Digital Authority Partners

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & CEO of Magical Underland Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Magical Underland®  is a family-founded startup that makes the world's first patent-pending Christmas Tree Tent, a real Christmas tree that children and pets can crawl inside to play in, decorate, and enjoy all year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Digital Authority Partners to accomplish?

• Create a premium, on-brand site with high-converting product pages that tells our product's story.
• Get everything launch-ready, including all website copy and a clean handoff.
• Design and build our ecommerce website from scratch, ready to launch on Shopify.

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Authority Partners?

Online Search

Why did you select Digital Authority Partners over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Digital Authority Partners were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Digital Authority Partners designed and built our entire ecommerce website from scratch. Key deliverables included:

Several homepage design concepts to choose from, then a full site built in the approved premium style

A homepage with a cinematic, animated, mobile-responsive design

Conversion-focused product pages for both our Kids and Pet Christmas Tree Tents, with buy box, variants, and a bundle

About, FAQ, Contact, and policy pages

All of our website copywriting, from headlines to product descriptions to FAQs

A clean, fully coded HTML, CSS, and JavaScript build/

Guidance on site structure, conversion best practices, and launch

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because our store just launched, the biggest outcome is that we went from having a templated basic website to a complete, live ecommerce store ready to take pre-orders. Specifically:

Delivered a full multi-page website (homepage, Kids and Pet product pages, About, FAQ, Contact, and policies) from scratch

Presented several complete design concepts, so we could pick a direction fast

Completed the entire design and build on a tight timeline, in time for our launch

The site is now live and accepting pre-orders for our 2026 season

Product pages built to convert, with a clear buy flow, variants, and a bundle offer

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

Project management was excellent. The DAP team was fast, organized, and easy to work with. They delivered every round on time, often faster than I expected, and kept me updated at each step. Whenever I sent feedback or asked for a change, they turned it around quickly and got it exactly right. Even as an early-stage startup, we were treated with real care, and they made the whole process simple and stress-free.

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Authority Partners?

Virtual Meeting

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

What impressed me most was the mix of design talent, speed, and genuine care. They gave us several complete, polished design concepts to choose from, not just one, and every page felt premium and on-brand. They also think like marketers, not just designers, so the site is built to convert and not only to look beautiful. On top of that, they went above and beyond for us as a small startup, handling the copywriting, the structure, and a clean, developer-ready handoff. It is rare to find a team this creative that is also this strategic and this easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Digital Authority Partners could have done differently?

Honestly, there was very little to improve on. If anything, they moved so quickly that the main bottleneck became us getting our own final photos and content ready to match their pace, and that was on our side, not theirs. I would not hesitate to work with them again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Fractional CMO of TechCXO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

TechCXO helps companies that need top-level, industry-specific talent with dynamic executives and a flexible, affordable model.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Digital Authority Partners to accomplish?

• Help me build and execute digital performance marketing strategies and tactics.
• Help my client accelerate lead generation.
• Help my client design a new website that evoked the new brand story.

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Authority Partners?

Referral

Why did you select Digital Authority Partners over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Digital Authority Partners were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Scope of Work & Key Deliverables:

Digital Authority Partners (DAP) was engaged as the full-service digital marketing partner of my client, working alongside me, serving as the Fractional CMO, to develop and execute a strategic, results-driven roadmap across all key marketing channels.

The scope of work includes:

• Digital Strategy & Roadmap: A comprehensive Digital Health Check, marketing tech assessment, buyer journey review, and development of a phased roadmap aligned with I AM Roofing’s business goals.
• Paid Media Management: Full-funnel Google Ads, Meta Ads, and Local Services Ads setup, optimization, audience targeting, budget/bid management, and performance tracking.
• Website Enhancements: Technical improvements, content updates, UX design, landing page optimization, and agile site updates to boost conversions.
• Local SEO: Google Business Profile optimization, technical SEO, local landing pages, content development, and backlink acquisition to increase local visibility.
• Content Marketing & Collateral: Strategic content planning and creation of blogs, educational assets, brand storytelling, and sales enablement materials.
• Creative & UX Design: Development of ad creatives, marketing materials, UX enhancements, and promotional video content.
• Email Marketing & Automation: Campaign creation, list segmentation, nurture flows, and automated follow-up sequences.
• Analytics & Reporting: GA4, Tag Manager, and CRM integration for performance tracking, custom dashboards, and actionable insights.
• Account Management: Ongoing campaign reviews, reporting, and strategic alignment with I AM Roofing leadership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launched a fully redesigned website that delivered a clear, on-brand message with compelling calls-to-action—resulting in increased engagement and improved lead conversion, while also strengthening local SEO performance through optimized structure and content.Rebuilt the Google

