Noble Studios

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a traditional destination marketing and management organization that oversees marketing for a business improvement district. We’re a non-government nonprofit organization, and I’m the executive director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

We acquired a URL with massive organic search value, so we wanted to search out a creative design agency for SEM, SEO, and maintenance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started the engagement with a site audit, informing our board that the site was strong and showcasing areas for further improvement. They optimized the current site with new content, repurposing it at a much lower cost than we would have been able to do otherwise. 

We’ve leaned on them for SEO and PPC work. Their understanding and involvement with the site allowed us to reduce and eliminate our other marketing partner, so we could move all of our digital marketing and display advertising work to them. They’re assisting us with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. Additionally, our display advertising is programmatic and has been retargeted around on that. 

What is the team composition?

We have four resources staffed to the project at any given time. That includes a client success manager, a PPC specialist, and a creative lead. There are also about two people working on the maintenance end of projects. 

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

There was an RFP that went out prior to my involvement in the organization. We were considering several agencies at the time, but many of them felt that we’d have to create an entirely new site. Their team was confident that we could retain our current site, without the costly undertaking of building a completely new platform. We ended up shifting our investment to their team because of their interests and successes in representing our organization. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since about November 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site has seen exponential growth over the last few years. We’re looking for a new hosting company because of how much our traffic and volume have increased. Clicks to the site and overall traffic have continued to improve. Since I arrived at the company two years ago, our organic and paid page views have increased by 40%. It’s great to see that continued growth on a mature domain and site. It’s been a team effort to accomplish that growth.   

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

There’s great communication and are responsive when we run into issues. They’re a solutions-oriented team that keeps us focused on high-impact efforts. We appreciate that.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their teammates are experienced and tenured, making for seamless transitions with regard to staffing. There’s a true feeling of partnership and ownership when working with them. They feel like an extension of our team.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re adaptive, especially during the pandemic. We appreciate their willingness to say no when we suggest something that isn’t in our best interest.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have several different areas of talent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run our paid social media programs. We’re a B2B company that sells software to the infrastructure space. Our products help engineers, architects, and designers, design, build, and manage their assets within major infrastructure projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

There were two challenges. First, was we needed to scale our team. Second, we wanted to bring in an outside perspective to keep our in-house team appraised of what other companies and outside vendors are doing from a paid media perspective.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do paid media management for three of our business areas. Specifically, their work revolves around media strategy, execution, and reporting for social ads, display ads, and SEM.

What is the team composition?

Three people are directly supporting us.

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

I’ve known the folks at Noble for a very long time, dating back to 2011 or 2012 when I worked with a previous company. I never worked with them directly there, but when I came to my company and decided that an agency was going to provide the best path to scaling our paid media activities, I thought of Noble and their industry experience. They went through a rigorous RFP process and came out on top.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $60,000­­–$90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been working with them for over one year and I’m very glad we went with them. Their work is very intertwined with ours as an organization so it would be tricky to attribute our success directly to them. But, on a recent collaboration, we dramatically increased the number of leads per week we received due to agile marketing, which Noble Studios has been a strong partner on.

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re strong in this regard, but we also had to work with them from time to time to ensure we’re all aligned. There are a lot of moving pieces so we have to have seamless communication. Their management is phenomenal overall. One place we’re working with them on is streamlining communications around that project management to scale, as we increase our scope of work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Three things come to mind. The first two are skill and expertise, no doubt. Those things can exist in many organizations but what really sets Noble apart is their commitment to client success. They’re willing to go the extra mile with us to make sure the partnership is strong and that the results are there.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue is minor — and, to be clear, they’re already working with us on this. As I mentioned, we have to continue to refine our communication around project management as we scale our engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To have the most success, be open and honest and treat them like a part of your team. That broadly applies to any agency relationship, but with their strong talent and personable approach, it rings particularly true. A company that’s walled off or works in a once-removed relationship with an outside agency won’t have a ton of success, I don’t think.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of a fintech data aggregation platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

Noble Studios was brought on for random projects before I joined the company. The current role they provide is that they were brought on for SEO and SEM efforts for our website on a full yearly contract. There are different projects that come up that we give them, but that’s the main one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They make sure everything is run correctly from a technological standpoint. They manage our Google Analytics and report every month on how our site is doing. They manage our SEO, tracking our site, proposing a list of up to 500 keywords that we’re interested in, and suggest content to drive that search engine traffic.

