Interactive Strategies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief marketing officer of the Center for Workplace Inclusion. We’re an almost 60-year-old nonprofit that focuses exclusively on workforce development for low-income individuals who are over the age of 50.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

Our website was very out-of-date and didn’t reflect our brand. We needed an organization to come in and advise us on not just how to update our website, but how to make sure it’d be able to grow with us for a certain number of years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactive Strategies built a new website from scratch. They helped translate our organization’s strategy and vision for the future into what the public sees through the website. In another project, they helped us with rebranding efforts about a year later. Their team created our new visual entity. They also built the website for our sister organization from scratch, making sure the two platforms were aligned but reflected their respective missions.

What is the team composition?

We have a wonderful project manager who’s involved in everything. She took the time to get to know us, how we work, what our goals were, as well as what our strengths and weaknesses were.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

The engagement started before my time here at the organization. I got involved about two-thirds of the way into the project. We ultimately selected them because they provided the best value.

How much have you invested with them?

The CWI Lab website was about $37,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in July 2018. The first website was launched in March 2019. The rebranding project ran from March–May 2020. We launched the sister organization’s website in July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a game-changer for us. Interactive Strategies brought us up-to-date and set us up for our future strategy. Our conversations with funders and partners have been much more productive and fruitful. We’ve been able to achieve all of our goals in terms of traffic and visits. We’ve had fellow nonprofits in the same field using us as a benchmark.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style was very effective. Interactive Strategies understood where we were trying to go. They were creative, so when we came across a challenge, they talked to others to see if they could come up with a solution. Their team was very solution-oriented and sensitive to the fact that we’re a nonprofit. Our budget is limited, and they gave us options at different price levels so we could make strategic choices along the way.

On top of everything, our project manager was a genuine and nice person. She was well-suited to being a partner, and her personality was great. She always responded quickly to emails, had a smile on her face, and never flustered even when I’d send her four emails a day. She’s a great fit for someone who works with clients.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to treat us as an individual client, rather than just another in a stream of clients was wonderful. They were a true partner in a positive and friendly way. After two years, it feels like they’re part of our business and team. There’s a great level of trust in our partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it’s been a positive experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring your project manager into the conversations. They can help you make smart, strategic decisions that will help your website be scalable and grow with you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of online communications at CFP Board.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

Our organization went through a web assessment process and the conclusion was that we needed a new, upgraded website for various reasons.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Through our web assessment process, we produced an RFP that outlined the initial direction of the project. We also had a strategy phase with Interactive Strategies to further outline what the deliverables would look like.

The team then did a sizeable overhaul of our website using Sitecore. It involved working on the architecture, UX, design, content, technology, and certain functionalities. The team also worked to improve the overall branding and look and feel.

They further developed some of the existing tools and site areas and improve them and how they operated.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, but we also interfaced with a full team. 

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We put out an RFP.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Interactive Strategies began in September 2018, and we launched the new website at the end of January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have much better personalization throughout the website. We’re still in the process of measuring results, but the numbers are good so far. 

We’ve seen strong traffic and initial engagement numbers. We’re able to get better insights into audience engagement based on some of the analytics and through the Sitecore technology.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Interactive Strategies’ project management was great, and I can’t speak highly enough of them. They were very responsible, great at execution, and great at being responsive when we needed to pivot as changes occurred throughout the project. 

We used a project management software, and we communicated via email and phone. We also had in-person and virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

For these projects to be successful, you need an agency that has expertise in all areas and has an experienced team. Interactive Strategies had that. They had expertise in all the areas that you need for a website redesign, digital communications, and marketing. 

As the project went along, we were able to tap into their different areas of expertise, and they always worked really well together and collaborated well internally and with us. The team was also strong with strategy. They had data analytics and research capabilities, which not every agency has.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. I was so satisfied with what they delivered, and I’ve been doing this work for a long time. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend them. They’re truly fantastic. Work with them to identify the type of project, and then you can also customize the deliverables to get what you need. Interactive Strategies was great at talking through those needs; they were very communicative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of marketing, communications, and membership for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. It’s a professional educational society and I was in this role for almost three years. The society’s members are comprised of medical professionals, specifically ophthalmologists and eye surgeons.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

There were two main challenges we addressed concurrently. The first was a full organizational rebrand. The society as a whole went through a marketing initiative which consisted of qualitative and quantitative research. That research then informed a new brand look and feel for the society.

