M16 Marketing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide foreign language acquisition programs for children. I am the director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire M16 Marketing, and what were your goals?

Redesign our website to optimize for SEO

SOLUTION

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

We researched several companies. We selected M16 Marketing due to their comprehensive service offering, competitive price, and their reputation.

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

M16 Marketing redesigned my entire website, working closely with me to ensure they understood my business in detail and to make sure I understood and felt comfortable with the changes they worked on.

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

I worked directly with Don Dodds, director.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can't say enough great things about M16 Marketing. They did an AMAZING job redesigning my website for an optimum user experience, and Don went beyond all my expectations. I have worked with many SEO companies before, and I have never found one that provides this level of customer service. I am very impressed and really happy I found them. Thank you so much for everything. I am a devout and thankful customer!

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

I requested several Zoom calls to understand exactly what they wanted to do and how they would go about making changes to our site, and every time the call was scheduled within a day of me requesting it.

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

Don spent a lot of time making sure I understood everything and asked relevant questions to get to understand my business better.

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

Honestly, I am extremely satisfied with the work M16 Marketing has done for my business. I can't think of anything at this point.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a research engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute - the UARC of Georgia Tech. We provide technical expertise in a wide range of applications and technologies in support of our government customers.

My position is that of a research engineer where I perform technical work on embedded systems and open hardware standards.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire M16 Marketing?

We hired M16 Marketing for an event website design which we did not have internal support for at the deadline required.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals of this project were to provide advertising and a landing place for people interested in our event.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected M16 Marketing through our normal process of getting three quotes. Ultimately, the decision to go with M16 was clear as they have a military heritage, understood our position as contractors, and were extremely responsive.

Describe the project in detail.

We had an initial discovery meeting prior to initiating the project; however, this project ended up being a very short throw with 2 weeks to get a complete event website.

Most of our communication was through their project management portal which facilitated rapid communication. The entire team at M16 Marketing was extremely quick without sacrificing quality or professionalism.

What was the team composition?

I was not made aware of the number of employees working on our project; however, we were assigned a primary point of contact and the owner of the company took a vested interest in our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is too early to see any metrics for success; however, reactions to the website have been extremely positive. The output exceeded our expectations with all stakeholders being happy with the result - providing few points of feedback or improvement.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Basecamp was utilized for collaboration, and communication was excellent. The project managers from M16 Marketing's side were extremely easy to get in contact with and making themselves available to us was clearly a priority for them. Given our short timeline, this was essential for us, and we were not disappointed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The degree of expertise and professionalism in this company is extraordinary. It is one thing to have a web design company which has technical expertise and capabilities, and it is great if they have great design taste.

However, M16 Marketing is really set apart by their degree of professionalism and dedication to their customer's. Their service-based approach to operations is amazing, and they were a joy to work with

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't believe there is anything that could have been improved given the constraints of this project. Everything came together in the end, and everyone is more than happy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of business development for Brazilian Wood Depot. We’re an importer and distributor of Brazilian hardwoods for decking, siding, and flooring.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire M16 Marketing?

M16 was originally hired for Google Ads. They’ve been managing our Google Ads for more than four years, and we have been extremely pleased with their work. In the meantime, we struggled to find an SEO professional who could successfully achieve our organic ranking goals for our key terms. Don (Managing Partner, M16 Marketing) asked if they could take a run at it for us.

What were your goals for this project?

Obviously, our main goal is to increase sales. Before that, our goal was to increase phone call volume because we feel that we'll be able to win business if we speak to potential customers. To increase call volume, we needed to be visible in both Google Ads and organic search. That meant being at the top of page one for our keywords.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We went through a handful of SEO professionals to increase our rankings but none were able to provide consistent results. Since we’d always been happy with M16’s work on our Google Ads, we wanted to give them a shot at SEO.

Describe the project in detail.

Don already knew our keywords, so no lengthy discussions or meetings were necessary to begin the SEO efforts. They began building the new website on WordPress immediately, and within a few business days we had access to the new build on an offline server. I requested many changes before it went live and they made them very quickly. Now that our new site is up, SEO efforts are underway.