They also manage our SEM ads. They suggest what to create, write the copy, and then we take the actual copy in-house, approve it, and send it back to them to post. They also manage our blog writing efforts.

Also, they test our site for optimization and for conversion. Other projects they’ve done on the side are things like they redesigned our website last year on Drupal.

What is the team composition?

We deal with at least three people each week with Meghan (Client Success Manager) as our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

I don’t know how they were initially brought on for projects because it was before my time, but they did such a great job so I brought them on for SEO and SEM work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent upwards of $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began work in July 2015 on other random projects, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They substantially improved our SEO performance, SEM performance, and conversions on our site from traffic to leads. These are the main metrics we look at when assessing their performance and they’ve continually surpassed their past performance year over year.

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication and ability to meet our deadlines are great. Meghan has been fantastic at ensuring excellent communication and timeliness. They’ve also had excellent consistency without people moving in and out of our project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a pod arrangement. We interact with three people, but they have a pod behind them who have other expertise that can help their work. Because of this system, whenever they come back with a recommendation it’s thorough and well thought out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any areas of improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You get what you pay for. The quote might be higher than you like but it’s because they provide a thorough, high-quality job every time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of marketing and public affairs for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority. We’re the governing body of two airports.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

When we hired them, we’d recently brought in a lot of additional flights and air service. However, our client base wasn’t aware of the flights we’d added. We wanted to increase public awareness of the new airlines and flights.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They put together a series of digital marketing campaigns targeting customers in our geographic region. They ran ads on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They ran multiple ads at once to determine which performed the best. The process was flexible, and they continued to adapt the campaigns based on performance. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of 2–3 people regularly, but we’ve worked with as many as seven. 

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

We put out an RFP for marketing firms in our region. We weren’t necessarily looking for a digital marketing firm, but Noble Studios swayed us with their presentation. They made it clear that they understood our airports and the digital space. 

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent $285,000 per year for the first two years. We froze our campaigns this year in light of COVID-19. However, we’re currently running a smaller $80,000 campaign to highlight our response to the pandemic and the safety precautions at the airport to make our customers feel safe. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw an increase in the number of passengers and an increase in bookings as a result of the campaign. We did surveys of our customers prior to working with them, and after we began our engagement. The knowledge of our services increased as a result of their work. Our web traffic also increased. 

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their performance is outstanding. The level of communication and the measurability they demonstrated is impressive. They tracked the campaigns and shared analytics regularly. Prior to COVID-19, we met in-person regularly. Now, we hold our meeting electronically. 

They also gave a presentation on their work to our board members, and I think they did a fabulous job explaining the work clearly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very easy to work with. They understand that not everyone has a strong knowledge of digital marketing. They took the time to explain the importance of digital marketing to our team. Their communication was amazing. They feel like a partner. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no negative feedback. I’ve highly recommended them to others in our area. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Take advantage of their ability to educate your team, especially those who aren’t in the marketing department. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Newport Beach & Company, a marketing agency. We handle all marketing for the city of Newport Beach, for tourism, restaurant association, television station, economic development, and city events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

All of the things we manage has their own websites, social media channels, budgets, and goals. The websites have different needs, objectives, and audiences, so we hired Noble Studios to manage those websites for us and paid search efforts. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The primary services are website maintenance. They’re currently reskinning my website with a new brand identity system, but within the next year, they’ll be building a new site from scratch. They’re also building a different website for me now, handling the creation, launch, and maintenance.