Ads account from the ground up—aligning ad groups, messaging, and keyword targeting with top-performing segments. This led to a significant increase in click-through rates (CTR), reduced cost-per-click (CPC), and improved ROI on paid search.

Held consistent weekly status meetings that enabled real-time adjustments to strategy, ensuring faster implementation of approved plans and minimizing time lost on underperforming efforts.

Implemented detailed tracking and reporting dashboards that provided full visibility into campaign performance, enabling data-driven decisions and demonstrating ongoing improvement in traffic quality, engagement, and conversion metrics.

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

DAP’s project management was outstanding—not only organized and professional, but also driven to keep things moving forward. Our dedicated project manager was tenacious (in the best possible way), consistently following up on action items and chasing down approvals, assets, or decisions they needed from our side to avoid delays.

Weekly status meetings kept us aligned, and between those meetings, we received timely nudges and reminders to keep the momentum going. Their team held themselves accountable to timelines and held us accountable as well—which we appreciated.

DAP managed the project like true pros.

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Authority Partners?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What impressed me most about DAP is that this isn’t your typical ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ agency. They truly strive for excellence—every single day. From the very first conversation, it was clear that the leadership is intentional about hiring the right people and building a team that’s passionate about continuous improvement. And it shows.

We didn’t get one point of contact or even a small team—we got a full team of experts working on our account daily. Strategy, paid media, SEO, email, social, web design—everyone is in sync and contributing. It’s not just a once-a-month check-in where someone reads us a report. It’s collaborative, real-time, roll-up-your-sleeves support. They feel like part of our internal team—and that level of involvement is truly rare.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Digital Authority Partners could have done differently?

Reporting was something we gave feedback on early, and to their credit, DAP listened and ran with it. They didn’t just tweak what they had—they actually built a better tool to fit what we needed. Super responsive and open to improving along the way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of SBAC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Small Business Advocacy Council supports small and local businesses through advocacy, creating connectivity, and education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Digital Authority Partners to accomplish?

• Improve website analytics
• Improve social media footprint and analytics

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Authority Partners?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Digital Authority Partners over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Digital Authority Partners were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Scope of work included website audit, recommendations to improve analytics, assessment and recommendations on social media strategy 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DAP performed a detailed and valuable assessment of our website, provided data needed to assess its performance, and made insightful and extremely beneficial recommendations about how to improve the website and its analytics. DAP also performed a comprehensive and impressive review of our social media platforms and performance and provided valuable recommendations about improving our presence on social media.     

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

DAP has delivered items on time and has been consistently responsive to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Authority Partners?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The company's leadership is engaged and responsive, and this culture permeates with the team we work with. The DAP team is also knowledgeable, creative, and invested in our success. We are being provided tangible recommendations and solutions, which are very meaningful for our organization. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Digital Authority Partners could have done differently?

There is nothing DAP could have done differently thus far. Our experience has been tremendous.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and founder of Bag Tags, Inc. We’re a provider of printed materials, primarily event credentials for live events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Authority Partners?

We had two projects in mind; we needed to rebuild, reorganize, and possibly upgrade our website. The most important project was our SEO. We had to do some basic restructuring and engineering of our website to optimize the search engine.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Authority Partners helped us create a new landing page designed for SEO to drive our traffic. The page needed to have the proper engineering with keywords, images, and product categories. Digital Authority Partners did research to ensure the landing page would be useful to our customers. The team also wrote blogs to get us on the radar for Google searches. Additionally, they worked on backlinks and keyword research.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a lead project coordinator, Morgan (Director of Client Services), and a team of specialists who did research on and created the landing page. 

