Imarc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

 I’m the senior manager of website operations for a major cable provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

Imarc gives us operational, development, and marketing support for all aspects of our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started off the engagement by interviewing users, taking stories from stakeholders, and then just going through the entire lifecycle of our website to better understand our operation. Now, they handle everything from requirement gathering, design, development, user acceptance testing, and production.

They’re well versed in a lot of different platforms but are currently helping us move from Drupal to Laravel. They also support us on a variety of digital marketing campaigns, whether it’s small projects like Black Friday or an email campaign, or something like rebuilding our entire shopping cart API and billing system.

What is the team composition?

We work with about 12 people from their team full time. That includes UX engineers, architects, project managers, designers, and SEO experts.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We were looking at companies local to the Boston area, and we found that they came particularly well recommended.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in 2013 and are continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have significantly improved our operations and digital infrastructure, like the shopping cart and billing overhaul I mentioned earlier. We’ve had great success in increasing online sales through that work. Their team has helped us to increase traffic and SEO performance through their support on that end as well.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve worked with a lot of different service providers in my career, and I think Imarc is close to the best I’ve ever worked with at project management. They use a variety of tools, including Smart Sheets and the entire Google Suite, and they really make use of them well to stay on top of everything that’s going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team shows up every day asking how we can do things differently, or better. What can we do to create an impact? They really bring a creative element to the work that we were lacking before. As major players in all of the tech hubs, they’re also be able to deliver with some of the greatest technologies and techniques in the industry, which is really impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. I’ve been very happy with everything they’ve done for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Imarc is very accommodating and open. They really get how to provide expertise to bring less technical people up to speed on what they’re doing as well, so I don’t think there’s anything that you need to do to be successful with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing communications for a consulting company that supports public school districts around the country. We offer various solutions, from thought leadership and consulting to technology solutions that enable the best educational practices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We’d last updated our website a few years ago, but we were struggling to optimize it as a dynamic marketing tool. Imarc had previously conducted an SEO audit for this site and had tried to address some of the problems.

We kept on hitting roadblocks in the site’s backend, which impeded us from making improvements at the rate we wanted. Focusing on restructuring our value proposition and improving the efficacy of our messaging, we decided to let Imarc completely redesign our website. They also sought to improve our backend functionality.

In reorganizing our website, Imarc worked to communicate our wide range of services in a succinct, legible way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The process evolved substantially, as we succumbed to a severe case of scope creep. We’d set out a strategy phase, creative phase, development phase, then launch.

They had originally set out to simply redesign our website and migrate it to an improved backend platform, but they ended up building an entirely new website. It was in the creative phase that we realized that in order to get things right, it’d be worth the investment to build an entirely new platform.  

After arriving at that conclusion, Imarc was flexible in expanding their team. They made sure they could deliver the extra capacity required to implement the new website.

The strategy phase involved a discovery process, where they interviewed some key users. They developed wireframes, and eventually, some design comps. It was an iterative process where we frequently saw similar but different versions. When something wasn’t working, they were excellent at troubleshooting and giving us different recommendations to solve the problem.

Once the platform was built out, we partook in an internal QA session in collaboration with their team before going live with it.

What is the team composition?

We were working with Patrick (Partner & CPO, Imarc) who operated as our project manager. Robert (UX Researcher, Imarc) provided strategy and SEO assistance, and Tristan (Front-End Developer, Imarc) was our lead developer. Paul (Art Director, Imarc) spearheaded our design efforts. We worked with several others, including an expert on HubSpot.

They facilitated the smooth integration between our website and HubSpot, which was very effective. They have an incredible range of expertise; there’s always someone on the team who can tackle the specific problem you’re experiencing.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We’ve had an ongoing relationship where they were providing SEO audits for our previous website.

What is the status of this engagement?

This particular project began in June 2018 and wrapped up with the launch in March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we don’t have hard metrics, our organic traffic has definitively increased. A huge win for us is our new ability to track site activity, in itself. Our HubSpot systems have been very effective, where we’re able to witness what on our sites pique the most interest.

