L.A. Social Karma

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for Universal Production Music. We license music for film, TV, advertising, social media content, and corporate video

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with L.A. Social Karma?

We were trying to grow our social media presence targeted to our B2B clients, but we were having a hard time getting the results we wanted.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

L.A. Social Karma recommended us ways to improve our social media. The team really took the time to learn our business, problems, and target customers. They collected information to recommend the best approach that was personal and tailored to our goals. 

They then put a baseline at the beginning of the relationship. The monthly reports we received after that detailed where we were meeting or not meeting the baseline. Their team also outlined why things may have changed and gave tips on how to grow even more the following month.

What is the team composition?

Jennifer (Social Media Consultant / Owner / Email Marketer) was our main contact, and we also worked with a social content writer.

How did you come to work with L.A. Social Karma?

Our PR agency referred them to us. I told them about our struggles on social, and they thought L.A. Social Karma would be perfect for our business. 

What convinced me was that they strictly worked with businesses. As a B2B business, we wanted to find that knowledge because marketing to other businesses is very different from marketing to direct consumers. Other teams we talked to didn’t necessarily have that experience and didn’t fully understand what we were doing. Combined with her experience and her research, Jennifer seemed like the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $4,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in March 2017 and ended in March 2020. The reason for the end was that we hired someone in-house; it had no reflection on L.A. Social Karma’s quality of work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tracked follower growth month to month and the number of interactions compared to competitors to see where we were in the market. We were happy with the results.

How did L.A. Social Karma perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well. We had a shared Google Drive to share content and manage scheduling. We could access these from anywhere, which made it seamless to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their personal attention stood out the most to us. L.A. Social Karma took the time to research our goals, business, and industry. That way, they could recommend a personal and targeted approach rather than a blanket plan. That level of diligence is hard to find.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have anything to add.

Any advice for potential customers?

Keep bringing up new ideas and asking questions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a company called Kitchen24 which is two units within a 24-hour restaurant model.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with L.A. Social Karma?

Being a 24-hour restaurant, one challenge has been that people see us a late-night dining spot but not necessarily for all the other revenue streams of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

L.A. Social Karma manages our social media but also manages projects related to marketing and sales. Most of their work relates to social media marketing campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat as well as many other platforms we’ve navigated over the years. Their team has created content from food photography to social media ads. They have also put together campaigns to promote various holidays. Their team has helped us to gather e-mail addresses. Now, we have a robust database, which they market to directly. Right now, we’re in the middle of rebuilding our website and L.A. Social Karma’s managing that process.

What is the team composition?

We’ve met with Jennifer (Owner, Social Media Specialist & Email Marketer, L.A. Social Karma) face to face, but she also has a team of people on her staff that creates content and manages the creative process. We haven’t worked with her team directly.

How did you come to work with L.A. Social Karma?

In the restaurant industry, it can become familial. Our bookkeeper and accountant had seen clients come through his office that enjoyed working with L.A. Social Karma. We had worked with other social media agencies in the past who weren’t able to quantify the results. Our bookkeeper mentioned that Jennifer was seeing results with other clients. We interviewed her and she was able to show us analytics.

How much have you invested with them?

We have L.A. Social Karma on retainer for $1,500 per month, which is an $18,000 a year investment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the collaboration in January 2015, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen a lot of statistical analysis that shows us gaining new users and customers. We’ve found that L.A. Social Karma has exposed us to a lot of new customers, but we’re not necessarily able to quantify the dollar figure. The value for us has been keeping our brand in front of new people and attracting new customers.

How did L.A. Social Karma perform from a project management standpoint?

L.A. Social Karma has used great tools like Asana. Their team turned us onto the platform for project management. Now, we use it for our whole operation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

L.A. Social Karma has done a great job at helping us to discern where our efforts are working and where they’re failing. When we’ve learned that campaigns haven’t been successful, we’ve been able to pivot quickly.

What I like about working with Jennifer is that she’s a great project manager. She doesn’t allow distractions to keep us from hitting our goals. When in the restaurant world, you face many distractions. There always seems to be—no pun intended—many fires that need be put out. She has always kept people focused.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. They’ve done a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Every business is going to have its unique challenges. The key is to figure out if Jen’s skillset matches their needs. If so, she’ll be successful. You’d be in good hands.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of communications for a private social club.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with L.A. Social Karma?

We wanted to dip our feet into the social media world. We brought on L.A. Social Karma to help convince our board to do so and then to manage our social media accounts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Jennifer (Social Media Specialist / Owner / Email Marketer, L.A. Social Karma) helped us present our proposal to the board about how we’d open our doors so to speak through social media. Once our stakeholders were on board, she created a calendar that set the number and types of posts L.A. Social Karma would provide weekly. 