How did you come to work with Digital Authority Partners?

A friend referred Digital Authority Partners to us. I looked at their website and portfolio and talked with them. I got a good feeling about their approach. They were local, and I liked the idea of working with someone we could easily meet in person.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $60,000–$70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2022–June 2024. The project is on hold because we’re rebuilding our website completely, during which we’re putting the SEO work on pause.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were off to a slow start and didn't see a lot of progress for the first year, and we were unsure if it was our team or theirs. We had hoped to see progress within six months, but the lack of results was partly because we weren't being responsive enough to their work and publishing the blogs. Then, in January 2024, we re-energized the project and made a bigger investment in it.

From there, in pretty rapid order, one search term went up in search results. Before, the keyword wasn't showing up anywhere; it was around the fourth page of Google results, and we knew our competitors were showing up on the first page. Our goal was to get to page one, and we’re now on the fourth page for that keyword search term. 

During that time period when we got our SEO position higher and started getting many more hits on our webpage. This made us realize that we could get SEO to work, which made us decide to go in and reinvest in the website as a whole to convert more of the site hits to customers. 

How did Digital Authority Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Their ability to stick to the schedule was very good. They had teammates right on the project, and they followed up promptly — we were very satisfied with that. We communicated mostly by email.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Morgan and Karianne (Former Account Manager) were very good. Michael (President) was very responsive; he met with us and got involved to ensure the project kept moving. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Digital Authority Partners really understood the science behind SEO. They weren't just faking it; they knew what it takes to optimize a search engine. It’s a lot of work; there aren’t shortcuts to it, and they knew how to get the work done and write really good blogs. Moreover, they had professional teammates who were skilled in what they did.

Although they’re not cheap, once we were on track knowing what we had to do, we got good value from the services they provided.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wish their services were more affordable since they need to be ongoing. Moreover, it would’ve been good if they were more tuned in early on that we weren't making progress, determined why, and flagged that to me, owner to owner.  

They could have been more proactive in reaching out to me directly and letting me know if my team wasn’t getting their tasks done. There was a period of time when we weren't getting the value of what we were being billed for, and Digital Authority Partners could have been more proactive in correcting that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Once they put a team on it, Digital Authority Partners is going to work hard, and you have to be ready to match them step by step. You can’t just assume they’re going to do the work for you; you have work to do on your side and be on top of that. Otherwise, you’re going to be paying and not getting the value.

Part of our fault was that we weren’t as attuned to our role. We didn’t understand as much as we needed to. You almost have to have a highly capable teammate full-time in-house who’s going to focus on this project while they’re working on it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Office Manager of a legal company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a law firm practicing in the areas of personal injury, workers' compensation, Social Security, and family law.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Digital Authority Partners to accomplish?

• Digital Marketing
• SEO
• Content Marketing
• Analytics

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Authority Partners?

Online Search

Why did you select Digital Authority Partners over others?

Exceptional Reputation and Proven Track Record

How many teammates from Digital Authority Partners were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Digital Authority Partners provides us with comprehensive digital marketing services, including SEO strategy enhancement, digital and content marketing strategies, website enhancements, and marketing analytics. Their team conducted an initial evaluation identifying areas for key improvement for the firm's overal digital marketing strategy which including an extensive go-to-market plan.  

Key Deliverables:

• SEO Strategy Enhancement:  Digital Authority performed an initial evaluation at the onset of our contract identifying areas for key improvement.  They continue their efforts to manage and control our SEO strategy, including keyword research and optimization, in order to ensure that we are providing content that is relevant and reliable while delivering to the right audience.
• Website Enhancements/Content Marketing:  Digital Authority continues to create new local landing pages as they relate to practice areas.  They also continue their ongoing efforts to optimize current pages on our site in order to ease navigation and improve user experience.  Several new blog posts relevant to our practice areas have been published and continued work on created backlinks is ongoing. 
• Marketing Analytics:  Together with the team at Digital Authority Partners, we continue to record and monitor metrics that are indications of our key performance through data analysis and performance tracking.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through their tireless efforts, Digital Authority Partners have successfully increased our online presence while substantially improving our Google rankings and driving more traffic to our website.  