In conjunction with that, we wanted to go through an entire refurbishing of the website. The former website was a one-dimensional, flat platform. It wasn’t user-friendly, intuitive, or contemporary. The challenges were, from a technical perspective, how to get to where we wanted to be while also layering in the new banding as it unfolded because these were parallel paths.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope was pretty expansive. Their team had a very research-based approach. They tried to understand the nature of our organization and who our key constituents are as well as gather insights about the members. Then, they used all that information to determine how they could create a web platform that would serve those needs.

We’re a super complex organization so there are multiple websites we manage independently of each other. There’s one for the foundation itself and another for meeting registrations, as well as various meeting platforms depending on what we are running at the time. There’s also an overall HSCA education site.

One of our objectives was the need to bring all the various platforms together under one tent so there was a seamless UX. This means a user would have the ability to seamlessly register for a meeting, look for continuing education credits, or find how they can support government relations initiatives. Another deliverable was the handling of the site’s architecture. This was a critical facet of what Interactive Strategies brought to the table.

What is the team composition?

We had the same project manager from the beginning through the end of the project.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

Interactive Strategies was a part of a competitive RFP process. They submitted a proposal along with four other firms. Then, they came to our office for a presentation to a cross-functional team with representation from all the various facets of the organization. Ultimately, they were selected because of their proposal. It was very responsive to the RFP in terms of the scope of work.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $470,000. However, there was an incremental for the CMS on top of that; it was a couple of hundred dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from October 2018–March 2020. We had a staged rollout where Interactive Strategies launched the meeting registration site in October 2019. It coincided with the opening of registration for the 2020 meeting.

They launched the annual meeting registration site in September 2019 and then launched the full, multi-faceted website to include the foundation site and government relations components in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their strategic guidance and client service helped to really establish a navigation platform that was intuitive, user-friendly, and relatively simple to use even within complex information architecture. They guided our staff’s ability to create concise content that’s also relevant to the user.

Interactive Strategies did an incredible job of pulling our branding in for the site. Their ability to take the branding and fold it into our new website was awesome. The anecdotal feedback we received from all of our members was incredible. They were really impressed by the look and feel of the website as well as its functionality.

Their team resolved some of the complexities and issues we had in terms of video play. Because the subject matter is surgical procedures, those microelements are super important. They helped us resolve some of the challenges we had with that video platform.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Interactive Strategies did a great job with project management. It’s possible to do things right, on time, or on budget, but rarely is it possible to get all three at the same time — they achieved this. Their team delivered exactly what they outlined in terms of the information architecture as well as the look and feel of the project. They were ahead of schedule and a little under budget.

What’s more, our project manager was incredibly strategic, thoughtful, responsive, and transparent. If any hiccups emerged, she was super attentive. From a client service standpoint, Interactive Strategies was exceptional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their client service was outstanding, and that’s not limited to their responsiveness after they won the project. It really relates to their commitment to understanding and listening to the client’s needs. Like most associations today, we have a multifaceted organization with various functions that need to be represented by the website.

Interactive Strategies took the time to talk through the different stakeholder groups and understand what they needed in terms of functionality, ease of content updates, and video challenges. Their team took the time to talk with each of the stakeholder groups to understand those unique challenges and needs so they could deliver a platform that’s responsive to those requirements.

Their client service is beyond just delivering what the client wants, it’s really helping to counsel the client with respect to what may be the best support of their needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a moment in time when we felt the project manager role was shifting a bit. When we expressed a little trepidation about that, they immediately course-corrected and we had the same project manager for the duration of the project.

It was a game-changer for us to continue to have that project manager. She knew our business inside and out, personalities, and challenges. She was someone I could trust to call and ask for recommendations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them enough runway to learn your business by providing access to some key stakeholders so they get those unique perspectives. These perspectives will help inform the development process.

It’s important to be open and transparent in your communication, both in terms of the opportunities and the challenges you’re facing as an organization. This’ll allow Interactive Strategies to solve those issues before they actually begin building out the infrastructure.

