Launch Online

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of The Digital Auditors Limited

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Trusted to protect Britain's finest homes since 1926.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Launch Online to accomplish?

• Digital Marketing

SOLUTION

How did you find Launch Online?

Incumbent agency

Why did you select Launch Online over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Launch Online were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The comprehensive digital marketing services provided by Launch encompass a strategic multi-channel approach focused on maximising online presence and driving measurable business results. The scope includes developing and implementing a data-driven digital strategy, managing social media presence across key platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest), and running targeted PPC campaigns.

Key deliverables include monthly performance reports covering all channels, ongoing campaign optimisation, and quarterly strategic reviews, all measured against specific KPIs including organic traffic growth, conversion rates, engagement metrics, and overall ROI.

The project is structured to provide both tactical day-to-day marketing support and strategic long-term growth through a combination of regular content delivery, technical optimisation, and data-driven campaign management.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sales leads

ROAS/ROI

Conversion rates

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

Excellent project management - both professional and friendly

What was your primary form of communication with Launch Online?

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

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

They deliver. They are an excellent partner. I like working with all their team.

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

Move closer to our office (we're 90 miles away).....:-)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Brand of a hospitality & leisure company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We pair luxury holiday homes across the South West of England with completely tailored local experiences through our concierge service. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Launch Online to accomplish?

• Increase our online bookings with Google and Microsoft Ads
• Increase and enhance our brand awareness through Meta campaigns

SOLUTION

How did you find Launch Online?

Online Search

Why did you select Launch Online over others?

• Great culture fit
• Other

How many teammates from Launch Online were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We've worked with Launch Online for ten years, and our goal has always been to increase bookings and customer enquiries through paid Google, Microsoft and Meta advertising. A secondary goal has been to increase brand awareness and reach new customers. We've always had ambitious ROAS targets.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had an ongoing retainer with Launch Online since 2015, with multiple projects. But using 2024 as an example: compared to 2023, they achieved 27% more bookings and a booking ROAS of 985% through paid search advertising. 

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

Absolutely, we have frequent face-to-face meetings and they keep us updated regularly. They adapt quickly, keep us informed and are very responsive. 

What was your primary form of communication with Launch Online?

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

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

I've worked with the team for a long time, and they're a genuinely positive and friendly group of people. They're upbeat and enthusiastic, and extremely invested in the success of our campaigns. They very much feel like an extension of our in-house team. 

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

I can't think of anything at the moment. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing director of The Natural Adventure. We do self-guided and guided walking and cycling holidays around the world. As marketing director, I look after all of our marketing activity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Online?

Before hiring Launch Online, we were struggling with our resources. We have a small marketing team, so we didn't have marketing activity in a lot of channels due to our lack of staff and knowledge within the team. Therefore, we were looking for a digital agency to help us include more marketing channels and paid media channels in our portfolio. We also needed a partner to help us make more informed decisions and implement a better strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch Online helps us with our paid media marketing efforts. Initially, we started doing Google Ads, but we then added social media ads on Facebook and Instagram. Step by step, we've been adding more advertising channels to our efforts, such as Pinterest and YouTube, so we've been working with different teams from Launch Online.

When we started this project, we had some discussions with Launch Online to give them some direction regarding our strategy and goals. Nonetheless, given that we were starting these new efforts from scratch, we needed their team not only to help us with the implementation but also to guide us in the right direction. Thus, they've helped a lot with the strategy side of things as well.

In fact, we hired Launch Online just a few months after establishing our marketing team, so they've been crucial in making things happen. From the very start, we added to their service package analytics work as well. Our tracking hasn't been done properly in the past, so their team has taken care of it as well. They've helped us move from Google Analytics to Google Analytics 4, which has been very helpful.

A few months into the engagement, we also started working with Launch Onlie's conversion rate optimization team. We've worked with this team on various projects regarding customer research, website improvements, testing, and other bigger projects.

What is the team composition?

