Digital Third Coast

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Same Day Tees. We’re a wholesale print-on-demand screen printer, embroiderer, and direct-to-garment printer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

We wanted to build up our online business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us with SEO and are developing Google AdWords that will drive business to our website. The SEO has involved some structural changes, but it’s been limited what they’ve can to do with my current website. They’re getting people to come to the site, but they’re not finishing because of issues with it. They do backlinking for us as well.

We recently engaged another company to work with Digital Third Coast to design a new website that will be more interactive for our customers.

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

They were referred to me by a friend who uses them. He’d worked with several other companies and had some really good success with Digital Third Coast. I valued his recommendation because he’s been going through this process much longer than I have. He felt they helped him a lot, which is why I went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,000/month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The hits on our website have increased substantially.

How did Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Kerri (Digital Marketing Professional, Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing) is very thorough—she’s always on top of things. They’ve been really good to work with. We communicate via phone and email, and we’ve met in person once or twice too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re thorough and always try to keep an eye on my budget as with AdWords you can easily get carried with what you spend.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of marketing for Olivet Nazarene University School of Graduate and Continuing Studies. We are responsible for adult and graduate courses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

Five years ago, we wanted to improve our SEO and our PPC presence and wanted an agency to help us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us with our SEO and PPC efforts, as well as several content pieces. They helped us promote our programs and back up our other advertising. We worked together to develop a keyword list. They did a full audit of our sites and assisted with optimization. They made recommendations for our current site and we’ve gone through two web redesign projects with them.

What is the team composition?

We have one lead for SEO and the organic side, and another lead for the paid advertising.

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

An advertising agency we were working with recommended them. We worked along with both agencies for our first projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2013 and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our overall goal is to drive people to our site and supplement what we do in traditional media. Every year, we see a 20% growth in traffic to our site, which impacts our lead generation and inquiries about our programs. They’ve contributed a lot to our visibility in the space.

How did Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They do really well. They’re always available to answer our questions and we haven’t had any issues with the arrangement. We do a monthly reporting call with the whole team to go over the previous month’s results and to talk about new initiatives. We’re in contact between meetings to discuss different pricing, support, and other projects. They’re great to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a great collaboration with them and they feel like a part of our team. We bring them into a lot of planning meetings and they fully support us at every step of each project we do with them. We’re currently launching a few new degree programs. They work with us to help select the right names and make other recommendations. They’re a solid partner who understands us and our business. They go above and beyond normal support and help us on a much broader scale.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any recommendations for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the e-commerce manager at Bedside Manor Ltd, a luxury bedroom and bathroom linens company with an online store and three locations in Chicago, Ill.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast Marketing?

We recently redesigned our website, but didn't have capacity to manage our digital marketing efforts internally, so we engaged Digital Third Coast to provide those services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Third Coast oversees our digital marketing efforts, which has included setting up and managing our Google Analytics page, Google Shopping profile, and any paid search ads. They collaborate with our team to develop keyword lists, but don't create any content outside of the ads themselves.

What is the team composition?

We work with David (PPC Account Manager, Digital Third Coast Marketing).

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast Marketing?

The company that designed our website recommended them to us. While we considered another vendor, we ended up working with Digital Third Coast because they were local and we had a good rapport with them after meeting them personally.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $925 per month on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Digital Third Coast's marketing efforts have been very successful. Thanks to their digital campaign strategies, our sales continue to increase. They've provided invaluable insight for helping us target certain audiences, and convinced us to pursue a Google Shopping campaign that has proven to be very worthwhile.

How did Digital Third Coast Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very organized and schedule regular monthly calls with us. Whenever we have any questions, they're quick to respond via email or hop on a call; their customer service is great overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've provided a lot of helpful feedback and been very attentive to our needs. They also listen to our own expertise within the industry, working collaboratively with out team to come up with the best solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We're very happy with their approach at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure the relationship is approached as a partnership, combining the expertise of both sides. We know our customer and products best, so sharing that knowledge with Digital Third Coast's has been critical to our overall success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital marketing specialist for the Shorr Packaging Corp. We’re a distributor of packing products like bubble wrap, boxes, tape, air pillows, edge protectors, and more. We also provide automated equipment like case sealers, stretch wrappers, and strapping tools. We evaluate the efficiency and productivity needs of our clients to provide them with tools that’ll aid their cost-saving efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

We needed an external company to increase traffic on our website and help improve our lead generation strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing started the engagement by thoroughly analyzing the various components of our website to find ways it could improve. Their solutions included fixing sitemap issues, broken links, and creating additional pages. However, their major contributions to our company revolve around content development. They produced various deliverables like blogs, infographics, and white papers. They also led research projects and organized the statistics generated by our surveys. Using that information, they handled an outreach campaign through online and news publications to enhance our website’s visibility. This created the backlinks necessary to raise our domain authority, place the site higher, and generate better quality leads.

What is the team composition?

We interact with their senior account manager and a creative director.