Our main sites are run on WordPress, but they’ve done some fantastic work lately creating a web app to run on top of a site. It’s an AI-based web app that serves as a mobile concierge for the destination. In conjunction with Noble Studios, we’ve set up geofences around the destination and when anyone enters that location, the web app pops up. They created the backend system from scratch to answer questions based on past search history within our website. 

We’re adding a chatbot to that system in the second phase of that project. The chat function is a third-party plug-in that Noble is installing within the AI system to make it more functional. We’ve worked on them on quite a few other functions for the websites. 

They also manage our SEO and search engine marketing (SEM). They manage PPC efforts for all of the websites to drive traffic. For the paid search, they manage our paid advertising on Google Display and make sure it’s all in sync to drive traffic to the sites. They centralize all of the media buying and digital marketing for all of the websites under their company. 

What is the team composition?

Jarrod (CEO & Co-Founder) is heavily involved in our account, participating in brainstorming sessions and creative portions. We also get support from their CCO and creative director. Day-to-day, Erin (Account Services Coordinator) works with us. An SEO/SEM specialist and backend maintenance person work with us, too. At any time, we have about five people working with us but it changes with the projects we have. 

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

They were already working with the organization when I joined, so I’m not sure how we found them. But, when I’ve worked at other companies, I usually change to my preferred provider and I have never changed agencies since starting the work with Noble Studios. I’ve stuck with them even though I didn’t find them because they’re one of the best out there.

How much have you invested with them?

Though our budget has reduced due to COVID-19, we were spending up to $150,000 per year. Certain projects added costs on top of that rate. With everything involved, we’ve likely averaged close to $200,000 per year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been working with us since July 2013 and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We presented the AI-based web app at an international conference this year and it’s fantastic. It’s a great, user-friendly app they built for us. The creative director has been great at taking my brand identity and putting it across the sites. In the beginning, we were seeing a really high bounce rate on the concierge app, but they were able to quickly change the navigation and ensure users got results quicker.

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. They anticipate my needs in advance which is really great especially during this time of COVID-19, which has impacted tourism. Our budgets are severely slashed and I have an existing retainer with them that they’re allowing me to use into the next year.

They’re very flexible with payment and project flow, allowing me to shift hours to other projects depending on the priority. They are a responsive team and are absolutely amazing people to work with. They are truly an extension of my team. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their bench strength of having wide-ranging clients is the first thing that stands out. They aren’t just pigeon-holed in one industry. They have a wide perspective, even within the tourism industry. This means we get a wide array of ideas and there isn’t any groupthink. I appreciate their work isn’t cookie-cutter designs — everything is unique and specially made for us. 

They have strong relationships with clients so they are seamlessly integrated with us. They’re fantastic at communication, timeliness, and ability to pivot quickly. 

Their digital strategy skill makes them the best at what they do. They’re extremely analytical and able to look at trends and issues to make a better product. The work is constantly maintained, updated, and improved because of them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing to say against them. Even though they are based in a remote area, they come to us fairly often.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hold back on giving them information about what you’re up to. Don’t pigeon-hole them and make sure they understand what you’re doing on the PR and advertising side. The more they understand your business, the better they’ll be. If you silo them into one category, they won’t perform as well without all the information. Make sure they’re in line with the other agencies you work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Bethink. We’re a place where people go to meaningly reflect and have experiences that promote community thought and engagement on what they’re working on within.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

I knew it would be important to have solid footing in who we are, how we’re presented visually, and how we’re presented contextually from an overall brand and ethos perspective. We hired them to help with designing the brand identity and messaging content strategy that everything will be based on. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For this specific engagement, they’ve taken our loose vision and concept to come up with an overall brand guide. We’ve gone through many working and brainstorm sessions, going through several exercises to come up with purpose and vision statements. We’re working to come up with personal characteristics of the brand and eventually a brand book. 

