Coalition Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Communications for Generous Coffee. We are a for profit, for purpose coffee company that sells craft coffee and apparel, and donates 100% of the profits back to nonprofits and purposeful organizations. We have an online retail store and a physical coffee shop in Golden, Colorado.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Coalition for SEO - specifically through copy, content, design, development, reporting, analytics, and more! Our goal was to increase traffic to our site and get people to buy coffee.

SOLUTION

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

Our President found Coalition on Google and reached out for an initial meeting. We first met with Charles to get a better understanding of what Coalition had to offer. After learning more about their services, and the excitement that Charles had about this partnership, we felt a special connection with Coalition. They were the first SEO company we talked with who actually cared about the work we were doing, and wanted to come alongside us and help us grow.

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

We began with a discovery phase where we had a long call with the entire team and shared about Generous. We shared all the big and small details - anything and everything that would help Coalition better understand our goals and desires for our future. After this initial call, there was lots of follow up for clarification. This led to another call where they then laid out how we would reach our goals. They helped us with different factors of SEO including keyword research, website copy, content, design, development, reporting, and analytics.

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

There were 2 SEO specialists (Senior Digital Producer and Digital Producer) who were our main points of contact and did all the communication for us on behalf of everyone else in the company. They have been amazing to work with. Their communication is quick and efficient, yet so personable!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very much in the beginning stages, but since implementing, our site traffic is already growing! In general, Coalition has been reporting analytics to us often and all of the analytics are trending positive and setting us up for success.

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

They were amazing to work with and kept us in the loop with everything going on. The three main ways we communicated were through Basecamp, email, and Zoom calls. Each form of communication was not only very thorough, but it was timely. They connected with us in a way that was professional, but also very personable and relatable!

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

There are many amazing things about Coalition - but the best two things is their work and their personality. Everyone on the team truly cares about this project and we can feel their passion and belief for our company. They truly want us to succeed, and that reflects in the conversations they have with us. On top of that, their talk is NOT cheap. They work quickly and efficiently and produce such great work.

After their first batches of copy were written, it was clear that they effectively understood who we were as a company, and they were able to convey that in an 'seo' efficient way through copy! Just today we received what's on the agenda for the following weeks for them to roll out, and they are on top of it all and get everything checked off the list so quickly!

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

Nope! All around they truly are so great and there isn't anything that I would change!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of an online Jewelry/Crystal store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our company is a startup business, and we need help with all aspect of e-commerce business. Building and designing our e-commence store is an integral part of it.

SOLUTION

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

We searched and looked for a reputable company to work with. When I stumbled upon an ad from Coalition Technologies. I reached out to Coalition Technologies and submitted an online application.

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

I had a written communication with the head of the project to discuss what I want to accomplish for my ecommerce store. From there, Faye created the theme for us and developed the home page based on my target audience. She provided me with a step-by-step instruction including screen shots on how I can input the product information.

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

I only worked with the head of the free website Project. Her Name is Faye.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I cannot provide a measurable outcome since we have not launch yet. But overall, I am happy with the deliverables. Coalition was very responsive. Faye always makes herself available each time I have a question.

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

We communicated mostly through emails. Faye is very timely in responding to my questions. She even wrote down a step-by-step instruction and created a how-to video to help me navigate throughout the process of setting up my ecommerce store.

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

I find most impressive is the ability to use a human side of the business. Their ability to empathize with me helped me overcome the daunting task of setting up my e-commerce business. I have encountered some IT individuals who do not know how to relate with small business owner. They act like a robot.

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

Since I'm on a free website project, there are certain things that she cannot help me with which I understand. I just wish that it can be extended to theme and design customization beyond theme installation.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of product for a boutique of ecommerce retail stores

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

As we converted to Shopify, we had some long standing technical SEO challenges based around our product data that we were looking to solve.

SOLUTION

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

From our first call with Coalition, it became obvious that they were the right vendor to partner with. In the RFP process we were able to go pretty deep in conversation on possible solutions and it was clear that they were a partner and not just filling a need.

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

Our solution began with a discovery phase and a lot of discussion regarding how things are set up today, how we can amend that product setup to better aid in a scalable solution.

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

They assigned a project manager to assist with our project and ultimately 2 technical leads who assisted in the day-to-day work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were looking to solve specific product consolidation goals in a scalable fashion that would not only serve our first website, but easily scale to the others.

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

We had weekly meetings as well as multiple discussions through Basecamp.

