Gripped

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director and founder of an IT services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gripped?

We found that our old method of marketing was giving us diminishing returns. Over a period of five years, our traditional cold-calling campaigns were getting us fewer leads. We hired Gripped to help us address this problem.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gripped came in and spoke to us about moving to a more inbound method of marketing using blogs, PPC, and calls to action on our website. This way, we could drive more traffic to the site, get people to fill in forms, and engage in the live chat. Their team put together a proposal to update our website and put them on a monthly retainer to write our content, manage our PPC, and, effectively, give us an outsourced marketing department.

We began by helping them research topics within our industry and what we do as a business. It didn’t take them long to work independently from there. We gave them a bunch of blog titles that we think might be well-aligned with our services, and they went off to do their own research and create a blog based on that. 

Gripped did branding for us as well, helping us develop a new logo and a new message for the website, which they built on WordPress. The team catered to ad hoc activities since we were always coming up with new ideas. Away from the main website, they helped us build microsites to drive more targeted traffic through different subjects. They also helped us engage with our vendor partners to extract marketing funds from them.

What is the team composition?

I think we are one of their very first customers so there were two guys there initially. We work with Ben (Co-Founder) and Steve (Co-Founder) but over time, they’ve recruited more and more staff. We now have an account manager.

How did you come to work with Gripped?

They were recommended to us by someone we know within our industry but we were very skeptical about what they were saying because we’d heard it from other companies before. We were nervous but we went with Gripped because of the fact that they had a personal relationship with a person that we trusted. We stuck with them and are glad that we did.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £250,000 (approximately $348,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

It started in January 2018, and it is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Last year, we invested about £20,000 (approximately $28,000 USD) on a specific campaign and got a return of about £2 million (approximately $2,783,000 USD). We are satisfied with the branding work and everyone seems to like it. We’ve just spoken to the team about another refresh because it was probably about 18 months ago when we rebranded the website. We are going to stick with them for that as well.

How did Gripped perform from a project management standpoint?

They do really well. Our account manager makes sure that things are done according to the timeline and budget. I would say that’s part of their strength. 

We use Google tools, and we approve blog posts via Google. We have a call every two weeks to discuss our progress and where we are against our 90-day rolling plan. On that call, we speak to our account manager, the web developer, and the copywriter about new ideas.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about Gripped is how they constantly monitor what they're doing, particularly with PPC. They will try something, monitor the results, tweak it, and monitor the results again. If anything goes awry, they will revert to the old way of doing things. We have used firms in the past that would just set it and let it run, but Gripped does not do that. They are quite analytic and scientific about what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn’t say so. They are pretty much a perfect organization. The price could always be lower, but the same could be said for things like gas and electricity too.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Gripped and be patient. It is very easy to embark on a different endeavor, do things differently, and get the jitters when you’re three months in and not seeing a result. Trust in what they say and give them time to prove what they say they are going to achieve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an enterprise, B2B SaaS platform that sells software to brands and broadcasters to help manage and edit their video at scale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gripped?

We’d never had a marketing department before when I was brought on board to put an entire marketing strategy into place. I hired Gripped to help with digital marketing, from building a website to creating content and doing paid ads and SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a working relationship over the course of 18 months. We started with a design, scope, and build-out of a website because we didn’t have one; we only had a simple web page. Now, it’s a high-converting lead generation tool. We put together an entire growth playbook that encompassed messaging and value props. They also helped with target buyer personas, content calendars, and premium content including white papers, e-books with case studies, and more.

In terms of pure marketing, they put together our retargeting, Google Ads, and LinkedIn ads on a rolling, monthly basis.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a few people including Steve (Co-Founder). The other co-founder helped out as well in different parts of the process. We also had one account manager throughout the period, as well as a content manager and digital designer. There was one point of contact all the way through for the 6-7 people we worked with.

How did you come to work with Gripped?

I had a working relationship with the two co-founders a couple of years beforehand. I knew how good they were at marketing and product, and I’ve been following their work since Gripped began. I was nervous about jumping straight in with them since they were the people I knew so I looked at similar agencies but, frankly, none of them compared to Gripped. They didn’t seem to be prepared to speak to prospects; the whole process was difficult while Gripped made it easy for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around £160,000 (approximately $200,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2019 until November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure everything in marketing. In 2019, our web traffic was 13,500, and most of that came in the last three months when Gripped was on board. In 2020, that grew 120,000; that’s a 700% increase. Our organic web traffic tracked better than industry standards as well. This means our target keywords and our content were working. We sent out 50,000 emails in 2019 and 1,300,000 in 2020, and the engagement rates improved.

