Digital Silk

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Unity Communications. We’re a business process outsourcing firm that works in Costa Rica, the Philippines, and the U.S.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Silk?

We planned to launch a new brand to address the complicated selling process of phone systems. That started our search for a website design firm to create a presence that visualized our overall intent to helping customers through the selling process of phone systems and technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Silk found a brand and arranged the digital assets needed to create a professional website. The goal was for the website to appeal to people who make decisions on behalf of their business. They designed the platform, creating wireframes, and then developed both the front- and backend. The website required a high level of complexity and quick messaging to connect with my target audience. Their team created an interactive landing page that allows customers to understand our story.

Their team now helps with SEO strategy, keyword analysis, and blogging. We have an in-house Google Ads team, but Digital Silk is setting up A/B testing. They’re also creating tools that we need to track our page’s performance.

What is the team composition?

I work with Gabe (CEO & Founder) and Alexa (Digital Strategist) who leads a team of developers. There’s a team of at least 6–7 people involved in this project.

How did you come to work with Digital Silk?

We found them on Clutch. Digital Silk made an offer significantly lower than their competitors and gave us a guarantee.

How much have you invested with them?

When it’s all said and done, we will probably have invested $35,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our ongoing partnership around July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re seeing click-through rates at double or triple the industry’s average, so our investment in Digital Silk will pay off well. Their team’s flexible. They know that it’s in our best interest to have internal digital marketing resources, so their team’s helping us set up our campaigns.

How did Digital Silk perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via Slack and email, and their team offered to provide daily updates. They return all of my messages and answer all of my questions. Their team sets reasonable expectations. If there are delays, they explain them well. It’s a pleasure working with Digital Silk.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team pushes back when an idea I have won’t work. Business owners may have a disconnect between their ideas and reality. Digital Silk tells me what’s realistic, which has helped me avoid mistakes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If there’s any improvement, it’s that I wish they could’ve worked a little faster. However, the website was done in a reasonable timeframe.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent, open, and honest. It’s also important that you’re comfortable working with an international team. Digital Silk works with great people across the globe.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an editorial house that specializes in commercials and content for TV and the web. We have finishing, VFX, color grading, and extensive post-production capabilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Silk?

We needed an outside perspective on our look and how to present and highlight our reels.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our site to be more user friendly and easy to find our editors and the work pertaining to them. Didn't want a site that was too busy and took away from the edits.

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Silk?

We were referred to them.

Describe the project in detail.

They helped us redesign our website to spotlight our reels.

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager, Jamie who we interacted with the most. Since it was a small project we worked with a designer and a copywriter as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients have complimented us on how smooth the work product looks. It is more appealing and engaging and in turn has given us more traffic and referrals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was great, didn't have to wait long for design/layout suggestions, and they were responsive to any questions or concerns. The back and forth flowed smoothly and we were able to finish in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by how they met their deadlines with almost no issues. The vibe of all the employees is something i really likes. When working with them you can tell they all respect each other.

Are there any areas for improvement?

For us it was a great experience. Our project was small and most of the delays were caused by us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the project manager of a management consulting company specialized in business transformation and technological consulting. As a 'networked company', we specialize in long-term strategic projects which oftentimes include numerous partners from our network collaborating with a single client.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Silk?

We needed help positioning our newly-founded company as the go-to place for technological consulting in our region. We had a general idea of what we wanted to communicate, but lacking marketing experts in our ranks, we needed someone to put our ideas into a coherent brand image.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to create a brand image that would organically drive clients to us. As mentioned before, we wanted to position ourselves as a go-to place for technological consulting. Therefore, by empowering our brand, we strived to raise our sales.

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Silk?

As we had no idea whom to go with, we had one of our partner companies recommend us Digital Silk. They have collaborated before and couldn't praise them enough.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They began the process by scheduling a few online meetings in order to first listen to what we had in mind ourselves. Those meetings were then briefed into a project proposal and upon accepting it, they organized a series of workshops with our management in order to both get to know more about the company and what makes us unique.

It wasn't long after the workshops that they first pitched us a few options and as we all agreed upon a single choice, they went to develop the whole brand book, visuals, logo, and a communication plan based on our pick.

What was the team composition?

I personally communicated mostly with their project manager. However, we got to meet their team during the workshops as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ever since we announced our brand, I was getting praise for our visuals and how tight our social media communication was. We haven't been following metrics closely to give any numbers, but I'm sure it had a positive impact on our business in general.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I'd give it 4.5 out of 5. It was effective, but as it was mainly online (and not in person), I can't give it a full 100%. As any online meeting with 4 or more people discussing something creative, those calls can get astray fairly quickly. However, they were never late and had respected all of the deadlines they themselves set.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They put a major focus on listening to our ideas and getting to know us first. Instead of simply doing what they thought was the best.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The whole process could've lasted shorter, but that's the cost of doing the whole project purely online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Walk The Talk is a sales consultancy company that helps young individuals start their dream career in sales and small-to-mid-sized businesses grow their sales results. I am a Chief Executive Officer of Walk The Talk.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Silk?