Launch Online's team has varied across our different projects, but I'm regularly in touch with six members of their team, who are heavily invested in our projects. Still, we also get support from other teammates. Their main team includes Harriet (Paid Media Director), who is our main point of contact and the person looking after our account.

We've also worked with Joe (Head of Conversion) and Josh (Senior Paid Media Manager & CRO Specialist) from their conversion rate optimization team, as well as with Owen (Senior Measurement Analyst) from their analytics team.

How did you come to work with Launch Online?

I had worked with one of their team members in another company in the past; we were both in different agencies. Then, I knew that she and a couple of other colleagues went to Launch Online. When I started working for The Natural Adventure, I knew that they were people who I could trust to start this project from scratch, so I reached out to them.

Still, we reached out to a few other agencies, but Launch Online stood out, and I felt that I wouldn't be able to build the same relationship with a different agency.

How much have you invested with them?

Every month, we pay them an £8,000 fee (approximately $10,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around January 2023, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launch Online's work has totally met our expectations. Comparing it to our work from last year, we've seen a huge growth in our ROAS. Last year, we were investing and losing a lot of money because we weren't achieving the required ROAS. Since hiring Launch Online, we've started spending money more smartly and strategically, so we've seen really good results. Basically, we've become profitable.

How did Launch Online perform from a project management standpoint?

Launch Online always takes into account our time and budget. When we agree on a budget, they're very strict about it, so they always deliver on budget or at a lower cost. Still, whenever we see a campaign is performing very well, we increase the budget, and their team reacts very quickly to implement changes and deliver within our timelines. As for communication, we meet either weekly or biweekly.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Harriet has been amazing and helpful. Right from the beginning, she has been very strategic, offered a lot of ideas, and been very proactive. She has helped us connect a lot of different dots and always offers explanations and ideas to try new things.

Moreover, Joe and Josh are very proactive, have a lot of ideas, and stay really organized. They always ensure that everything is very smooth. Owen has also helped us massively with some important updates regarding website conversion tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm always amazed by how organized our sessions with Launch Online are, as are their work and processes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything specific Launch Online could improve on. Some things have been delayed, but we've had a lot of ideas, and not everything can happen, so I couldn't blame them for that.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend going for a service package with them rather than hiring them for a specific digital marketing project. Although we initially started working on paid media marketing, we started adding ad-hoc services, such as analytics and conversion rate optimization. After some time, Launch Online suggested we change to a package deal with all three teams.

That change to a package deal has been really useful because, in the past, we could see a lot of overlapping in different projects. Since the change, the flow of work has been so much better, and there has been more consistency.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of agil8 Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Operating throughout the UK and internationally - agil8 are a leading provider of Agile and Scrum training / consulting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Launch Online to accomplish?

• To manage our online paid presence. This includes Google Ads, and Bing Ads.

SOLUTION

How did you find Launch Online?

• Referral

Why did you select Launch Online over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Launch Online’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

I've worked closely with Launch Online for over 5 years, during which time they've managed all of agil8's paid search and PPC ads. This specifically relates to Google Ads, and Bing Ads.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The primary measurement of success was the conversion rate from our paid ads into online bookings for specified courses on our public training schedule.

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

Not only have Launch Online provided effective ongoing management of our ad campaigns, but they also frequently suggested and implemented improvements to our account in order to optimise the conversion rate and maximum our ROI.

What was your primary form of communication with Launch Online?

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

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

In addition to managing and servicing our account, they pro-actively seek out and advise on ways that our paid search activities can be improved, with both tactical and strategic guidance. This is particularly important as the online space that we target has progressively become increasingly competitive, particularly within the last 2-3 year period. Furthermore, I've always received a warm, friendly, and very knowledgeable service from Launch Online.