Another significant benefit for us is the ability to scale and make updates to our new website. Imarc built the new site utilizing Craft CMS, which is easy to tweak and maintain. It’s so easy to navigate the backend now, and the site looks beautiful.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were phenomenal and just terrific to work with. They kept us on track and made sure we were prepared for the next steps. They’re excellent communicators who maintained an ongoing conversation with us. They ensured that they executed the promised deliverables. If I had to build another website, I’d work with them again in a second.

What did you find most impressive about them?

That’s a difficult question to answer since their services are impressive as a whole. I’d say that the whole Imarc team was outstandingly collaborative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d tell them to go for it because Imarc is a wonderful partner. I’m confident that they’ll be excellent no matter what challenges you’re facing. Know what your own goals are because they’re great responding to the challenges you articulate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run the enterprise digital asset management systems for Marriott International. I started at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which was later merged into Marriott.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

Although we’ve been working with Imarc on various projects over the course of 15 years, they developed and currently host our digital asset management system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, they’ve provided updates to the management system that I inherited. Each time, we do a basic RFP and talk to different vendors. Imarc is a strong competitor because they offer a complete out-of-the-box solution for digital asset management.

They conduct research to strategize the best technologies for our business. They create detailed wireframes and bounce ideas to us. They’ve always delivered a bug-free product, which they then maintain. We’re constantly doing new iterations of the product, though.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Alex (Project Coordinator, Imarc). We’re always engaging on Slack. I’ve also got an open channel with our main developer and onsite engineer. I appreciate that I have a good enough relationship with them that I can directly contact the technical team.

On any new business—when they do work for our third-party clients—I interact with Katie (Partner, CBDO, Imarc) who handles proposals. Finally, I frequently touch base with Dave (CTO & Managing Partner, Imarc), who lends us his technical expertise, and Nick (CEO & Managing Partner, Imarc).

How did you come to work with Imarc?

I used to be at Sheraton, who hired them in the 90s to host their marketing assets. Sheraton was then acquired by Starwood, and I inherited their product a few years later. When we decided to scale our product, they were shortlisted along with other vendors during an RFP evaluation process. We realized they could bring a lot to the table.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $160,000 a year, for the standard hosting and maintenance fee. We also pay them for separate projects, so we spend another $50,000­–$60,000 to build different tools and partnerships throughout the year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for close to 16 years. They also work with our clients and have created new partnerships.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The success of the system is one great sign of success. We’ve continued to get glowing reviews of our digital asset management system. The system is endowed with great flexibility; it allows us to create tools that meet the exact specs of my different clients. While we have a very large user base, we’ve been able to offer the highest caliber of service, all thanks to Imarc’s product.

They’re very hands-on and relationship-driven. I don’t feel that I’m just another company, because they take the time to get to know me and my business.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. They’ve got a streamlined, transparent system where I can drop in anytime to check project progress. If any questions or decisions come up, I get pinged in our PM software so I can provide any guidance or direction. Although we’re very demanding and our requirements are constantly changing, they’ve proven that they can roll with the punches.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In short, they deliver on their promises. They have a long track record of pumping out bug-free products in a very timely manner. They give accurate and detailed briefs. We’ve established excellent communication, where they ensure they understand our exact ask before launching into development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This isn’t at all on them, but they run a very tight ship. Sometimes, I have to make completely insane demands while knowing that I’m asking too much of them. In those instances, they have to bring on extra help. They’re always communicative of their resource stretches, though, so it’s never been a problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a bit of a free reign. If you give them an idea of what you’re looking for, they’ll take that creative freedom to come up with something brilliant. Letting them create their own plan produces the best long-term plan for that project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior marketing manager at a cybersecurity firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We wanted a partner who could create a brand that was unique but paid homage to our parent company. We also needed them to be able to design and develop a new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the project with a discovery phase, coming up with ideas for the brand identity. We shared different characteristics of the brand, our goals, and how we were different from others in the space. Imarc went through various archetypes of patterns and behavior that we could use for our brand, breaking it down into the key elements to create a simplified positioning statement. We iterated on different mood boards to determine which color palette and imagery best resonated with our brand. Once the brand identity had been solidified, they then built the site.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with the project coordinator and lead designer.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We wanted an agency that had experience in web dev, design, branding, and cybersecurity. We conducted several interviews and got various quotes, and Imarc had the creativity, experience, and skills to accomplish what we wanted, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from July 2018–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The overall result was a beautiful website that was visually compelling and aligned with our core values as a brand. The design reflects our mission and provides a great representation of the services we offer. We’ve gotten positive feedback from existing and prospective clients on the design and functionality of the site, including the logo and brand identity.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, we spoke about every other week. They were reliable and responsive, answering my questions to make sure we were all on the same page. They paid attention to deadlines and ensured that we completed everything on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought our brand to life and executed a perfect vision for it. Their work has made a huge impact and highly elevated our brand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve been more creative in some of the visualizations on different pages, but that was due to discrepancies in the contract and what we thought they were supposed to do.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Communicate clearly and let them know precisely what you want creatively.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of demand generation at Diligent Corporation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

