Ink, Inc. Creative Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product manager for a time-tracking application company. We streamline timesheet managing and data processing. We offer a variety of features leaning toward the mobile workforce including clocking in and tracking time on the go rather than in an office or through a traditional time clock. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ink Inc. Creative Group?

We needed help focusing on smooth marketing services, engaging demographics, copywriting, and a variety of other things. We wanted to pivot our branding from marketing approaches.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was an ad hoc relationship; we collaborated on several areas of the project while working independently on others. They helped with email campaigns and created a funnel for some of our general and specific inbound pages. They also assisted in finding ways to target certain demographics within our pool of users in order to identify and create ads revolving around optimal users. There was some infrastructure work, as well.

We worked together to create ways of tracking progress and KPIs to make sure the work being done would benefit our company, and that we'd be able to continue the established practices of the project. 

What is the team composition?

Morgan (Creative Director, Ink Inc. Creative Group) was the lead on the project, so I mainly worked with him. There were a few content creators on his team as well.

How did you come to work with Ink Inc. Creative Group?

A colleague of mine recommended them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $15,000-$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from June–November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have experienced a lot of growth from working with this agency and it was a wise investment for us to make.

How did Ink Inc. Creative Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Morgan had great communication skills and identified priorities regarding the order of approaching tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very professional and provided a more intimate, boutique approach. Morgan was very responsible and communicative. He didn’t sacrifice quality by delegating tasks to less qualified people in order to save time and move the project along.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It feels very much like nit-picking, but if I were to say anything, perhaps he could modernize his tools a bit and use more external tools. Initially, the project was a fixed rate, and so a lot of time was spent hammering out the scope of work in order to protect all parties, but once we started working, it picked up.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd definitely recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of California Energy Designs Inc. We are mechanical consulting engineers, based in Los Angeles. We have been in business since 1977 and are very diverse in that we do a lot of different types of projects. We do a lot of churches, office buildings, medical buildings, and schools. For thelast 15 years, we fell into a niche where we started doing high-end homes in Beverly Hills and we ended up being the number one engineer for this type of work. We do a lot of movie star’s homes, famous people’s homes, as well as billionaires' homes; we do the largest homes on the west coast. We design the plumbing, air conditioning, and electrical systems. We don’t install anything, but we are the engineers behind it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ink, Inc. Creative Group?

We had a terrible website that was concocted by different people. We didn’t have any social outreach at all. Most of our business is word of mouth.

We are doing great, but we can do better. Now that I am the president, I want to grow the company to another phase. We are working for some of the richest people in the world, and I think we are in a good position to grow our company, but we really needed to have a social campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They came in and rebuilt the entire website, making it much more professional, smooth, and more modern. All the leading architects in the world have social media outreaches and they were able to connect us with them. The website was very clunky and outdated before, and there was no easy way to reach people, get references, or see what projects we were working on. Potential customers weren’t able to see the passion in our work.

Ink, Inc. Creative Group turned it around and made it something beautiful that showed our passion. People can look at our website and see our faces, projects, and what we offer. It was more than just a website, though; it had to be a whole campaign. It is still being worked on, and their work will never be done because there are always things to do, upgrades and updates to make. We understand that. They keep improving things and we trust them to do this.

They have been very fair and the fees have been great. A lot of times, they have gone above and beyond what we asked them to do to make it something special. This way, when people click on our website, they see something beautiful and flashy. I want it to reflect our passion and what we put into our work. Our work is nothing pretty, as there is nothing pretty about engineering, but the projects we work on are beautiful and are works of art. When you are working on a $225 million-dollar house, it is something to behold, and they had to take a small engineering firm and translate our passion into social media.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Morgan (Creative Director & Chief Strategist, Ink, Inc. Creative Group). There were other people that worked on the project, but Morgan was our main contact. We didn’t get to know the team. I could see the team connected to emails, but he was the point man for all of the work. I hope in the future I get to know his team as well. Morgan made it personal.

How did you come to work with Ink, Inc. Creative Group?

The former president of the company had other people working on it, but it wasn’t taken seriously. I found them through word of mouth. Even though they’re based in Queens, people told me they were the vendor I needed to talk to. They’re young, full of energy and have great ideas. I contacted Morgan to help and it has worked out well since. I got the feeling that, to him, every project was special. He told me there wasn’t a cookie-cutter approach. Every project is different and unique, and that is the way he would approach our company.

