Media Proper

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in sales and marketing at ShinnyUSA. We organize adult morning hockey in the Tri-State Area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Proper?

We were trying to get exposure and get the word out that we’re looking for participants to join our club. We tried this on our own 20 years ago without much success. We needed to bring our website, marketing, and messaging into the 21st century.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We now have a WordPress website. First, they gave us a proposal and a preliminary landing page. We adjusted the initial prototype and accepted the proposal. Deadlines on both sides helped each side provide what the other needed. For example, we gave them the photographs and verbiage we wanted on the sight.

What is the team composition?

We had a single point of contact who drove the process. We also interacted from time-to-time with the owner and a content person. There were also calls with 2–3 people.

How did you come to work with Media Proper?

They were a reference from someone I knew in the hockey community. They’d seen Media Proper work for other area businesses, so we reached out and asked for a proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $30,000. This included the initial cost to build site, monthly maintenance fees, and other fees that go along the different advertising we do throughout the month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started together in September 2019, and the site launched in around 10 weeks.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our participation has grown, and online visibility is way beyond what we ever expected. Traffic coming through the site is directly connected to the message we provide. Someone looking to play hockey in this area, in a relaxed environment, and in the morning is coming to us. Media Proper streamlined the type of traffic coming to our site.

How did Media Proper perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly communication. In the beginning, we spoke 2–3 times per week, with a weekly follow-up call or email or a web presentation. We initially met face to face, but we couldn’t do so during the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The communication, overall experience, finished product, and monthly support we got were amazing. We haven’t had any problems or seen anything that needs to be changed or adjusted. We should have worked with them 20 years ago.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I’ve only dealt with them on one particular type of project, but I would use them as standard to deal with anyone else.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Contact them as soon as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CRM administrator at Hale Trailer. We sell large, heavy-duty commercial trailers at our 12 locations up and down the East Coast and in Little Rock. We’ve been in business for about 40 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Proper?

We engaged an SEO company to redesign our website, which was across two separate domains at the time. It was difficult for us to track and achieve goals that way, so we wanted help combining the features of both domains into a single site. Ideally, that would also help us gain a little bit more prominence. We started with the project with a different vendor and changed over to Media Proper after rescoping the work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We solicited their team to redesign and develop our two websites, translating their functionalities into one platform. One of the challenges was slating out an inventory management system because our inventory is large and robust. They created a custom, advanced filtering system, similar to those on e-commerce sites.

Originally, we wanted to utilize e-commerce technology to create a platform stripped of its checkout function. We don’t sell anything, but we wanted a similar look and feel. Instead, Media Proper pitched a custom development that would be faster and offer better performance. They built the site from the ground up, which made more sense to us. We continue to make updates on the site through their team. They handle hosting the site, too.

What is the team composition?

On a regular basis, we worked with three people: Larry (Managing Principal, Media Proper), a project manager, and a lead designer. 

How did you come to work with Media Proper?

They were local to us compared to some of the other vendors we were considering. They were able to come to our office to present their ideas to us in-person. That made them stand out initially. The first time around, we selected another vendor, but that didn’t work out after we rescoped the project about halfway through the development. 

At that point, we decided to reach back out to Media Proper, requesting a new proposal. Their original presentation was more all-encompassing, so it required much less revision than others. They seemed to understand our business better than the other six companies we spoke to, so we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent slightly over $50,000 on the project with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2017, and after some delays on our side, the platform went live in March 2018.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because we couldn’t accurately track traffic before, it’s difficult to gauge improvements across two different domains. However, we’ve seen leads in form of web submissions increase between 50%–100%. Our internal team is also confident that there have been traffic increases. 

