New Local Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and operator of a health care and medical website. I write blogs for the site to educate consumers and caregivers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire New Local Media?

I hired Dan (WordPress Solutions Consultant, New Local Media) for web design and development along with SEO.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to carry over work I'd done on another site and grow my audience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found them when I searched for WordPress developers on JetPack. After interviewing three candidates, I decided New Local Media most closely matched my needs.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Dan did web design and development and site optimization. He integrated the site with JetPack and MailChimp and imported content from my previous site. We set goals for the new site.

What was the team composition?

I worked with Dan.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My audience for the site has grown modestly. Dan has helped me integrated new features and has suggested new topics for the site to generate more user interest.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicate mostly via email and things seem to get done quickly. I prefer email over phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their content and design stand out, along with their marketing strategy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner and director of Way Different, a small startup currently designing and manufacturing innovative bags made from kraft paper leather geared toward artists and kids. Our first product is called The Drawbag.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire New Local Media?

I hired them for consulting and to design the e-commerce website for the company's first product launch in 2017.

What were your goals for this project?

The objective was to launch a functional and attractive e-commerce website using WordPress and WooCommerce before the end of 2017. It had to include specific features for later expansion as the company and product line grows.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose them primarily based on the knowledge of their previous work, their holistic approach to design and development, and their excellent communication.

Describe the project in detail.

We began with discussions about the product itself and my future plans for the company and product line. This included design inspirations I had from other brands and/or websites and collaborations with global artists which would require the development of a gallery.

New Local Media set up a space on Trello to immediately begin breaking down our goals into separate chunks, which we worked through over the proceeding months. We also conversed regularly by email and less frequently by video chat. Changes and updates were clearly and often communicated as the site took shape functionally and then aesthetically.

They basically worked to understand my brand, product, and vision, and then partnered in making it a reality as well as offering additional ideas that I hadn't thought of along the way.

What was the team composition?

I worked solely with Dan [Web Solutions Developer, New Local Media] without anyone else being closely involved in the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was launched on schedule and has been working smoothly for the initial customer orders— it’s a great opportunity to make the product visible to a larger audience. New Local Media is still working on a retainer as we tweak things in the first few months after launch to maximize its efficiency and reach.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everything worked quite well and the budget and timeline were met. Trello and email were our main forms of communication though we also worked in tandem through live messaging on particular issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Communication was the first thing that was notable about them and the second was their ability to anticipate future issues and to offer preemptive solutions. Their wider understanding of technology and current trends was obvious with the advice and resources offered to help me make decisions about how the site should be built and developed into the future.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's nothing at this stage that I can see that needs improvement. I'm more than satisfied with the results of our collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company is a private Christian college in northwest Iowa. I am a faculty member as well as the lead of our global agriculture summit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Local Media?

We wanted to create a website that would be used for multiple purposes, including displaying information about programming and allowing users to sign up for the summit itself. We wanted the site to be efficient and technically sound for online and mobile users, which we knew would constitute a big chunk of the target audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

New Local Media was hired to design and develop a promotional website for an upcoming conference. It was important to have a streamlined user interface and experience because the whole purpose of the site was to facilitate event registration. Only a fraction of the users would be accessing the site through web browsers, so a responsive design was also crucial. 

They put together a small team to work on the site. We collaborated with them, periodically, which let us refine what we were building. 

How did you come to work with New Local Media?

We selected New Local Media based on a competitive bid with another local supplier. They had solid references and better pricing.

How much have you invested with New Local Media?

We spent $6,500 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took 10 months to complete. This took place between 2015 and 2016. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We ended up having a very enjoyable global agriculture summit with very high attendance. We certainly attribute some part of that to the site itself. 

How did New Local Media perform from a project management standpoint?

New Local Media was very responsive and used highly detailed timeframes throughout the process, which helped add clarity and assurance. 

What did you find most impressive about New Local Media?

I haven’t worked with anyone else in order to compare New Local Media, but the process was sound and since we didn't experience any major issues, I'd say it was a success.

Are there any areas New Local Media could improve?

They should continue to be sympathetic to brand new contractors to set them at ease and educate them. They should assume nothing. They need to be very clear about what services they provide on the contract because non-technical clients have no idea.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the director of a think tank devoted to considering what Christian service looks like in our world today.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with New Local Media?

We were trying to create an online community for discussions on what the Lordship of Christ means for a variety of different avenues of life, such as work life and engagement with pop culture. We had reached a tipping point in terms of capability. In other words, we realized we were out of our elements and needed to find some external support. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contracted New Local Media to create and maintain a website for us. They did an excellent job helping us flesh out our goals and determine how best to achieve those goals. They did a lot of background research and made suggestions on ways to increase commenting. Most of the work we contracted them to do was on the technical side—designing, building, and maintaining the site. We were happily surprised that New Local Media also provided guidance on ways to improve the content we were producing for the site to achieve our goals. It was built using WordPress.

