Cofa Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a digital marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We brought in a new client in the health supplement arena where a next-level approach to website design and Shopify development was needed. Goals included an innovative way to present health and ingredient information as well as clean and modern development with online conversion potential.

SOLUTION

How did you select Cofa Media and what were the deciding factors?

We have worked with Cofa Media in the past and they always overdeliver and do fantastic and professional work. They also never miss deadlines.

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

Scope of work for this project included design of all pages of the Ecommerce website for this new product launch, as well as seamless Shopify development bringing the design to life with proper functionality. We needed an innovative user experience, seamless mobile friendliness and front end / back end customization.

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

We worked directly with the design team, and when creative assets were approved, we worked with Cofa Media's development team. The owner of the company frequently reached out to us to ensure seamless project progress which was unique and most appreciated.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client loves their site, met their vision and has been doing a great job converting. Seen measurable decreases in bounce rates and increases in user engagement from signing up for their email list to purchases to subscription purchases.

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

We had frequent communication with Cofa Media, and they provided innovative 3rd party tools that helped the process and communication move forward seamlessly including Zeplin wireframing software, and Active Colab for project updates and other communication. Timelines were always met.

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

As stated previously this is not our first engagement with Cofa Media. They followed through with what was promised and had a very keen eye in what they do.

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

Nothing to share here regarding areas of improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and a co-founder of Optimatic. We’re a programmatic media agency. We buy programmatic media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

We needed a web presence for our launch, so they designed and built our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Originally, when we approached Cofa, we only had a logo. I talked to Edwin (CEO) about providing basically a design service for us for our website, all the way through to development. I gave them the logo, as well as 4-5 different websites that I liked the design of. With those two things, they came back with an initial wireframe. They made sure everything was there on the backend, as well as the lead gen system and the “Contact Us” page. The site is set up on WordPress. We’re not using it right now, but they also set up a blog section.

What is the team composition?

Edwin was our main point of contact. We also had a lot of contact with another resource but Edwin made sure the process was moving along properly.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media?

I’ve known Edwin for a little bit, and he was a recommendation from one of my partners that had used him before. Going with him versus some of the others we were talking to come down to their budget, how easy they were to talk to, and the work/feedback process.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $27,000-$28,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

First, they were able to do exactly what we wanted within the budget we gave them. They also hit the time period. I’ve worked with many developers and had both good and not-so-good experiences, and Cofa did great with timing and approvals.

Everyone has been impressed with the website. The look is great, and it’s very user-friendly. There hasn’t been any user feedback. We’ve all been big fans.

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very strong, communicating well and getting back to us fast. I have no complaints. Originally, we had a phone call to get on the same page, and most of the account management was through email with Edwin. The project stuff was done through a tool called ActiveCollab.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From my side, it was their ability to run with the ideas I gave them. There was a lot of freedom for them to have fun with the design; it went very well. I didn’t have to micromanage them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one thing I would have liked to come through was during the development stage. I would have liked a few more updates on where things were at. I had to follow up and see where they were at a few times.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your ideas in mind and don’t be afraid to give them feedback as they work through the design. They’re really good at listening to that feedback. The first rounds were good but rough, and they were good about taking every bit of feedback I had.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Chief Creative Officer of a company that specializes in strategic positioning and brand activation for clients in the science or health arenas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

We don’t have an inhouse development team, so we rely on them for anything digital-development related required by our third-party clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide all the digital assets requested by the large brands we work with. They provide web development, where we bring UX/UI wireframes to them and they implement these designs. They’ve created several custom CMSs for us and can handle many tech stacks.

What is the team composition?

I usually work with two people, Edwin (Founder, Cofa Media) and a project manager. I rely on Edwin for technical questions that come up.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media?