We hired Digital Silk to create a brand strategy for us.

What were your goals for this project?

1. To create brand fundamentals, from brand statements, mission, vision to brand values and  
2. to create brand collateral that will aid our marketing and sales efforts.

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Silk?

We searched for branding companies on Google. Digital Silk appeared as one of the potential partners as their portfolio was quite superior in comparison to most other companies. We invited them to join 2 other agencies and pitch us their capabilities. After 2 weeks, we decided to partner up with them and start creating our brand strategy.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We created the following: Brand Foundation (Brand Statement, Mission, Vision, Brand Value, Value Proposition), Brand Objectives (Target Audience, Brand Positioning, Brand Perception), Brand Messaging (Promise, Story, Personality, Voice) and Visual Identity.

What was the team composition?

The team included three key people, including Digital Strategist, Brand Strategist, Lead Designer, and several associates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very satisfied with the final output and we will implement the new brand guidelines and style across all our owned and paid channels.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project lasted for about a month. We were in daily communication with their team. We had several in-depth sessions where we discussed our perception of Walk The Talk and the directions we are planning to take in the near future.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

All team members working on the project were senior-level. It was amazing how smoothly they led me and my team through the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Digital Marketing Specialist in a company based in Belgrade which aims to reveal Serbia as a destination. We are starting upraised in 2020 with a plan to establish our Company next year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were thinking that working with professionals will help us position our company website in Google search and support organic search.

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Silk and what were the deciding factors?

Digital Silk team came with a detailed audit and plan for further action.

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

We started with a discovery phase then DS team did a great audit and strategy for the next steps. We started with the Short term strategy, fixing all the necessary issues, and now we are implementing a long term strategy in order to position our website organically.

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

We worked with the SEO expert - Marko who was really detailed in what we need to start working on, in order to successfully implement strategy and achieve results. Also Marketing Director - Madalin helped with a strategic approach and creative work. The content team is helping us with the blog posts twice a month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are now positioned for keywords we wanted to claim. Also, organic search brought us more visits and our bounce rate decreased.

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

We were communicating via Zoom, twice a week, and from the agency they were sending daily reports every day.

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

They took leadership on this project and act as a real partner. We really felt that they care about the final results and wanted to see our business grow.

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

No, we can speak only highly about Digital Silk from our experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Miami Country Day School is a coeducation and nonprofit school. We offer education for children ages 3–18.  Our philosophy is that we believe in supporting children in every aspect of their lives, including academic, athletics, arts, and their desire to try new things. Whatever it is, we want to help them. We have a learning resource program because we know that everyone learns differently. We also offer small class sizes and have a 9:1 student-teacher ratio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Silk?

We were in the process of rebranding and wanted to completely redo our website. We started working with Digital Silk on a small project. They helped us redesign our weekly e-newsletter, which goes out to all of our families via email.

The service that we use is called Blackbaud, which hosts our website, grades, and directories. Digital Silk helped us redesign a user-friendly layout for out newsletters in the backlog. Then they stayed on to help us with our website from start to finish.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we sat down to discuss the purpose of our website and who our target audience is, both before and after they log in. Then we discussed our themes, language, and pictures we wanted to use. They did all the graphic design, coding, copywriting, and everything else.

What is the team composition?

Christina was our project manager and we interacted with her the most; she was amazing. We also worked with two coders, a designer, and a copywriter.

How did you come to work with Digital Silk?

We were referred to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working them in March 2020 and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People in our community are telling us that they love it. Our admissions team is receiving more inquiries, but we’re still looking into how we can track our success with Google Analytics.

How did Digital Silk perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always ahead of schedule and were good about following up with us and sending us reminders to keep us organized. The project manager was always on top of things. After every meeting, she sent the team an email that outlined what their team needed to do and what our team needed to give them. Once we started working with the copywriting team, we received a PowerPoint that included the language for each page of the website on each slide.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team we worked with was very professional and charismatic. They became a part of our community almost instantly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were amazing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The next customer should make sure that they have their content ready on time, because that was our biggest issue. On our end, we were always falling behind, which then slowed down their process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am chief content officer for 21 Hats, a startup that is building a content and community platform for business owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Silk?

We hired Digital Silk to design a content and community platform for business owners.

What were your goals for this project?