What was the team composition?

We deal directly with Don. He always keeps a very open and consistent line of communication with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Currently, we don't have any measurable details regarding SEO. The website is far more user-friendly and modern than the original, however. The website rebuild was done very quickly, and they were patient with the changes that needed to be made before going live. Time will tell if the SEO efforts will go the distance; that said, we couldn't be happier with the attention to detail, quickness to take action, or thorough and consistent communication.

How did the M16 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They've always been very pleasant to work with. Communication is key for us, and they've always provided quick and helpful responses. Our praise of M16 should not be underrated; we've tried other groups and were disappointed at their inability to perform.

What impresses you about the M16 Marketing?

Apart from the results, they've approached this project with enthusiasm. Their positive attitude about executing on our goals is always a good sign. You want someone to be excited about providing their service, but often people fall short on that front—not so, with M16.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At this time, there’s nothing we would add to our relationship. Our SEO results should speak for themselves in the coming weeks/months.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Safr.me, a security awareness training firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with M16 Marketing?

We hired M16 Marketing for a complete build of a web property.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted M16 Marketing to perform a complete design of the web infrastructure using WordPress. They developed a turnkey platform where users could assign brands that deal in similar forms of commerce. We provided the basic layout, and they expanded upon that. Their team created a custom shopping cart, incorporated Infusionsoft software, and built video hosting and credit card processing. Currently, the site consists of over 2,500 pages.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Don (Managing Partner & Chief Strategist, M16 Marketing).

How did you come to work with M16 Marketing?

A colleague recommended M16 Marketing. I looked at various companies, but M16 Marketing was the most proficient and articulate in their responsiveness and recommendations for executing the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with M16 Marketing on the project between March–June 2018. Their team continues helping with maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At this point, the platform is worth far more than what we spent on it. It’s worth more than what we invested. It’s a custom platform which requires a specific skill set. Talented professionals have the skillset to manage and operate this website. It works and never breaks down.

How did M16 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

M16 Marketing managed the project perfectly. Don’s team executed the project, but he worked hand in hand with me. There isn’t a week that goes by where I’m not emailing Don. He works three times as hard as he needs to keep me fully informed and answering all my questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Building a website like mine isn’t the most straightforward task. I appreciate the amount of time and attention their team pays to their clients. They walk through every aspect of the project. M16 Marketing made me feel excellent about the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are none that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise creating an ongoing checklist of what you want and what’s feasible. Sometimes your wants and needs aren’t always attainable. Don’s team will flesh out complete explanations of all our wants and needs, including what they cost and their functionality. They will find the most cost-effective results for your project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the president of Eddy James Real Estate Photography. We’re a leading player in our marketing with over 15,000 properties shot. Our high definition photographs capture the authenticity of each location, creating emotional connections that drive consumers to buy or rent the properties.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire M16 Marketing?

We needed to develop a company website and set up a backend administrative system.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a stable and productive sales site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They responded quicker than the other vendors we reached out to in the area. In our first meeting, I spoke with their CEO and felt that he was genuine. Based on that instinct, I chose to partner with M16 Marketing.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

I provided a collection of ideas in the form of a document. The M16 Marketing team developed the entire website from start to finish, adhering to all of my requirements.

What was the team composition?

I worked with their design and coding teams.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Thanks to M16 Marketing, we now have a working website to promote and sell our photo, video, and aerial products.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We tracked the project using Basecamp, and it was highly effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

M16 Marketing’s senior staff truly wants his clients to be happy with the results of their work. They provide creative ideas that help businesses reach their goals.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There were a few instances where they failed to respond to our emails in a timely manner, which cost us several days of production. For future projects, ongoing and prompt communication is a must.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the SVP of Hyperchat Social, a social media marketing agency specializing in small- and medium-sized businesses. I oversee all operations and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire M16 Marketing?

