage our new users. Then we set up our social media accounts and mapped out regular posting to establish our brand and set ourselves up for social media maketing campaigns. After both of these deliverables were finished, we tasked Brolik with building us out a complete Series A marketing plan which encompassed all aspects of a complete go to market strategy and growth plan. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

completion of strategy and reports

design and deployment of email marketing campaigns

design and deployment of social media marketing posts

data reporting and metrics tracking monthly to track our growth and progress

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

Brolik is transparent and communicative at all times of the project. They are extremely organizaed and flexible in working around schedule to accomodate needs and provide the greatest probability of success. Their deliverables are always on time and in the event that we have changes or suggestions, they work side-by-side with us to ensure we are pleased with the final product.

What was your primary form of communication with Brolik?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We found their ability to be data driven and metric oriented very impressive and comforting in our decision making. We have worked with other agencies before, some of which were creative and talented, but lacked the ability to provide truly tangible feedback and data which could be used to pivot or adjust the path forward. 

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

none

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO & Founder of CandidateNext

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

CandidateNext is an online self-guided resume-building platform. Our resumes are unique because they have a 1-2 minute video of the candidate embedded within.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Marketing Website Build-out
• Digital Marketing
• Branding

SOLUTION

How did you find Brolik?

Online Search

Why did you select Brolik over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Brolik’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Brolik worked with CandidateNext to create a marketing website, all branding materials and logos, and helped with us to develop a go-to-market strategy. CandidateNext is a new startup. Brolik worked directly with our Founder to develop business goals and create a digital marketing plan that helps to achieve the goals. Additionally, they developed quality branding materials, taglines and imagery that help us to communicate who we are to our customers. They gave us options to chose from and walked us through the process of selecting the best ones for our brand.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Quality website launched that included all branding and messaging. Go-to-market strategy is being measured by site traffic and paying subscribers to our product.

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

Brolik managed our various workstreams well and with high quality and much attention to detail. The project work was always on time and deadlines were met within the agreed upon timeframes. The team was very responsive to my questions and was pleasant to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with Brolik?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Brolik goes the extra mile. As the Founder, I approached them to perform specific functions as part of our launch. They often gave me additional "food for thought" and provided advising and guidance. For instance, as part of the go-to-market strategy, they discussed the need for an in-depth competitive analysis.

They were able to identify additional players in my marketplace that I was unaware of and helped me to develop a better marketing plan as a result. In that instance, they could have just done the work that I asked them to do, but I appreciate them taking a step back and providing me with additional information and context that I needed to make a better decision.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Bleau Consulting, a tech consulting firm. We offer consulting and development services around the Microsoft environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brolik?

We needed help with branding and marketing strategies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brolik provides branding and marketing services for us. We started the process by going through a discovery phase with several meetings to establish our target audience and the type of audience, personas, and customers we’re looking for. In addition, they helped us understand the value proposition we have in the market.

Their branding services have included putting together our logo, redesigning our website, establishing a color scheme, and creating collateral materials like email signatures, a proposal template, and a PowerPoint presentation deck. 

In terms of the marketing portion of the process, they help us manage our LinkedIn and YouTube accounts and make all the creative assets for that.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 4–5 members of their team, including Jessie (Content Strategist), Jason (CEO), Matt (CSO), a project manager, and other members of their marketing team.

How did you come to work with Brolik?

We put out an RFP, and Brolik reached out to us via LinkedIn.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent around $70,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2022, and the engagement is ongoing — we got them on retainer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve helped us increase our brand awareness — I’ve seen many more leads coming through our inbox.

How did Brolik perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a great team, but the project manager they assigned to us seems to be a new resource, so it has been challenging. Nonetheless, the rest of their team is professional, efficient, effective, and delivers on their promises. Regarding tools, we use Google Drive to share documents and Microsoft Teams for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very creative, thorough, and detail-oriented. In addition, they’re consummate professionals that have been in the market for a long time, so they’ve brought a lot of expertise to the table.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can improve their communication process through their project manager so they can understand our situation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared because Brolik’s team has a lot of questions regarding your company’s mission statement, structure, and marketing audiences.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of an association management company. We provide professional service to non-profits and associations, and we also plan international conferences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brolik?