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

The team at Digital Authority is responsive, professional, and highly skilled.  Through email, messaging, and weekly virtual meetings they respond to your needs efficiently and deliver timely services.  

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Authority Partners?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Digital Authority Partners have highly skilled and knowledgeable marketing professionals who go above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction. The numbers actually speak for themselves. Their initial evaluation was thorough and insightful, providing a clear roadmap for improvement. 

The ongoing creation of high-quality, relevant content and the continuous optimization of our website demonstrate their continued commitment to excellence. Their data-driven approach, combined with regular, detailed reporting, allows us to track progress and make informed decisions. Their responsiveness, professionalism, and genuine dedication to our success truly set them apart from other service providers.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Digital Authority Partners could have done differently?

Although we are extremely satisfied with the results, I think that there may have been some disconnect between our original sales interviews prior to contracting with Digital Authority leading to slight confusion at the initial onset of our partnership.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a political candidate running for a position on Chicago's Board of Education. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Authority Partners?

I needed support to get my campaign message out on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and X, in a way that could appeal to my voters and explain my position. I also wanted to create a site that was easy to navigate and had a donation link integrated. My goal was to share my website and spread my message via text messages and email.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an introductory phone call, during which I explained to the team what I was looking for on the website. We then had a Zoom call and bounced ideas, and Digital Authority Partners proposed ideas I hadn't thought of. I shared a list of my requirements, and the team used it to define the number of pages the site needed. Digital Authority Partners has laid out a site mock-up with a sketch of the content, marking the pages and sections that require my input. 

Digital Authority Partners has helped me organize the site's content, and I'm responsible for writing it. I've asked the team to include the pictures I shared of the district I'm running for, and I've shared ideas on how to display stock pictures in a way that looks customized. Behind my picture, Digital Authority Partners has included a scenery of the Chicago skyline. 

Digital Authority Partners has also included a link for donations on the site and set it up with ActBlue, the Democratic Party's donations platform. The team has also set up a data form for users to input their information and an email to which the information is sent. The data integrates directly into a form, and the team has helped me create it and navigate the process. 

The site hasn't been launched yet because the team is working on a map with location pins that show the schools in the district where I've worked. The team will implement banners closer to the election date. Digital Authority Partners has created a personal email with my site domain and designed a logo that I use for other campaign materials, like lawn and campaign signs. 

Digital Authority Partners has adapted my logo to different sizes and formats for social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Michael (President) and Al (Project Manager & Development Team Lead). I know they bring work to a bigger team, but I'm unsure how many teammates work on my project. 

How did you come to work with Digital Authority Partners?

I found Digital Authority Partners through a Google search, and a friend who had worked with them before also recommended the team. When I looked at their portfolio, I saw that Digital Authority Partners had worked on other types of sites but didn't have much experience in political projects. I also noticed the team had worked with a local candidate for state attorney that I respected and seemed sensible. I selected the team because of a personal reference.
How much have you invested with them?

The project's total budget will be $25,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?
I started working with Digital Authority Partners in May 2024, and we'll continue to work together until the elections in November 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Digital Authority Partners has created a very professional site, and I've received positive feedback from the people I've shared it with. I've also received donations already. I've had positive feedback about the site content, which tells me people have clicked on the links and different pages. In general, this election is difficult because it's the first time the city will elect an education board. 

The site does a good job of explaining to voters that this election will be included in the same ballot as the presidential election. When I first gathered signatures, I noticed some citizens were confused and thought I was running for a particular school. The site is easy to navigate, and I like that Digital Authority Partners has included the red star from the Chicago flag in my logo and name. 

The team quickly addresses any issue I bring up, for instance, when my logo doesn't fit the Facebook size format. 

How did Digital Authority Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Digital Authority Partners responds to my emails quickly and has helped me navigate the aspects of the project I didn't understand. The team is easy to get ahold of and is good regarding project management, helping me stick to the project timelines since I was slow in sharing the content. 

