The Digital Boutique

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a self-employed artist working in commissioned animal portraiture. Two years ago, I felt I had become stereotyped and was stuck in a rut with my work, not growing nor moving forward. Given my long history in the horse industry, I decided to try to find a way into horse racing, building up exhibition work based on this sport.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Digital Boutique?

I needed the get the marketing side of things right, and create an online presence by establishing an e-commerce website. I also wanted to start reaching out to potential customers through social media and forthcoming exhibitions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had been looking for the right team to work with for a while, but never felt that the local businesses understood what I wanted to achieve. It was purely by chance that I discovered The Digital Boutique through an acquaintance that was also working with them.

Describe the project in detail.

They created workable and realistic timelines for creating the e-commerce website, which is now up and running. They also added social media to the mix, specifically Instagram.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

The e-commerce site is now a platform for me to showcase my work. It has gotten a lot of hits and I’ve received several commission inquiries from it, which leads me to believe that I’ve chosen the right team, even though we haven’t been working together for long.

Furthermore, I also have an art exhibition on display at one of the leading race tracks in the country, which is a product of The Digital Boutique’s promotional skills.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their owner has been involved in the development, moving the whole project forward according to the timeframe that was initially set. I love her calm approach. She’s also constantly supporting us and always makes herself available no matter the time of day. She would be a huge asset to any business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m general manager of Kentisbury Grange in North Devon, England. We have a boutique hotel, 11 five-star lodges, five cottage suites, five garden suites, and a three star restaurant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Digital Boutique?

We wanted to increase sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed our website, as well as provide all of our digital marketing. They run our social media (e.g., Twitter and Facebook) and lead email campaigns and social media marketing. They also do PR for us.

What is the team composition?

We work with one account manager.

How did you come to work with The Digital Boutique?

The owner of the hotel hired our account manager to do all the marketing shortly after the hotel opened five years ago.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started working together sometime in 2014 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our social media has grown a lot. In addition to our external Facebook and Twitter accounts, the account manager launched an internal Facebook page for our employees. She also introduced a voucher system to buy gift certificates on the hotel website, which has resulted in an increase in sales. Even though we're in quite a remote location, she keeps us at the top of the leaderboard by making sure we show up near the top of search results for hotels and restaurants. She's driven a lot more business to the website.

How did The Digital Boutique perform from a project management standpoint?

I speak to the account manager a few times a week if not on a daily basis. We primarily communicate by email. Originally she was living abroad but has since relocated to England and is based only 90 minutes away. Now that she’s nearby, she also comes to the hotel for quarterly visits. She’s very responsive. If I email her in the morning, I’ll get a response by lunchtime or by the end of the day. Her communication is very good so I’m comfortable reaching out whenever I need something.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We're a luxury property, and The Digital Boutique does a great job reflecting that online. I speak very highly of them and their team. Several local businesses have asked me who did our website, so I’ve put them in touch with our account manager. I've introduced quite a few clients to her.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication was more difficult when our account manager lived abroad. It would probably be easier now that everyone has Skype, but it’s really nice to be able to get together in person from time to time.

Any advice for potential customers?

Give them as much knowledge as you can so they can do the best job for your business. You can never give too much knowledge. Everything you give them helps to make their work successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Sanasty Car Hire Tenerife, a car rental company located in the Canary Islands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Boutique?

The previous owner of the company hadn't developed a strong online presence of the company, so I was looking for a vendor to improve our website and social media presence in order to attract more customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Boutique designed and built our website from scratch, using the pictures and information I provided. They provided various design options for me to choose from and we iterated throughout the process as needed. They also created a Facebook and Instagram account for the company, and they continue to manage responses to comments on Instagram and post content for both platforms.

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact on their team.

How did you come to work with Digital Boutique?

A customer of mine recommended them. After speaking to their team, I was convinced that they could help us increase bookings. Their services were also reasonably priced and worked with our limited budget. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $3,500 over the last few years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2015 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Digital Boutique's efforts helped us dramatically improve our rankings on Google, as well as our overall social media engagement. Previously, we'd get about one customer every two weeks, but we now receive a few inquiries a day through the website and another five or so bookings each week through Facebook. They helped us increase bookings so much that we had to buy additional inventory.

How did Digital Boutique perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive and good about explaining everything in layman's terms. They also stick to the budget and let us know if anything needs to be adjusted before proceeding.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their level of personal attention and responsiveness the most. It's as if their team is here in the office with me. Their work has helped our company stand out amongst our competitors; our website is much more interactive and professional than before. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a shot and be open to their suggestions. At first, I wasn't interested in creating a Facebook page, but it's something I'm very glad they talked me into.