We were trying to expand our marketing approach, specifically into the paid advertising arena. There was also a goal to rebrand our company and develop a marketing website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brolik ran us through an assessment period to help us understand what we might need. Then, they created a secondary proposal based on their understanding of our needs.

They proceeded to do web design and digital advertising on Google Ads and local media sites. Our site was built with a Craft CMS.

What is the team composition?

We work with Jason (Founder & CEO) and Matt (Partner & CSO), as well as our daily advertising team of two people. There are also 3–4 people assigned to the website.

How did you come to work with Brolik?

We developed an RFP and did some research on Clutch for firms to send the RFP to.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $125,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We receive many more leads now than we ever did before, and we’re very satisfied.

How did Brolik? perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very communicative and have always stayed within budget. Brolik’s team also excels at laying out deadlines. We mostly communicate through email and Google Meet. The collaboration took place on several Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really listened to what we needed. In the beginning, rather than telling us how things were going to be, they paid attention to what we were saying and understood exactly what our needs were and then built a plan around them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything to say about areas to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go in with the understanding that they’re going to begin with an assessment period. We didn’t know everything about our project going in, which was best, because they took their time. Therefore, go in with an open mind and be ready to learn and hear their recommendations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a life sciences museum in the Philadelphia area that primarily serves schools and families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brolik?

We were interested in putting together a campaign for exposure as well as developing the marketing materials for new revenue streams.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team took us through an identification process to determine our target audiences for various revenue streams. They offered us direction on some new and existing underdeveloped streams as well.

This way, we weren’t wasting energy on consumers that wouldn’t be interested in the product. For the new revenue streams, we determined who our clients were and the best strategies for reaching them. Primarily, we worked through social media. However, we also developed internal resources to ensure that all employees were synced up on our brand direction. 

What is the team composition?

We always had multiple people working on the project, but we typically had a primary contact or set of contacts. 

How did you come to work with Brolik?

I searched for a partner online by looking for agencies with good reviews. Then, I started reaching out to have conversations with some of the principles of those places. Their team was well-reviewed, and their CEO got back to me within 24 hours.

Our early meetings went very well. After learning about some of the other projects that they’re involved in, we decided to bring their team over to our museum. There, we determined that they would be a great fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $25,000–$50,000 on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project spanned September 2019–January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Most of the work they did was new to us. We didn’t have any of the internal processes set up that would allow us to run a marketing campaign like this. Now, we have things created from scratch that we can optimize over time. The deliverables are still existing and functioning.  

How did Brolik perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a consistent project manager for all of the work their team did. Their good with communication, always responsive to emails and calls. It doesn’t matter how we contact them, we can count on the work getting done extremely quickly. Additionally, they’re good about proactively checking in to let us know how our campaigns are performing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the resources of a large company, but the client relationship feels like we’re working with a small company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were incredibly happy in our engagement with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Map out your desired deliverables with them. Their team will already be recommending this, so take advantage of that opportunity.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We specialize in industrial rental boiler sales and service work. Our company was sold to another business recently, so my title shifted from CEO to VP.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brolik?

We’d done some website work in-house, but we needed a true partner to develop a digital marketing strategy for us in order to compete effectively in the space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a very technical business that would be very challenging for an outsider to understand. So, we put together the meat of the content. For instance, we’ve provided their team with photos, copy, videos, and case studies. It’s their job to package that information together for our website, social media channels, and email blasts.

On a monthly basis, meet with us to review our performance and organic rankings. In those discussions, they’re quick to hold themselves responsible for their work and guide us in the right direction. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of about five people. The size of the group depends on our project needs, but the same people have been there throughout much of our engagement with them. Jason (Owner, Brolik) is also always available to us.

How did you come to work with Brolik?

Our team did some research after interviewing an unfit partner that came by recommendation. We decided to work with them because they’re a young, local, enthusiastic group of talented people.

They asked us pointed questions about our needs early on to make sure they understood the challenges of our space. Their proposal involved a complete, comprehensive package that detailed how they make decisions and which audiences we’d be targeting in the process. I was really impressed with how quickly they were able to deliver that information. 

How much have you invested with them?

