Eight Oh Two

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the former marketing manager at my company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two?

SEO optimization for over 2,000 products. General digital strategy. Branding/logo development.

What were your goals for this project?

Increase online sales.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two?

Ability to understand our scale and having worked with previous companies of similar size; ability to explain the rationale for how they made decisions as it pertained to paid ads and overall strategy.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We previously did not have a digital marketing strategy and they held our hand as we learned about all the aspects. It was a broad scope of work that included a little of everything until we felt comfortable in narrowing down what was working best for our business.

What was the team composition?

Worked closely with 2-3 people from Eight Oh Two and had a regular standing meeting to discuss progress of various components of the scope.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We developed a seasonal approach to paid ads which was more targeted and resulted in higher online sales for items needed at particular points in the season. We were also able to focus ads on higher-profiting products that increased overall profit margin.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked well together. Eight Oh Two was responsive to our many questions as we learned what we should be doing in the online space.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ability to adapt to what we needed. They were not only skilled at what they did, but able to explain the "so what" of what was being recommended.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Really, no. Initially we had some sticker shock and did not understand their pricing model. Perhaps for those small businesses who are new to this really explaining how the pricing works.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Marketing, eCommerce and Direct Business

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two?

We were running paid search in-house for 1 of 4 brands. We lacked internal expertise, and were seeking a partner to help us stand up our other brands then scale the programs.

What were your goals for this project?

First, transition and scale the existing campaign. Next, simultaneously stand up and scale 3 additional brands. The primary objectives were a blended model of both customer acquisition and revenue.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two?

It was an exhaustive selection process, but that was only the beginning. Of importance to us was that they become an extension of our business, an external process. Their ability to understand each brand's unique goals, challenges and needs was what sealed the deal.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

If you are familiar with enterprise class paid search programs, on the surface they aren't difficult. In reality, they can be very challenging for a myriad of reasons.

Eight Oh Two focuses on Google Shopping Network, and they delivered almost immediate results. The actual detail behind the delivery is what we hired them to do. They do a great job.

What was the team composition?

Customer facing, 3 dedicated resources: account manager, VP of search marketing and a search marketing specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Under very challenging conditions, they have helped us acquire a large and growing customer base. Our return on ad spend is far in the black, even when you net out marketing costs, agency fees, material cost of goods and shipping. We are delighted.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Eight Oh Two is both proactive and reactive. A great example: We hit unprecedented volume in the spring of 2020 with pandemic buying, effectively also driving unprecedented out of stocks.

They were right there with us helping us achieve revenue targets while managing through the chaos.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their humble, approachable persona belies the incredible talent they bring to the table to help their clients achieve their business goals.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. They went above and beyond, truly exceeding expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the leader for digital channel growth and strategy as well as the lead analytics at Riverbendhome.com

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two, and what were your goals?

We hired EightohTwo to completely restructure our 100k product skus into a campaign structure that would maximize profitability for our Product Listing Ads (PLAs). We also hired them to conduct a technical SEO audit post a Shopify re-platform and to create 50+ content articles in key categories for our business.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two and what were the deciding factors?

We talked to three well recommended agencies. EightohTwo provided the most thorough answers, conducted an audit and created a presentation plan before the business agreement was decided. They were invested in the project from day one and have continued with that level of responsiveness a year later.

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

The first step was an in depth conversation about the business and challenges and key outcomes. Then the creation of a roadmap with dated big picture milestones. Once the plan was in place, we would meet on a weekly basis to adjust as needed for the PLA restructure.

It was completed on time and was a big project. The Content creation they offered great project management through online Google sheets making it easy to communicate, review and approve plans quickly.

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

We worked closely with the Founder/CEO, VP of Digital Advertising, a couple analysts and copywriters.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We continue to have high impact results in driving profitable sales through the PLA restructure. They brought our strategy to a whole new level of scalability. The articles have established us as an authority in the areas of focus. It has been a successful venture.

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

Very approachable and responsive. There has been little to no waiting where communication is needed. They are very clear with the process and proactively seek us out to ensure we are on the same page and things are going to plan. Google Docs, email, weekly calls.

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

The hands on involvement of the Founder/CEO, Ken. He is invested in the partnership for long-term. They even came on site a few months into the project to meet face to face and discuss the progress of the project. They are authentic, hard-working, and drive results.