To better serve our clients, we hired M16 to rebuild our website and integrate several third-party systems into one master site.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a new site with single sign-on for easy program and software access.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed web developers over a three-month period. They best understood our needs.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They designed and developed the site. The team also built the backside user experience for our internal team.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with the managing partner. He had a team behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The new user experience – for both our customers and internal team – made us more competitive in the industry.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

M16 were excellent managers and kept us on time. Considering that I handled everything from our end, they went above and beyond to make my job as easy as possible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their responsiveness distinguished them from other developers I had engaged.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

It’s important for future clients to establish an internal team, focus on the project, double check functionalities, and meet goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Words in Motion Acting Studio. We train actors for the Atlanta film industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with M16 Marketing?

Just to have a place where people can go to find out information about us, so that we appeared on the web and had an attractive website. Before we started working with M16, we had a website, but it was not satisfactory. We also wanted to be able to do accounting on the website, so we wanted people to be able to pay online, and we wanted to be able to add newsletters if we wanted to, and have different pages that they could go to in order to find out about different events that we were involved in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They made us more visible. They’ve made an attractive website where we appear more professional and where can link to social media. I can share things off my website onto social media. They used Wordpress. I gave Don my ideas, and I gave him some graphics that he put together. They also helped me be seen on Google through outside link-building.

How did you come to work with M16 Marketing?

Don actually signed his kids up for my studio. His kids were my students.

How much have you invested with M16 Marketing?

I would think it was around $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’m still working with them. The project started two years ago. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I’m sure I do, but I don’t keep up with the statistics. But the website that I had before was not showing on Google, and now people can find us easily on the internet if they look up acting studios in the area. That’s really good. When I speak briefly about our studio, I can refer them to the website so they can get a better understanding of who we are and what our business is.

How did M16 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

The website is very simple to understand. I can go in and change anything at any time. If it’s a small thing that I want to change, I don’t have to bug them to go and do it for me.

They were good about keeping up with things and making sure the project was moving along.

What did you find most impressive about M16 Marketing?

He listens to your ideas and he helps you construct your ideas, and that’s what I needed help with. He took my ideas and put them in a platform. But really it was just the relationship that Don develops with you. He has not only helped me with my website, but he’s gotten involved with other projects. This year we’re doing a feature film, and he’s helped us out greatly with that. He’ll help us out on marketing when we get a little further along. He pays attention to what his clients need, and I think that when his clients have other projects that come along, they definitely want to involve him.

Are there any areas M16 Marketing could improve?

I am completely pleased.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Parks and Palmer Advisors located in Atlanta, Georgia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with M16 Marketing?

We were a startup company last year, and I wanted to create a website that looked modern. M16 made sure that what I wanted was optimized from a modern, accounting website standpoint. If I said I wanted my home page a certain way, Don [Managing Partner, M16 Marketing] did a good job of explaining what the customer experience could be like. He was honest with me. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I was very specific about what I wanted, but we didn’t end up going with my original design. The color scheme and messages are all the same, but elements of the website were revised to take into consideration the customer’s experience. Don also built several internal databases within my website for free. I’m not a technical person, and I told him to look out for me if I requested things that weren’t necessary. I’m very satisfied. I’m glad Don didn’t just take what I wanted and go with it. The finished project is amazing.

I did have a different logo, but he redesigned that after we both agreed it wasn’t up to par. The old logo was too complex, so he created a simple one for me for free. He did high-level SEO optimization so that when I was ready to start SEO, all the website enhancements were already there. He did an excellent job. I’m not a technical person, and I told him to look out for me if I requested things that weren’t necessarily right. I’m very satisfied. I’m glad Don didn’t just take what I wanted and go with it. The finished project is amazing.

How did you come to work with M16 Marketing?

I Googled “responsive website design in Atlanta”. M16 was the first agency that came up. I emailed Don, and we corresponded from there. The team was superb at answering my questions.

How much have you invested with M16 Marketing?

I spent close to $6,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with M16 in April of 2016, and the site was launched in May of 2016. The total project took 2–3 months. I can email him at any time with questions I have on the site and he’ll change things without charging me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

I don’t currently utilize website metrics because I am a startup. Most of my clients are referrals, so they like to go online for their client portal access. Potential prospects who have gone online to complete our questionnaire form say that our website is “beautiful and simple”.

