Medium Giant

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a OEM manufacturer. I'm the VP of one of our newest divisions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belo + Company?

To help assist our marketing department and to rebuild our website.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a full functioning website

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They contacted us and since we were looking for someone we met with their team and decided to hire them

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They worked on web design and coding for our project

What was the team composition?

Overall we had to talk with about 8 different people to facilitate the project.

We had an account manager (who got fired in the middle of our project and then proceeded to lie about us for why he left), we had another account manager (she never talked to us once), we had our coder (who disappeared when our original account manager got fired), another developer who came on once they realized the website wasn't done, we dealt with the VP of the department.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A business in today's world cannot work without a website. It is our means of communicating our products to the world. Without a functioning website, we have no way to market ourselves effectively.

We put our marketing efforts on hold since we didn't have a good website to send people to. We were unable to truly market ourselves for over a year and our revenue suffered for it. This had a HUGE impact on our business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was arranged very poorly. They fired out account manager and didn't tell us why or even tell us that he was fired until 6 months later.

We had to contact the CFO in order to get accounting to answer our questions, we had to contact the VP or marketing to get anyone to respond to our emails and concerns. It was an absolute nightmare.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

There were no redeeming qualities to this company. The best part of our experience was with their graphic design team. They were responsive and worked quickly and very well.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything. Their communication, their work, their team. It all needs improvement. It was a nightmare to work with them and I want to warn others from making the mistake we did of trusting them with our business.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on February 3, 2020.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We take feedback like this very seriously and have spent time reviewing it as a Leadership team in order to improve ourselves internally and externally.

It is true that we experienced an unconventional amount of internal turnover during the timeframe you reference, and we regret that this impacted your engagement with our organization. Over the past several months, we have (and will continue to) spend a great deal of time improving internal systems, processes and team structures to better streamline our delivery, support our talent and strengthen our deliverable quality—all toward the goal of ensuring our clients are incredibly happy with our work.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further with you directly, if you are open to the conversation. If so, please email us at feedback@beloandcompany.com and we’ll find a good time to connect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of a private 501(c)(3) operating foundation created in 1952. Our mission is to use our endowment and other income from fundraisers to support the city of Dallas in the implementation of the "Downtown Parks Master Plan" which includes building four priority parks in downtown Dallas. We have two employees, and we work with several contractors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

We needed to communicate to a broad audience including downtown residents, office workers, building owners, elected officers, and potential voters in the city of Dallas.

Previously, our company was under a different name and we were embedded on the parent company website. The site was very basic and had never been updated. In 2015, we changed our name and narrowed our focus. That created an opportunity to create a new brand and awareness because we had operated as a private foundation where we were only making grants to charities and a few limited areas. With this change, we wanted to increase our visibility in a way we had never done before. We previously had no social media presence at all.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired a branding and marketing firm that helped us develop a logo and more. Then we hired Belo to engage in social media work for us because we recognized that it's a really critical activity regarding communication campaigns.

We needed to build brand awareness, and we have a diverse audience of all age groups. A lot of people that live in the downtown area our city are very tech-savvy, so we knew that social media could help us grow our profile.

We also asked Belo to build our website. They had already written blog posts and set up Facebook and Twitter, and were managing all the content on those mediums, which they continue to do on a weekly basis.

When our parks begin their construction, we might want to add new platforms. We use the platforms to keep people informed about the potential bond election that our city will have. We use it as a tool to educate people to vote in support of park initiatives.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

Our chairman knew about their work. We met them and were very impressed with their response to our mission.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent between $50,000 and $200,000 with Belo so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2016 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have quarterly meetings to discuss results. We started with no social media presence and no standalone website. We have dramatically increased our social media presence and our number of followers continues to raise.

We started with 200 people that we generated from some public input meetings where we were able to capture email addresses. It has steadily increased since then. We have officials and citizens following us and engaging with us, and we’re also engaging with other like-minded organizations that are supporting park initiatives in our city.

We get lots of feedback on our blog posts about how helpful the information is. Other like-minded partners say we’re promoting the advocacy work that we all need to be promoting to get people engaged in the effort around parks in our city. We get a lot of good feedback from other nonprofits, elected officials, and interested citizens.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

Once a month, Belo sends me a calendar with all the proposed postings. If something comes out of city hall that we need to address right away, we make changes to the schedule. It’s a collaborative effort with a lot of idea exchange.