How did Media Proper perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate with us very well, always keeping us informed on each development stage. Even now, they’re always in touch regarding system upgrades and other maintenance operations. They’re proactive in suggesting improvements, too. For instance, we moved some of our image assets based on their expertise. It’s been a collaborative effort throughout the whole process. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood our business and took a unique approach to determine a custom solution. Their ability to find interesting solutions to difficult problems was a huge benefit. Larry has put together a great team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. Their a small team that works well together. Their size benefits them in terms of communication. Being smaller doesn’t seem to hinder them in dedicating resources to a project at hand either. That was an initial concern for us, but all our requests are handled very quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to lay out exactly what you want, even if it feels like you're shooting for the moon. They’ve been able to accomplish more than we thought possible, so I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them for the full scope of your goals. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a nonprofit foundation that publishes digital and traditional content around Buddhist teachings and practices.

What is your position?

I'm the Web manager. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you began the relationship with Morroni Technologies?

We had a website that was developed well before my time by a separate vendor. The site was a slapdash development and it had huge operational and maintenance issues. We were receiving numerous support requests on a daily basis from users unable to perform any number of actions. We knew we needed to have another developer come in, review it, and then repair, and maintain it for us. That's how it all began. We needed to find a partner able to salvage and improve our existing site. 

How did you select Morroni Technologies as your solution partner for this endeavor?

I can't really speak to that in any great detail because they were already our technology partner when I'd arrived. I think they were referred to us by a business associate, but I could be mistaken. 

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work delivered by Morroni Technologies during the course of the relationship?

They've really done any number of things. At the core of it, they've been working with the coding on our site. They've reviewed all of our base code and isolated the bugs that need resolving, and also identified areas for ad hoc improvements. We go over the proposed modifications and then they execute. They're also our go-to resource for all of our more complex administrative issues. They've been instrumental in that regard. 

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

I can't give you any specific amounts since I don't actually manage the contractual arrangement, but I believe we invest about $10,000 a month to retain their services.

How long have you retained their services?

We've been with Morroni Technologies for somewhere between 15 and 20 months. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback you've received that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

It's difficult to give you any real statistics or figures because the work they've done isn't necessarily so conducive to that kind of tracking. I mean, we're not really anticipating increases in traffic or anything. As I'd mentioned, a lot of their work was repairing broken functionalities and making minor enhancements on the backend. I can say, however, that since hiring them, we've received far fewer and fewer support requests from our users. That's always a good sign. In a similar respect, from an internal administrative perspective, the site is also much easier to use. 

When working with Morroni Technologies, is there anything you'd consider unique about their approach that distinguishes them from other vendors?

I would have to say their thoughtfulness is a huge differentiator. They've been invaluable not only as our technical arm, but also at providing insightful recommendations. We hired them to fix our site and make improvements that we thought were necessary, but they've been able to do a whole lot more. They've made recommendations for things we'd never really thought about. They've also been very accommodating with us, which is always appreciated. 

In retrospect, are there any areas you think they could improve on as a service provider?

The only thing would be I wish that they'd provide a little more explanation for some of the fixes they perform. To some extent, I don't need everything explained because I know I won't understand certain things. However, there are certain times when I think having a better understanding of a problem and its proposed solution would be helpful in the long run. That would be my only recommendation. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We’re a private, special education school for kids suffering cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injury. We operate as a day and residential school.

What is your position?

I’m the marketing coordinator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you began the relationship with Morroni Technologies?

Our website was very outdated and obsolete. The visuals and functionality were just dated, and it was obvious. The site also couldn’t offer the functionalities that we needed. We needed a partner to build us a new one, essentially.

SOLUTION

How did you select Morroni Technologies as your solution partner for this endeavor?

I know Larry Morroni [founder of Morroni Technologies] personally. He actually went to high school with my husband, so I was already familiar with his business and whatnot. At the time, we were also considering a few other vendors in the area. I received estimates and proposals from several, and Larry offered to come into the office and discuss the project in-person. That’s exactly what he did. He came to our office and we sat down and really got into the details of our project. We explained what it was about our old site we didn’t like, some of the things we wanted to keep relatively the same, and what our long-term goals were. He seemed to understand our direction, and we felt comfortable with the approach he described to us. It really seemed like a good fit and, of course, my husband also vouched for him.