Digital Authority Partners has constant communication and doesn't mind if I send a text message or email on the weekends. I don't expect the team to respond, but sometimes, I have ideas during the weekend I want to share with them. Digital Authority Partners doesn't act irritated and always responds to my messages, saying they'll take care of work on Monday. 

Digital Authority Partners has broken the site content into bite-sized pieces that made it easier for me to provide the information needed. The team explains each stage of the web development project and lets me know my role and responsibilities at each stage. The team stays on budget since I can't spend more than the set budget. I've explained to the team that I'm investing personal money in the campaign and have a limit. They're doing a great job with the cost.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Digital Authority Partners is very helpful. I love social media and technology, but I'm 65 years old and don't have the same skills as young people. I ran for a union election position three years ago, and a different vendor created a website for me using WordPress. That site didn't look like the site created by Digital Authority Partners, especially when looking at it on mobile devices. I can see a big difference in the site created by Digital Authority Partners and it's mobile responsive.

The team is great and responsive, and I'd totally recommend them to other candidates running for office.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven't had any issues working with Digital Authority Partners. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you're looking to develop a website and aren't very tech-savvy, Digital Authority Partners is the company for you. The team will hold your hand through the process, and if that is the kind of support you're looking for, they're a good team. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at an e-commerce consulting company. We support businesses that attempt to sell online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Digital Authority Partners?

We needed help attracting more customers for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Authority Partners helped us with Google Ads marketing campaigns. They started the process with a couple of calls to gather information about who we are and what we do as a business, and then Digital Authority Partners’ team took it over from there.

What was the team composition? 

We worked with two members of Digital Authority Partners’ team.

How did you come to work with Digital Authority Partners?

We found them on Google.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $5,000–$6,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August 2022–January 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had to pause our partnership with Digital Authority Partners because their work was so successful that we got more clients than the ones we could manage. We also saw a 10x increase in the quality of the business leads we got.

How did Digital Authority Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Digital Authority Partners’ team met deadlines and stayed within budget. Regarding tools and communication, we used email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Digital Authority Partners got the work done according to our expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t think there was anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be communicative and clearly establish the metrics and goals you’re looking for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Operating Officer of Vhanti

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Vhanti is a skin and beauty company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Digital Authority Partners to accomplish?

• Chief Marketing Officer

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Authority Partners?

Online Search

Why did you select Digital Authority Partners over others?

High ratings, Pricing first our budget, Good value for cost

What was the size of Digital Authority Partners’s team?

2-5 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Authority Partners?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

Lead strategic marketing initiatives.

• Conduct a marketing audit in order to better understand your current marketing efforts effectiveness.
• Define marketing KPIs and associated revenue goals.
• Define the marketing strategy and direction.
• Assess the effectiveness of marketing strategies and tactics, resources, and budgets.
• Define and put in place marketing automation tools.
• Train internal marketing resources.
• Help select marketing agencies, contractors, and vendors.
• Other scope as defined by Vhanti and DAP.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Product Packaging
• Product Launch

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

The professionalism and experience exhibited by Christal and the Digital Authority Partners team was excellent. Christal hit the ground running and kept running with all the marketing tasks.

She acted as a great CMO – advised us and then executed when decisions were made, took the initiative to get the marketing projects completed, and laid out the entire marketing strategy for the company with minimal oversight.

She worked late nights and weekends to complete all the tasks for all her clients, which she had many. They say if you want something done, give it to the busy person, and Christal was busy. She really felt like part of the team, and she was.

For some background, we run a small startup company in San Diego, CA and found Digital Authority Partners (DAP) while searching for Factional (Outsourced) Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). Our company partnered with DAP to fill our CMO position.

After doing the math we felt that the price to hire a full-time marketing director/CMO just did not make sense from a cost and time standpoint. The average salary for a quality full-time startup CMO was over double the monthly cost of working with a Factional CMO from DAP.

Additionally with a Factional CMO the company does not have to worry about employment cost, taxes, benefits, etc. that come with hiring an employee.