I’ve been impressed with how promptly they respond and their flexibility with the schedule. We communicate through email, phone, and we use Google Calendar. We’ve also had some in-person meetings because our offices are close by.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t done a lot of work with similar firms, but I can say it’s been an outstanding experience. I’m impressed with how responsive and quick Belo is.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We started out with a team of five and have lost two of the members in the last year. They have not been replaced, but the other members have absorbed the workload. I think the turnover is based on the fact that their field has a young workforce and their tenure won’t be as long. I wasn’t expecting that the team would change so quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president and owner of Sample House & Candle Shop. It is a gift and home décor retailer with seven stores in the Dallas, Fort Worth area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

We wanted to update our social media platforms and needed professional guidance to accomplish our goals on multiple levels. While we had in-house staff in the past, we wanted someone with more expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with improving our presence and professionalism on Facebook. As time passed, we went to other platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. We’ve been in business for over 60 years and most of our advertising efforts have been in print media.

To attract a younger audience, we take the same ideas and move toward social media platforms. We take an ad on a featured product, start with the traditional copy and graphic, then transition it through the other platforms. Belo worked with us collaboratively to come up with new ideas. They’re able to direct the content through SEO and SEM processes. They know how to engage users on different platforms.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

We’ve been engaged in advertising contracts with The Dallas Morning News for 50 years, and they were also moving towards social media. They tried to do some of it in-house but found it was not as productive and efficient as partnering with companies that had people who were qualified in social media. Our relationship is a partnership through The Dallas Morning News, but we run separate contracts. I trusted the relationship that The Dallas Morning News had with Belo.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $30,000 with them over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2014, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve looked at quarterly reports and have seen double-digit increases per quarter in social media engagement, and it continues to grow. We feel that if we’re engaging with more customers through the social media platforms, it will yield increased sales and new customers.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a great partner to work with. There’s a team assigned to our account, and we have contact with one or two of those resources. They have a great plan in place when and if anyone new comes into the company. If they bring in someone new, they’re engaged from the very beginning, which means we don’t feel any impact from those transitions. We primarily use email to communicate and meet once a quarter to map out advertising plans.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I know The Dallas Morning News did extensive research in order to find Belo, so I was confident that they were a good choice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

None. I’m learning a lot from the relationship. If I knew more about their work, I might have some constructive criticism but I don’t have any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a global research non-profit. We focus on promoting lifelong health and wellness through prevention, education, and advocacy.

I’m the vice president of communication and public affairs. I oversee all the organization's marketing, communications, public relations, social media and our public affairs side which is government relations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

We wanted to increase our digital presence with digital marketing that we could drive measurable outcomes behind through analytics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We do a lot of SEO in-house, and they came in and did some media content development and graphics work. They also did some targeted campaigns to move a particular product. They did a great job on ad placement, geo-targeting, etc. They were primarily focused on Facebook and Twitter. 

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

I had a relationship with one of their top people, and she introduced me to them.

How much have you invested with them?

That is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are currently working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us establish a baseline for what our consumers’ habits are which we didn’t have in the digital space before. That gave us insight into what our clients really wanted and were interested in receiving. 

How did Bleo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

I enjoyed working with them. They were always very responsive and very collaborative. They were able to meet the deadlines we set.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I felt like they cared about what we were trying to achieve as a non-profit and that made them stand out from other providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nobody’s perfect, but I can’t think of anything they could improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing coordinator of a Tex-Mex food company. We are based out of Fort Worth, Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

We were looking for help to syndicate content to our franchise locations to help boost local SEO. We also wanted to communicate our brand through creative content on our social platforms. Above all, we were looking for someone that understood our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Belo provides content for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We also syndicate content through Facebook to our franchisees. They do 1 post a day on Facebook and Instagram and 2 or 3 on Twitter. It’s evolved as we’ve gotten bigger. We also spend a lot of time including engagement from people who are talking about our brand.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

The company was already working with them when I came on board. They were based in Dallas and were fans of the brand. I think they were recommended to us from another brand.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still currently working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our followers, engagement, and views have all gone up since we’ve been in a relationship with them. We now have 100,000 followers on Facebook, which was a pretty big jump for us. We didn’t have much of an Instagram presence and that’s grown significantly. Our franchisees love the content and are very happy.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