What is the team composition?

Primarily, I work with Jill (VP of Strategy & Insights) and BC (CCO & Managing Director). 

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

I’ve worked with Noble Studios on and off for the last 10 years. Since I know they have an ability to listen and see the true vision of the brand, I’ve worked with them in the past on branding projects. This was the first time I’ve worked with them on creating a brand that didn’t exist, so I chose them based on past experience.

How much have you invested with them?

For our first engagement, we fell into the range of $10,000–$50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since August 2019. We wrapped up the brand book but have reengaged them for overall marketing and communications strategy. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At this stage, since we’re a startup, they’ve created possibilities and opportunities for us. We have a clear internal and external communications strategy based on the characteristics and tone of the brand. Their work has given us the ability to speak to our brand’s purpose. They have a unique talent to help people achieve and realize their full brand potential. 

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very responsive. They have a nice mix of having a structure while allowing for organic development. A nice thing is how pivots can happen as necessary while the structure remains and deliverables come within a firm timeline. We have a mix between in-person meetings and Zoom calls, with the usual email and occasional texts. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s the people on their team that make them stand out. Even though not everyone needs to be on the phone every time, their process allows for depth and richness that is communicated to the whole team at the right time. With their team, I don’t feel any gaps between their departments. They not only provide great creativity and insights, but they also communicate seamlessly internally. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Originally, the concept was so ill-defined in our mind while the purpose and vision was so strong. Because of this, at the beginning, they were a bit too concerned about how I intended to use it for ROI as opposed to just getting started. Their concern was great because they cared about how we’ll monetize it and I assured them we’d work through it, so we kept grounding one another in a good way. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re not committed to understanding the depth of your brand, they’re not for you. If you’re looking to phone it in and just want something basic, other teams can do it quicker and cheaper for you. 

What makes Noble Studios stand out is the depth and richness they’ll give you. If you’re committed and willing to take the time, they’ll give you something incredibly useful. You get what you give. If you’re not willing to give, you shouldn’t waste their time. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a logistics group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

Originally, we hired them to redesign our logo and help with our website redesign. As we began that work, we took a deeper look at our branding needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they came in and got our workers engaged in a focus group, which analyzed our brand, and engaged them to learn about our brand. From that information, they redesigned our logo and our website.

Then, they took a deeper dive on the frontend with the brand formation and made us “brand bible”, with details about our aesthetic. Now we’re in the final stages of completing the website.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a dozen people, including designers, branding specialists, content creators, and web developers.

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

I had hired them at a previous company I worked for. They were easy to work with and did an excellent job.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback has been excellent and we’ll do a formal brand launch next month. People really love the new look and feel already.

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re on time and on budget. They’ve even done some add-ons that were outside of the original statement of work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their relationship building really stands out. They’re also flexible and have been very upfront with what they can and can’t deliver. They’ve had great communication and their work is excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to invite them into your business. Don’t put up any walls and let them pick up the culture of your organization. From that, they’ll do much better work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an animal adoption center that also provides low-cost vaccine clinics and various other programs for the community. I’m the communications manager here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

We were in need of a new website and a brand refresh.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For our brand, they helped us determine a new logo, updated colors, and typography. Our old site was clunky and dated. So, we were aiming for a more intuitive website that would be easier to navigate. They built the site from the ground up, incorporating a brand new CMS on the backend of the site.

Along the way, they also did thorough research on other adoption organizations to help us determine what direction we wanted to go with our brand. They used HTML5 on the frontend of the site. The site was made in WordPress, and they used WPBakery Page Builder. 

Our old website linked to information on the current pet we had up for adoption. They made it so that users can see updates in real-time and changed the formatting of the listings. Additionally, they enabled social media sharing. We hit a few bumps in the road on the rollout, but overall we were really pleased with the new look.  

