LogoNow

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a chiropractic office in Columbia, Pennsylvania.

What are your position and responsibilities?

I am both the owner and the doctor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Soap Effect Studios?

Previously, I had just a cookie-cutter website. It was a basic chiropractor's website, for which I was paying $8 a month. It wasn't customized and doesn't put much focus on SEO [search engine optimization]. I wanted to change my website so it would search better and look more professional.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The owner of Soap Effect Studios helped us with our logo, design, and website. Since we have recently changed our name, he also helped us rebrand our company. He then helped with my SEO and marketing. We kind of brainstormed ideas. We did a campaign with different YouTube videos, trying to find how they could be searched more organically – basically using searches for "back pain in Lancaster" – so we needed to tweak that. He also showed me how to go into WordPress to make quick changes, so I wouldn't have to call him for every small change.

How did you come to work with Soap Effect Studios?

The owner had worked with my wife's uncle, so he was recommended to me.

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

I've probably spent a bit less than $2,500 working with Soap Effect Studios.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April of last year, and the collaboration is ongoing. Two weeks ago, the owner just finished redoing my site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from this engagement?

The biggest thing was that I didn't know what I really wanted with my design. I just gave the owner [James Moelk] some general ideas, and he took it from there. I really liked what he did. To me, anybody can put a website together, but as far as having a sense of style, people either have it or they don't. I really liked both the logo he developed for me and the style of my website. As far as searching goes, my old website didn't really rank very well in generic searches. Once I started working with Soap Effect Studios, our ranking started to improve. We got on the first pages with the YouTube videos and organically as well.

What distinguishes Soap Effect Studios from other providers?

I'd say their design abilities, and the artistic look of the site.

Is there anything Soap Effect Studios could have improved or done differently?

No. Everything is just fine.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I've been a self-employed mobile disc jockey for 23 years. I play at weddings, parties, anniversaries – wherever anybody wants me. Primarily, I provide entertainment for these kinds of events, including lighting and sound. I pretty much have to do everything.

What is your position?

I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Soap Effect Studios?

Before I started working with them, I had tried to develop my own websites, which were not very good. I had another company build a website for me, and it was workable. It looked all right, but I wasn't getting any real traction in moving up the pages.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

I had done an initial website with them that worked very well, and there were no problems with it. A couple of years ago because a lot of websites were becoming usable on portable devices, such as smartphones and iPads, I decided I needed an update. We did pretty much a full redesign. I wanted the colors and graphics changed, and Soap Effect did a great job with that, too. The revised site worked perfectly on any mobile device you pulled it up on. It loaded much faster because we had changed the servers by then, too.

How did you come to work with Soap Effect Studios?

I met the owner [James Moelk] while working at his wedding. We talked a little bit, and I found out what he did. Then we talked some more after the wedding about what he could do for me, since what I was already having done was basically nothing. He explained to me that it's not going to be as cheap as the people that I'd been working with, and I told him that was all right as long as I get the desired results.

We got together a number of times, and he showed me what he could do with the website, where he wanted to go with it, what his vision was. He wanted to understand what my vision was, too, which was nice. Between the two of us, we just went back and forth, and he sold me on the revision.

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

I was paying probably between $200 and $300 a month at one point, maybe a little more. When he did the first revision, I paid him a lump sum, which was a little bit painful to do all at once. It took him some months to do the rebuild.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from this engagement?

Soap Effect Studios got me way up in the listings. It took a little time, but we moved up. I was getting up second or third, actually anywhere from first to fourth or fifth, on the first page of the search. I was very happy with that. They got me where I wanted to be. You definitely want to be on the first page, you definitely want to be somewhere at the top of the first page, and Soap Effect did a great job with that. The site was great, as was the search engine optimization. That's a lot of it right there. Soap Effect did a great job and was always available to talk with me.

What distinguishes Soap Effect Studios from other providers?

First of all, the owner would always ask me what I wanted. For providers to just charge in and assume they know best is annoying when you're the customer. Obviously, the customer is not always right, but at least the customer should have some input. Anytime we met, especially the first time for the rebuild, he had all the numbers and could show me everything: where I was, why things were going like they were, and what we could do to change that. He showed me all the statistics, how some of my competitors were faring compared to me and why – things like that.

I know there are probably some people that wouldn't care about that stuff, but I like seeing the numbers. I like having them in front of me. I love being kept in the loop. Obviously, I don't really know anything about SEO [search engine optimization] and things like that. The owner always kept me aware of what was going on. Usually, I would talk to him once every few months, but we'd always keep in touch. He would also send me emails showing me the progress he was making. I would go and check it out, and I'd see that I had moved up to third place or whatever.

I really appreciate that he always kept me in the loop like that. Personally, I like being at least partially involved, so that was very important to me. As I said, he was very easy to work with. We could always find some time to sit down and get together, have a cup of coffee, spend an hour talking. He's very easy to work with, and he always knew what he was talking about. If I had a question, even on the very rare times when I'd hit him with something he wasn't expecting, he would get right back to me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I own a startup company called Ag-Grow Teas. We sell organic liquid soil fertilizer.