When we first got in contact with them, we were trying to rebuild our corporate website. We were looking for an agency that we could call upon for ongoing improvements and modifications to the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Imarc rebuilt our site on WordPress. They understood what we were trying to achieve with the redesign and gave us wireframes of what it would look like. We went back and forth with those, followed by them actually coding the site. They worked with our internal web developers on not only building the site but doing it in a way that would allow a non-coder to update it.

Besides updating the look, we also tackled SEO as our previous website wasn’t optimized for it. Imarc focused on making things more lead generation focused, working on how we could get more people to the website from an international standpoint and how we could convert them. They also helped us with another brand.

What is the team composition?

I think we worked with five people from their side, which included a couple of designers and another a couple of people who handled the actual coding.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

A consultant from the private equity company that owns us was helping with a number of things, one of which was how we’d handle our website’s redesign. She put us in contact with a couple of agencies, but I also searched for others on my own. We conducted interviews, received quotes, analyzed their skills, and determined that Imarc was the best choice.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost in the six-figure range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Imarc in March 2017, and the site launched around August of that year. We continue to keep them on retainer for any modifications we may need.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The end-goal was to get more website visitors from an SEO standpoint, which has totally happened. Our traffic has gone up significantly since the website’s launch. Another key performance indicator we had in place was lead generation and conversions, which are also up significantly. While I don’t have the exact percentages offhand, the project was a huge success.

The previous site was something that literally only a couple of people could update. It was complex and code-heavy, so working on it required a developer. We now have around 12 people updating the new website, and more can be trained in making simple updates within 30 minutes.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, when we were going through the wireframes, we were in contact once or twice per week. Communication became constant after we started the implementation phase. Imarc shared a chatroom with us as they were building the site.

I’m not a huge fan of agencies, generally, but Imarc far exceeded my expectations. They not only delivered on all the things we wanted to complete but also handled much of the planning we thought we’d be doing internally. They were awesome to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing they are best at—which is hard to find—is understanding web development from a marketing standpoint. There are lots of agencies that can come up with great things from a design standpoint, and there are also agencies who can provide the development for that, but the thing I found particularly impressive about Imarc is that they can do all of that, as well as think about how we should build the website to ensure the achievement of our business results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We’re keeping them on retainer because we’re super happy with their services.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clearly define what you want from the project, and let Imarc come back with ideas on how to achieve your goals. We gave them a ton of indications when we started the project, but as it went along, we loosened up because Imarc gave us helpful feedback and ideas that were different from what we were originally planning to do, but in a good way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business development and communications manager for the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health, at Tufts Medical Center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

Our previous website ran on the outdated DotNetNuke and hadn’t been redesigned since 2009. We needed a full top-to-bottom redo to make the site reflect our leadership’s experience and expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with discovery and design phases. After we approved their wireframe designs, Imarc produced copy. They redesigned the site using their Craft CMS to meet the hospital’s security and server requirements. We’re moving forward with the product in beta form and the team is completing additional work over the next few weeks. After lengthy internal discussions, we decided to have Imarc host the site. Post-launch, we have a hosting agreement with Imarc. They respond to our email change requests.