I felt there was less requirement from a leadership and management standpoint because DAP project manages the CMO hours and DAP has a strong incentive to perform for a client because they are a business (vs. dealing with an employee that may or may not have as much of an incentive to perform because of strict employment laws and the difficulties of releasing employees from service for performance issues).

We also did not have to worry about the hiring process because we had less incentives to compel an excellent candidate to come work for the company or the risk that an employee may leave at any time for greener pastures.

You may get less hours from a Factional CMO then a full-time CMO, but when you consider breaks, lunches, etc. the hours you do get are the quality hours out of the Factional CMO, plus for a small company you probably do not need the 40 hours per week from your marketing team.

The only exception to this in our experience would be at product launch, which required more hours, but we were able to scale up and then scale down the hours, so you are only paying for what the company needs.

Furthermore, the CMO had the backing of a full digital marketing agency that could be leveraged for different marketing functions for the company.

In principle this would allow the CMO to implement different marketing service providers at a lower price point then herself for a role that the company needed on a full-time or part-time bases. We further like that DAP’s CMOs were agnostic to service providers.

She could and would recommend other service providers that she felt would provide the best solution to the company (vs pushing the company back to only use DAP). This gave us the warm and fuzzy that she had the best interested in the company.

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

The DAP members also felt like part of the team as they contributed to the company through not just marketing services, but also introduced us to professional connections, contacts, and experience that benefited the company.

Moreover, Christal and DAP continued to offer services even as our company was running low on funds to which we are very grateful.

Are there any areas for improvement or something {provider_name} could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of Marketing for a software company that sells Customer Value Management software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Authority Partners, and what were your goals?

We hired DAP to help us simplify our go to market messaging, launch a new website and help provide a marketing operations framework that we desperately lacked. As it relates to marketing ops, everything was being done manually with very little automation and nurturing. DAP helped us to build an advanced lead scoring model in Hubspot that allows us to connect the dots between our marketing activity and the business impacts they resulted in. From a digital marketing perspective, DAP helped us simplify our message and build a demand-generation focused website that helps drive more leads into the funnel and gives site visitors a more personalized experience based on their persona, industry, or stage in the buyer journey.

SOLUTION

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

We selected this vendor based on the fact that we could tell that they practiced what they preached. We bid to 3 agencies and decided to evaluate all 3 against what we said we needed. DAP was far and away the leader and so it made it a very easy decision for us.

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

We kicked off the engagement with a month of strategy ramp-up. We met every few days to make sure they understood current operations, our products, our go-to-market strategies and messaging, what our pipeline looked like and where we believed we had gaps. By getting a great understanding of where we are today, DAP helped us to dig in and identify gaps and areas where we could improve - and tying all of that offline data into our new website so that from first touch, we were able to communicate effectively and clearly to our audience. The team has helped us with Hubspot CMS, Hubspot Marketing, Salesforce and our suite of Google tools (Tag Manager, Analytics, etc.)

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

We have worked with a wide range of people from the DAP side from marketing strategy, to Marketing & Sales Operations, SEO and marketing automation experts, developers, designers, video content creators, and many more. Their entire team is very talented and we've been happy to be able to work with many of their team members.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We decided to launch our site in an agile fashion, releasing updated sections as they were completed and after just the initial phases released, we've seen incredible results including decrease in bounce rate, increase in pages per visit and most importantly, they've helped us to streamline our analytics so we can connect the dots on all of our activities to properly track attribution going forward.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have weekly meetings with our account strategist to sync on projects that are in-process and map out our week of deliverables, to-dos, etc. We meet with our marketing operations team as-needed as we continue to work through our list of projects that we need completed.

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

They are undisputed experts in digital marketing. They have been very holistic in their treatment of our marketing operations, from the technology that supports the marketing engine, to the messaging that displays on our website, to the ads, SEO and positioning in the market, they've been able to bring a wealth of expertise to the team. The strategist that we work with is incredibly smart and brings a ton of experience and best practices to the table. He was very quick to get under the hood of our business to understand the levers we could pull to identify quick wins, but also know what we needed to improve to have more measurable, long term success.