We have several varieties of content we share. For our monthly private events—which range from wine dinners to food festivals to meet-the-author sessions—L.A. Social Karma comes to our club and take photos and videos (with members’ approval, of course). They then create posts to share on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. Their team also curates content created by other accounts that may mention our club or speak to our brand. Lastly, they run paid promotional content. Each post and repost gets my approval before L.A. Social Karma publishes it. 

L.A. Social Karma manages our Facebook and Instagram accounts and monitors our Yelp pages.

What is the team composition?

We work with Jennifer and one other person.

How did you come to work with L.A. Social Karma?

My manager became aware of L.A. Social Karma by meeting Jennifer at a local organization. They liked her energy and positive attitude. When we met with her, we decided that she’d be a good fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $2,500 monthly.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in October 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We track data such as how many views and likes our posts get, but the measure of success I like to use is comments from members and other private clubs. Several of our counterparts have called me and asked who handles our social media—they find it eye-catching and pleasing to look. That means more to me than views.

How did L.A. Social Karma perform from a project management standpoint?

L.A. Social Karma sticks to our schedule. The team provides me with two weeks of content in advance to review. They make changes quickly and are always open to suggestions. Jennifer is always available through email or texts. She’s also very proactive—if she thinks the content from an event won’t appeal to as many viewers as we expected, she’ll call and discuss it with me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since L.A. Social Karma is such a small team, they’re very casual and accessible. Any time I have an issue, I can pick up the phone and call Jennifer. They’re also receptive to any constructive feedback or ideas we have. We can have an open dialogue about what works and what changes we want to make. We’re always talking about ways to expand our social media presence.

Are there any areas they could improve?

L.A. Social Karma is very on top of things overall. Whenever we’ve seen a few inaccuracies in their posts, they correct it quickly and avoid those errors in the future. When I communicated that I find their deadlines a little too tight at times, their team worked on that as well. We all have room for improvement, but L.A. Social Karma is always quick to make it right.

Any advice for potential customers?

The team always wants the customer to be happy. Don’t be afraid to push back if L.A. Social Karma suggests an idea or piece of content that doesn’t fit your brand or image. Be open and communicative about what you want as an organization—they’re happy to accommodate that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of C&O Restaurants. We have two high-volume restaurants in Marina del Rey, California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with L.A. Social Karma?

Although our restaurants had social media pages on platforms like Facebook and Yelp, we hadn’t created them. The descriptions of our restaurants on these pages weren’t even accurate. People were engaging, but nobody from our restaurants was responding.

We needed to take control of our social media accounts. I tried to learn how to do digital marketing myself, but after taking a few classes, I realized how much work it was and that it wasn’t really my thing. That’s when we hired L.A. Social Karma.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

L.A. Social Karma has been our digital marketing partner for the past ten years. When we began working with them, they helped us take control of our social media and digital presence. They updated our antiquated website and made all of the content, including photos and videos, more current. Somebody from their team helped with backend-related tasks, but they mostly worked on the site’s design and aesthetics. Just recently, they helped me find the right people to make the site ADA-compliant.

They also do email marketing. After redesigning the site, they began sending out regular email blasts. Whether it’s the holidays or we’re having an early-bird promotion, they constantly send out emails to keep consumers engaged.  

We’ve never done ads, but we’re talking with L.A. Social Karma about doing them in the future. All of our traffic has been organic. They do a lot of reposts. The team also comes to our office a couple of times each year to do video and photoshoots so that we have fresh content.

What is the team composition?

My team works with two people for the most part.

How did you come to work with L.A. Social Karma?

I met the owner of L.A. Social Karma at a conference when I was still trying to learn how to do social media and digital marketing on my own. When I realized I didn’t have time for that, I reached out to L.A. Social Karma. The owner gave us a proposal and told us that we didn’t need to sign a contract; if we or they weren’t happy, we didn’t need to continue the partnership. We never looked back; there was no risk and tons of reward.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent in the range of $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in 2009, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Whereas we started with no followers and zero engagement, we now have a tremendous amount, and we’re very active on social media. They constantly create clever content, which is why we have the engagement that we do.  

When we began working together, my mailing list was less than 100 people; now, it’s around 10,000. They’ve helped us grow our following and email list through different strategies.

Our Instagram followers grew from five to 9,000, and on Facebook, we went from 150 to 10,000 followers. Before, there was not really any reason for people to follow us.

How did L.A. Social Karma perform from a project management standpoint?