How did you come to work with New Local Media?

New Local Media had regular contact in our area, so it was easy to have in-person consults with them. That personal interaction was important to us. We were impressed by other work they had done. What ultimately won us over is that in our early meetings, New Local Media asked for background on what we wanted to accomplish. They helped us to get a better grasp on the project and share the big picture of what it was about. We felt that they shared that vision with us and understood what we were trying to do.

How much have you invested with New Local Media?

The initial creation and development of the site were in the $10,000 range, and maintenance was about $2,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with New Local Media in June or July of 2013. When I left the organization in June of 2016, they were still contracted to do the annual maintenance. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our initial target was to have 5,000 unique monthly visitors within the first year, and we hit that target within the first six months. We hit the target of 10,000 unique visitors almost a full year ahead of the initial plan. We could attract people much more quickly and get them to stay. Our results were much better than we thought would be possible at first, which might have been surprising to some of our more senior faculty and administrators. 

How did New Local Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Trello and email to communicate, and we had a project manager. New Local Media was thorough with their communication. I always knew where I stood. They did a good job keeping us updated on what they were doing. I knew more than I needed to know in some cases.

In the building phase, New Local Media was very good at explaining what they were doing and how they were doing it. They let us know when there was downtime and how they fixed it. Anytime we had issues, they were good at responding right away. Their communication was always very professional.

What did you find most impressive about New Local Media?

I found New Local Media to be the most comprehensive of all the companies we considered for this project. They weren’t just delivering a product; they were really partnering with us to help us achieve our goals.

Are there any areas New Local Media could improve?

This is probably a personal preference, but there were times I felt that they explained too much of the technical details when fixing problems. I can see where some people would like to know that, but personally, I didn’t really need that information. Other than that, I’ve been very happy with New Local Media. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education at Dordt College. We have probably two approaches here. One is a micro approach in which we’re going to walk alongside Christian schools, helping them with sustainability, promotion, and Christian advocacy. The macro approach is to be able to use our website as a connecting point, as a place for resources to be distributed and so forth.

What is your position?

I’m the director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with New Local Media?

We didn’t have the internal expertise to create a new website and populate it with high-quality, compelling content. We needed to find a company that had the technical ability to create our new site based on our specifications, but we also really needed a firm that was going to be able to provide some strategic insights. We had a rough idea of where we wanted to go with our brand and how we wanted the new site to look and feel, but we had little idea of how to implement those things, or even as to whether or not those priorities were even desirable from our standpoint.

SOLUTION

Can you describe the scope of this project in greater detail?

This was essentially a full-service project. They even helped us modify our business plan. They helped us with research, discovery, requirements gathering, and project scoping. Once we moved through the planning stage, they began building the site from the ground up. They finalized and polished our new design and coded all of the custom functionality on the site. They continue to offer support services to us on a monthly basis.

How did you identify and select New Local Media as a partner?

It was really word of mouth. Someone we worked with in marketing had suggested them. We had a chance to meet with them, interview them, and it just felt like they were a company that would meet our needs.

How did you select New Local Media as your solution partner for this endeavor?

We did some initial research. They were one of two potential vendors that we approached with this project. After we’d met with the teams of both, we decided that New Local Media was probably the more capable and experienced of the two.

Had you already selected WordPress as your preferred content management system before approaching New Local Media?

No, we had not. They were a part of the decision-making process that led to the selection of WordPress. WordPress was their number one recommendation in terms of platforms. They argued for the flexibility and accessibility of WordPress and persuaded us that it would also be the most cost-effective solution in terms of obtaining future support services. We agreed with their assessment and went ahead and built the new site using WordPress

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

In total, the new site cost us a little more than $15,000 in the first year. We retain them for support service, too.

When was this WordPress site launched?

We launched it on March 15 of this year [2014], so very recently.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been using Google Analytics to track and monitor our progress. We’ve been very happy with the number of unique hits generated on a weekly basis. Even though our new site hasn’t been live for that long, we’ve already begun to see a consistent uptick in our traffic, page views, and click-through rates. In terms of more qualitative results, we’ve definitely received some compliments on the design changes and the overall site navigation.

When working with New Local Media, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

The attention to detail that they display and the urgency they place on client interactions are the two crucial things that really stand out in my mind. They invest considerable time doing their research and attempting to gain a firm grasp of their clients’ needs and constraints. I think the quality of their work reflects these two characteristics, too. We’ve been thoroughly impressed.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for Solaris. We primarily manufacture medical devices and compression garments to practitioners in medicine and healthcare provision.

What is your position?

