DigitalUs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an economic development organization responsible for promoting and marketing our region as a destination looking for companies to grow or expand. We help both existing and new companies find sites and help them with financing, tax incentives, workforce development solutions and other things to establish and operate in our area. I am the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DigitalUs?

We had a minor online presence, and we wanted to have a powerful presence. We didn’t have a viable website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed a website developed, plus a platform and a system for updating the content. We needed a CMS [content management system] system or platform that was mobile friendly that could be integrated with CRMs [customer relationship management] and could be updated by our staff. We didn’t have a lot of content to migrate, so we had to make content. We wanted something easy to use but also reliable, secure, and affordable. They maintain the site by providing technical support, ensuring the security, and helping our team with any templates.

How did you come to work with DigitalUs?

I had worked with them at a previous organization, and I trusted them to deliver a quality product on a strong CMS foundation.

How much have you invested with DigitalUs?

The cost of the project was $50,000. We have an ongoing maintenance contract as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our relationship in June 2015 and continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve gotten positive comments from people visiting our site. The site will only get better as we integrate other tools and add more content. We have a CRM tool that we are going to connect to the site. We are also looking at some marketing automation tools as well that we will be integrating this year. DigitalUs has expertise in other tools and will help us with those that we don’t have as much knowledge about.

How did DigitalUs perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a professional project manager who knows how to ensure a project is delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive about DigitalUs?

Whenever we have an issue or question, they’re available 24/7. We receive any updates they’ve done to the software. There are many users besides us, and they receive feedback from them and keep making the product better. I feel we have a great CMS that we can continue to build on.

Are there any areas DigitalUs could improve?

They’re good at looking at similar sites and suggesting solutions that might work for us. There’s always a challenge to have content that’s “edutaining,” and it takes expertise to create that. They can work with other PR and marketing firms for content, but many times that content is best created by the organization itself that knows the story they’re trying to tell.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We handle everything associated with a marketing, branding, and advertising company, but also focus on ideation and innovation. We build our own mobile applications, working on the innovation side with clients, helping them build products which can live online. We don't fit the typical mold of an advertising agency, but that is the foundation of our activity.

I am a partner, creative director, and high-level brand manager of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solodev?

A big part of any strategy with our clients is the web. Being able to manage their online presence and to facilitate, grow, and modify things is critical. Solodev has offered us a lot of flexibility, training, support, and design freedom, compared to other CMS [content management system] platforms. Through it, we had the right blend of options in order to confidently engage in whatever we imagined from a design standpoint, translating ideas into fully-functional websites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solodev has been used for a number of client projects, but we're also clients ourselves. We use the Solodev platform with a lot of ease and flexibility on a daily basis. We're believers in it to the point of hosting our own website on the platform. This is a good way to illustrate to clients and prospects just how easy it is to use Solodev. Our staff is up to speed on it, but we can easily get a hold of their team when we have a question. Solodev is a dynamite way of working with a partner, instead of with a software vendor.

How did you come to work with Solodev?

I had an embedded relationship with someone who had used Solodev before. That one-to-one personal validation goes a long way. Outside of this, I also talked to other Solodev clients. They had successful outcomes and had confidence in the platform, which helped cement my decision to partner with Solodev as well.

How much have you invested with Solodev?

Building a solution in the Solodev environment for a client involves a license and tech support fee. Building particular features which require support from the development team can also come with additional costs.

I find the cost to be reasonable relative to its CMS class, in the area of a few thousands of dollars per year, much more accessible than I would have expected.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started using Solodev 10 years ago. A number of our clients have implemented the platform in that time. The platform has evolved to feature more marketing components, including built-in PPC [pay-per-click] and SEO [search engine optimization] features. We've been using this particular iteration for the last 7 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have consistently advocated and evangelized the power of Solodev as a CMS platform. There hasn't been a single implementation of the software that didn't allow the marketing personnel outside or inside of my organization to get up-to-speed quickly and start building things on their own.

For me, success comes when I can start to automate clients' processes. We can deploy their solution, but my vision is to allow clients to become the most powerful operators of it on their own. In all of the many instances where we've brought Solodev in as a platform for a client, they've had successful outcomes with managing their web strategy, ultimately giving the marketing team the ability to do more with less. At the core of all of this is a powerful story around productivity. If a marketer can become more proficient at building landing pages, creating campaigns on a dime, and managing them not only through implementation but through measurement and post-mortem analysis, then they will have a powerful tool. The less they have to improve with IT and the complexities of development, the better.

From an IT perspective, Solodev is a fantastic model because it's highly validated security-wise. I don't wrestle with the same dilemma of whether or not it's going to be hacked like I would with WordPress and open-source platforms. Solodev is a locked-up, powerful, and trusted tool. It's essential that we're not trusting the online parts of businesses to something that isn't protected.

How did Solodev perform from a project management standpoint?

Solodev's team has been amenable to using whatever project management platform we had in place at the time, which may have been something like Basecamp, Slack, and other web-based applications. Solodev has an outstanding internal service model; I haven't had any issues with how our account managers are maintaining and managing our process. Solodev has internal project management staff which can help the kickoff meeting, establish benchmarks, and hold us accountable to holding them. There has been predictable scope creep, but it hasn't typically come from Solodev's end, but rather from client scope or objective changes. Solodev's team has been able to sink its teeth into anything we've asked for.

What did you find most impressive about Solodev?

