Chatterkick

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the assistant general manager and VP of operations at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Sioux City, Iowa. We’re a gaming facility with restaurants, live entertainment, and a hotel. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We came onto the market in 2013 to try and win the licensing to build a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in our city. We engaged Chatterkick to assist us in building a social presence to get our message out to our community. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a lot of information to get out to our community and create a lot of buzz around the project, so Chatterkick put together our social media marketing strategy. They worked diligently to ensure all the content we posted online was relevant to our needs and reflected the Hard Rock aesthetic. Chatterkick was instrumental in keeping us at the forefront of the community’s mind when we were up against other bidders for the Hard Rock licensing.  

We’ve continued to work with Chatterkick over the last few years. They continue to run our digital marketing and Facebook account — we provide them with information we need to promote or announce. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with several teammates from Chatterkick. 

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

When we first came into the area, we wanted to work with a company in the region. Very few companies specialized in social media, and Chatterkick soon rose to the top because they had a very polished approach. We were one of Chatterkick’s first key accounts, and their portfolio has expanded since our first conversation with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested just under $500,000 with Chatterkick thus far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We first began working with Chatterkick in June 2013 and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As of the last time I checked, we had under 100,000 followers on Facebook, which is very impressive for a community of this size. Chatterkick ensures that their engagement practices and strategies evolve based on our changing needs. Chatterkick is great at looking to the future to see where we need to focus our efforts to engage our audience.   

Chatterkick has kept us relevant and helped us grow our online platform exponentially. The partnership has been first-class. Our engagement has done nothing but pay dividends since its start. 

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

We have yearly reviews meetings with Chatterkick — we also have monthly and weekly recaps. Communication is a constant back and forth. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Chatterkick is constantly looking for ways to evolve their strategy with our industry — they’re always looking for best practices to benefit us. Chatterkick is very proactive and is always ahead of the game in our ever-changing industry. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything for Chatterkick to improve — our relationship couldn’t be any better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients need to be completely transparent in their vision and arm Chatterkick with all the information they need to deliver the best results. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the social media/project manager person at a business consulting company. We specialize in leadership development, strategic planning, and executive coaching.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chatterkick?

We needed someone to expand our horizons. We had a presence on social media, but we were looking for more. What tips/tricks do they have to create more engagement, what platforms do we need to be on, what's new, etc. They also do our capture contents, which include video, boomerangs, headshots, photos of us in action, and of our space. We look to them for anything social media/marketing related. We have gotten to know them and vice-versa, so they know what we can do and what they would recommend they could help us with.

SOLUTION

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

Andrea, our president, knew Beth from an executive networking group. Beth came in to talk with us and we were sold. Very easy going, understood our business, and gave us ideas to try out that very same day.

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

After an initial meeting, they came in to help us decide a strategy. What were we wanting to improve or work on. We did a deep dive into everything we have done and then what were we capable of doing. It has evolved over the years and they have always been our champion. If they know we can do something on our own, they give us the tools to do that and don't try to charge us more and do it themselves.

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

We have worked with so many of their team members. Chatterkick is very good at bringing in their experts for meetings that we have where we are focusing on specific topics. If we are looking at ads, Beth will bring her ad strategist in. Or content capture, we work closely with Allison, who is full of great ideas and has a great way of putting people at ease. She always has the content capture day mapped out and gets the shots done quickly and effectively.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were non-existent on Instagram before we started working with Chatterkick. We were concentrating on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Beth had to bring it up for a couple months, showing us the benefits and features and now we have Instagram and our followers are growing. Chatterkick never tries to make us something we aren't. We aren't trendy or hip, so at this point, certain platforms might not be right for us, but she still shows us tips and tricks from those platforms, so we are staying "in the know".

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They have shown us so many tools that we have implemented to make our work flow and social media posts run more smoothly. We were meeting with someone from their team monthly, but now we are doing longer quarterly meetings. They bring our numbers from the last quarter, how our social media is growing, things to watch out for, and what to look ahead for.

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

We were impressed by how down to earth they are. They don't try to talk over us or make us do the newest/most trendy things. They took the time to get to know us, our brand, and how much time we had to work on social media posts and our site.