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

I have been pleased with this partnership and have no areas for improvement at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the Senior Copywriting Manager for a retail brand specializing in high-quality women’s apparel.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two, and what were your goals?

We hired them to provide SEO services in order to increase our rankings.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two and what were the deciding factors?

I believe that someone had use the company in a previous position. They were well liked and within budget.

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

I worked directly with one of their in-house SEO writers to ensure that the product descriptions that we wrote internally were appropriately edited for search engine optimization. We would submit our copy and they would turn over their edits quickly and effectively.

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

I worked with two or three of their SEO specialists/writers over the years. All were professional, efficient and a pleasure to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Deliverables were always on time and you could tell that a lot of thought went into every edit. Our rankings increased thanks to this company.

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

They were exceptional at meeting deadlines, and always were quick to respond to emails.

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

The perfect mix of personality, expertise and cost effectiveness.

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

I will not hesitate to hire them again in the future. I personally saw no areas for improvement.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the Sr. Dir. of E-Commerce & Digital on August 28, 2020. New content is below:

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a women's specialty apparel retailer based in Hingham, MA. I am the Senior Director of eCommerce & Digital Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two, and what were your goals?

Eight Oh Two was hired to

1. increase SERP visibility for major non-brand keywords
2. manage day-to-day for Google AdWords and Microsoft AdCenter Paid Search platforms

Our goals were primarily based around keyword rank and traffic for SEO, and ROAS targets by funnel segment for PPC.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two and what were the deciding factors?

Eight Oh Two came highly recommended by an executive that has used them at a previous organization. In speaking with Eight Oh Two leadership, it was clear that their structure and strengths aligned very closely with our long-term digital goals.

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

Weekly Deliverables:

• SEO Product Optimization Report
• SEO Category/Content Page Optimizations
• PPC Dashboard with detailed breakdown of performance by platform, ad type and campaign.
• Weekly call to review performance of previous week, identify opportunities moving forward.

Eight Oh Two was also responsible for direct implementation of approved content within Salesforce Commerce Cloud, which was a tremendous help for our organization.

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

I primarily worked with:

• Ken R., CEO and Founder
• Dan P., VP of Acquisition
• Deb G., Lead Copywriter

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the 2+ years I worked with Eight Oh Two, we were able to make significant gains in both SEO and PPC. During this time, every single page on our site received an audit and content optimizations, with significant traction on several non-brand category-level keywords and a large lift in overall Organic Search Traffic.

PPC was also a terrific story, with Eight Oh Two able to achieve and exceed ROAS targets by funnel segment while scaling spend by over 30% YOY.

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

I would easily rate communication as one of Eight Oh Two's greatest strengths, be it during the lifespan of a single project or during ongoing maintenance/management.

Documentation was always presented in a very clear and concise manner, with structural feedback from the client heard and integrated. Deadlines were *always* made, and I could count on any level of depth in progress reporting available based on importance and my availability.

I was also extremely impressed at response times; for even the smallest question, I could count on Ken and Dan to get back to me within an hour or so, even if it was a Saturday afternoon, etc.

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

This is an easy answer for me - service. From the smallest one-off request, to the largest project they undertook, Ken's team always put in 110%. They also did not hesitate to go above and beyond the call of duty to help us with organizational challenges, even when those problems were completely unrelated to digital marketing.

Ken has built an incredible group of professionals that share the same attributes that have made him such an important partner to our brand: they're respectful, dependable, talented, and most of all, they care about the success of the brands they work with.

The partnership we had with Eight Oh Two felt more like an extension of our internal team than a traditional agency structure, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had their support for so long.

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

Nothing that I can think of!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Country Visions, Inc. (d.b.a. Apricot Lane Boutique) the leading women's fashion boutique franchise in the U.S. Previously, I was VP of Marketing at Crazy Shirts, and used Eight Oh Two exclusively for Affiliate Marketing Strategy to grow the E-commerce side of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two, and what were your goals?

While VP of Marketing at Crazy Shirts with full P&L responsibilities the DTC business, I used Eight Oh Two exclusively for Affiliate Marketing Strategy and execution. We were very successful in driving profitable growth. They're a group of professionals that are very good and capable business partners. Highly recommend.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed several competitors, and Eight Oh Two won our business through a weighted value of service, price, convenience, client roster, and track record.