We had mutual friends that recommended them to us. We had a couple of test projects and their success with those secured the relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent somewhere between $50,000–$100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in February of 2019, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been a very reliable partner. They’ve been flexible about taking on smaller projects and have been accommodating of the pricing agreements that come with those. There have been several instances where they had to turn a solution around very quickly, and they were able to meet those tight deadlines.

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their English is perfect, and while things often get lost in translation when you’re working with offshore teams, their team has been reliable, responsive, and easy to communicate with. Cultural differences haven’t been an issue. We communicate through phone calls and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their enthusiasm. Sometimes we have to back and change things, but we don’t get any pushback from them at all.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While this applies to any development partner, they could always improve their attention to detail.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to communicate in person, through a video call or over the phone. Communication and correspondence over email can be challenging in terms of giving and receiving feedback.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Assistant to CEO at OPTEC. OPTEC is a green technology company committed to providing improved performance technology with continued greenhouse gas emission and fuel consumption reduction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cofa Media?

List below of all services provided to us by Cofa Media:

• Discovery phase to identify aspects of the design and development project
• Define Business Goals and Objectives for three websites (Conversion Funnel)
• Make recommendations on new Site Map for desktop and mobile
• Conduct UI and UX analysis based on answers from client (if needed)
• Define Technical requirements such as Lead Gen Forms (Fields that are required)
• Wireframes for all templates for 3 resolutions (Desktop, Tablet, Mobile)
• Intuitive call to action for optimum conversions (Forms and Lead Gen)
• The use of good Photography
• English Language version only
• Responsive design for 3 resolutions (Desktop, Tablet, Mobile)  
• 20 - 25 Pages maximum
• 8-10 Unique Templates
• Develop the website in PHP, HTML 5 and CSS3
• Connect WordPress Framework (CMS) or Drupal CMS to the website
• Connect the website to the current product framework via an API
• News & Blog section
• Content Population (Provided by the client)
• Website will be compatible with IE 11 +, FF, Safari, Chrome
• Recommend a robust and reliable hosting platform that supports WordPress ($ 14.95)
• Implement Sucuri Security or a compatible monitoring system like Word Fence (Optional)
• Provide 4 hours of Word Press training
• Provide post launch support (30 days) hourly or monthly retainer
• Offer monthly retainer for maintenance support services
• One-time Pre-production SEO strategy and implementation

What were your goals for this project?

Ultimately, OPTEC needed an entirely new marketing strategy. Our previous website was outdated, hard to navigate and very messy. We needed to find a company that could truly see our vision and portray our passion for the environment. We really wanted to find a one stop shop for not only the website but digital marketing, social media, campaigns and much more. Cofa Media is all that and more.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Located in the same area as us made it that much easier to meet and go over the proposed plan and see if they were the right fit for us. They really encompassed all of our needs and expectations as far as where we wanted to go. I could really tell from the start that Cofa Media gives 100 percent to their clients and they never settle for anything less than high-quality work.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Sitemap Primary navigation Home (Logo) Large photography with targeted messaging and content Define a layout that will be broken up into 3 to 4 sections with graphics, photography and easy to find information. Company A landing page with information About Us

• A landing page with information Mission
• A landing page with information (Optional) Team
• A landing page with information (Optional) Technology
• A Technology landing page with all relevant Technology – we will define all of these in order of importance and user experience Products A landing page with product information Standard Commercial Commercial HD Off Road Installation
• A landing page with information on how to install the products Distributors
• A Distributor landing page with locations and google API integration Environment A
• landing page with Environmental stats and figures Results
• A landing page with Results News/Blog News page with default WP layout, ability to add Press Releases, News and Blog Posts FAQ (optional)
• A landing page with FAQ questions Contact Us Contact Form with Google Map API in the Footer User Management Media Management Easy Theme System WordPress Extend with Plugins Built-in Comments
• Search Engine Optimized
• Developing the website on WordPress framework and CMS which allows you to create, edit, and story HTML content conveniently
• Building development framework, including reusable templates
• Coding the templates for each page type, including forms, blog, and product pages.
• Incorporating content management system and migrating or flowing in content that you provide
• Testing to verify links and functionality
• Mapping old site pages to new, so there are no “dead” links (if needed)
• Testing on in our local and staging environment multiple browsers and platforms, including smart phones, tablets, and desktop, and planning for go-live
• Cross Browser Testing for IE, FF, Safari, Chrome (Latest versions)
• Training staff on the CMS and answering questions
• Pushing live and retesting in live environment
• What was the team composition?