We had a long lead time in terms of development so we used every minute to the best of our abilities. Likewise, make sure you have the time and commitment to provide for the financial and manpower resources. It helped us to have a very specific core management group on this project.

Having that core group of experts minimized the number of personalities involved on a day-to-day basis. We started with a broad group which gave everyone the opportunity to have some input into the ultimate selection of Interactive Strategies as well as the overall process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing director of marketing and communications for Accordion Partners. We’re a technology consulting firm that targets private equity firms, and serve as an extension of the office of the CFO after they acquire companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We’d taken some initial steps in refreshing our brand by creating a new logo and updating our print collateral. There was a missing component in terms of implementing the new brand on the website. We were looking for someone to help us take the foundational brand elements and extend them across the website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactive really got to know our company through a series of interviews with key stakeholders. Then I went down to D.C. with one of my colleagues for a full day session with their team. They fleshed out their learnings from the interviews and broke them down into key insights and takeaways. We also discussed ideas for the website navigation. After the working session, they came back to us with 2–3 different options for the overall look and feel of the site. We made a few tweaks across various pages and there were some decisions we needed to make internally about the sub-navigation.

Once we finalized the design and approved the comps, they developed it with their engineers. They did a training session for our staff on WordPress so that we’d be able to manage content. They built master pages for us to use as templates. We then tested our site for a few days before launch at the end of April 2018. They continue to make changes and updates, and we are already planning to use them for the next version of the site. We’re also using Interactive as our overall design agency.

What is the team composition?

The main person that we speak with on a regular basis is our project manager. We also work with a web designer, a designer for non-web-based tools, a frontend developer, and a few other people for strategic direction and marketing strategies.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

A member of our marketing team used to work at Interactive. We still went through a full agency review, interviewing around 7 firms. They came out on top across the firm.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team is incredibly thrilled with the results. We've been able to use it as a business development tool, which is a major shift from the old site. It’s all been great feedback so far.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

We couldn't have asked for a better project manager; she’s fantastic. I feel like she’s an extension of our marketing team. She serves as our conduit to the rest of the agency. She's an excellent communicator; very thorough and detail oriented. We have weekly check-in meetings. She uses an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of budget, hours, and the status of initiatives.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We couldn't have picked a better partner. They've exceeded all of our expectations. I have high hopes for the new site and how it will move the needle for the firm. Everyone at Interactive is super impressive and down to earth. They’re a very likeable group of people. They’re easy to work with, and very skilled at what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Only change I would recommend is for them to do the WordPress training on our actual website. That would’ve been helpful to really maximize our experience. We’ve given that feedback to Interactive.

Any advice for potential customers?

The weekly update calls are key. Interactive really drives the process and they're good at what they do. Trusting their process will ensure success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the social media manager at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a global, member-based society of over 40,000 oncologists. Our department oversees corporate and member communications, as well as marketing with inorganic membership recruitment and retention. The society houses several projects, including our non-profit foundation, patient-focused resources, academic journals, a clinical trials database, and our own clinical trial program.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

ASCO wanted help developing and maintaining a social media presence when they initially hired Interactive Strategies (IS) in 2010. By incorporating social media, the ASCO team also hoped to prove the importance of having social channels to ASCO’s leadership and board.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They help us plan and run our social media campaigns. They have a lot of institutional knowledge about how nonprofits and digital technology work and interact, which allows them to break down our campaign goals into specific strategies and procedures. In addition to strategy, IS also helps us determine our budget based on our campaign forecast. For example, if we’re expecting a certain amount of mobile engagement and desktop conversions, IS predicts our financial needs.

Though much of their work for us is strategy assistance, they also guide us through asset creation for campaigns. They create the video, animation, and infographics in which we unpack complicated terms and concepts in order to explain scientific initiatives and abstracts.

Interactive Strategies also conducts research so we can make educated strategical decisions. Rather than trying something different just because it’s a new idea, they show us how we can interpret results to measure potential campaign success.

What is the team composition?