What is the team composition?

With the redesign, we interacted daily with four people in total. These people included Katie (Partner, Imarc), Patrick (Partner, Imarc), and Paul (Lead Designer, Imarc).

How did you come to work with Imarc?

I did a Google search for local vendors because I wanted face-to-face interaction. Katie was the first person at Imarc I talked to. Our upfront and transparent conversations made her feel like a friend. Budget was a critical issue for us, as a nonprofit institution. Katie made me comfortable in expressing those concerns. Due to hospital procurement processes, it took a while to engage Imarc officially.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and the site launched in May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The changes were instantaneous and received positive feedback from clients, sponsors, and our hospital colleagues. The site is professional and makes our branding more cohesive.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

The team helped move difficult conversations forward, which enabled me to execute important decisions such as the hosting arrangement. They also translated several technology concepts for our employees. When things started going off the rails internally, Patrick especially helped me strategize and manage our internal stakeholders. He felt like a real partner in getting everything back on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Although we were a very small account, they gave us the same attention and care as their largest clients. We always felt important to them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Before engaging Imarc, clients should make sure they understand their internal stakeholders. We didn’t and that slowed the project down. During the project, clients should express concerns because the team will be clear and transparent. Those honest discussions made our project a smooth experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an equipment and software supplier for the semiconductor industry. We make capital equipment and software that is part of the supply chain for microchips and other electronic technologies. I am the corporate communication manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

Our website was outdated, so we needed a new, more modern one. A major challenge was the user experience – a major complaint was that information was hard to find.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Imarc conducted a discovery phase and met with our stakeholders. They organized some calls and were accommodating with our stakeholder’s time zones that were around the world. Their team wrote a thorough discovery report, including our data analytics and made observations and recommendations. They made an effort to learn about the semiconductor industry, which helped. Using this foundation, they built the front- and backend.

Our biggest challenge was improving our site’s usability. We offer a lot of products and serve various markets. We wanted to make it easy for customers to find what they were looking for. Imarc developed a custom-menu solution that listed out our main markets and the challenges and products that relate to those markets. These keywords helped people immediately identify and understand how we can serve them. They created many revisions for how it should be displayed and were patient with us.

They made pages for our published material, a customer support page, event page, careers page, and more. For all these pages, their team helped us position our company in the way we intended. They always kept SEO in mind,  helping to boost our keywords. They also made our backend have more administrative and customizable features.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four of their employees.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We looked for a local Massachusetts firm. We found around 25 firms in the area and reviewed their portfolios. We contacted about 10 of them and got five proposals, which we narrowed to two. We met with Imarc’s team in person and were impressed with their pitch. They were professional and seemed capable, which eased our concerns.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2018 and ended in June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work was extremely professional and received a lot of positive feedback. The site increased our call to actions and made it easier for customers to contact us. It was a 100% improvement over the old site. It was modern, responsive, and dynamic. Compared to other technology sites, our new one brought a lot of life and personality to the company.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was thorough, kept us on task, and had flexible schedules. We conducted phone calls with them multiple times a week to go over any issues. They made sure we were following the timeline and kept things moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their professionalism. All of their employees were respectful during our calls. They listened well and acknowledged our feedback. They never made us feel like we were being too demanding. They read between the lines on some issues and offered us great solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It felt like our timeline to enter content and review the developer site was too short.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Marketing Coordinator for a pipe connection manufacturer. We provide products for the mechanical, energy, and fire industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

Our website was nearly 10 years old and our Google rankings were suffering. We wanted to build a modern, responsive site that would provide a more pleasant experience for our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gathered metrics about our existing site prior to hiring Imarc to determine the top 10 priorities of our users. We wanted to know why people visited our site and what they needed from us. When Imarc came aboard, they conducted thorough research by reviewing our existing site and interviewing our staff, and they ultimately identified the same strengths and weaknesses uncovered by our own research.