I work closely with the principal of Cofa Media. I appreciate how hands on he is with his projects and how he likes to be involved in every facet of development. We communicate both in person and over several weekly and monthly phone conferences.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the start of our work with Cofa Media, our website traffic has increased significantly. Also, sales and investments have increased tremendously with the use of our brand development and website development done by Cofa Media.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Cofa Media is extremely easy to communicate with. They are always available at any time of the day and are always able to immediately complete a task at any given moment. We never have to wait for them to respond or get back to us which makes business continue without any hiccup.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I truly am impressed with how knowledgeable Cofa Media is in every area of their expertise. Edwin constantly teaches us strategies and information we would never think of on out own. I was very impressed with their vision and how they can truly translate a company's vision into reality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and owner of a wine retail shop and tasting room. We deal with all things relating to wine, liquor, and spirits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

After our catalog sales didn’t work out, we wanted to venture out into retail e-commerce sales. We wanted to give customer service to customers when we don’t know who they are online, as well as how to show discounts and special pricing.

For us, it was a challenge finding someone we could work through these different challenges through on a platform that looked nice and was seamless on the backend. That's where Cofa Media came in. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a full redesign of our website on Magento. One of their designers sent us a couple of options in terms of mobile, tablet, and desktop. They purchased stock photos, banners, stock images, and worked with Atandra T-HUB to sync all of our inventory in real-time with what we have online.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from their team.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media?

We found them through a Google search. We liked the look and feel of their site, how it was modern but still simple and classy. We also hit it off with Edwin (Owner).

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested approximately $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2015, and we launched the site in June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We never had any major issues and they were able to pull us out of a disastrous situation. They gave us a lot of insight into SEO and Google analytics to get us to a better position. The great thing about it is that it’s very custom since we didn’t want an out-of-box solution. Unrelated to Cofa Media, Atandra T-HUB turned out to be a terrible product with awful support.

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated and managed the project through a portal, where we could communicate directly with developers, designers, and Edwin. It was a nice, seamless feature.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There was no task that was too big or too small for them. If we wanted to do ads or SEO, they always had a partner they could recommend. They were a good resource for all things online. Edwin was a great thinker of what’s new and what’s coming up. He made sure our scope of work allowed for growth. It wasn’t a cut and dry process, I liked how there were different conversations sparked because of their knowledge base. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to make sure you know you’re getting into and to walk before you run in terms of e-commerce. We tried having everything we wanted all at once and it came to bite us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of a company called Synergy World, Inc, and we’ve been in business for 25 years. We do gift and rewards card processing for companies that allow their employees to redeem various benefits across a wide variety of locations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

They have worked with us from the beginning to help us with our web development and design and consultation on SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team has provided a lot of different web development and design deliverables for us, including the initial development of the site and improvements along the way. They made it mobile and iPad friendly, they provided visual content to go along with our copy on the site, and they helped us to make everything on the site ADA compliant.

One specific upgrade they helped to implement was a CRM called Zoho that allows us to insert pretty complex code into various areas of the site that clients can click on and we immediately get notified that they are interested in that specific product or service. They also helped us to figure out how to use the backend ourselves so that we could make changes on our own if we needed.

What is the team composition?

Edwin (CEO) serves as the main point of contact for me and coordinates all of the information flow between me and his developers. There were a couple of liaisons for that team as well that I would communicate with.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media?