In the two years that we were handling a web redesign, we spent about $250,000. For the other years, its been closer to $125,000. They structure their rates based on hours they can put forth toward certain initiatives. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our collaboration in 2015, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve performed very well for us. Despite being in a market that focuses on Google Ads, they’ve kept us as the first organic search result for years in about six different keyword searches. We’ve been at the top of the list, and our customers are able to navigate our site easily. Additionally, the team incorporated a call to action on every page, driving traffic toward conversion. 

How did Brolik perform from a project management standpoint?

Either over the phone or in-person, their communication and project management capabilities are strong. Our point people are always available to us. They’ve always had the proper resources to complete projects on our timetable. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re personally invested in the results of their work. If something isn’t performing to their expectations, they’re motivated to problem-solve. That’s how we like to run our business, always thinking about quality.

They stay on top of our competitors and take action to keep us in the number one search result. Additionally, they make sure that our site adds value to our customers. It’s not just about traffic and keywords, we care about quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Certainly, there are times when I wish we had slightly better results here and there, but they’ve performed fantastically overall for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared and organized, because they’ll ask you more questions than you think you’ll be asked. So, it’s important to know your business, competition, and market to get to the bottom of what you need. They’re great at what they do, so be open to setting realistic goals with them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the marketing manager for an organization that provides underground utility locating.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brolik? 

The original reason I reached out to them was to redo our website. Our SEO was quite poor, and the site was pretty outdated.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Brolik completely redid the entire website. There's nothing that’s the same about it. The old site was on WordPress, and they switched us over to Craft CMS. We asked them for something fresh, new, relevant. As far as the specifics of the design itself, their team worked on putting it together. We also use them for video production. They enhance our video content for our social media campaign that we're currently running on Facebook and LinkedIn. They did some small one-off graphic design projects as well. 

What is the team composition?

Jason (CEO, Brolik) was our initial contact through the sales process and is still the main point of contact on the video work. The rest of the project was transitioned to a senior account executive. In total there are seven people I communicate with in-house, plus they contract out for some outside services.

How did you come to work with Brolik? 

I found them via a Google search. I reached out and interviewed several vendors. I went with them because I enjoyed the website work they’d done with other customers. Their video content really grabbed me. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $85,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in April 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brolik’s work definitely has had a positive impact. Our website is definitely much improved as is our SEO. We re-launched our Google Ads campaign, and it is doing really well. 

How did Brolik perform from a project management standpoint? 

Jason is awesome. We mainly communicate via email, and we also use GoToMeeting for calls. The main disappointment is with our account executive. We’ve had to send him things several times because he lost them. He managed the overall redesign, and that part of the project fell far behind schedule. The big reason for the delay was because he wasn't on top of his game, which I expressed to Jason when all of this went down. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

I’m most impressed with the new design they came up with for the website. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

Internal communication can definitely be improved, especially for the account executive that we deal with. There were some moving parts that got lost, or we had to send him things over and over again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own the marketing and oversee the operations for a residential heating and air conditioning contractor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brolik?

We’ve been in business for eight years, which makes us an immature company in this industry. We needed somebody to support us in sustaining growth. The biggest need was from a digital perspective, helping us to create and execute a digital marketing plan.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The relationship started with us committing to a retainer of 35 hours a month over the course of 12 months. For the first 90 days, they dug into both our background and that of the industry. They interviewed key personnel here and from a list of our promoters in the marketplace.

Brolik came back in 90 days and gave us a report on our industry’s digital points. They identified where the gaps are and where we could close the delta in terms of what we had previously done and what we were looking to do. Next they produced a nine month timeline for our key initiatives based on that research. They created and shared a document that we discuss every 30 days. It shows where we are on the timeline, what the path will be over the next 30 days, and the results of the past month.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with three people. One led the sales process; the chief strategy officer set up the first year of building the relationship out; and then the account manager handles the day-to-day questions of the project.

How did you come to work with Brolik?