He flew down from New York to visit us too, which says a lot. We’re based in Burbank, but I wanted him to see what we are about and meet and talk to my team. He molded the work around us. We are a team of 10 people, and I told him he’s number 11. Our team is very close to each other. We consider each other family, and I consider Morgan to now be part of our family.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $20,000–$25,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2019, and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At first, I thought it was a lot of money, but now I see the value of all the work they provided. Everything had to be rebuilt; we couldn’t even get the password from the person that originally built it, so their team had to build it from scratch. It is worth every penny. When you look at our website now, everything flows.

I never thought the site would bring in more business, but it has. They essentially took an old pick-up truck and turned it into a Dodge Viper. He turned something that was barely moving or broken-down on the side of the road into something beautiful. We are very satisfied with them. We are constantly contacting new architects, bidding on things all over the world; we want to expand and have a larger footprint, and we are now in a good position to do that. Ink, Inc. Creative Group is part of our ongoing campaign to grow our company. We have had about half a dozen people contact us from the website, which we never had before. These are rather large projects.

They really took charge of it and we trusted them with it. Our website is much more professional now, as is the social media aspect, whether it is LinkedIn or another platform. They went ahead and updated those as well. It has worked out really well for us and we are really happy with it. We have been able to really put a face on our company.

How did Ink, Inc. Creative Group perform from a project management standpoint?

I would give them an 11 out of 10. When we ran into glitches, Morgan went above and beyond the contract to fix things and make sure we were happy. The product he delivered was professional looking and smooth too, which is what we wanted. Morgan has an energy that people pick up on, just like we do. My mom always said that a good attitude is half the battle, and that is the way Morgan is. We feel lucky to have found him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think Morgan’s energy and dedication are what distinguishes him. Flying here from New York to meet our people and visit us was impressive. Most people won’t do that and will just talk on the phone or send an email. It means a lot to us that he walked in here and sat down with us. Sometimes you have to meet and get together with people, and he did. The end product is fantastic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, Morgan nailed it. He nailed everything we asked them to do and beyond. He approaches things the same way we do, with the same energy and the same level of detail and commitment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to and learn from Morgan, especially if you’re young. A lot of them forget that you have to get really personal and really mold your services around each company. Every company is unique.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of DecisionBoundaries, LLC, a financial advisory firm that specializes in financial restructuring, litigation support, and financial engineering.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ink, Inc. Creative Group?

I wanted to better get my message across on my website. I commissioned a web designer, and in parallel, I wanted to hire a company to redesign the copy to make it clearer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ink, Inc. Creative Group acts as my editors. First, they looked at my website and made suggestions as to what should and shouldn’t be there. They did a lot of editing work, going through the content I had and narrowing it down to prevent overwhelming site visitors. They also made the content sound more compelling. 

The project has three parts: a designer, a copywriter, and a developer. Morgan (Creative Director, Ink, Inc. Creative Group) is the copywriter, but he’s highly involved with both the designer and the developer. He is the glue that holds the three parts together. Now he’s working on his second contract, guiding the developer about how he should use headers, tags, and all of the SEO tricks to help my page rank well.

What is the team composition?

There are different members involved. The invoice came with a breakdown of what hours were billed by Morgan and other members. At least two other members were working on the copy project.

How did you come to work with Ink, Inc. Creative Group?

I found several people online. In comparing the potential of each of the competitors and their websites, I chose Morgan and decided to interview him first. I was compelled to Ink, Inc. Creative Group because of their accountability and the fact that Morgan stuck his neck out for the company and said he was ultimately responsible for the end product. The other companies were a lot more anonymous, and I couldn’t even check the educational background of the people who would be involved. I would’ve gone to the others if I didn’t come to terms with Morgan, but we did.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their quality of work is very good. The other day, I told Morgan I was taking an online negotiation class that they did the copy for. This is a very prestigious and popular online class taught by a Yale professor. Morgan is prominently displayed on the credits, and he didn’t even know he was explicitly given credit. Morgan is on the right track. His command of the English language is superb, and his ability to understand things that are foreign to his core areas of competency is very good. He is always on point. Before suggesting a change, he researches it.

How did Ink, Inc. Creative Group perform from a project management standpoint?

I am the project manager, but I’m not so good at it. I convey what I want to achieve to Morgan, and he then interacts with the designer and developer. He performs very well. He has a lot more in him than I have in me. 

We had a kickoff meeting, which was a video call. All subsequent communication has mostly been via email. We also have occasional phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Morgan’s main asset is his command of the English language and his ability to convey challenging concepts in an understandable way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not unless they want to get into other businesses. What they do, they do very well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a courteous, professional relationship with them. Don’t expect results in an unreasonable amount of time; let them think things through. When they need time, it’s because they’re thinking about stuff, not because they’re working on other projects. The potential client has to understand that they’re not putting random words on that page, but rather words that they research, test, and come to a solid conclusion on.