I have no complaints. They quickly execute everything and we’ve been pleased with their response times and pro-activeness. They’ve always met deadlines even when they are tight.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve dined at the restaurant and immersed themselves in the brand, which we don’t get from the larger marketing agencies. They stay up to date with our brand, making it a great working relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They do a good job of staying on top of trends but we could probably expand on that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a medical publishing company. We work with hospitals and healthcare facilities to provide patient education specializing in maternity care. We do everything from printed publications, online programs, and mobile apps and customize and brand those products for hospitals. I’m part of the digital team. I handle the production of the online programs as well as our CCI initiatives and a lot of the marketing initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

We were trying to create awareness of our company online. When we started working with them, we were rebranding the company altogether. We used an advertising agency that they work hand in hand with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started working with them, we wanted to create awareness of our company. Not many people knew what we were. A lot of that had to do with the title of our company. They really built up our brand and our persona through our social media channel. They helped out with writing blogs. Initially, we started out collaborating and sent a lot of ideas to them. We have a very niche market so it’s tricky waters to navigate. Once we gave them those initial ideas, they took those and ran with it. They caught on very quickly and have done a great job figuring out who our audience is and how to speak to them directly. They helped us with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

They were referred to us from the advertising agency that we were working with when we were rebranding. My boss came to me with their title and knew about them. We met with them and thought it was a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with them. We started with them about a year and a half ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen pretty steady engagement across our social media channels. They’ve increased the interaction with our audience. We’ve had a lot of great feedback from our clients regarding the content. It’s certainly helped increase the web traffic.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great to work with and are always super responsive. As I said, in the beginning, we had to feed them some ideas and topics because it is very tricky. We’re not talking to patients. We’re talking to the nurses that educate the patients. So trying to find a way to reach them that is also interesting to them, was very hard. But they’ve taken in our feedback, and what we’ve had to say and they’ve worked with us to find that voice. They’re great with deadlines. We typically always have posts and blogs to review at minimum a week before they’re posted. They’re always good about showing us those things and not just throwing it out there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to client needs definitely stands out. As I was saying, they have been very helpful, and they listen. They respond. Lately, there’s been very few times we’ve had to go back and adjust what they’re putting out there. I think since a year or more has passed now they really have it down. We handed over the reins at this point.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing communications manager of the Ignite Restaurant Group. We have 2 brands—Joe’s Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern and Tap. I’m responsible for all of the social media and digital assets of these restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

We were unable to keep up with the number of comments and other tasks that our social pages demanded. We were looking for an agency who could be an extension of our team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Belo helps us with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They also handle our blog, which they helped launch on our website. They create posts and images to go with those posts. Belo was able to keep up with the amount of content that we needed to publish and could also handle our large fan base. On top of that, they manage all of our pages, respond to comments and help us with reputation management as needed. They helped us have a strategic plan for posts and for replying to comments and concerns.

Internally, I work with the team here and we decide on objectives and goals that we want to reach. Then we collaborate with Belo and they help develop content. They create a calendar that I give them direction on. They give us ideas monthly on relevant ways to get the message out there for our audience and fans.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

When I got here, they’d already been hired on. From what I know, I think we found Belo through a Google search. We were looking for the best in the country. It worked out really well that they were in Texas, same as us, which allows us to work together face to face quarterly. Belo really got what we were looking for.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are working with them now and are going to continue our relationship in 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have greatly helped engagement on our Brick House page grow. They keep our fans really engaged and I’m surprised at the number of shares that we get on a regular basis. From January to October, they increased our Joe’s page by 34,000 fans. We’re always doing optimization and getting rid of those lower performing themes and bringing in something new. We recently started doing one of Belos’s ideas, "Surprise and Delights", something that our fans love. Our Twitter has increased by 2,500 followers and it’s not one of our main priorities. Instagram’s increased by 4,000. We have outranked one of our biggest competitors, Red Lobster, in the content engagement ratio. Considering they have a much bigger budget, we loved it. We’re doing a lot with just a little.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