From here, they compiled a robust report of our website users, including distributors and contractors. This report also included the evaluation of our existing site and the sites of our competitors. Using this information, Imarc began to identify necessary components for the development.

We had specific software needs. One was a submittal manager, which is very important to our contractors as it supplies documents needed in the construction industry. Additionally, Imarc is currently working with our in-house R&D team to develop complex software for calculating piping needs in seismic areas all over the world.

The website includes an intuitive CMS that allows our in-house team to make edits and updates. Imarc remains on hand to provide support if needed.

We’ve also expanded our scope to include SEO work. They conduct research about our rankings and take our perspective into account to create a succinct optimization strategy.

What is the team composition?

We have a rotating team based on the project’s requirements at any given time. I’ve been introduced to around 25 people, though we typically have a team of five or six. No matter the challenge, they have someone on staff who can complete the task.

Jenny Hess (Project Coordinator, Imarc) serves as my primary contact. She’s highly responsive and keeps me informed every step of the way. I can inform her of any new priorities and they’re addressed right away.

Robert (Mohns, Lead Strategist, Imarc) has been very impressive in leading our SEO campaign. He has specific systems in place to cut to the heart of the problem. He’s succinct, logical, and asks the right questions to find the best solutions for our website.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We’ve worked with web developers in the past, but we put out bids for this project because of the large scale. I asked for recommendations from each our departments and we ended up closely vetting a dozen companies through a series of interviews.

Imarc has a wonderful reputation as a leader in web development, so they were one of my own suggestions. During our vetting process, they listened, asked intelligent questions, and presented potential solutions for our problems. They rose head and shoulders above the rest, and our team voted unanimously to hire Imarc.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did a silent launch in November, and while I’m still reviewing the 2,700 pages, Imarc created a site that addressed the top 10 needs of our users. Internally, our marketing group is excited by the robust CMS. Its intuitiveness has made it easy to incorporate a recent acquisition. The Algolia search engine Imarc integrated is a big hit, and the streamlined menu layout is a major improvement over our previous site.

The seismic calculator is also very exciting. Our competitors charge their customers to use similar software, but we plan to offer our version for free. We’re thrilled that Imarc was able to tackle this difficult task.

Externally, there’s a bit of a learning curve in transitioning to the new, responsive site. Our users aren’t used to dealing with a cutting-edge website, so they’re still adapting, but all of the necessary components are in place.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re outstanding. We communicate on a daily basis as they provide updates and ask for input. They ensure we stay actively involved in the process and I rest easy knowing that my partners are hard at work.

They’re also excellent about moving projects along and staying on schedule. Our previous website took three years to develop, but we wanted this one finished in six months. While this was an impossible expectation, they managed to complete the website in seven months. It was a formidable request and I’m amazed at what they were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. We have a few issues left to address, but nothing glaring.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I trust them implicitly. Imarc has always been upfront and open with us, and that’s a great gift. It gave us a lot of confidence during the development process to know we were all on the same page. Based on their expertise, they also offered suggestions we never would have considered.

While we don’t currently sell equipment online, we may as our company expands. Imarc had the foresight to ensure our platform could support an e-commerce function in the future, if necessary. Their ability to anticipate our company’s needs is a huge bonus for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish I had known what to expect upon delivery of the website. It was a little daunting to realize I had 2,700 pages to review and various systems to test. Still, I suppose Imarc had no way of knowing my lack of familiarity with the process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Imarc is one of the best web developers out there and you’d be very fortunate to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

When I first started working with Imarc, I was part of an e-commerce software company. We were acquired about a year ago and have been working with Imarc consistently. I am the web senior manager of our web operations team and public-facing websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

When I first joined the company, I was tasked with redesigning the website. Imarc ended up on our short list. Since we were constrained by our CMS [content management system], we ended up choosing another vendor, but Imarc’s presentation, knowledge, and design skills impressed us. When other work came up later, I immediately thought of them and asked them to partner with us. Since then, they’ve provided extensive development help on our website.