We work with our account manager almost every day. He usually manages our day-to-day progress, but he’s starting to incorporate long-term strategy. Other members of his team help us with implementation and planning.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the last eight years, we've invested around $600,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership with Interactive Strategies began in 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we have seen an increase in social media followers, a better indicator Interactive Strategies’ success is the response from our members. We've had stakeholders come to our team and ask to work with IS, which speaks to the quality of work they do and the guidance they provide. In 2013 we gave stakeholders the option to work with IS, and as a result, we brought them onto projects that our team wasn't overseeing. That they've had organic brand growth within our organization speaks highly of them.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is very responsive, and our account manager keeps us updated on planned work or a project’s status. The bulk of our communication happens over email and we use Box to share documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

A lot of the information we work on is confidential, so we require multiple iterations of an infographic, for example, before we release it to the public. Interactive Strategies has always been patient with us, despite our atypical process.

They also understand that educating their clients can be part of managing projects, particularly when they explain their strategy to stakeholders, who don't always have the knowledge my team has.

Overall, IS’s honesty distinguishes it from other providers. I've worked with of agencies that have their own underlying incentives, so even if they ultimately help us achieve a goal, their work is still motivated by their own self-interest. IS, meanwhile, strategizes and conducts research that aims to benefit ASCO. They don't guide us in a direction that's going to benefit them unless there's a clear benefit for us. Their transparency allows us to trust them to provide solutions that consider our best interests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had one incident of miscommunication as a result of staffing changes, but that was addressed quickly. That was over a year ago, and since then we haven’t had any problems. The only upset in two years was a slight miscommunication, and I'd be lying if I started listing things I didn't think they were doing well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring your own ideas to the table. IS knows how to strategize, think big picture, and utilize the digital space, but it's unrealistic for any agency to be an expert in their client's entire business. If the potential client can provide a basic idea or simple vision, it gives IS more creative freedom because they don’t need to worry whether their idea fits the client’s needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology at Annual Reviews, a science publisher that produces 50 journals across a variety of topics from sociology to nuclear particle physics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We’ve been working with them for about a decade. We originally engaged them for design services, but they’ve moved on to a wide variety of projects with us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve developed a few apps with them, one of which involved a very rich UX/UI. It had a three-dimensional globe that users can rotate to find markers that correspond to the geographic locations of journal articles. It’s essentially a browsing interface that helps to find articles by topic and location. We had the initial idea for this app, and Interactive Strategies was instrumental in translating the functional specifications into a workable UI. The app worked very well, but it was eventually phased out due to high maintenance costs across different versions.

We also worked together in designing our current website, which was probably the most significant project we’ve done. It was a two-year project that we went live with in January 2017. Their scope included all the design, site architecture, UI coding, and assistance with project management. They had designed our previous site and had an idea of what we were looking for in the redesign. They built wireframes based on our discussions and went from there. They built the frontend using a Node.js REST API, Javascript, HTML, and CSS. The new site moved to a responsive design, which was the most substantial change from the previous version.

What is the team composition?

It’s varied a bit from project to project, but their managing partners have been a source of stability throughout our engagement. We’ve also worked with project managers and developers, but they rotate more frequently.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We started working together such a long time ago that I’m not sure how we found them. We originally hired them for a relatively simple web design project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $500,000 in the engagement so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together between eight and ten years ago, and the new site went live in January 2017. We still collaborate on a variety of projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site is getting more traffic than the old version, but there are a lot of factors involved in that increase. We’ve gotten a lot of positive user feedback on the look and feel, and our board was very impressed with the responsive design. It now works across a variety of screen sizes as well.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very organized and easy to work with. We’ve worked with other agencies in the past who haven’t been effective in this area, so Interactive Strategies was a total change of pace for us. They used some project management tools on their end, but we communicated primarily via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve always really liked the design work they do. They get things done on time and they’re fun people to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

All the development/design companies we’ve worked with have run into problems with resource availability. Interactive Strategies is better than most we’ve worked with before, but it was still sometimes an issue depending on the timing and scope of project.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Provide as much information as possible upfront. It will facilitate a smooth development/design process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at a senior living company. We provide independent living, assisted living, and dementia care at 34 communities between Virginia and Massachusetts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We wanted a vendor to redesign our website, which hadn’t been updated in seven years. Since choosing a senior living community is a significant decision, the site needed to reflect our company’s personality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the redesign on our Sitecore CMS. The team spent considerable time on the “Find a Community” feature, which allowed visitors to search the individual communities; the main page connected to each location’s site. We wanted that feature to be an educational experience prior to scheduling a visit.