To design a site that would thoroughly engage business owners by getting them to respond to the content we create and to participate in the forums we build.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I sought recommendations, sought proposals and estimates, interviewed several firms and selected Digital Silk.

Describe the project in detail.

We talked through the experience we wanted to create at length with Gabriel Shaoolian, founder of Digital Silk. It was tremendously helpful that Gabe himself is an entrepreneur -- and part of our target audience. After that his team started designing and we went back and forth, step by step throughout the entire design process.

What was the team composition?

We dealt primarily with a project manager who was extremely responsive to our questions, suggestions and needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The designs are complete, but the site has not yet been built so we do not have concrete results. That said, we are very happy with the designs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. Our concerns were always addressed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their attitude. It was clear that everyone who touched on this project was invested in its success as if it were their own project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There were times when things took longer to complete than we were told to expect. But that was almost certainly the result of it being a complicated custom project, and we are happy with the final results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a boutique medical spa in the heart of SoHo NYC, and we offer a vast array of natural and medical grade cosmetic products and procedures that are designed to enhance and revitalize natural beauty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Silk?

We were fortunate to collaborate with Digital Silk in order to re-brand, design, implement, launch and market our products. Digital Silk skillfully and seamlessly walked us through the entire process.

What were your goals for this project?

We had to re-brand and revitalize our Med Spa in order to attract new clients to our location.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked previously with the Founder and CEO of the company on another project. The Digital Silk team he has envisioned and implemented demonstrates a true mastery of the business of website development and implementation.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They initially met with us and clearly understood our purpose, mission, staffing and products. The entire process of design, development configuration, implementation, launch and marketing was efficiently performed within several weeks.

Multiple significant improvements were made specifically because of the suggestions and expertise of the developers and management team. Testing and refinement of the website was then performed and our feedback and concerns were always requested and resolved quickly.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of 4 core individuals and varied based on their necessary skills at the specific part of the project. A project manager and liaison was assigned to our project and he helped orchestrate the proper flow and function of the entire project from start to finish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

I have been in the business for over 20 years and I have never worked with such a professional team. Digital Silk really cares about the client.

They helped us transform our website and the entire process from the re-branding and development to the launch and marketing of the new website was an entirely efficient and seamless process. We have already experienced tremendous success from the new website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was quite impressive. The manager assigned to our project was knowledgeable, courteous and conscientious. He addressed every concern and helped prevent potentially costly errors.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had constant access to the team and every single concern was addressed in a very timely and professional manner. We were never left waiting.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, none that I can think of. This was one of the best companies I have worked with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Impendi Analytics combines enhanced data analytics with deep subject matter expertise to create executable strategies to drive cost reduction, revenue improvement and enhanced bottom-line performance. I am a senior Advisor at Impendi Analytics

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Silk?

Impendi analytics' website needed a complete refresh to reflect the rapid growth and expansion of the firm's offerings, as well as to ensure better site performance as measured by visitor count, frequency and engagement on site

What were your goals for this project?

Full content refresh and enhanced design to improve engagement and call to actions. Ongoing monitoring and content management to ensure continued topicality and relevancy for our target audience

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We met Digital silk through a set of radiating references from their prior clients that then led to an introduction where we got to know each other and discussed project objectives

Describe the project in detail.

Classic web design framework. Entirely new content was jointly written with them. They designed the look and feel of the site which we then iterated through as options were presented. Pictures, case studies and blog content were then added.

What was the team composition?

A Digital Strategist as the main contact. Technical and design resources who participated as needed. The whole team was friendly, engaged and always on time with their deliverables

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site is definately performing at a much better rate than the old site as measured by visitors, bounce rate, time on site etc.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The process was very well run with regular updates, defined phase gates, a clear process for issue resolution and 24/7 accessibility to the team as needed. The Impendi team's schedule sometimes made it challenging to find times that worked. But the DS folks always made it work

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This team is super knowledgeable and engaged. The quality of the work was very good. And, importantly, they hit every deadline

Are there any areas for improvement?

Noe that I can see.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Director of Portland Public Library

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Public Library

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Redesign Website
• Improve SEO
• Update Brand

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Silk?

Online Search

Why did you select Digital Silk over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Digital Silk were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Complete website redesign, WCAG Level AAA compliance, SEO, Brand adjustments and expansion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Increase in site traffic, meeting AAA complaince standards, all project tasks completed successfully

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

They were very responsive and worked efficiently. The project took longer than originally hoped, but that was due to third-party integrations, not Digital Silk. It would benefit them to use a project management program rather than microsoft as we had a number of issues with sharing but overall they were great to work with. 

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Silk?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

There were a lot of difficult elements in this site creation and their willingness, dedication, and creativity to making them happen. 

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

A project management program would have helped keep track and share materials more easily than using Microsoft programs.