What are your position and responsibilities?

I am the owner and operator. I do everything. It's a one-man show.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Soap Effect Studios?

I needed to have a website built for my company.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Their work was primarily web design. We have been discussing doing SEO [search engine optimization] and some marketing with online sales. Soap Effect is full of ideas, all the time. It can almost be overwhelming. They come to me with all these great ideas and point me in the right direction.

How did you come to work with Soap Effect Studios?

I knew the owner personally. I had met him a couple of times through a friend that I used to work with and I got a good vibe from him. I really liked his attitude. He seemed like a go-getter kind of guy who knew what he was talking about. When I realized that I needed a good website, I was just led naturally to Soap Effect Studios.

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

To tell you the truth, I think I got a killer deal because I knew the owner personally. I paid $2,500 for the web design and setup, and he did all the mobile responsive design. He also showed me how to work the platform so I can go in and make tweaks and do changes on my own. My older brother does instructional web design. He's always looking at different designs and pages and he was super impressed. He said I probably saved at least 100 percent or more. The price should have been at least $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Soap Effect Studios and I have been working together for about eight or nine months. My business and the website launched about five months ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics, or other feedback from this engagement?

I worked with a company a few years ago to build a website, but they never let me have any input in how the website was built, so I wasn't happy. With Soap Effect Studios, however, I had the total opposite experience. They had great ideas, and I had some ideas that they rounded out and improved with some of the new technology you can use with web pages. They are just on the ball. Soap Effect Studios always know what's happening, what the current trend is in online marketing and advertising.

If I had a question or if I got stuck on something, I could call them pretty much any time. They take care of the problem or get to it within a couple hours.

It was a great experience working with Soap Effect Studios. I have recommended them to other people.

What distinguishes Soap Effect Studios from other providers?

The owner [James Moelk] goes a step beyond. He thinks outside the box and gives you more recommendations than most people. I hired him to do a web page, and he's got great marketing ideas. He doesn't pull back and he's not billing me for every second he's thinking. His willingness to go above and beyond really sets Soap Effect Studios apart from other providers.

Is there anything Soap Effect Studios could have improved or done differently?

Their office needs some artwork. Besides that, I honestly think they did great. I really can't say anything that needs improvement. Soap Effect Studios does a bang-up job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I own a pizza shop called Virgil's Plate located in Erie, Pennsylvania.

What is your position?

My wife and I are the owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Soap Effect Studios?

I went to Soap Effect Studios for basic website development and some marketing direction. Our goal was to get a decent-looking website so we could present some information about our business, like our menu. We also worked with them on SEO [search engine optimization] to get the website found.

We've also worked with Soap Effect Studios on some other marketing for us. We did a short video, a spellbinding piece about the flour we use in our pizza and our process. It's a very casual, informal little piece, because video plays well out there as well.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Soap Effect Studios?

I can't remember exactly, but I knew their owner before we worked together. He used to work for a local TV station, doing advertising and marketing. We did a short commercial that we ran on the local station, and he was part of that process. That's where I initially met him.

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

I've probably spent around $2,500 working with Soap Effect Studios. Since I am a new business, they bill me on a modest monthly basis. It's really just a basic website, but our plan is to take it to the next level and build it out a little more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We now work together on an ongoing basis. It's been a year, a year and a half [2015] that we've been working directly with Soap Effect Studios.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics, or other feedback from this engagement?

I would have to say the results are very positive because we're coming up high in relevant searches from people who just Googled "Erie pizza" or "Erie's best pizza" and found their way to us. That's the real mark of success.

I know that July over June, our sales were up more than 30 percent, and we've been steadily climbing all along, even into the summer. We're enjoying what I consider to be a lot of success, and we're getting a pretty nice share of the local pizza market. We do a good job and have a great product, but I also think Soap Effect Studios has been instrumental in helping us get to where we are.

What distinguishes Soap Effect Studios from other providers?

For me, when I work with Soap Effect Studios, it just feels comfortable and almost casual. Even though we get a lot of work done, it doesn't feel like work to me. After a long week, it's nice to sit down and go through the website and the tech things, the marketing or different aspects of how we're going to get people in the door. It doesn't just feel like another meeting.

I believe their owner [James Moelk] truly does care about our success, beyond just the money. He wants us to do well and gets excited when I let him know what's happening. We give personal service in our shop, so I appreciate it when I get that in return.

Is there anything Soap Effect Studios could have improved or done differently?

Not really. When I went into it, I can't say that I had a full vision of where the website would be. I think Soap Effect Studios had more of a vision than I did. I would say that going forward, we should sit down and lay out some specific goals.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Company owner

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LogoNow?

Engaging logo that told our story without clutter

What were your goals for this project?

Get a sharp looking logo that had the right message and was recallable

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by some peer business people.

Describe the project in detail.

Based on my input develop a logo for my company and work on additional messaging.

What was the team composition?

There were 2 to 3 people involved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a fantastic job. I got more than I asked for and it was top quality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Quality of work and timeliness

Are there any areas for improvement?

no