We didn’t provide wireframes or sketches. Rather, Interactive Strategies did market research and SEO analysis; most key terms weren’t ranking. They also interviewed key people in our company to understand our mission and value proposition. We agreed on the findings. They then suggested certain colors and fonts, which shaped the creative direction. Subsequently, the team provided gray wireframes for intuitive navigation. We tested those and then launched the site prior to our annual conference.

What is the team composition?

The owner and director of client services were our primary points of contact. We worked with the account strategist during the early stages; later, she only attended important meetings. The team also included designers and a senior project manager.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

I did a Google search for design firms with Sitecore experience. We also reached out via RFP. Their response was the most thoughtful and comprehensive. Other firms submitted three-line explanations about costs. We believed Interactive Strategies would treat the project the same as the proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $150,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in May 2017 and ended in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's still early to tell the complete impact since we launched two months ago, however, we've already noticed the number of users has increased 25% and bounce rates decreased nearly 3%. Per our business model, customer calls and forms counted as goal completion; that metric rose over 25%. We couldn’t be more pleased; our team expects additional A/B testing to generate even better results. They kept us on track and taught us to make changes in-house. We were never stressed about results or timelines.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

They were extremely organized and never wasted our time during meetings. Interactive Strategies truly led the process; we never had to push them. Deliveries were on-time and on-budget. When they created the visuals, we didn’t know what we wanted but we liked what we saw.

The team was very responsive on both platforms, particularly the senior project manager. We had weekly status meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did exactly as they promised. We didn’t have surprises with deliveries or budget. Interactive Strategies was always clear about the scope and any changes. The team warned us when alterations would affect the budget, but the costs were never prohibitive. They were a joy to work with; I’d recommend them to anybody.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The launch didn’t have any big misses. We consolidated some minor feature adjustments into the phase two update.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more details the client provides, the better their output will be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for the office of advancement at a university.

What is your position?

I am the Senior Director of digital strategy and interactive communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We had been asked to rethink, redesign, and overhaul our alumni and giving websites by our board of governors and by leadership.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We worked with their design team to think through a new design for the home pages and sub pages, the navigation, and user experience. Interactive Strategies also provided some technical and development expertise and worked on building out template pages and a framework within the Drupal platform.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

I had one of my developers do some research on local development design firms, and their name came up in the top five. We went through an RFP [request for proposal] process and vetted them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It cost between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe it began the spring of 2015, and our work with them was probably over late summer or fall of 2015. We still have some monies left in the contract, and we've been using Interactive for some support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've received positive feedback from our leadership and various boards at the university. We've just started to deploy analytics, but we do see probably up to a 10 percent to 15 percent spike in traffic online.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

They left something to be desired. I actually complained about the project manager that I was assigned, and was transitioned to another one. After the transition, I did notice an improvement, but it was also at the end of the project.

What distinguishes Interactive Strategies from other providers?

I especially enjoyed working with their design team. They were very open and collaborative and brought fresh ideas to the table.

Is there anything Interactive Strategies could have improved or done differently?

I would say listen to the client more when they say the collaboration or the partnership with the project manager is not working. I'd raised concerns early on, and they didn't act on them. To make sure that the relationship is going smoothly from the beginning, that's what I recommend.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work at a government consulting company.

What is your position?

My position is Senior Vice President of corporate communications and investor relations. My team covers PR, marketing communications, employee communications, and Wall Street communications. We also manage all of the corporate web assets including other country assets in the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We had a woefully out-of-date website at the time that also didn't reflect the culture that we possess today. We went through an entire marketing strategy review with Interactive Strategies and, as a result, we totally changed how we were marketing ourselves.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We have an ongoing relationship with Interactive Strategies. In addition to them supporting us on the corporate web assets, we also have a number of business areas where we run social programs, such as Medicaid and Welfare-to-Work programs. They've partnered with us to deliver websites on behalf of the programs, such as the Medicaid program in Illinois, New York, and several other states as well. I would say we have a deep partnership where they not only have supported us on many of the corporate web assets both here in the United States and outside the U.S., they have also partnered with us on key deliverables for our government clients.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We did a competitive bid when we were first looking to revamp the site. This was back in 2008, so we've been working with them for eight years. We met with their leadership team as well as leadership from other vendors, and we liked what Interactive Strategies had to offer. We thought that they were very cost-competitive, and they seemed to run a very efficient process, which has proven to be true.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost is more than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2008, and our relationship is ongoing. We will likely embark on a major revamp of all the corporate web assets including other country assets, beginning in fiscal 2017, and we anticipate that they will be our partner for that. They continue to do work for us as for our client sites and for our client deliverables as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our SEO [search engine optimization] has certainly improved. We're in the midst of an SEO improvement plan for one of our sites in the United Kingdom. We have seen steady improvement in time.