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with between 20–30 people. The teams changed frequently. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $100,000 on the website and digital marketing services and an additional $10,000 for photography and other related expenses. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched recently, and there already seems to be an increase in site traffic and ease of navigation. The also set up conversions on the backend of the site with Google Analytics. It’s still difficult to tell how successful the new site will be in the end. Our users are happy with the new look and logo, so the response has been very positive.    

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They were on top of deadlines, showing patience when we tended to lag behind. Our timeline got pushed back because we didn’t like the first round of logos they provided. They were understanding, responsive, and willing to work with us on everything. We were impressed with the attention to detail and diligence they exhibited. Our teams emailed regularly and had a bi-weekly progress call. Additionally, we had an in-person meeting monthly.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They put forth a high level of effort to understand our vision and values from the beginning. That’s why almost all of their ideas landed the first time around. They put in a ton of research upfront.

Are there any areas they could improve?

After launching, we discovered that our site wasn’t as ADA-compliant as it needed to be. That was an oversight on their part, but it was the only major issue we had. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their work speaks for itself, so look through their portfolio for creative projects. Ask questions to get clarification on what they can provide for different budgets.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for ITS Logistics. We’re a full-service third-party logistics company.
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

We needed ongoing strategy for our search engine marketing (SEM) and SEO. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Noble Studios provided high-level strategy and helped create the framework content for our website to hopefully drive traffic and leads. Together, we created about 20 pages of content over about 12 months to attract traffic to our site, especially our distribution services. They created the high-level structure for the content while our in-house writers and subject matter experts wrote the actual pieces. 

Noble Studios monitored the industry trends and algorithms to make sure our content would hit the right audience of potential customers looking for our services. Noble Studios also ran paid ads with the intent and goal.

What is the team composition?

We had 5–6 people on our team. Our main points of contact were Shyla (Client Success Manager, Noble Studios) and Tom (Digital Marketing Manager, Noble Studios). Shyla was our account manager, and Tom was our technical expert. 

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

They’re one of the more well-known companies in our area. They have an excellent reputation, a lot of good people, and a lot of expertise in-house. We had hired them four years to help us build a WordPress website. So, when I wanted to increase our SEO on our site, I went back to Noble Studios because they were absolutely the right fit for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $128,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from January 2018 until December 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The amount of content we were able to get out and the overall traffic we saw were amazing. We saw a 190% increase in page views, specifically on our distribution services division. Our conversion rate also improved by 18%.

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized and good with their information. We had a call every other week and more in-depth quarterly meetings face-to-face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The depth of their team’s expertise means that they rarely came across something they weren’t familiar with. We always felt secure about working with them. Also, their overall vision came true in the results. Lastly, they were good people to work with. I didn’t come across anyone I didn’t like the whole time we were working with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. Over time, we refined our communication so that it was clear, concise, and constant, which made for a solid partnership. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your expectations are clear and detailed. You should be 100% aligned on what it is your company is looking for and how you communicate that to them. They’re going to be much more successful and responsive on their end. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for The Peel Compton Foundation as the director of finance and strategy. Our mission is to provide access to outdoor recreation and rich traditions in northwest Arkansas. We have a diverse group of properties: a historic home, a mountain bike preserve, and a mid-century modern home that’s been transformed into a conference and meeting space, plus some gardens.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Noble Studios?

Our project was to redesign and relaunch a new website for the foundation. We’re very diverse, and we needed Noble’s help to bring us into the 21st century.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The website was built on WordPress, and they did all the design and optimized the whole UX for desktop and mobile.

Noble Studios conducted background research in a discovery phase to see what our stakeholders and prospective customers wanted from a website. Then, they built a new site map and architecture for us. Further, they created eight new content pages from soup to nuts, with all of the content for SEO. The concept of SEO is not something that we even understood prior to engaging Noble Studios but they really walked us through that journey.