I met Edwin when I moved to San Diego originally and then when he started his company, I knew that I had to work with him because of how hard-working and knowledgeable he is as an individual.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $18,000-$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began around January 2017 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Almost 60% of our calls come in through the website, so we’ve been really satisfied with the results of our work with them. They do a great job with SEO and have been able to give us significantly greater tracking mechanisms on the site to manage our relationship with the customers and be able to provide what they are looking for with greater accuracy.

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management really couldn’t be better. Even though we are good friends, he is always very professional in our work together. He is always on time to all of our calls, coordinates meetings well, and keeps me up to date on everything that happens with his developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think one of the biggest reasons the partnership has worked out so well is that on top of the excellent quality of work they provide, Edwin is just a really nice guy who cares for people and has a great heart. He’s smart, has a really good understanding of the world, and it’s really

Are there any areas they could improve?

To be totally honest, since we’re friends, I was hoping he would give me a better deal on the price. But he keeps his business professional regardless of the circumstances, and that’s something that I really respect about him even though it cost me a little money.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With any business venture that you go into, the person leading it needs to be very clear about the goals and timeline of the project. Providing as much information as possible upfront will make everything go so much faster throughout the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP controller of an auto glass installation, repair, and recalibration company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

We needed help revamping our site. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our website, created a mobile site, provided maintenance. We already he Most recently, they've relaunched our website in more of a responsive nature so that it could combine both mobile and desktop. They also give us ideas on how to best use our systems.

We've been able to use their information in tagging information in the source code so that we can track their performance. They set up heat mapping to show how well the site is doing too. We used to do a little of cost-per-click and advertising with them, but we decided to continue that on our own.

What is the team composition?

We have a local main point of contact, as well as an offshore team.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media ?

I had some experience working with them at my last position at an advertising firm. We stuck with their team when it was time to revamp our website.

How much have you invested with them?

We've probably spent around $200,000.                 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2011, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The whole team is very pleased with them. They're fast and accurate in terms of interpreting what notes and comments we make. Because we have an online quoting system, we do extensive testing and we have very few problems with inaccuracy.

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They work very well with us. If anything, ever comes up, we always seem to work it out. We have a really good working relationship. We meet in some sort of telecommunications portal and describe what we want and screenshot back and forth.

They do the work at night while we're sleeping and, in the morning, I get to come in and look at what they've done. It's much faster and much more responsive working with the team that way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Having been in the online advertising industry for 20 years, the biggest advantage is that we can suggest changes and they'll respond immediately. Our business depends on things being up and running, and they're very good at maintaining the relationship between our host servers and backup systems. Whenever we've had any issues with being down, they're out there helping us pursue what needs to be done to fix the problem.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s a language barrier and sometimes we have to repeat ourselves. That's the only frustration and that by all means is minor in comparison to what we get. That shouldn't impede anyone from working with them at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're a good vendor and I've recommended them numerous times.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the marketing director of a medical device manufacturer for both dermatological and peripheral vascular disease.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

Most recently, we were looking to determine some SEO optimization opportunities for our existing site as well as to explore avenues for redesigning the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have managed our SEO efforts since coming on with our team, as well as helped us to plan for a potential future redesign for the website from the ground up. So far, they have stuck to recommendations about optimizing our site for SEO, as well as making some small changes to our platform.

It’s a relatively clunky platform, and they were able to do a deep dive and clean some of those internal processes up. They also delivered a number of updates to the content and organization of the site to improve the flow of information in preparation for our initial public offering.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact was Edwin (Founder), who managed a small team behind the scenes. All of our communication flowed directly through him.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media?

I had worked with Edwin at a previous organization and new that he did good work, so I reached out and decided to bring on his new company when this need arose.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000–$30,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around August 2018 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have been an invaluable asset to our work. Even though we didn’t exactly have a discrete project for him, they were always available and willing to assist with whatever we needed to make the project more successful.