Even though they didn’t originally have expertise in the CMS we use, their senior developer made an effort to get to know our CMS and works very closely with my team. He participates in our daily standups and has a work queue just like our internal people. We’ve expanded our contract to include more development help. We’re doing a lot of integration tasks as part of the acquisition, and Imarc has been instrumental in helping us with these.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled the entire blog redesign. We use them primarily for development work while also making use of their broader skill set. The old blog wasn’t meeting our needs. Imarc gave us a more strategic alignment and strong designs, and they actually redesigned again once we became part of our new parent company and had to rebrand.

We used WordPress for the blog, but our CMS is an old version of ExpressionEngine. In getting a developer up to speed on an old CMS that’s not fully supported anymore, they’ve done a tremendous job.

Originally, our site was built in an odd way by a gaming company that didn’t really understand our needs internationally. The whole site had to be rethought, and new requirements needed to be put together. Even though Imarc didn’t win our first redesign contract, they were incredibly organized. They brought a number of people to our initial meeting, and each person gave part of the presentation. The art director talked about their vision. Katie [Partner and Chief Business Development Officer], their project manager, was just wonderful. I can’t say enough about her and their development team. They all really impressed us by working closely together and sharing strategic ideas. They really go the extra mile for their customers.

Our updated site had to launch at a specific time, and everything had to go live at once. I knew I could depend on them to meet that goal. That project really went across the whole company, between project management, art direction, and development. They were really wonderful about recommending server contracts and company partners. They did presentations, ran the QA with us, and really worked with the blog team to get feedback.

Imarc was completely responsible for the look of the new site. They did all the documentation, wireframes, and sketches to get the design going. We are impossible to work with for content. This is something we recognize about ourselves. We were originally going to get someone else to write the site, but I knew there was no way that’d happen. We’re very particular, and there are a lot of people with a lot of opinions on our team. It’s a thankless task, and I would not outsource it. We also do all the marketing work in-house.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

I got a referral from our CMO at the time. I think someone she knew had recommended them.

How much have you invested with Imarc?

We spend around $100,000 a year. For the first year, it was closer to the $40,000–$50,000 range. We were in the process of getting rid of another agency at the time and bringing on Imarc to do more as they gained experience with ExpressionEngine.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on small, sporadic projects in 2014, and our relationship is ongoing. We’ve been increasing our development hours every month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a resource center on our website. Originally, the site only contained all the content pieces we’ve authored and was really straightforward. Viewers can sort content by type and category, but we also redesigned that to allow users to do gated assets. So, instead of just giving all our content away for free, we made it more of a lead-generation tool. We’ve gone from zero to having all these leads flow through our resource center due to Imarc’s work.

I can’t share statistics off the top of my head, but our website is our top lead driver for our company. Imarc has been instrumental in making sure those processes work.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

I can’t say enough about Katie. She is always on top of everything. We tend to be very loose with project management, and they keep us in line. We don’t always necessarily adhere to their structure, but they’re understanding. If I need a status update, they’re always able to provide it, even from the developer himself.

What did you find most impressive about Imarc?

Their responsiveness is impressive. I’ve worked with a lot of agencies in my time, and some have just been horrible. These guys are part of my team. I’m so comfortable with them at this point that I don’t really think of them as an outside agency. They’re a seamless part of our working group.

The whole team is really responsive. For example, when they completely redesigned our blog, an issue came up over a holiday weekend. I sent a message to Patrick, their CPO. He responded and figured the problem out himself. They’re always there for us.