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

No. We have always been very happy with the service that we have received from Launch Online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Small Films is a leading video production company in London, UK. We offer video production services to brands, businesses and organisations across the world. I am the founder / company owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to find an agency that could create a sophisticated Google ad campaign for us that could attract new customers. Having worked with several PPC agencies in the past with limited results, we wanted to find a company that actually knew what they were doing and could deliver tangible leads. Our objective was to increase our funnel using a paid search campaign.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Launch come with a fantastic reputation and were recommended to me by several people within my network. Having met the founder Jaye, we developed a good rapport so this company felt like a natural fit. Once I met the account team and saw how they structure their projects, I felt they would do great work for us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

They set up a PPC campaign using Google search to attract more customers. This started with a scoping call to understand our goals, our audience and our media budget. From this, they drew up a keyword list and built out a multi-faceted ad campaign which targeted people based on their specific searches.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I had a small team working on our account including a dedicated account manager and a technical expert who could fill me in on the day to day detail of the campaign and provide reports. All this was overseen by one of the senior leadership team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got a large volume of leads off the back of this campaign. Including many that could be considered "high ticket" clients. We converted many of these leads leading to a tangible return on investment.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Seemless, communicative and free from jargon. They problem solve and look to help you along the way.

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

The people are great and their approach is sophisticated.

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

I was really happy with the service they provided.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing and sustainability director for Fluid Branding. We’re leaders in the sourcing and provision of promotional merchandise and branded clothing. We’re a B Corp, so we think beyond profit and also consider people and the planet. We have locations throughout the UK, as well as Ireland, the Netherlands, and Malta.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Online?

We need to advertise effectively through Google and similar platforms and want to get the best value out of PPC. Using an external specialist seems like the best route to go down.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch Online manages our PPC campaigns in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Malta. They run ad campaigns on LinkedIn and other social media platforms, and then we respond to comments on those pages. They also assist with our Google Ads account. We share our objectives and calendar with Launch Online, and then they come up with specific plans within our budget and timeframe to get the best ROI. They are the experts so I lean on them.

They design some of the creative assets for the ads and have come up with some creative proposals and solutions. Our in-house marketing and branding team produces some of the assets as well. It is a partnership; we work closely together to brainstorm ideas and come up with results.

We’re getting them involved in our Christmas campaign; for this campaign, we plant trees for every customer who places an order of a certain value. We’ve briefed Launch Online on the campaign and tasked them with putting together the go-to-market strategy for our PPC ads while our in-house team tackles other deployment options. We work like this for every campaign Launch Online is part of — they work alongside our in-house team.

They also do website UX studies every quarter; they pull reports and make suggestions to improve the UX. They offer other services that we don’t need to use since we have an in-house marketing team.

What is the team composition?

Two teammates look after us on a regular basis and the owner is involved every now and then. We also have access to other contacts with specific areas of expertise within the business, including PPC and technical specialists, among others.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our longstanding partnership with Launch Online started before I started in my position in 2017, and we have no intention of leaving.

How did you come to work with Launch Online?

One of our former employees joined Launch Online. I believe that’s how the relationship came about.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been able to see a return on advertising spending and plan to continue our longstanding partnership with Launch Online. All of our reporting is linked to our Google Analytics and HubSpot, our CRM. We get regular reporting from those tools. Apart from that, we also have access to our internal systems to be able to see any revenue attribution that’s come from those campaigns, which is very helpful. 

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

Launch Online performs very well. They’re always on top of the budget; they’re proactive about alerting us to any underspend or overspend and making relevant adjustments. They’re always on time with reporting. We have management meetings on a regular basis, and they submit reports ahead of those meetings. 

They’re very involved with our team and our plans. They’ve been flexible in using our project management system, which is monday.com. We have meetings with them on a regular basis — they join our campaign catch-up calls. They’re essentially an extension of our marketing team.