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

I asked a lot of their team in a very short time frame, and they worked around the clock to deliver to our needs. They were communicative and incredibly responsive to any questions or requests that we had.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The process was always incredibly collaborative, and they were always able to get up to speed quickly and make great recommendations based on what made sense for our specific business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have been nothing but pleased with their customer orientation, delivery, timelines, and quality of work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are Continuity Products LLC. We’re an infomercial direct response television marketing firm. We're one of the top diet supplements in the nation, and we do all of the marketing and production for the capsule ourselves.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

We hired Cofa Media to create an iOS app for our diet supplement. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

While creating the app, they were pretty much an extension of my office. They worked hand-in-hand with my graphic designer along with myself. 

After a couple of phone calls, we used a communication platform to chat. They would send back to us everything we had talked about in graphic form, and my graphic designer would make some tweaks. 

What is the team composition?

We had contact with five team members during the project. This included creatives, the graphic designer, and the developer for the app.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media?

They were recommended to me by another one of my vendors. We ended up getting together for lunch. That went really well, and they had a clear idea of what I wanted. So, that conversation kickstarted the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $35,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership around April of 2019, and the app launched in July of 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re really happy with the app, and everything is going really well. Most of our customers that use the app really like it and are purchasing through it. We’re in talks about moving it over to an Android platform. 

They’re really good to work with — very open and honest. When I would bring up something completely out of the left-field, they would be honest if it wouldn’t work and offer a solution to pivot and do something else. 

I’ve worked with other vendors who would do anything I asked for, even if it was a horrible idea. That would end up costing me more money in the long-run. The Cofa Media team always made sure that my money was well-spent by making the best decisions for my company. 

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

I knew where everything was at all times. They were very open and honest about billing. We didn’t have any overages — everything was pretty well planned. I met with Edwin (CEO) once every two weeks. We still meet about once a quarter to talk about future plans. If there were any issues in translation during collaborations, we’d ask them about it and they’d change it right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were really easy to work with. They knew what they were doing. I definitely appreciated that. I’ve worked with other developers where you feel like you’re talking in a completely different language. But, with Cofa Media, it was easy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

To me, everything can always be done quicker. I know they would say they did everything as quickly as possible, though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them exactly what you want to do, and let them tell you what can or cannot be done. Throw it all out there and hear out their feedback. Don’t let your feelings get hurt if they say, “That can’t happen because of X, Y, and Z.”

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing partner at Growth Partner. We own several brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cofa Media?

We’ve used Cofa Media on a regular basis for a few years, specifically for Shopify and Magento services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cofa Media has provided services for both our own products and those of our subsidiaries. The most recent project involved a complex Shopify integration for a nutrition supplement line we put out. 

Depending on the project, the team will either collaborate with us on strategy or execute what we’ve already designed. 

What is the team composition?

Edwin (CEO & Co-Founder)  is my main point of contact, though I’ve also been in contact with Nikola (COO & Co-Founder), as well as a few other team members.

How did you come to work with Cofa Media?

I met Edwin on a mutual client project. I was impressed with his e-commerce development services and attention to the end-user.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $200,000–$1,000,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in January 2015 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re extremely satisfied with the development Cofa Media delivers. It’s hard to quantify specific metrics, but there’s no doubt in our minds that the sites we’ve launched with them have led to higher conversion rates than those of other vendors we’ve worked with.

How did Cofa Media perform from a project management standpoint?

No development project runs perfectly. Whenever we run into an issue, Cofa Media increases their communication, as opposed to running away. They’re very consistent, transparent, and trustworthy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

With their strong CX/UX mindset, we can rely on them to consider points we haven’t thought about. They focus on details like site speed and other factors that can really influence conversions. We also appreciate that Cofa Media will often challenge us on our own ideas — it shows they have the best interest of the project in mind. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re very fair, but we would appreciate more consistency in pricing. It’s more of a general industry complaint.