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

Nope! They continue to evolve with us and our brand. Finding new ways to be beneficial to us and where we are in our business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director at a non-profit cancer center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our previous website was out-of-date and not user-friendly. Being new to the Cancer Center, I also wanted previous analytics looked at to help determine what our viewers were spending time on and looking for. This would help determine navigation. Goals included better user experience and increased traffic.

SOLUTION

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

I was looking for a partner who would help create a new website that was both functional but looked great. Having someone who would help with continued expansion and possible issues was important. Cost also was a factor.

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

Their process was ideal! A kick off meeting to set goals. Proposal came back. We finalized and agreed upon responsibilities and a timeline. The process was followed and updates communicated - I could always pull out the initial document to see where at in the implementation process, but I also had one point of contact telling me what they would need next.

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

Project Manager, Designer, and a couple other team members. What I liked the most is the project manager is who I dealt with. One point of contact!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We loved the new design and navigation. Analytics show traffic increased and while people are spending less time on the site, we think it's a positive because they find what they need quickly/easily.

As the back-side user, the platform is so easy to use. This saves me time and money. Chatterkick has assisted as I wanted to make new changes/updates or had ongoing questions. I am very pleased with the result of this project!

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

Weekly email updates. Calls when needed more communication. In-person meetings when we need to strategize issues or new ideas.

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

Chatterkick gave us a professional, patient-friendly website that is easy to update. They provided thorough training. And they continue to provide support with team consistency when I bring new projects to them which is great for me because do not have to "reteach" them about my organization.

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

I wanted a special feature included on our site which is an additional program added that has bugs sometimes. Not Chatterkick's fault, but that is what I would change.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Jolly St. Nick, a startup that provides virtual Santa visits, elf craft parties, and jolly gift bags to families with kids below the age of eight. Our goal is to help people celebrate and enjoy the holidays, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We were in our first year of business, so we needed someone to help us shape our brand based on our objectives and identify our target audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chatterkick provided an overall strategic plan to help our brand get started. We had several brainstorming sessions with their team where we discussed our goals. Then, the team talked to some of our target audience through a focus group. 

Based on their understanding of our target audience and what we were trying to achieve, Chatterkick then created a unique proposition to help us execute our vision. It detailed how we could roll out our brand, taglines and promotional pieces we could use, a potential look and feel, color palette, and so on.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six people: the founder, a principal, and four other individuals who helped us with design, social media, and advertising. They came together to create the strategy for us.

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

We found them through one of their online ads, and we also talked to someone they had worked with, who said that Chatterkick did an outstanding job. We called them and hit it off. Their ideas were also excellent, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

It cost approximately $10,000. It was a relatively small project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were looking for out-of-the-box creativity and strategies, and Chatterkick helped us get to that level. They put together a solid plan for us that tackled all various aspects, and their work helped us go forward in the best way. The team went above and beyond what we asked from them.

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

The team did an excellent job. From the moment we reached out to Chatterkick, they did an incredible job of getting back to us and going out of their way to update us. We communicated via email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Chatterkick exceeded our very high expectations. The level of creativity they brought was fantastic, and they were a pleasure to work with. Every time we talked to them, they had a new, unique idea. It was evident that they put a lot of energy and effort into the project. We were really impressed with their ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything bad to say about them — they did an incredible job. The project went well, and we intend on working with Chatterkick again. They’re the first team we would call if we need more help.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I serve as the communications and marketing lead for the Des Moines Airport Authority. The Airport Authority manages the daily operations of the Des Moines International Airport.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chatterkick?

The DSM Airport has never had a robust social media strategy. We hired Chatterkick to build a playbook of best practices for current strategists to use while also creating a living document for succession planning.

SOLUTION

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

We reached out to several agencies to partner with us on developing a social media strategy that was tailored to our staff structure. Chatterkick took the time to understand the needs of our organization while delivering a proposal that fit within our budget.

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

After the initial meeting, they identified key areas the Airport staff should focus on to build our social media presence. The playbook included an overview of the platform and the audiences we could reach, suggested content for each platform, and when and how to use hashtags to expand reach. Chatterkick guided us in subscribing to SproutSocial, a social media management tool, which has streamlined our social content and made it manageable.

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

We worked with the CEO, a creative experience manager, and a social media strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The playbook allowed our small team to organize content, target specific audiences, and deliver more information messaging to the community.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Chatterkick team was very responsive and proactive in reaching out to ensure they delivered on the project.