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

Too many things to list.

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

I worked mainly with the founder.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Together, we grew year-over-year sales and profitability more than 20% across each of the years I was with the company. These were the performance goals we set out to accomplish, and we achieved them. I have little doubt that if we had set our goals higher, we would have been equally as successful.

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

Their style, for our business (at the time around $40M) was just what we wanted. Highly nimble, keen to test & learn, and able to deliver the scalable financial results we wanted.

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

They were able to leverage data in meaningful ways to prove performance, profitability, and scale our growth.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of an e-commerce retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two?

We hired 802 to manage our digital marketing - SEO, SEM, Content, Social Media, and etc.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for an agency that could manage these functions for us. We wanted a firm that could adapt ongoing to changes in our competitive environment, changes in e-commerce, etc. We wanted them to get to know our business and help drive profit.Prior firms tried to use cookie-cutter approaches which did not work well.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two?

We selected them based on prior experience our VP of Marketing had with them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They are responsible for managing these functions. They report out at set time intervals to show performance, ROI, changes and adaptations to the business environment, etc. So, they manage these functions and report out. This allows us to focus on other priorities and not have to worry about digital marketing.

What was the team composition?

They have resources assigned to each specific function. They work with our marketing leaders.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been extremely happy with Eight Oh Two. They take initiative and manage the functions well. They are very well versed in current tactics and changes in e-commerce.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are very good. We set up specific meetings to touch base and report out.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

First, their adaptability. They adapted to our needs. Also, they learned our business well so that they could even make suggestions to us. Lastly, all their employees are knowledgeable and proactive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. This is the best agency we have ever hired.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I worked for a family owned retail and manufacturing company in southern Vermont as a Sr. UX and Content Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two?

• SEO
• Staff augmentation
• Strategy

What were your goals for this project?

Audit and migrate site content to a new platform without hurting SEO.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two?

We had an ongoing relationship with them, so they knew our systems and products. It just made sense to continue!

Describe the project in detail.

We were replatforming our web site and took the opportunity to audit existing content and re-structure to optimize for SEO.

What was the team composition?

We leveraged the Strategy and SEO expertise of Eight Oh Two with their management and had a couple of additional members help with content.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I, unfortunately, left the org before we saw long term results, however, I know that our mobile search results were trending above our target. Otherwise, we were able to eliminate 80% of stale content and migrate all of the remaining according to plan.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I found Ken and his team very easy to work with. They were personable and took on timely project management for their areas of responsibility while working seamlessly with project managers, developers, content contributors, and management at all levels of the organization.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Eight Oh Two were there for us every step of the way, from scrubbing our site content to helping migrate, make recommendations, and audit content on the new site. They collaborated extremely well with other agencies and were always looking out for the good of our company.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Marketing Director at the nation's largest specialty hockey equipment retailer. In my role, I oversee the company's efforts in paid search, email, social media, affiliate, and retargeting, as well as customer loyalty and sponsorships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eight Oh Two, and what were your goals?

We needed to completely re-engineer our paid and organic search marketing efforts after a previous agency did not run our account as well as we were hoping. We needed to improve the efficiency, reach, and performance of our paid search campaigns while also improving our organic rankings after multiple acquisitions.

SOLUTION

How did you select Eight Oh Two and what were the deciding factors?

Eight Oh Two was recommended to us by an outside consultant who had worked with them in the past. We chose to work with them because of their track record in helping companies in situations like ours to successfully build and manage high-performing paid and organic strategies.

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

Restructuring paid search campaigns on Google Ads and Bing Ads to optimize ROAS Boosting organic rankings through backlinking, improved site content, and site architecture

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

We work regularly with four people from Eight Oh Two, ranging from VP to Analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our SERP rankings for key terms and categories has improved substantially, and we've been able to drive significant revenue increases through Paid Search by optimizing campaign performance to hit aggressive ROAS targets.

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

Eight Oh Two does a great job communicating. We have weekly status calls with them for both Organic and Paid, and run through program performance, deliverables on outstanding projects, and other questions we may have.

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

Even though they work with many other clients, they are always incredibly responsive to any questions or concerns we have. It always feels like we are a top priority for them, no matter how big or small the issue.