Solodev's people have been fantastic communicators. I don't like to see CMS platforms or other software we purchase as being simply tools. If there are people who come along with those solutions, with whom we can form a relationship, it just that much more powerful. Many of these things can be very complex, especially in the space of using CRM [customer relationship management] or CMS platforms in order to reach objectives. They need to be integrated and supported, which almost always comes with issues and challenges. Solodev's team has this buttoned-down.

Are there any areas Solodev could improve?

A CMS can be somewhat of a commodity, and we could have a better vehicle for voicing improvement suggestions. I'd like to have more of a voice into how the software will grow and have more of an impact in the future. Solodev does have great communication with us throughout the lifespan of a project, so we'd like to see them embrace any areas in which they can grow.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a transportation agency. I oversee marketing, communications, web development, and social media for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solodev?

We needed help redeveloping our site using newer technologies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solodev (DigitalUs) developed our new site from scratch.

How did you come to work with Solodev?

We found Solodev through a request for proposal process.

How much have you invested with Solodev?

I don't have this information.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Solodev 6 years ago. We have made some subsequent changes to the site around 2 years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The new site has given us better control over its content. Solodev developed our first mobile-responsive site a couple of years ago. We were only expecting to have a small increase in views, but we went up 30-40% in overall traffic. 70% of all visitors were using the mobile version.

How did Solodev perform from a project management standpoint?

We met with Solodev's team on a regular basis, in order to have our project move forward. It was a good experience, leading us in the right direction.

What did you find most impressive about Solodev?

Solodev is very good at what it does. The project managers from their team are excellent.

Are there any areas Solodev could improve?

No. Solodev has been very responsive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a privately-held alternate investment firm with 9 billion dollars of assets under management. I oversee communications and public affairs, which includes a platform and all of the sponsored products we sell.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DigitalUs?

We needed to update our company websites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DigitalUs has completely switched all of our external-facing company websites to the Solodev platform, helping us not only optimize the sites but also providing the design work for them. We had a master template designed by another, more expensive firm. DigitalUs was able to mimic its tone and bring it to our sites. DigitalUs has handled SEO [search engine optimization] for our sites, and they're helping us manage our content properly.

How did you come to work with DigitalUs?

I had a working relationship with DigitalUs prior to when I started working for my current company. I worked with them 15 years previously for a hospital which needed to update its website.

How much have you invested with DigitalUs?

The cost of DigitalUs' services total above $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with DigitalUs for 5 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I'm a bit removed from the day-to-day management of the website, but when I was overseeing it, I experienced an overnight increase in calls to our addiction treatment centers. There was an uptick in tracking to our website, people using the Contact Us page, and finding us through search. Much of this was due to DigitalUs.

How did DigitalUs perform from a project management standpoint?

DigitalUs is able to integrate with other agencies, which is something that I really valued. They've been great partners in general, allowing me to call them even in the middle of the night around random occurrences with our site. DigitalUs has also helped us donate some of our time and energy for community-based projects.

For the past 15 years, I've worked with all levels of DigitalUs' organization, from the founder to project managers and developers. We've all come together to brainstorm, and DigitalUs has also brought in freelance people whom I've enjoyed working with. The owners of the company have very high expectations of the people who work for them, so interacting with DigitalUs feels very integrated.

What did you find most impressive about DigitalUs?

DigitalUs' responsiveness and willingness to be involved at every level are some of the things I've appreciated the most. If I need a logo to be converted on short notice, DigitalUs is happy to talk to me. Their owner is a perfectionist, really diving into the details. He's probably more concerned about our website than us, and he's willing to innovate, bringing novel approaches to our projects, even if that doesn't come with extra income for DigitalUs.

Are there any areas DigitalUs could improve?

I don't think so. DigitalUs has shown a commitment to excellence over the years, and we've become friends.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of OneBlood, a large blood center with locations throughout the Southeastern United States. We have centers in several states, including South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama [in addition to Florida].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DigitalUs?

When we started with DigitalUs, I was the only one on the team. Over time, we’ve gone through mergers and acquisitions. As a result, we had to merge web sites that we didn’t have the staff to maintain. We wanted to outsource the work instead of hiring a developer and the extra staff we would need to keep up the sites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DigitalUs have provided multiple websites along with streaming software for video and customized workflow applications. They have developed a custom workflow system for us that we’re revising right now. We have a public serving site and a B2B site for our hospital partners that we use the DigitalUs CMS for. They’ve migrated us to Amazon Web Services and we’ve been able to handle increased traffic during current events in our area.

How did you come to work with DigitalUs?

We put out an RFP and had several proposals from different providers. We interviewed 3 companies and ended up choosing DigitalUs

How much have you invested with DigitalUs?

[Confidential]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with DigitalUs in 2008 and we continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

In June, we were averaging 6,800 visitors to our site per day. When there was a significant event in our area that month, we saw a huge increase to 13,500 visitors per day and we were able to sustain that for several days.

How did DigitalUs perform from a project management standpoint?

They have at least 1 project manager on staff who works closely with our project manager. We have regular communication and updates. Their customer service and ability to meet deadlines is fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about DigitalUs?

We have a unique industry, but DigitalUs was able to provide excellent customer service. I was impressed by their willingness to adapt and provide solutions quickly and cost-effectively. That is the best thing I can say about them.

Are there any areas DigitalUs could improve?

I don’t have any complaints. They’re one of the best providers I’ve ever used.