If something doesn’t move forward, it’s because my team dropped the ball, not them. They’re very good at communicating and planning monthly meetings. They make plans three months in advance, which is helpful. They stay on top of the projects that we’re working on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The real difference is that they’re a smaller company, so we deal with the same people consistently. Since their team hasn’t had much turnover, they’ve gotten to know our business. I think they like what we do and enjoy representing our product. We’re not just a number to them; L.A. Social Karma is invested in our success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of a time when I’ve been unhappy. I don’t normally leave reviews, but I wanted to because I’m so pleased with them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Trying to do this work in-house requires quite a bit of skill and consistency. If you’re not sure you want to hire an outside team, give L.A. Social Karma a try. A lot of companies make you commit to a one-year contract, but L.A. Social Karma is confident that they can deliver value and won’t make you sign a contract. The value becomes evident.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of operations for nine restaurants and bars in the LA area. Each of our locations has separate identities: Italian, British, Mexican, Russian, French, American diner, a Chinese dive bar, and a couple of high-end bars with clever and pricey cocktails.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire L.A. Social Karma?

We hired L.A. Social Karma to develop a social media strategy tailored for each of the brands and implement that strategy monthly.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to expand our social media presence and develop a marketing program.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were a referral.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

L.A. Social Karma has provided significant assistance for diverse projects over the last eight years. The team creates monthly content, including web copy, photography, and videos. Also, they provide consulting on best marketing practices and keep us up-to-date on the ever-changing landscape of social media.

Additionally, the team managed the day-to-day interactions of the various social media platforms by responding to and engaging with our fans online. L.A. Social Karma also assisted with reputation management by monitoring Yelp and local review sites and proposing appropriate responses.

What was the team composition?

For our specific projects, the team consisted of four team members; a copywriter, photographer/videographer, a community manager, and an account manager who was in charge of strategy development and was our point person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our Instagram pages had an overall engagement increase of 225% and a follower increase of more than 228% in just six months. We also saw an uptick in event bookings and customer engagement across all other brands as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’ve met all of our deadlines and provide excellent communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They love their jobs. We have always felt that they are invested in our company.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything. We continue to have a great working relationship that has spanned several years and many projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of two restaurants, a fine-dining Northern Italian restaurant called Locanda del Lago and a quick-service coffeehouse named Caffe Bella.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with L.A. Social Karma?

We want to be more proactive with our marketing efforts. Our goal is to reach more people and improve our customer acquisition. We’ve been in business since the early 90s, so our brand was well-established but we weren’t very engaged on social media and wanted to change that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

L.A. Social Karma manages our social media accounts. After learning about our brand and philosophy, Jennifer (Social Media Marketer & Owner, L.A. Social Karma) handles the content writing, photo-taking, and engagement with both of our locations’ Facebook and Instagram accounts. She also helps with some email marketing efforts, including doing the content writing and designing for that. 

In terms of content, their team has revamped our approach and increased how frequently we post on social media. They’ll take professional photos and videos of our business, including recording our bartender making farm-to-table cocktails and our sommelier discussing our wine of the week. 

What is the team composition?

Jennifer is our main point of contact, but we also work closely with Ashley (Creative Director, L.A. Social Karma). 

How did you come to work with L.A. Social Karma?

We’re heavily involved within our communities, so we found them at an event representing the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. Once we met up and discussed different options, we felt their services would be a better marketing tool than doing it in-house. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $35,000, so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement has been ongoing since January 2016. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We definitely have seen a significant jump in engagement, as far as how many likes and comments we receive from users. For the Locanda Del Lago account, we saw growth from  3,000 followers to 5,500, nearly doubling our followers in under three years. Our customers have said our posts are professional and look great. People comment on the videos of our bartender and informative videos about our wine. The feedback shows that people recognize the new quality of our content. 

How did L.A. Social Karma perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve always been very good at meeting deadlines and being punctual. They met with us to ensure the project was understood and the message was on point. For the pictures and videos, their team does an excellent job bringing our ideas to fruition. 

We mostly email to communicate, but I can even text them if there is an issue or something urgent. We review the content at least once a week and meet monthly. They provide amazing customer service, even if something comes up last minute, like a new event or an issue in a post. Their team is flexible and lets us know they’re at our beck and call, which is great. Working with them is like having an in-house team that is available when we need them, but they’re off-site. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, we’re just really pleased with them. They’re up to date on new trends in the ever-changing social media industry and we’re happy with their work. Their price is also very affordable, which is key for an independent small business like us. Jennifer does seminars to keep herself informed on new ideas, which is impressive, too. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of; we’re satisfied. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you have a clear idea of your brand and message, they’re great at following through and being adaptable. I recommend using them and clearly explaining what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and manager of a restaurant in Los Angeles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with L.A. Social Karma?