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

None - they always deliver on time and exceed expectations, while being transparent in the steps to get there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a fractional executive at a company that offers software for customer value management (CVM).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Authority Partners?

Our company’s Achilles heel was that we didn’t have marketing operations due to a lack of resources and knowledge. We needed to be able to report marketing numbers and answer back to the CEO about what was working, what leads were being passed to the sales folks, how much we were closing, and if we were attracting the right people. 

We needed our website to have the proper messaging and positioning to drive awareness and consideration. Another area we needed help with was increasing marketing inquiries, marketing-qualified leads (MQLs), and sales-qualified leads (SQL). Although we had done a good job knowing our target audience, we wanted to ensure we kept up the same momentum in digital marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Authority Partners helps us with our website, web content, social media marketing (SMM), and SEO. They'll soon help us with email marketing. The team also suggested we use pop-ups, which they've implemented. First, they've started with the website and analytics to ensure we'll be able to track the right information, tag our data properly, and know when to move an MQL into an SQL. 

The team is also doing an analytics integration; they're integrating HubSpot reporting into Salesforce and then back to HubSpot. I'm working closely with them to ensure we have the right content for digital marketing, generating awareness, and tracking the results down to conversion. We're also starting the effort to make modifications to our website by implementing Agile updates on the site and slowly rolling them out. The task involves reorganizing the website's flow and implementing best practices for creating lead conversions. 

Digital Authority Partners also helps us with our messaging and value proposition. They're creating content for our website based on that brand identity. 

What is the team composition?

We've met with at least 15 teammates from Digital Authority Partners, including an account manager. The team composition is a la carte depending on our pain point at any given time. Currently, we're mainly working with their strategist, data analysts, and technology specialists that understand Salesforce and HubSpot. We also know there are designers and copywriters in the background. 

How did you come to work with Digital Authority Partners?

We found them through a referral from another firm I work for, a fractional C-level organization. Then, we sent out an RFI and an RFP to Digital Authority Partners and two other firms. The candidates filled out the RFPs, submitted proposals, and had two presentations on various areas. 

On our end, we called references and did some analytics on their website to see if they practiced what they preached. We also looked at their reviews on Glassdoor to see what their employees had to say and looked into G2 to see how their customers felt. Digital Authority Partners was the winner because they practiced what they preached and had good reviews on G2 and Glassdoor. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have them on a monthly retainer of $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the RFP process in May 2022, went through the evaluation process in June 2022, and kicked off our engagement in July 2022. Our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Digital Authority Partners' suggestion of implementing pop-ups has led to us tripling our leads. We're about to launch other aspects of their strategy, and because of their approach and the infrastructure they're setting up, I'm confident that we'll see success. Even though it's only been two months, we're already moving in the right direction. 

We moved our SEO content from another vendor that could only provide us with that service. The beauty of Digital Authority Partners is that they can take that SEO information and create relevant content based on it, whereas the previous folks didn't do that for us. Moreover, I appreciate the team's business model that ebbs and flows instead of staying stuck. They're very focused, each teammate has their area of responsibility, and they've delivered what we've asked for. 

How did Digital Authority Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Our account manager documents everything. We use Asana for project management, and it's working so well that we've deployed the tool to our team for other activities. As for communication, we have a sanding meeting every week, and they send us an email with what's been completed at the end of the week. We can also have additional meetings if we need them. Since it's early in our relationship, we usually have two meetings per week. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Digital marketing is broad, and Digital Authority Partners understands it from soup to nuts. They get that we need to have the right backbone and infrastructure, including the website's framework and the flow of the content. The team also knows what other pieces matter and what people care about. Good marketers need to know their numbers, and that's something they're really strong at. 

They do this all the time, so they're very knowledgeable and have many examples to show us. As a result, there isn't a back and forth of people questioning them — they're experts. Moreover, the strategist is very smart and has been able to understand who we are; he's grasped what we do and has articulated it in our positioning and messaging, which is key in setting up a differentiation with any product. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything has been very clear. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to be very clear about your goals and objectives. You'll get what you ask for if you can give them the right information. If you're wonky, don't know what you want, or keep changing your mind, that isn't good for any relationship.