Anecdotally, just to give you a background of some of the things that they've done for us, in some ways it's more intangible than anything. During a period of time in 2015, we were potentially about to get awarded the most controversial contract in the United Kingdom. We had been planning on redoing the U.K. corporate site, but the timeline was too far out if we were to get this contract. We approached Interactive Strategies and asked if they could accelerate the process to meet the new deadline. I'm not kidding – they dropped everything. They put huge resources on it. We had people in Chicago and California working nearly around the clock to get this thing done. They kept it on time, on budget, and they made a huge difference for us.

I think that that just speaks volumes to the type of vendor that they are, and how great of a partner they have been for us. From our perspective, Interactive Strategies has gone way above and beyond the call of duty to support our needs.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is a huge strength of theirs. If we miss a deliverable, you have an instant read of how that's going to impact the project schedule. There was always a project manager when we were working on those large sites. When you are going through the process of a launch, you are on the phone or on email and going through the schedule very regularly with your project manager.

What distinguishes Interactive Strategies from other providers?

I think from my perspective what distinguishes them is they have excellent project management skills. They had a good ability to support us and meet our business needs. I feel as though they fill a gap from a supplier perspective because we've not seen that from other suppliers.

Is there anything Interactive Strategies could have improved or done differently?

Everyone could always improve. Sometimes, they tend to have a lot of work, but I think they have to balance their resources. That said, we have been nothing short of very happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a large general contractor in the Washington, D.C., region.

What is your position?

I am the marketing communications manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We were going through a complete rebuild and redesign of our corporate website. We wanted to start from scratch because our site hadn't been updated in so long.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We started with a six-week strategy phase where Interactive Strategies did quite a bit of research both internally and externally. They spoke with our clients, potential clients, competitors, and peers to figure out how we were perceived compared to how we thought of ourselves. The information that they gathered was really helpful to inform the strategy behind the rebuild. Luckily, their findings validated what we already thought to be true, which was a bit of a pat on the back for our marketing team.

After the strategy phase, they took that information and created the design and user flows for our site. They determined what content was most effective and where on the page it should go. I felt like Interactive Strategies really understood our company and were able to translate that into the design.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We had wanted to rebuild our website back in 2012 and had selected Interactive Strategies following an evaluation process of about six firms. Unfortunately, the budget was cut at the time and was not reallocated to our department until 2015. I joined the firm in 2014 and, when it was time to consider rebuilding the website in 2015, the team members who had been here for that previous process spoke very highly of Interactive Strategies. We asked them for another proposal and invited them in for an informal presentation before selecting them for the second time.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We spent between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We launched our website on February 29th of this year [2016], and we currently have a retainer agreement in place for a set hourly fee. Every time I call our account exec, Leslee [Razgaitis, senior account strategist at Interactive Strategies], she picks up the phone and is willing to answer questions, requests, or things we want to change about the site. We work together to determine timelines and level of urgency. Luckily, nothing urgent has been needed yet, but they would be willing to help immediately if that were the case.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have had a 10 percent decrease in bounce rate, a 23 percent increase in organic search traffic, a 15 percent increase in local traffic from the D.C. Metro region, and an increase in one minute per session, which is almost double the previous time spent on the site.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

I definitely respect and admire our project manager, Leslee. There was a very honest relationship between us, which allowed us to be open about workload, budget, and timeline. They hit every deadline they were supposed to.

What distinguishes Interactive Strategies from other providers?

I have had consultant relationships that have not gone very well, so it was refreshing and welcoming to work with a company like Interactive Strategies who made it easy for us.

Is there anything Interactive Strategies could have improved or done differently?

I don't think so, honestly. It went really well.