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

The Chatterkick team was very knowledgeable in all things social. They made the experience efficient while meeting our expectations. As the organization is growing, they have managed to maintain the level of customer service you would expect from a boutique firm.

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

We were delighted with our experience and wouldn't change any part of the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Greene County Development Corporation, the economic development unit for Greene County and the surrounding region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We hired Chatterkick to work on three different projects, including digital marketing and online training.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once we contacted them, we had several meetings. Then they provided a proposal for each project. Once we reviewed each proposal with the board and accepted it, we started working on our first project.

First, they developed an online survey for the establishment of a coworking space. Then they created a county-wide marketing plan. Then for our third project, they provided online training for our local retailers. They hosted Zoom training sessions to teach them online best practices.

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with about four different people. We worked with Beth (CEO & Founder) on each project and 2–3 other people.

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

They were recommended to us by another company in the community.

How much have you invested with them?
We’ve roughly spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them from June 2010 and wrapped up around September 2010. We started working with them again in March 2021 and are now nearing the final step of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered everything that was in the initial proposal. Due to their support, we were able to open the coworking space in our community, and it’s doing very well.

The training they provided has also been very successful; our retailers were able to implement the information Chatterkick provided, and sales have already improved.

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job managing the project, meeting deadlines, and sticking to our budget.

They provided ongoing updates, were responsive, and were available for questions throughout the project. We used email, phone, and Zoom to communicate with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re familiar with current internet options and processes. They know how to deal with different platforms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we are happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend them. They’re experts in their industry. We felt like we could rely on their recommendations and suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Siouxland Human Investment Partnership, a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We needed help with social media management.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chatterkick handled our Facebook account. They created two posts every week based on the content we sent them. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 6–7 people. 

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

I used to work with the founder of Chatterkick.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from February 2014–January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Chatterkick, we secured an increase in engagement, impressions, and likes. They created a solid online presence for us.

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job. We mainly communicated through email or phone calls, and they were very accessible. Additionally, we had yearly meetings to talk about their strategy for the coming year.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was really open to whatever we wanted to do. Chatterkick seemed invested in our success, so we appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve helped us more with the content. In the end, most of the content was supplied by us. It was also quite inconvenient that our point of contact also changed a lot throughout the years of the engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief insights officer at a consumer engagement agency that uses merchandise solutions to drive impact for brands and consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We started working with a marketing agency for the first time. We had done all of our marketing in-house previously. We didn’t feel that we had the ability to stay current and understand what was going on in the marketplace and create growth opportunities. We worked with a small marketing agency that helped us get off the ground. It became apparent that they didn’t have the resources to help us continue to grow.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chatterkick helps us on two major fronts; they help us around social content and making sure we’ve got good conversations in the marketplace going on LinkedIn and Facebook. Chatterkick helps us with a lot of the content work. We give them the raw materials and they can get it into the right voice for us. They’ve helped us prepare for some ad spend that we might deploy as well. 

They also help us with HubSpot as a lead generation and contact management tool. We also use it for our email deployments to improve our practices in that area. The team makes sure that we send the right information at the right time. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Beth (CEO) and half a dozen employees. They’ve definitely shared their philosophy around having a pod of people with different specialties. It was a much more helpful set up than the last agency. 

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

One of our executives happened to meet Beth at an industry event. He was impressed with her and we decided to do some due diligence. We brought them on to do some initial discovery and project work in December 2020. 

We were all very pleased with that experience, and we decided to put a retainer in place for the rest of 2021. We loved their approach to things. They were friendly, engaging, knowledgeable, and willing to listen. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000–$200,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020, and our work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen tremendous gains in the basic metrics of followers on LinkedIn and Facebook. The level of engagement is up too, especially around the number of people on our posts. 

We’ve seen our website traffic up by 35–40% YoY. We’re even starting to get some email outreach from people we’ve never heard of. Things are working well. On the whole, I’m really pleased with the fit, and I’m pleased with the results I’m seeing. 

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is perfectly good. Everything seems to be on time, especially in comparison to our last agency. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They continue to help guide and lead up in a collaborative manner. At the same time, they’re good at reminding us about our commitments. They seem ready to pivot where they need to be. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Twice a year, we have strategic check-ins where we assess where we’ve gone right and wrong. Sometimes they’re a little overly rosy about their interpretation of the results. There was some turnover as well that led to us having to do more work on our creative posts. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to do the right due diligence. Have those up-front conversations. Be really clear and specific about your needs that will get translated into a statement of work. The team will use that as their roadmap and deliver on it. 
 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

President/CEO/Founder of a heavy civil/industrial construction company and professional services engineering/surveying construction firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chatterkick?