How did M16 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They were perfect. Don was in control of the situation at all times. Every time I called or emailed or texted, I’d get a response in half an hour or less. Communication was key to me, and he provided that every day.

What did you find most impressive about M16 Marketing?

Creative websites and SEO are what they do, so their advice and expertise are tailored to those areas. There was never a time I asked a question that they didn’t have a valid, thorough answer. If you’re looking for expertise and someone to walk you through the process, I recommend M16. Many other marketing firms are horror stories: they don’t respond to you, or don’t know the answers to your questions because they’re working on too many projects. I felt very comfortable with M16.

Are there any areas M16 Marketing could improve?

No, everything was perfectly fine. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of SmithBrown Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with M16 Marketing?

We hired M16 because I have a client that needed a new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My client needed their old website redesigned, so we started from scratch to replace it. We wanted to update the look and feel. The previous website design was years old, and it needed to be updated. The process was pretty collaborative. We provided the high-level navigation and wrote the content, but M16 did all of the design. The new website was built in WordPress, and it’s a basic brochure site with a form to collect leads.

How did you come to work with M16 Marketing?

I actually found M16 Marketing on Google. I had no one in Atlanta to work with. I’m new here, and a client needed their services. We did an RFP process and interviewed 3 website designers before choosing M16 Marketing.

How much have you invested with M16 Marketing?

I think we’ve invested about $10,000 with M16.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took about 10 weeks, but the hold-ups were on the client’s side, not M16’s. The project happened this spring. I think we wrapped at the beginning of March of 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

I wish I had some metrics, but I don't. The team at M16 is phenomenal to work with, and they did a great job. The client went to a trade show, and we were able to put a landing page out for the trade show that was professional and pulled together with a form that we wouldn't have been able to do before the redesign.

How did M16 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

M16’s performance was great. They met deadlines and were good at communicating about the project. Any and all hang-ups were on the client’s side. M16 also did a great job in managing expectations. We used Basecamp to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about M16 Marketing?

I think Don, the founder, is a really good human being and a super dude. I like working with people of character, and he definitely is a person of character. It was great doing business with him.

Are there any areas M16 Marketing could improve?

I don't think there are any areas M16 could improve. To be honest, this particular client went back and forth on content and design, and Don and his team handled it all with grace and poise. It was great. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a marketing and advertising company with about 15 people. We have clients all over the U.S., a lot of them headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with M16 Marketing?

We have a lot of digital needs, and we had tried to solve those in-house, but found that outsourcing was a better option for us. We’ve worked with a variety of partners, especially for website builds. We found M16, and they fit our needs very well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We usually get a website project that’s intertwined with an integrated marketing campaign. Sometimes that involves a rebranding of identity, and sometimes that involves taking a standard identity and reworking the website for different goals. Sometimes our marketing campaign would necessitate changing the site to focus on lead generation, or we may need landing pages, and so on. We would involve M16 in the coding and building part of the website which is part of a larger campaign.

The platforms for these sites vary, which is one of the reasons we ended up outsourcing. If we hired internally, we would have a limited range of technical capabilities. M16 gave us a team that could handle it, regardless of how the client wanted it built or how we felt it should be built.

How did you come to work with M16 Marketing?

I believe one of our employees had worked with them previously and recommended them.

How much have you invested with M16 Marketing?

We’ve spent $60,000-80,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2014, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

A lot of the visible differences for us are on new business campaigns. We would pitch new business and need a digital partner to help us tell them what that was, estimate, et cetera. M16 would help us do that, and they won a good amount of new business, so that was very helpful.

How did M16 Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very detail-oriented. They have good communication skills and always stayed on the timeline. They’re realistic and transparent on how long things take. If they were going to take longer than the client requested, there was always a reason to back that up. It worked well.

What did you find most impressive about M16 Marketing?

It feels like they’re a small team, which is very helpful. You’re able to directly talk to the person you need, and there aren’t many layers to get through. They’re very transparent and clear, which is not always the case with other partners.

Are there any areas M16 Marketing could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’re always willing to show up on short notice. They get back to us quickly on any problems, so we have no complaints.