I really like the way they work. Launch Online is a relatively small company so it’s easy to get in touch with the people we need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Launch Online has a great work ethic and an exceptional staff. Recently, they’ve even brought in some additional skilled resources. We’re aligned on the values of looking after staff and using business as a force for good, which is part of why we want to stay with them. All in all, it’s a really good relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They ask us this question as well; they always want to be the best they can be for their clients.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be mindful that it’s more than just their ability to deliver on the PPC and SEO that matters; there’s also alignment on the people and culture side as well.
 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the performance marketing manager at a security solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Online?

Among other things, we offer a comprehensive concierge service to take care of our client’s properties, security needs, and more. However, our service was difficult to explain to people who weren’t knowledgeable in the space due to its complexity and different elements. Therefore, we needed someone to help us launch a campaign for brand awareness around that service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch has helped us develop multi-channel awareness campaigns and build an entire marketing strategy for our service. These campaigns focus on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and we also plan to expand them to other media channels. Moreover, Launch has helped us run Google Ads for both search results and Google Shopping, and they’ve implemented remarketing strategies to improve conversion.

We have in-house creatives who develop the assets needed for our campaigns. Still, Launch provides us with feedback and direction around those assets. Additionally, they help us come up with new creative assets to improve our campaigns’ results if needed, based on the previous results.

What is the team composition?

We work with Danny (Account Director) and Lucy (Paid Media Manager).

How did you come to work with Launch Online?

Our SEO agency recommended them. We had already worked with other marketing agencies; however, those agencies weren’t very organized, had poor project management skills, and weren’t producing the results we wanted. When we met Launch, they were very helpful during the onboarding process, and they understood our plans to grow our business and improve our marketing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £75,000 (approximately $91,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around March 2021, and our engagement is ongoing. We also have two other businesses, and Launch has become our PPC agency for those; they have three different accounts with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The campaign developed by Launch Online has helped us promote our service and increase our awareness and conversion rates, ultimately growing our business. In the last three months, we’ve grown our brand searches by around 75%, and our ROI is averaging around 1,200%.

How did Launch Online perform from a project management standpoint?

Launch’s project management is very thorough and thoughtful. Obviously, we deal with a lot of urgent matters in our business. However, Launch always understands our urgencies and reacts accordingly. Danny is very technical and smart; it’s a pleasure working with him. Lucy manages our day-to-day work, and she’s extremely helpful and responsive.

Currently, we use monday.com to manage the project. Launch used Basecamp internally before, but they were happy to migrate to monday.com to accommodate our workflows. Additionally, we communicate via email and other channels for more urgent matters.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Launch is very understanding of our business requirements and how we operate, which is rare for marketing agencies. Their thorough understanding helps us work with them on strategizing to drive the best results. Additionally, they’re very technical, and when they find issues, they come to the table with solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing Launch could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do their work and take the lead in your campaigns. They excel at campaign optimization strategies and targeting, so leverage their knowledge and don’t try to micromanage them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Marketing Director, in the hospitality and accommodation sector, running the brand, marketing and revenue performance for a UK holiday company. Acquisitional company with revenue streams from sales of homes c£200,000 - £400,000, and sale of holiday breaks - £300 - £3000

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Paid media support and management for Google, Bing and Meta. Driving campaigns for B2C lead generation and E-commerce bookings of Holiday short breaks. Building brand identity as acquisitional start up, providing compliance support (Cookies etc) for web acquisition and new build.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I have personally worked with Launch for over five years, where they supported me in similar roles and requirements, in the hospitality and travel sector. Launch have won numerous UK, European and international paid campaign awards, on our projects. They strive to have a deep understanding of the clients needs and sector requirements.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

Following a business acquisition, Launch were hired to help take over and manage paid and social channels, to establish new brand identity, generate early leads for sales conversion, and e-commerce conversion of holiday bookings. Fast start leading to quick wins in 2022, and to build for 2023 season and beyond with wider campaigns PREVIOUS PROJECTS Multi-year management of multi site, multi product B2C lead generation and E-commerce revenue Paid media campaigns, supporting a wider broad marketing acquisition strategy. Delivered significant year on year performance improvement measured by both revenue gain and industry beating ROI ratio's. Leading to several national and international awards for the paid campaigns