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

We initially had the same company that built the website handle its lead generation, but they didn’t produce the results we needed. I searched for additional resources and sent interview questions to ten different firms. From there, I narrowed the search to five candidates and conducted phone interviews. Then, I requested proposals from the two remaining companies. The cost was a factor, but we mainly based our decision on the services offered by each firm and the nature of their prior successes. We felt that Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing would be a good fit for us, so we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the infographics they created for us was picked up by several news broadcast channels and even it made appearances in The Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today. Being featured in the news cycle created nearly 400 backlinks to our site and significantly increased our web traffic. The infographic is a terrific piece, and the specific campaign around it was honored with a Communicator Award. Based on the number of online searches that include our key phrases, their work has increased the brand’s visibility by 293%. We’ve also experienced a 180% increase in organic web traffic and a 128% increase in online conversions.

How did Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We hold a scheduled meeting each month to go over recent data, address red flags, and discuss plans for future initiatives. This includes detailing ways to achieve both short and long-term goals. Overall, they do an excellent job managing the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Most companies do the bare minimum to receive a monthly retainer, but that hasn’t been our experience with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing. They’re very genuine. Every person from their team is truly interested in the success of our company and wants to learn about the business. Even when we don’t get the chance to speak over the course of a month, I remain confident that they’re using their time wisely. They’ve been able to do a good job thus far, so why doubt them. We've had nothing but good results and enjoy a wonderful working relationship with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have a turnover rate that initially concerned us. However, that’s likely due to the nature of the digital marketing industry. However, we find their entire staff to be courteous and knowledgeable, so the issue hasn’t negatively impacted their work from our perspective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing manager at Prelude Dx. We have a medical test that is used to determine the dose of radiation for patients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast?

We needed a company to increase our brand awareness and help us with digital marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our Google AdWords and Facebook advertising, helping us increase awareness of our test among patients and surgeons. It's a very collaborative process, so we work together as one team. We usually develop the ads in-house and pass them on to Digital Third Coast. They’ve done a lot of research on where we should position our Facebook ads, so they handle that very effectively.

Also, they suggested that we expand our keyword search, which helped us determine our budget and increase our return on investment.

What is the team composition?

We've been working with Kerri (PPC Account Manager) and Logan (Paid Search Analyst).

How did you come to work with them?

The relationship started before I joined the company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $3,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in March 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our results are getting better every month. They're easy to work with and deliver everything on time.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

We talk twice a month over the phone and they give us a report every Friday. In addition, they give us a monthly report from Google Analytics, where we can see what they have accomplished over the course of the month. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very detail-oriented. Kerri is efficient and stays on top everything. Also, they're passionate about what they do and that trickles down to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They're doing a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I can see that they have our best interests at heart, so I absolutely trust them. Also, Kerri is very organized and articulate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Curious Minds Media, which is a web development company based in Kingston, New York.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

Digital Third Coast helps us optimize our existing PPC advertising campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They maintain our PPC advertising campaign, and they help us design new campaigns. We include them in all of our strategic planning meetings for our marketing and new campaigns. They do research into new markets, PPC, and remarketing campaigns.

We’ve also engaged them in helping us market new services like our WordPress maintenance service.

What is the team composition?

I have a single point of contact.

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

We found them through a Google search, and we connected well once we met with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $12,000 per year for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2013, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had some really great success with the marketing of our WordPress maintenance, and we are impressed with the PPC results they deliver.

How did Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with them on a monthly basis. They’ve been fantastic and fully responsive. They do a good job of leading us through all processes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Other companies haven’t been able to deliver the same quality of service that they have.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Right now, everything is done via spreadsheets and passed back and forth via email. That method works well enough, but they’d benefit from a cohesive client portal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m director of business development at Fertility Centers of Illinois. We’re a large physician medical practice focused on the infertility treatment space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast?

We were looking to generate more inquiries via paid online channels. We'd been doing paid search, but were looking for a better way to do it with a different partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They really focused on how we show up in different paid search forms in order to create a keyword and messaging strategy. They did a lot of research on industry trends in the market and on similar physician practices focused in the same space. They looked at their websites, calls to action, messaging strategy, keyword buys, and spends. They've also made recommendations for changes on certain landing pages of our website.

Digital Third Coast implemented a metrics-driven dashboard that compares the actual search volume for specific segments of our business. The dashboard gives us a good look at our prior years’ spend, month over month, for different segments. They make specific recommendations on total spend, keyword-specific buys, and how to better position our advertisements.

What is the team composition?

We work with two members of their team.

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast?

We did an RFP and interview process for several different vendors in the Chicago area. We were looking for a partner that was local but that also had a solid track record in the medical space in order to understand our business quickly and provide immediate impact. We ultimately decided to go with them because they had the best client relations team and the best strategies.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $3500 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They increased inquiries to the practice by more than 25%, while simultaneously decreasing cost per inquiry by 20%.

How did Digital Third Coast perform from a project management standpoint?