That’s probably the best thing about working with Belo. Things change at the drop of a hat and we might need to launch a new program tomorrow. They’re on it, with a turnaround of fewer than 24 hours. They’re always available by email or a quick phone call. We have weekly meetings with what they’re working on and what’s coming so that we’re always on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re so genuine. They are so excited about our brands that it feels like they are an extension of our team. I’m in constant contact with them and they have really great ideas. I follow their business on social media as well. They seem to have a lot of fun and it comes across in their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish I had the budget for them to do all of our reputation management.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Trinity Groves. We are a restaurant incubator and I am on the support team, which is a team of about 6 individuals that are experienced in marketing and sales, so we can better assist the 13 existing restaurant incubators that are part of the Trinity Groves development here in Dallas.

I'm the director of sales and marketing. I coordinate any large groups that would buy out the entire development, and I help them with their social media and participation in large events, sales campaigns, and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

With these many concepts, there are several brands we’re working with. Trinity Groves is a brand, and each restaurant also has a brand of its own. It’s a challenge to make those all work together nicely.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Belo assists with ideas for content on the monthly calendars, helping us place more focus on certain areas and giving us with ideas on how to make these special campaigns fun and entertaining. They provide monthly reporting so we can understand how many new users we have, how many comments we have, and help us with any negative comments.

They also support our blogs and social media. Facebook is our biggest platform right now and we've agreed on a number of posts for that. They’ve never failed to kick in whenever we have something come up. It’s a relationship we are doing well with.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

We had an existing relationship with them. It’s gotten stronger and more involved as we’ve gone on.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Across Facebook and Instagram, we’ve had 1,000 new fans on Facebook and 2,000 on Instagram since July. They’re going to implement a new strategy in September on Instagram, focusing on the new story feature.

Their monthly reporting includes our total number of fans, the new fans, the percentage over last period and the percentage over last year, demographics, how many people shared it, what are our top photographs, and the comments we get.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed excellently. They had excellent communication and were good at meeting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything I’ve listed already – they’ve developed relationships and gone above what they’ve agreed to do on paper.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is a large home services company. I'm the director of content marketing and I’m responsible for content, social media, and reputation management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

We had no social media presence and an awful reputation in terms of online reviews. There was a lot of negativity in the online space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do our social media content creation and some reputation management. The social media channels were Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. There are agreements in place of what they will and won’t do and when. They were creating the content, managing the profiles, and helping with strategy. They were even producing video assets for YouTube.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

The former COO of our company found them. He had worked with them previously and hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

The relationship has cost over $1 million. They do our social media for several of our brands. That’s probably closer to $2 million now.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve won numerous awards. They do a lot of promotions for us on social media. We had no real fan base before using them. They’ve grown that 400%. We went from 20 videos on YouTube to 400. We’re better than all of our competitors on every single channel. All the key metrics compare with large companies like Wells Fargo, Allstate, Progressive, and other top 50 Fortune companies in the world.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

It depended on the project and on us, and how demanding we were. It was more than acceptable or we wouldn’t be working with them now. There may be times where things fall behind or fall through the cracks, but it’s not been a big problem.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There is a certain designation that Google will give you for becoming YouTube experts, and there are only like 30 in the country. They have six of them on their team. Their videos have been outstanding. The content is really strong and we get good engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their reporting and key performance indicators.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a real estate company that owns commercial real estate. I'm the property manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belo + Company?

They manage our social media accounts—Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They are creating blog posts separate from social media, and content to put on social media. We're doing one blog post weekly and posting on Facebook two or three times a week.

How did you come to work with Belo + Company?

I honestly don't remember how we got a hold of them. We were in a relationship with another company and it wasn't going well at all. Somehow we got in touch with the sales rep for Belo, and we really loved her. We finally just decided to quit doing what we were doing and give them a try.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $4,750 a month for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since January of this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They send me all the statistics in a monthly report that details how each account is doing. My feedback has been that the content they're producing has been relevant to our audience, which we were not getting before.

How did Belo + Company perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very well and are very quick to respond. They initiate conversations with me and are always quick to reply to me after I talk with them to let me know they got the information. They get back within a few hours, not within a few days. They're managing it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very detail oriented. They're just cued into their clients, which I have found other companies to not be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, they've exceeded my expectations. They really have. They have been nothing less than excellent. I can't think of anything that they've done that I wish would have been done differently.