Initially websites. Then marketing materials. Then social media and other marketing.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Had other marketing firms in the past, but not satisfied. Was familiar with them as they are local.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We are a growing family of companies in the EPC world that needed marketing. We have no in-house marketing and looked to outsource. We initially hired them for websites. We were pleased with the results to it grew into marketing materials, then social media campaigns, and now email marketing campaigns.

What was the team composition?

I've worked mainly with Beth and Kristy but also Allison. They seem to assign a main contact person but then branch out for specialized services. For example Kristy was more involved with video capture...Allison did more interviewing of me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are definitely getting more notice by people. I've had clients and others comment they did not know we do all the scopes of work we do "like what do you not do??". I do think they help get the message out with respect to our capabilities.

I also use the marketing material often they provided us. I don't know I can point to any one project that we landed due to their involvement. However I think it is only a matter of time before that changes.....mainly they are giving us exposure and brand awareness. Which i like

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their workflow is good. They are more responsive than we are :-) If there is an issue we bring it up, they address it, and it is resolved.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Probably their responsiveness. If I am irritated--not that that ever happens ;-)--I know I can shoot a text to Beth or Kristy whenever (after hours, etc) and I more than likely will get a response. We had some issues with the tone of some of their writings initially--I was just frustrated with their tone. It wasn't bad, just wasn't my/our style. They listened, pivoted, and fixed it.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Not that I can think of immediately.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the marketing manager for Cowgirl Up for Jaci: Roping in a CURE for ALS. Jaci was a young woman who was diagnosed with ALS. Her twin sister also suffered from ALS. By the time Jaci had an illness, there was an experimental drug that she could use. As a result, we needed to raise money quickly and get the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the drug for her to take during that timeframe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

An ALS national nonprofit organization had given us an amount of money to promote and market Jaci’s story to help her raise funds. The drug’s cost was $600,000. Apart from raising the money, we wanted to get her story out to the world so that the FDA would approve of it quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chatterkick provided digital marketing services. The team specifically created Facebook Ads. The whole premise of the campaign was to get people to donate to GoFundMe, so we needed a clickable link on our ads. They wrote down everything that they were going to do as well as the posts that they had in mind. On top of that, they gave details on the people they were going to target and I just had to approve it. Once their strategy was approved, they gave us a breakdown of the total people they reached and the total donations that were made. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Beth (CEO & Founder) and two other employees from Chatterkcik. 

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

I built Jaci’s Facebook page. When the ALS nonprofit gave us some funds to promote Jaci’s story, I mentioned the possibility of Chatterkick helping us. I told them I had already worked with the team in my past job; they used to help us with social media campaigns for specific shows for the local theater and arena. I also loved their content because they shared free tips with marketers.

When I finally reached out to Chatterkick, they were happy to help once they found out about Jaci’s story. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement happened in April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In one week, we received $38,000 worth of donations on Jaci’s GoFundMe page because of Chatterkick’s work — our investment with them was worth it.

We highly appreciate that they were very supportive even after our project ended. They made videos for Jaci, and they helped us create some of the graphics. Their passion and care to enable Jaci in receiving the drugs she needed were impressive.

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated through email and phone calls. They were so thorough, and they kept us updated on the project’s progress. They showed us all the metrics we needed to know.

When I wanted close captioning done on Jaci’s videos, they were able to help me with that because I couldn't complete it while on the road. They got the job done even though it was already Friday night. They were pretty amazing because they were willing to do something extra for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Chatterkick was a social media marketing expert. I always went back to them for advice, and I kept hiring them because they get the results that I want. On top of that, they were knowledgeable on where we should spend our money to reach the audience we want to reach. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they had no areas for improvement. They never let me down, and they were absolutely wonderful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want to work with a social media marketing expert, Chatterkick is the best company to work with. Beth speaks at national conventions for marketers — she’s knowledgeable, so do the employees she works with. It’s great to have people like them that support businesses that are not familiar with the world of digital marketing. Overall, having an agency like Chatterkick is critical to your success.