Before Gripped, we didn’t have any digital content. No blogs, articles, or content to learn about our company from. Since then we’ve put together 170 blog articles, 12-e-books, hosted 12 webinars, and put out 80 videos and 133 articles. What that’s all helped with is the number of leads generated and opportunities created. In 2019, our company had 168 leads, and most of those came from September on, when the website launched. In 2020, there were 2,350 leads. That’s a 1,300% increase in leads.

How did Gripped perform from a project management standpoint?

This is a strength of theirs. They had to chase us a lot of the time. They’re quite organized, and our account manager specifically. We let them down there and could have done better if we had more bandwidth on our end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really understand what they’re talking about. They’re always available to ask questions and run ideas past. Rather than waiting for me to come up with an idea, they’d bring ideas to the table. They were quite active in what they were doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the reasons we left is because they are maybe slightly generalist in the industries they work with. The company we utilize now is more specialized in our industry. If they specialize a bit more and also did some of the more traditional marketing, it may have helped us stay.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to their advice and do what they say. They know what they’re talking about.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Marketing of Espria Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Espria is a provider and managed tehnology services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gripped to accomplish?

• Design and build a new website
• Support the business in our wider marketing activities

SOLUTION

How did you find Gripped?

Referral

Why did you select Gripped over others?

RFP Process

How many teammates from Gripped were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We're early into our journey with Gripped but so far so very good. They nailed the brief, meetings are highly productive and well managed. Ideas are well thought out and they're rigorous in their research and strategic thinking. 
Initially, work will focus on developing a completely new website for us. Once this is live we can commence work on digital marketing including SEO, Lead Gen, digital ads and more. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Too early to say but work to date is a strong indicator of success

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

So far, all timelines have been delivered as planned and emails are responded to swiftly.

What was your primary form of communication with Gripped?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They 'got' us and they understand our market and how we can differentiate

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

Not so far but we are early in our relationship

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Campaign Manager of eve Wholesale

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help people connect and communicate with brilliant technology and support.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gripped to accomplish?

• Create a new website that neatly explained what we do and who it is for
• Generate website leads

SOLUTION

How did you find Gripped?

linkedIn

Why did you select Gripped over others?

• Great culture fit
• Other

How many teammates from Gripped were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope of work for this project involved the complete design, development, and launch of the new eve Wholesale website, as part of the company's rebranding from eve Networks. This included creating a modern, UX that reflects the updated brand identity and supports the company's wholesale business model. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Website launched on time, despite incredibly tight deadlines. Launch was a huge success, too early to report on specific measurables at this time. 

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

Outstanding project management. Responsive, informative and efficient. Any requests or questions we put to them were always dealt with promptly and in a helpful manner. A pleasure to work with. 

What was your primary form of communication with Gripped?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

How quickly they 'got' what we were trying to achieve with the rebrand. They quickly felt like an extension of our team. 

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

Nothing to comment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager of the company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide software and technology to landlords, operators and owners helping them to automate operations, deliver better experiences, and manage their portfolios more efficiently.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gripped to accomplish?

• Address our challenge of taking our message to market by capturing the attention of educated, in-market audiences and educating less digitally mature prospects on the value of digital technology to transform their commercial potential.
• Implement various digital tactics such as refining the user journey on our website, launch campaigns including paid ads, and SEO best practices.

SOLUTION

How did you find Gripped?

Referral

Why did you select Gripped over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Gripped were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We partnered with Gripped to address our challenge of taking our message to market by capturing the attention of educated, in-market audiences and educating less digitally mature prospects on the value of digital technology to transform their commercial potential. We faced the ongoing issue of limited search visibility and low lead volume through the website. Gripped has worked at maximising our visibility through awareness campaigns on LinkedIn while optimising conversion pathways on our website by leveraging our prospect conversion journey through strategic website design and development. 
Additionally, they implemented SEO best practices to boost our ranking for category terms and created a premium content piece to enhance the value of content to specific key target audiences. A key focus for Gripped was refining the user journey on our website, they achieved this through clear messaging, refreshed design elements, and effective calls-to-action. By implementing these measures, and working closely with our team, Gripped succeeded in creating a friction-free and engaging experience for visitors from the moment they land on the site to the point of conversion. 
We’ve seen a 50% increase in traffic and a significant 20% boost in website conversions over the last 90 days. The thing we love about Gripped is they're always proactive and love collaborating — the calls we have are incredibly valuable as we bounce ideas off each other and then agree on a direction that aligns with our current priorities, they don't wait for you to tell them what to do.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a 50% increase in traffic and a significant 20% boost in website conversions over the last 90 days.

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

The Gripped team was always responsive and flexible in delivering what we needed and when. We often had to make changes on the fly with a tight deadline, which was never an issue for them.

What was your primary form of communication with Gripped?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They had great communication and did a great job putting in the time/effort to learn about our industry, company and products.