I’m the director of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with New Local Media?

We had a fairly outdated and obsolete website that desperately needed replacement. It was running in PHP, and we simply couldn’t effectively manage it. All of our content had to be funneled through our technicians, who were the only ones able to edit, format, and publish our content effectively. We wanted to eliminate that bottleneck in our internal process. In addition to that, we also wanted a more user-friendly website that offered intuitive navigation and dynamic content.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of this project in greater detail?

We really only have some rough concepts going into the project. We left the deployment and the functional details to New Local Media. They helped us with research and discovery, requirements gathering and project scoping, and then they took the agreed concept and built it from scratch. It was a full-service project.

Had you already selected Joomla as your preferred content management system before approaching New Local Media?

By the time we began discussions with New Local Media, we’d already boiled it down to Joomla and WordPress. When we were thinking about what platform to go with, Joomla seemed to be on the upswing, and we figured going with it would bring us the most value. The other important factor was that at the time, Joomla was easily compatible with our e-commerce system, Magento. We wanted to avoid excess costs associated with custom development, so we figured that picking Joomla rather than WordPress would be the best way to go. New Local Media has great experience with both platforms, so we weren’t losing anything in terms of service or expertise, either.

How did you select New Local Media as your solution partner?

Dan [Knauss, founder of New Local Media] knows several executives on my team through previous business. They referred me to Dan when we decided to pursue a new website.

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

It was around $10,000.

When was the site launched?

It was in the summer of 2012, but we’ve had a retainer with them since its launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Only a few weeks after our launch, we began to see our bounce rates plummet. The number of users, through organic and paid search, skyrocketed. The average time spent onsite went up, too. Prior to working with New Local Media, any update that we wanted to do through the site we had to administer through our Web developer, which was a very inefficient use of time. The new site eliminated that circumstance altogether, and we’re now able to push our content more rapidly than ever before.

When working with New Local Media, is there anything you’d consider unique about approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

I don’t have extensive experience working with other vendors, but New Local Media has been excellent to work with. They’ve always been extremely flexible and responsive with us, whether it be in terms of obtaining approval for certain scope changes or revisions and updates to certain aspects of the site. We’ve been very impressed with the site and their continued support has been invaluable.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a public affairs consultancy based out of Milwaukee. We work with various clients in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors.

What is your position?

I’m a partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with New Local Media?

We worked with them on a project to build a custom website for a documentary film. The site was supposed to help promote the film and generate more exposure. We began the project on very short and stringent timeline. We had a number of messages we needed to convey to multiple audiences. Rather than going to a firm that is in the practice of making websites for movies, we said, let’s work with New Local Media to try to address the multiple types of things we were trying to have on the website. We wanted to be able to promote the film while also catering to more localized needs. We needed a partner that could not only build a great site, but also help us think strategically about how to present the content effectively.  

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project?

We contacted a separate branding firm to handle the logo design, but New Local Media was responsible for the site. We went to them with our requirements only and a general outline of our goals with the site. They conducted some research and scoped the project out for us, and then we agreed on a deployment strategy and they began to build. They moved us through the whole process, from idea to implementation, and they continue to offer support on a case-by-case basis.

How did you select New Local Media as your solution partner?

I had a personal relationship with Dan [Knauss, founder of New Local Media] through our kids. I was already aware of his company and its services. By the time this project came up, Dan and his family had moved to another state, but we had stayed in touch through social media. I reached out to him with our project description and he sent me a very convincing proposal. We basically took it from there.  

Can you provide a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

It was less than $10,000 in total.

When was this site launched?

We launched it in September or October of 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were a couple of things we wanted. First, we wanted to have something where people could download press kits and large multimedia files. We also wanted our site to be retrofitted as a responsive site since we have increasing amounts of users accessing our content only through mobile devices. Dan was especially helpful in showing us how that would work and what the benefits would be moving forward.

They handled all of the development we asked of them. I don’t know that we, on our end, ended up doing everything and using it the way that we intended to because of our own shifting priorities around how we were marketing the film.

When working with New Local Media, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

I would characterize them as more thoughtful than most vendors I’ve engaged in the past. They work on a level above pure mechanics. They have some business savvy, too, which they contribute readily. In my experience, their level of thoughtfulness is hard to come by and even harder to maintain on an ongoing basis. As mentioned, one of our key selection criteria was to find a vendor that would be able to work alongside us and strategize how the website should be built. We didn’t want a bunch of website builders.

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

One is the communication. While they’re very thoughtful, there were a few instances where I needed to explain myself more than once. It wasn’t that they were doing things incorrectly, but that we were speaking different dialects, so to speak. They’re technical folks, and we’re more creative, so when approaching and agreeing on certain objectives, we weren’t always eye to eye.