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Over the last five years Launch and the team have grown substantially, and throughout this and the various projects and campaigns there have been a core team, including the founder, account directors, paid media director(s), analytics director and data director Jaye, Becky, Charlie, Danny, Simon, Ian, and Michael.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• CURRENT PROJECT: Already generating leads and e-commerce revenue, with a lower CPL / CPA and stronger ROI than previous vendor. Still in initial phase.
• PREVIOUS PROJECT (2020/1): Public domain data - Holiday breaks campaign 152% increase in YOY revenue £2,300,000 Revenue 2,800% ROAS

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Work collaboratively on a data driven approach, continually evaluating and testing assumptions. Use video, phone, email, face to face communications. Clear regular reporting of results and planning strategy for forward periods.

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

We're impressed with their strong attention to our individual needs and abilities. Maintaining strong long term 1 on 1 relationships Clear daily, weekly, monthly project deliverable KPI's and expectations Forging and striving to maintain a partnership relationship, NOT client v Agency. Well led, clear strategy, and maintaining great industry leading individual who grow with the company

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

NO, the business continues to grow and evolve, bringing in additional team whether direct or partnership, who understand the culture and style of launch, so contribute quickly and add value, whilst still maintaining the OG's who's careers are well managed to give growth.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of marketing at Access Self Storage. We're an England-based self-storage solution for businesses and consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Online?

We generate most of our leads through our website; they come in the form of inquiries for quotations on storage space rentals. We engaged Launch Online to boost the volume and lower the acquisition cost of our paid performance marketing programs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch Online is responsible for our PPC marketing efforts. They run our Google Ads and utilize Google Display Network. They also provide social media marketing (SMM) consulting and planning services. They’ve delivered some strategies that we plan to expand upon soon. 

They run ads on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They create and run all our text-based ads, but they work with a third-party vendor on visual assets. Whenever a new platform comes along, Launch Online runs a test and discusses the opportunity with us to determine whether or not we should implement it. We’re currently working together on a trial for Instagram advertising.

They also support our data strategy by ensuring that the data from our website passes through our data stack and loops back into the appropriate channels. This has helped us understand our performance and identify opportunities. They’ve also helped us understand how best to use the proprietary Google functionality. 

What is the team composition?

We work with the owner, two media people, two accounts people, and a data strategist. 

How did you come to work with Launch Online?

Our company had worked with staff members from Launch Online when they were at a prior agency. When they transitioned to a new company, we followed them. I wasn’t with the company when we started working with them, but I assume they made a convincing pitch, and the continuity of high-quality staff factored into the decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $150,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launch Online has given us a competitive advantage in a highly competitive landscape. Their efforts have helped increase our volume of conversions and inquiries by about 10% year-over-year (YoY). Furthermore, our cost per lead (CPL) has increased by about 2% YoY.

How did Launch Online perform from a project management standpoint?

Launch Online is incredibly responsive; they act upon inquiries within minutes. They send weekly and fortnightly tracking reports, which we meet with them regularly to discuss. We typically communicate via email and meet via Microsoft Teams, but occasionally speak via phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve maintained our longstanding relationship with Launch Online because they thoroughly understand our business and industry. They’re experienced, innovative partners who continuously offer new analytics tools and data proxies. 

Additionally, they’re incredibly efficient and churn through the work quickly. Our business is very mobile and fluid, which requires us to make swift decisions. Launch Online’s grasp of data has helped me make better-informed strategic decisions. 

I’ve been in this industry for longer than I care to admit and have worked with many agencies over the years. Launch Online is great; they’re the best PPC agency I’ve ever dealt with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing Launch Online could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Partnerships are a people business, so make sure your personalities match, that they enjoy working with you, and vice versa. I also recommend engaging with them as much as possible; give them all the information and discuss your challenges. They’re good at solving problems, but it’s up to you to identify and disclose the issue to them.