Could you describe the scope of work they’ve delivered to you over the course of the partnership?

They really revamped the whole site. They completed redesigned the frontend of it: Visuals, templates, and interface. They also added a number of custom functionalities and modified several of the standard modules based on our specific needs. We reorganized all of the information and architected a new logic system on the backend. They helped us implement tracking and reporting tools, and showed us how to use them effectively. It was the works.

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

I’d say it was somewhere in the range of $20,000.

When was this project complete?

I believe it was April of this year [2014].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback you’ve received that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

I really don’t have any statistics or figures to share with you. I wouldn’t say that we’ve seen a huge spike in traffic numbers; there’s been some improvement, but it’s been incremental at best. However, the average time spent onsite by users has definitely increased. The bounce rate has really gone down, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our board members and other stakeholders. Everyone’s been very impressed with the site. A big improvement is the usability of the site. For some people, the difference has really been night and day.

When working with Morroni Technologies, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or their development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

They were very hands-on. They give their clients a lot of one-on-one attention. They’re also very responsive. We never really got lost in the shuffle, so to speak. They were always very upfront about things, good news and bad. We got a very professional vibe from them.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

Given our experience with them, I can’t say there are. We didn’t run into any real issues through the deployment process. There were a few hiccups, mostly some miscommunication, but nothing that derailed the work. We’re very pleased with the outcome.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We refurbish high-end pool and patio furniture for residential accounts, as well as commercial accounts: Country clubs, hotels, and condominiums. We have the ability to deal with high-end furniture, and repaint and re-strap it. We serve customers from Connecticut through Washington, D.C., with two trucks making most of the deliveries.

What is your position?

I’m the vice president. I’m primary responsible for floor production and our Web presence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge you were attempting to address when you first approached Morroni Technologies as a potential partner?

We were still using a website that had been created seven or eight years beforehand, back when all of our marketing and advertising materials were print. We quickly realized that we weren’t maximizing the potential benefits of our Web property. We concluded that we needed to find a developer to revamp our entire site, really bring us up to speed. A close business associate recommended Morroni and one other vendor to us based on their own previous experience. That’s when we decided to reach out to Morroni.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work they’ve delivered to you during the course of the relationship?

They really took care of the entire deployment. They came down to our office to speak with us and perform an audit of our site. During that first meeting, we really spent time defining the requirements, discussing the short- and long-term objectives, and determining how we were going to track and measure our progress. They were then responsible for the frontend visual design, which required wireframing, theming, template design, and UI/UX [user interface/user experience]. They also handled the technical build. They took care of the all the custom coding. It was a complete site rebuild.

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

I believe we spent somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000 on the initial deployment, not including ad hoc development and ongoing support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback you’ve received that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

Our business is very seasonal. We go year-round; but typically, from February to August, our sales are just crazy. For some reason, it’s always been that way. To give you actual numbers as to how well things have gone would be difficult. It’s tough to say right now. Off the cuff, I’d say that our numbers are up big time. The feedback we’ve received from our customers has been nothing but positive. We’ve received numerous compliments on its usability and chic new design. Overall, we’ve been very pleased with how things have turned out.

When working with Morroni Technologies, is there anything you’d consider unique about their strategic approach and/or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

They’re 100 percent hands-on, which is fantastic. They don’t simply delegate and observe from a consultative standpoint. They really get their hands dirty trying to get a good grasp of their clients’ business. They came into our office and really saw how we did things on the daily basis. It’s not only great from a relationship building perspective, it’s also a much more effective way to get a true understanding of the client’s needs. It also means they’re more likely to deliver a viable solution because they’ve taken the time to craft a solution around a very specific set of requirements, designed to produce a very specific set of results. It’s very methodical. I personally appreciated that tactic.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

I’m very happy with what they’ve done for us. I was heavily involved in each stage of the project and I can honestly say that we experienced zero issues with Morroni. It’s been an extremely rewarding business arrangement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the General Manager of Vizion Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sports and entertainment marketing and public relations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Media Proper to accomplish?