Digital Third Coast is excellent and highly collaborative. They're always on task even when we aren't. We have monthly status calls, and they’re very accessible to touch base as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise and their communication style are very impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Digital Third Coast will be successful without my advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CFO of Swift Passport Services. We help clients expedite the application process for US passports and international travel visas to countries such as Russia, China, Brazil, and India.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast?

We were seeing a big drop in the success of our Google AdWords and PPC efforts with a previous provider. We were also looking to make our process more efficient and earn a higher ROI. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They analyzed our AdWords and were confident they could produce a noticeable improvement rather quickly. They started working on Google, our main platform, but then expanded to Bing and Yahoo. They didn’t do any SEO work for us, but they did catch one glitch on our website that we will address with our development team.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager at Digital Third Coast.

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast?

I was referred to them and actually met one of their heads at a networking event. We had a casual conversation and then I followed up with him. He was extremely helpful and wanted to meet right away. Their proposal and their confidence impressed us, as did their friendliness and professionalism.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $24,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Month to month, we’ve seen conversions, unique visitors, and online sales all increase, while staying within budget.

How did Digital Third Coast perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a monthly meeting to go over the previous month’s results and any changes we need to make. We’re really happy with our account manager. She communicates clearly and is open to suggestions. They’re professional, friendly, nice and accommodating. They go out of their way to make sure things are going well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Other vendors will drop off the face of the earth until you contact them with an issue, but Digital Third Coast is quick to contact me if there’s something that comes up between our monthly meetings. They’re down to earth and treat me like I’m their best customer. They don't use industry lingo and they talk so that everyone understand. They’re generally more personable than other folks I’ve had experience with. And they stay on top of trending technologies and algorithm changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Put all your wants and desires on the table right away and follow their lead. They’re the experts; let them guide you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at an automotive company, manufacturing surface treatments, fuel stabilizers, fuel system cleaners, and other things. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing?

We wanted to position ourselves as an expert in our industry and develop content that would appeal to people within and outside of our industry. We were looking for a company that could develop a digital campaign for us to drive more traffic to our website. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first campaign they developed for us was the "Top 50 Cars" – the top car googled in each state. Our digital team and account supervisor worked with their content creation team to brainstorm the content of the campaign. We went over different ideas, which they took to the drawing board. Then they presented 5–6 ideas to us and we chose the "Top 50 Cars" campaign. They developed the content for the campaign and created all the links.

We just launched a new website and they provided SEO services for it, helping us find the keywords that would boost up our ranking. Our previous website had a lot of organic traffic because of our blog posts, but with the new website, it was challenging at first.

What is the team composition?

We mostly work with Ryan [Ryan Garrison, SEO Account Team Lead, Digital Third Coast] and Andy [Andy Kerns, Creative Director, Digital Third Coast].

How did you come to work with them?

They were recommended to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $60,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our organic traffic has nearly doubled, partly because of the sweepstakes campaign we recently ran. The quality of our traffic, links, and content has increased as well.

We're happy with the way they've put everything together and we're currently building an email VIP list of people to send products to and engage with on a different level.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They're transparent and communicate with us about every step of the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I don't need to chase them down to get answers, which I sometimes had to do with other agencies. They understand the vision of our company and there is no lag in communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it has been a great partnership. Our website was in a chaotic state and sometimes we didn't have all the answers for them, but they handled everything very well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner and head of the bridal segment for Dana Rebecca Designs, a wholesale and retail designer jewelry manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Third Coast?

We had an e-commerce website that we wanted to improve so that our online segment became stronger and a larger part of total sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built our website with another firm, but we hired DTC to make sure our SEO was effective. First, they did an overall site audit from an SEO perspective, evaluating everything from our site architecture to comprehensive keyword usage. We also wanted to set up pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaigns and utilize Google AdWords, dynamic remarketing, optimized product listing ads, and outreach marketing. DTC manages the PPC campaigns from beginning to end, doing writing, budgeting, analytics, etc.  

They conduct keyword research, which we then use to optimize our site, get better keyword rankings, and do outreach through content campaigns for link building. Everything is passed through us for approval or suggestions, and then they finish it from there.

How did you come to work with Digital Third Coast?

I met Taylor [Principal and Strategic Director, Digital Third Coast] about ten years ago when we worked together on a smaller project. When this project came up, we sent an RFP out to DTC and a few other firms. We listened to their proposals and pitches, but DTC’s seemed the best fit.

How much have you invested with them?

Between management and ads, we spend between $6,000–$8,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in April 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have year over year data, but for the months we've been with them, sales are up and we’re happy with the amount of traffic we’re generating.

How did Digital Third Coast perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re extremely organized and always on task. They know what they're doing, and I can't recall them ever missing a deadline with respect to project due dates. We maintain constant communication so as to be on the same page; DTC is available via email whenever we need them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re definitely experts on the SEO and paid search space.  They clearly explain what’s happening in the space and how it’s changing. I trust their recommendations, and I fully believe they have our best interest in mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had a bit of turnover with some team members leaving for other companies, which can cause some project lag, but that’s not necessarily their fault.