Initially, we managed our social media accounts in addition to operating the restaurant. However, there was too much to do with both the site and the restaurant, and we didn’t know how to establish our digital presence effectively. We needed external resources to manage our main site and social media accounts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our main site and social media accounts including Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. This involves updating our accounts weekly to reflect menu changes, taking photos for events, and ensuring correct pricing. They also stream direct videos as well as write posts about our events and current specials to attract customers.

Beyond social media, they’ve also compiled an extensive email list to advertise seasonal promotions. From the list, we send interactive digital menus that they’ve designed, which allow customers to view daily deals. We’ve also explored guerilla marketing tactics and magazine opportunities to expand our clientele.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked primarily with their owner and meet with her on a weekly basis.

How did you come to work with L.A. Social Karma?

My business partner met the owner at his previous restaurant. He was impressed by their workflow, so we approached them. Compared to previous vendors who could not meet our requirements, we found it easy to communicate with them. We then decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a few hundred thousand dollars so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in 2012 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of event attendance, we’ve seen increased interest and response. We would sell out a 40-seat event in a matter of days and have no problem selling 50-100 tickets. We attribute this to their comprehensive email list, which boasts over 10,000 customers. We send bimonthly emails, and every week, we have 60–70 new subscribers.

How did L.A. Social Karma perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet in person once a week to identify what we need to do and discuss any required adjustments. Aside from the meetings, we communicate via text, phone, and email. During events, they’ll also come to take promotional pictures and interact with customers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate their personal approach to marketing. We believe that marketing can’t just be digital; customers need to see that there are people behind the posts and emails. They want to see our faces. In terms of work, other firms might promise services, but we’d never get to see them, let alone know who they are. The L.A Social Karma team proactively attends events and engages with us and our customers. That makes all the difference.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Customers should meet them in person to better understand their capabilities. L.A Social Karma is knowledgeable and willing to help customers understand their project goals. They have exceptional personalities, and they work hard to ensure project success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the economic development administrator with the city of Santa Monica local government.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with L.A. Social Karma?

We have a partnership campaign between the city and our local business community. The purpose of the campaign is to let the residents of Santa Monica know about the importance of local businesses and the value they bring to the community. We were looking for a company to support our social media efforts and help us raise awareness about the campaign and all the participating businesses.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially brought them on board to assist with three standalone campaigns that we do under the umbrella of Buy Local Santa Monica. We have a big holiday event, then we hold a variety of business contests during the month of February, and we run another campaign in spring. They focused on all those events, identifying hashtags for the campaigns and creating a social media toolkit to announce the launch of the event. Then, they sent the social media toolkits to the participating businesses and community partners so that they could have sample posts and tweets.

Buy Local Santa Monica has a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. Eventually, we hired Social Karma to manage all of them and they recommended that we have more meaningful interactions with the public throughout the year, not only during the campaign season. Now, they work with us on a contract basis, creating content for social media, promoting some of our local businesses, and highlighting various community events. They also help us strategize and advise our marketing executive committee on how to use social media effectively.

What is the team composition?

Jennifer Wilson (Social Media Consultant, L.A. Social Karma) is our main point of contact. We also work closely with a content expert, who helps us create all the posts and fun images.

How did you come to work with them?

They were recommended to us by two of our local restaurants that had a contract with them. Besides, the social media firms we had worked with also recommended Social Karma based on our budget and our needs. Considering the positive feedback we heard about their work, we decided to bring them on board.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $8,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In addition to providing strategic recommendations, they created an effective social media marketing plan for our Buy Local Instagram account, which we hadn't been using regularly. After we started working with Social Karma, the user engagement on Instagram has increased, which helped us recruit more businesses to become members of the Buy Local campaign. Their graphics capabilities (which is something we don't have in-house) helped us drive traffic to Instagram and Facebook, but Instagram has been the most effective platform for us.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They've done a very good job, bringing in additional staff support when needed. Even when their business activity increases, they stay on top of things. We communicate via email, phone, and have in-person meetings. They're very accessible and I can always reach them when I need them. They usually send us emails with the posts they propose and we review and approve them.

In addition, they meet with our local executive committee quarterly and provide social media reports and feedback. We're also trying to increase the number of posts we do in-house, so they let us know what is working well and how we can leverage our partners more effectively in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very strategic and do a great job guiding and educating us in terms of best practices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We're not the easiest of their clients because our campaign has thousands of participating businesses and eight founding partners (the city of Santa Monica is one of them). Since we have a lot of partner hashtags and social media handles, it's important to incorporate all the partners correctly. That's not a criticism, but rather the challenge that our business presents.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very focused at the beginning. Work with them to evaluate your strategic goals and how social media can help you accomplish those goals. Then, identify their roles, the frequency of the posts, and the type of reporting.