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

It was a true partnership where they never told me what I wanted to hear but were very open and honest throughout the journey. They were exactly what I want in a vendor partnership.

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

I honestly have zero complaints from my project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the digital sales and marketing manager for Tayse. We plan to build a B2C platform where products can be sold online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

Coalition Technologies supported us with the development of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coalition Technologies helped us build our website using BigCommerce. The team used a template, but we requested customized features for B2C funnels. We also created a lot of custom HTML pages for our products in order to get a high-level UX and a trendy UI.

We knew what we wanted at the beginning of this project, so we presented the details and our mockups to Coalition Technologies. They also recommended plugins and other technologies that we could use to make the site easy to access from anywhere. One major feature that they developed is the countdown timer for specific products and the daily changes in our promotions, which could enable our customers to get really good prices and discounts. 

Coalition Technologies also provided a solution so that each product page has different options, such as sizing or color. They created, mapped, and integrated an algorithm to show each of our product’s various selections. 

Their team then helped us with SEO for six months, which was important for this type of B2C channel. We put in the page titles, product descriptions, meta titles, and keywords. 

What is the team composition?

There were approximately 10 different people that we engaged and communicated with. The digital product manager was our main point of contact for the development side of the project, I was in touch with her twice a week. Jessica (Digital Producer), on the other hand, was managing the SEO team and was our contact person for the SEO project.

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

We did some research on LinkedIn and looked into the portfolios and services of various companies.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $45,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from March 2021–March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s still too early to tell of any impact, but we have integrated all of the Google tools and have begun our digital marketing campaign. We’ve begun to see 3,500 visitors coming to the website from paid media and around 100 daily organic visitors. I think these are good metrics and are a really good start for us. Coalition Technologies did a really good job.

I would say I am 90% satisfied with the work that they completed since 100% isn’t very realistic. The team exceeded our expectations and produced the design that we wanted, which is a trendy UI/UX. They used all new technologies to make our website easily accessible from anywhere.

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed the budget and timeline well until about 9–10 months in. For the last couple of months, we needed to use their flex account; we didn’t complete some parts of the website, so we had to use some additional features. If I was to rate the overall project management, I would say they were 80% successful.

We used phone, email, and Basecamp for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Coalition Technologies is very responsive and reachable, which was important, especially at the beginning of the project. Whenever we wanted revisions or changes to be made, they took care of it. They’re very communicative and supportive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The website could’ve been made more high speed, and I think that’s related to content planning and content management — like displaying high-pixel images and videos while reducing their size. Right now, though, we’re pretty satisfied. We don’t need to maintain much.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I really recommend working with Coalition. If you want to develop a website using BigCommerce technology, they have a professional, organized, and communicative team that knows what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the marketing director for Eighty Six Brand, a Delta-8 THC brand based out of Southern California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Full-service SEO

SOLUTION

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

We followed a referral from one of our other marketing directors that heard of the agency. They were priced lower than our other SEO firm and given the successes and failures of the other SEO firm, we wanted a fresh look at our brands.

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

Increase SEO ranking on the website versus other websites, light shopify development work, improving copy for products and overall website.

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

Annamariah Scott - Project Manager Matt Donnelly - Assistant Project Manager Jameson Weiss - Former Assistant Project Manager Sam Bixler - Copy Strategist

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before Coalition SEO, Eighty Six Brand averaged about $1000/day in gross retail sales. Now we are averaging about $3200-3500/day. About 65% of that comes from google organic search. So this means the SEO is doing its thing and we're happy about that.

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

I like the fact that we have meetings every 2 weeks. By the end of the month, all deliverables are completed. They also have flexibility in case there are short-term, urgent tasks that need to be done.

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

They have 2 project managers to tag team everything and anything and everything is recorded to stay on track.

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

Switch the main communication away from basecamp.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a co-founder of a lingerie business that sells our products online. I am the CTO running the IT and data functions of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We are brand new to US markets. We need Coalition's help in building our brand, gaining the trust of potential customers, improve our web traffic and conversions.

SOLUTION

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

We did a very thorough online search and have interviewed more than 10 potential vendors. We chose Coalition because of their digital marketing expertise, expertise in SEO and social media, and professionalism of the team

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

Our initial steps include website/copy/keyword improvement for SEO, social media marketing strategies, email campaigns, etc. We will be tracking our progress using Google analytics, CT's proprietary reports, and Matomo

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

We are working with two digital producers/account managers, one social media producer, one emailing marketer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, we are very satisfied with the quality of the work that Coalition Technologies provides.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have bi-monthly meetings and maintain constant communications with the Coalition team via Basecamp and emails.