Specifically, they helped explain how end-users and Google leverage the whole concept of optimization. On our old website, we were using phrases and terminology that weren’t optimal. Noble Studios did the research, obviously leveraging Google Analytics. We were using “rental space”, and the proper terminology is “venue”. Through their analytics and research, they gave us the right words to use.

Noble Studios also helped us leverage Bloomerang for our donor base. They suggested that we use the basic version of the system. We were literally managing our donor base on Excel before that. We need to leverage technology to better service our customers, and they’re implementing a third-party plug-in that’ll work as a calendar tool. It will let the end-user know when our spaces are available, whether they’re renting a boardroom, a conference room, or a campsite.

What is the team composition?

I can recognize at least 10 names that we had on the project, from the web developer to the content and marketing group and the project manager. At one time or another, we’ve had at least 10 Noble team members working for us. We worked with Scott (Project Manager, Digital Marketing, Noble Studios).

How did you come to work with Noble Studios?

We interviewed three other organizations. A couple were local to our city, and a couple were recommended to us as well. We found that one company could be the web developer, but they wouldn’t touch the content, while another group would do pure content but we would have had to find the web developer on a different platform. Also, we don’t understand the ins and outs of web development and we never felt comfortable speaking with overly technical people. I knew that I wanted a website that related to the outdoors and tourism, so I started researching sites and ended up on the Yosemite site and a site for Tahiti. Down at the bottom of the home page, it said: “Developed by Noble Studios”. I contacted them, and that’s how the relationship started.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been around $116,000. We will be spending an extra $8,000 because we’ve expanded the scope of work. They’ll also be helping us with the migration and management of our email system. That project will be around $4,500

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Noble Studios in August 2019, and we officially launched in January 2020. We’re going to start an ongoing maintenance and development contract.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re accumulating statistics right now, so we’ll have a much better sense in a couple of weeks. But again, we went from a site that had zero visibility and appeal to one that’s visually stunning. Noble Studios didn’t take the pictures, but they certainly guided us.

Now, we’ve elevated our status from a little mom-and-pop organization to a true destination website for venues in northwest Arkansas. They helped create that vision for us. I’m very pleased.

We’ve had some bumps in the road, but I don’t take those as negatives. In fairness, Noble Studios probably didn’t realize how novice we were, and what a lack of understanding we had of what building a new website requires. Noble Studios maintained their composure with us and were cool and calm. The end product is very good, and I’m very, very happy.

How did Noble Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a delay, but it came from our side; they did an outstanding job. We tried to launch before Christmas and had several internal events take place, so we didn’t have the bandwidth to complete what was needed to make the deadline. Noble accepted that and reconfigured their schedules, and we ended up launching on January 30th. The product was much better though, so the delay ended up delivering value. Noble kept us on task and got us over the finish line.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided everything, from technical web developers to content and visual imaging. A lot of vendors in Arkansas could only do half of the project, but Noble Studios was able to bring it all together. Being such a novice in the space, we didn’t understand all the add-ons. They were able to do the research and recommend the best solutions for our needs. We gained a lot of trust and respect for them.

I love Noble Studios’ perspective. They really have that West Coast, state-of-the-art approach. I really felt we were getting the newest, latest, and greatest, and we have to pay for that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In terms of content development, we were probably two-thirds into the process and didn’t understand enough of what they were doing and how they were leveraging Google Analytics and SEO. Had we understood that better on the frontend, the middle of the project wouldn’t have been bumpy. We didn’t know what we didn’t know.

Also, we didn’t get to see the site until we were almost ready to launch. There weren’t a lot of ways to preview it. We have to have all the forms done and see how it works, and I don’t think we understood that. We needed a little more handholding in the process.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

First, it’s not cheap, so be prepared to spend this kind of money. This is a five-year marketing investment, and, if we look at it in those terms, then we can bite off that apple.

The second thing is that it’s going to take more time from your internal staff than you think. We should’ve dedicated more of our time to this, but we didn’t pick up on that.