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

There was nothing they needed to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Department Director of Uniqodo.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Uniqodo is the world's only all-in-one Promotion Engine and onsite Experience Builder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gripped to accomplish?

• Improve our search presence
• Increase organic-driven MQL generation

SOLUTION

How did you find Gripped?

WOM

Why did you select Gripped over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Gripped were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We approached Gripped 4 years ago looking to improve our search presence and increase organic-driven MQL generation to support our revenue targets. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Gripped devised a strategic rolling roadmap of organic marketing tactics that helped us achieve the following in our time together: 

• 630% increase in traffic sessions
• 200% increase in organic leads 
• 300% increase in MQLs

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

We’ve found Gripped to be responsive, agile, and technical in their thinking and execution.

What was your primary form of communication with Gripped?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Team

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

No

UPDATED REVIEW

• Increase organic traffic to our website
• Increase leads and opportunities
• Improve our website and social media

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

• Increase organic traffic
• Increase leads and opportunities
• Improve web and social media presence

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager of a transport software company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Transport software

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gripped to accomplish?

Website design & content creation

SOLUTION

How did you find Gripped?

Online Search

Why did you select Gripped over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from Gripped were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Website design
• content creation 
• content marketing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

UX & UI improvements

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

Made the necessary changes as suggested

What was your primary form of communication with Gripped?

Virtual Meeting

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

Communication

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

Flexibility

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of UK Sales of Data Interchange

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Data Interchange connects systems, supply chains and people, to increase efficiency through powerful applications, supported by a personal and committed team of EDI specialists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gripped to accomplish?

• Generate More Leads
• Increase traffic to our website
• Assist with marketing content

SOLUTION

How did you find Gripped?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Gripped over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Gripped were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

They have made a proactive effort to understand our market and we've picked up a bit of marketing expertise along the way.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Gripped have been very open to our needs over the past few years of working together.

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

Our business has changed a lot in the past 4 years and Gripped have remained agile to shifting business requirements.

What was your primary form of communication with Gripped?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a B2B SaaS company for the construction industry. I head up the Growth marketing and for all marketing efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We worked with Gripped because we have a small team, and I was looking to accelerate our digital sales and marketing capability.

Gripped was engaged to work from strategy and delivery across all areas of our digital go-to-market.

SOLUTION

How did you select Gripped and what were the deciding factors?

I knew Gripped as I had read and used some of their content. But their expertise in B2B SaaS is strongly aligned with our requirements.

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

During the sales process and the initial workshop Gripped made it a priority to learn and understand our product and key objectives in great detail. Now they run all of our digital strategy and channels across Organic and content, Google Search and LinkedIn, including any keyword research, bid adjustments, campaign expansion, remarketing, etc.

They also have built, structures to nurture leads and provide sales enablement services to ensure that leads are followed up properly and our sales people feel engaged in the marketing process.

How many resources from the Gripped team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I primarily work with our account manager but have access to a Content Strategist and Paid Media specialist, marketing exec, and strategists. Their founder has also been involved in conversations to help us get advice on bigger strategic direction topics.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've gone from generating 3 to 4 leads a month to generate a minimum of 100 leads per month. Our pipeline is healthy and leads are translating into revenue. We have a happy sales team who are supportive of our agency relationship.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our account manager takes the lead in ensuring we all know where we are and what we are doing. She ensures that we are all aligned and organised and communicates extremely well. We have sessions together every other week and a monthly deep dive.

We communicate over slack and email, and we always get rapid valuable responses.

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

I've worked with lots of agencies, and they offer cookie-cutter solutions. Gripped truly acts as part of our team. They take the time to understand, challenge and debate.

The relationship has been exceptional; they're proactive and never rest on their laurels. We love them, and we know they value our relationship.

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

Nothing that springs to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a video production comapny and i am head of marketing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gripped?

We were looking to grow inbound digital marketing leads. they help us with strategy, email campaigns, social, CRM work and premium content

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We shortlisted 5 companies and gripped shone through with their fantastic knowledge, experience and personality too

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They have listened to our needs and offered us a bespoke retainer, which we can flex depending on our goals. this is rare in this market! they therefore help with many things, all to great impact: SEO, blogs, website build, email campaigns, nurture flows, events, webinars, you name it!

What was the team composition?

We have always had an excellent account manager and then access to their brilliant wider team right up to their CEO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Inbound leads have increased by 40% since working with them. our business profit has in turn doubled, with gripped helping us massively with that

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Really good. we have have weekly calls to run through goals and also face to face meetings monthly and quarterly to oversee bigger projects

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Knowledge and flexibility. they will work with you and they feel like an extension of your team, not an agency

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

I would like their support if move marketing CRM as their insight would be really helpful