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

They not only know what they in digital marketing but also try very hard to understand our business such that they put a spin to apply their digital expertise in our specific domain.

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

Since their IT department is mainly India-based, there's some room for improvement to facilitate the communications between their IT and the customer's IT team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of E-Commerce for a consumer electronics company. I manage the day-to-day operations of our online store, and all front-end and back-end development projects related to our online experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Initially, we hired Coalition to build our first BigCommerce store. Over the many years we've worked together, we have launched 3 major re-designs (and a re-platform to Shopify) with Coalition's development support.

SOLUTION

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

Coalition was selected due to their "out of the box" thinking, finding creative solutions to our strict business needs that limited our technical approaches.

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

For re-designs, we work through a detailed project scope with a few discovery calls to talk through functionality that needs to be discussed in detail. The project is executed step-by-step with ongoing review steps, with final QA and launch in-sync with the rest of the internal teams that need to stay involved. In terms of ongoing development projects, we communicate via Basecamp with new tasks / briefs until final delivery.

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

Over the years, I have worked with 3 different account managers who are my daily go-to contacts, and a slew of developers with different specialties, depending on the project or task at hand. I'm also in communication with their President and COO in cases of escalation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unfortunately, specific outcomes are confidential. I can only say that our online business has vastly grown in the last 4 years, and we could not have achieved that without Coalitions development support.

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

Day-to-day communication / new tasks & briefs are done via Basecamp and weekly calls with our account manager.

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

They respect our specific business needs and brand guidelines. We have very strict requirements, and Coalition always keeps these in mind when proposing technical and design directions for projects.

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

As with many agencies, you can't always get full attention. With a variety of clients, sometimes another client's urgent tasks take priority over your non-urgent tasks. That's just a given when working with an agency instead of having an in-house (and far more expensive) team. That being said, Coalition is always communicative of any potential project delays.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a family fence company. We service residential and commercial clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them for SEO and website maintenance to increase rankings and gain awareness.

SOLUTION

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

I researched a handful of companies in this field and felt they were well qualified and met our budget for the project.

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

They write copy for our website and create informative blogs. They fix errors throughout our website and create back link to help rankings.

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

I have worked with about 6 different project managers and they were all very nice and helpful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we have started working with coalition our rankings have increased and our web traffic has almost doubled. We rank 1st for most of our search terms in our area.

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

They have always been consistent and on time. They use a platform called basecamp where all of our notes and work is listed and I know exactly what they are working on and what they need me to approve as well.

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

I would say how consistent they are as a whole. I have not once felt like something changed for the worse or a new somebody was a decrease to our end goal. It's been very steady and it's nice to have consistency in the workplace.

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

Currently our business has grown to new heights in over 35 years so I can't complain about anything at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I manage the eCommerce segment of the business. I am very familiar with SEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Coalition Technologies to manage our SEO and provide web development. Also, assist with a migration.

SOLUTION

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

I looked for the top SEO companies in the USA using a variety of online review platforms. Coalition Technologies consistently was at the top of their lists, and they seemed to be doing excellent SEO for themselves. I interviewed a few companies alongside theirs. CT provided the most value over cost, so we went with them.

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

On site/off site/technical SEO, frontend web development, redirect strategy, migration consulting, content creation (on and off site).

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

Main communication is between me and 2 digital producers, also, CEO is always CC'ed. They communicate requirements back to various teams/departments.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have the #s in front of me, but organic traffic has increased, organic sales increased. I'm pleased with the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We meet every 2 weeks. Also, email reports and recaps are provided after the meeting. In between meetings, they are attentive to my questions. Many times, I've received responses after-hours, same-day.

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

The communication is great! They make it their goal to understand out business and convey it better than we could with our own content.

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

I am accustomed to an agile development process, which has it's weaknesses. So I may be biased when I say I wish the web development happened faster. But that's not a great concern. We are getting better quality development with their process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an entertainment company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

We needed help with SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coalition Technologies helped us with on-site SEO. We first discussed our issues with the team, and they then corrected them. It was a very brief project.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jordan (President) and Douglas (Digital Strategist).

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

We found them through our attorney.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were wonderful — the team jumped right in and fixed our problems quickly. Their expertise was fantastic.

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job with communicating and hitting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was honest and did a great job. They were reasonably priced and really went the extra mile.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they could’ve improved — they were a great team.