We did research and sought referrals for local agencies that had digital expertise. I got their information from the Philadelphia Inquirer. We did a lot of work to make sure they were aligned with our vision that we had shared what we wanted out of an agency relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re spending $65,000 per year for the first three years. We also just committed to pay them $35,000 to work on our website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around September 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first part of the engagement was a lot about learning, and it was huge for us to understand the messaging. In terms of bottom line revenue, we grew as a company 32% this year over last year. We traditionally grew in the high teens to low 20s in the years prior to the engagement. Inbound leads also grew by 37%. I can't attribute the growth solely to Brolik but they gave us the ability to scale to that magnitude.

How did Brolik perform from a project management standpoint?

We're in touch daily as well as our standing meeting every 30 days. We use a video conference call for that monthly review. They reach out 10 days in advance to coordinate that conference call. They allow the communication to flow. The platforms they use aren’t complex or complicated. They have a system of Google documents that are shared between us and that allows for an ease of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide a greater level of transparency than other agencies, which is really important. We know that we won't go months or quarters without understanding what's happening with our project. They feel like an extension of our business. They're clear in terms of successes and failures, as opposed to creating excuses. One of the biggest differentiators is that they actually spent time on due diligence and reconnaissance of our industry and our business. They’re agile in terms of the ability to navigate change. Ease of our transactions is one of the great benefits of working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I understood that their niche is digital. We would love for them to continue to build out from a graphics design perspective. We'll see how they do with the look and feel of the website.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Beginning the relationship with due diligence was the key to our success. It shortened the learning curve of the agency/client relationship. Definitely push them and continue to ask questions of them. Make sure that they’re going through that process and using it as a tool to understand what happens next.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at Joe Hand Promotions. We’re the nation’s oldest and largest provider of Pay Per View events to commercial establishments like bars and restaurants. We have exclusive deals with content providers and partner with venues to place the PPV event in their bar and help them promote it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brolik?

We needed help with lead generation and brand awareness to expand beyond our existing client base. We were going to use digital channels to target independent sports bars who didn’t think they could afford PPV.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project began as a rebrand before shifting to lead generation and finally transforming into a website development effort. We were known for our UFC distribution, but we wanted to change that reputation after acquiring new content. Our brand imagery was UFC-heavy, so Brolik switched us to a value-based proposition determined by what we could do for our customers rather than who we represent. They created imagery and a new slogan that describes the value we bring to bars and restaurants. Currently, they run digital marketing campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.

Updating our website with the new branding was much harder than anyone anticipated. Our platform was not one many people were experts in, and it hadn’t been updated in many years. They moved us off of our custom ExpressionEngine CMS to a platform with a more flexible design and navigation. This modern style gives us more control. We upgraded our CRM independent of our work with Brolik, but they helped us connect it to our website when it got unexpectedly technical.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people during the rebrand and initial consultation including the owner, the CCO, their point person for bringing in new business, and a few others. We currently have two points of contact.

How did you come to work with Brolik?

I looked up digital marketing agencies in Philadelphia (I wanted to work with someone local) and interviewed 3–4 of them. Brolik’s research-based approach and ability to get to know our business quickly made us choose them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spend $5,000 per month on average.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It has been a learning process. We haven’t had great success regarding our Facebook campaign, as our B2B audience is tough to identify (owners, operators, and marketing managers for bars), but we’ve been experimenting a lot.

More recently, we had a huge UFC fight with a specific campaign that really performed. 25 sales came in just based on Brolik’s lead forms and ads. We’d only had one or two sales up that point, but they came through with that campaign.

How did Brolik perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re willing to help in any way we need within a given month. We communicate by email almost daily, and I have a weekly call with the lead project manager. There’s also a monthly call with the two members of their team and our entire marketing and product team and business development head.

Overall, they’re quite effective at dealing with challenges that arise. Our goals have changed a few times and soaked up many of their hours, but they always stay in touch with us and provide what we need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re outstanding at adapting to whatever we need and solving both marketing and technical problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t, because their communication has improved over the course of the engagement. We added weekly calls to supplement our monthly calls, which we also requested be less technical. They were giving us lots of information we found unnecessary and repetitive, so we asked to receive a quick review and then move into a strategy session for the upcoming month. They adapted, and our communication has been much better in the second half of the year.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They do their homework, take their time getting to know you, and are committed to the research process. People should give them a hard look. I certainly recommend them to any business near our size that's looking for an agency.