Are there any areas Imarc could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. They could hold us more strictly to their project management, but that’s our shortcoming and not theirs. With the developers, we go over our priorities constantly to ensure we’re working on the most important things. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Magnitude Software is an organization which enables enterprises to access information from wherever it resides, analyze it based on trusted data established through master-data management, and act upon it for strategic and operational performance management. I am the vice president of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

There were a couple of pieces involved in our initial exploration with them. Being an acquisitive organization, we had taken possession of another group called Simba Technologies, which has a very strong brand in the ISV [independent service providers] connectivity arena, namely drivers. These are the people who have developed the technology which enables enterprises to access information from nearly any system or data source, such as a data lake. We needed to unify the Simba.com website and brand with Magnitude’s, without compromising the brand itself. The website is a primary channel for evaluations, and there are also retail capabilities on it. We were looking to unify the brand and better represent Magnitude, without compromising Simba, as well as streamline the purchase experience and support self-service enablement, as it relates to technical support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Along with our very talented digital marketer, who has been developing websites for quite a few years, Imarc’s job was to essentially recreate a Simba.com entity which tied to Magnitude.com, both in terms of discovery, planning, and preparation, and in the execution itself. Our digital marketer was also involved in all of those phases, and did quite a bit of execution and testing, but Imarc was ultimately responsible for the full smash.

They were responsible for teasing the result out for us. We had a document which stated our objectives, and we worked with Imarc to establish and help them understand tone of voice and character missions. They worked with us in a collaborative fashion in order to get to a design and wireframe structure.

The site was developed using the WordPress platform. There are different audiences for it. The original one, at the time of acquisition, was primarily oriented towards technical people. We have a couple of audiences for the purchase of connectivity capabilities (or drivers), who might purchase off-the-shelf ODBC [open database connectivity] or JDBC [Java database connectivity]-based solutions, or who might purchase our software development kit for creating their own versions when a ready-made one isn’t available.

We’ve been primarily talking to the more technical people, but have expanded the dialogue to the ones who need access to data, namely business users. These fall into 2 categories: independent software vendors who OEM [original equipment manufacture] our driver into the technology they deliver (BI [business intelligence] vendors, for example), and enterprises with users who might require the connectivity, or product managers, developers and IT people, who are building the connectivity into applications being created, or linking existing applications (from systems of action to BI systems, for example).

Imarc has digital marketing capabilities, but we have a fully-internal program in place with our own marketer. They collaborated with us to an extent, but their job was to essentially build in what we had already established, and not break anything.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

I had worked with Imarc in a previous company, for a fairly small, proof-of-concept website. I found them after searching for a number of vendors, and gaining a number of referrals. A former team member of mine had hired a firm for a website build. They weren’t very happy with the results, and turned to Imarc to fix the problem. With that story in my head, and having spoken with Imarc, I was very impressed with the caliber of the people, and their willingness to do what it takes for the experience to be beneficial, and the results to be what we were looking for.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking with Imarc in the middle of 2016. We thought that the project would be kicked off by November or December, but, as we got to the close of the fiscal year, many priorities started to pop. We didn’t officially start until the kick-off in mid-January 2017, and the site was delivered in early April.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t share statistics, but I can say that we’ve had positive reactions from the internal team. We continued a steady state of visitors, and didn’t have hiccups in terms of search engine optimization or management, or with our Ad Words program. We have a tough audience in our Vancouver team, which is responsible for our Simba connectivity business.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

This is an area where we had considerable back-and-forth. Due to the way in which we needed to work, it took us a while to find our sweet spot with Imarc. We were successful in getting the site live in a timely fashion, and working out any kinks. The senior management, and all the way through to the most junior member of the team, bent over backwards to make this happen.

What did you find most impressive about Imarc?

There are a couple of factors which stand out in my mind, based on my 2 experiences with Imarc, which would make me choose them again for an extensive project. Firstly, the capabilities the have in-house: the caliber of the people and the breadth of skillsets. Secondly, Imarc’s ability to represent data-based opinions and recommendations, while still being malleable in terms of coming to a decision that makes sense for the intended outcome, relative to the brand they’re working with, all within the notion of best practices.

Are there any areas Imarc could improve?

I have a small team, with only 2 people working on this project: myself and the digital marketer. The area which could have received the most improvement was project management. We needed proactive assistance, and worked it out as we progressed.