• Website efficacy
• Marketing efficiency
• Sophistication in all things cyber and digital

SOLUTION

How did you find Media Proper?

Online Search

Why did you select Media Proper over others?

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

How many teammates from Media Proper were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The time had come to bring our public facing brand assets in the form of our website up to date so that it was optimized for mobile and otherwise pristine for the purpose of selling tickets and informing the public and industry constituents about our products and services:

Pleasing to the eye

User-friendly

Organized with logical flow

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To be determined, but great early returns.

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

Always on time.  Wonderfully responsive.  Smart and always looking for ways to improve our processes.

What was your primary form of communication with Media Proper?

Virtual Meeting

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

Down to business approach, collaborative and, again, they are wonderfully responsive..

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

Nothing that I could see.  Top shelf operation across the board.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on Oct. 9, 2019.

Steve Griffin
Owner, Vizion Group PR / National Dog ShowAdvertising & marketing

Berwyn, Pennsylvania

1-10

May 2019 - Aug 2019

$10,000 to $49,999

Project summary
Media Proper revamped websites for a PR agency’s clients: a kennel club and a dog show. They made the sites mobile-friendly, visually appealing, and easy to navigate.

Feedback summary
Thanks to their refreshed interface, the websites have brought in higher ticket sales before even major marketing efforts have started. Media Proper delivered high-quality web development work on time and at reasonable cost. They gave prompt responses and showed diligence throughout the process.

Quote
"Their commitment to excellence, accountability, and reliability stood out to me."

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the general manager of Vizion Group PR, a marketing public relations agency. Our clients include the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and the National Dog Show. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Media Proper?

We needed help updating websites for the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and the National Dog Show.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Media Proper optimized the websites for mobile browsers and refreshed their appearance to meet modern visual standards. They briefed us on how the process would go, providing the entire scope of work and estimated budget and timeline in a digestible form. It took a few months, but we ended up with exactly what we were looking for.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people. The team included Larry (Managing Principal, Media Proper) who met with me, introduced me to his staff, and monitored progress throughout; and Marc (Creative Director, Media Proper) who executed the plans, performed troubleshooting, made revisions, and kept me apprised the whole time.

How did you come to work with Media Proper?

I googled for web design companies in the region and came across Media Proper. When I called them, they were engaged from the outset. After meeting with them, I felt they were the right fit and made my decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May until August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our ticket sales are already tracking ahead of last year before most of our marketing has started. That’s because of the websites’ ease of navigation in getting visitors to where they can buy tickets. We’ve also received overwhelmingly positive input from client partners and the like. We expect to see more of an impact as we move closer to the show.

How did Media Proper perform from a project management standpoint?

We never had an issue with Media Proper. They were always available and patient with our challenges, and their responses came with immediacy and care. It was a terrific experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their commitment to excellence, accountability, and reliability stood out to me. The input from parties during and after the project all came up positive—a testament to Media Proper’s success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were no negatives anywhere in the process, and I’m usually very critical. We’ve been thrilled with Media Proper’s work and how quickly they got things going.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely consider Media Proper on your list of candidates—it could potentially be a great fit. They have versatility, sophistication, and a wide range of skills to bring to the table. If you choose them, match their commitment to excellence, and you’ll be rewarded.

Overall rating: 5
We had a great experience. I look forward to working with Media Proper on website maintenance going forward.

Quality: 5
Media Proper showed excellence across the board. Their follow-through was thoroughly and properly done.

Cost: 5
Their prices were highly competitive, and they showed flexibility.

Schedule: 5
They were on top of everything, always in touch and cognizant of deadlines.

Willing to refer: 5
I’m highly likely to recommend their team.