North Star Inbound

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager of an education technology company that is an online learning platform for students, teachers, homeschoolers, and individuals looking to earn college credit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with North Star Inbound?

We hired them to help us with link building outreach efforts to move the needle from SEO organic marketing in terms of traffic and rankings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had specific requirements in terms of areas of focus for them as well as what content we wanted them to promote. It was a little different than what their typical relationship with clients is. They’re usually involved in the content creation process. 

However, we already had the content, so Nicole (Owner & Lead Strategist) and her team came in and promoted our content to a wider audience. This involved raising the awareness of the content, generating links, and increasing our visibility.

What is the team composition?

Nicole served as our project manager.

How did you come to work with North Star Inbound?

We vetted a few different SEO vendors. I don’t remember how we came to meet Nicole and North Star Inbound, but I reached out to one of our mutual connections to see if they could vouch for her and her team from an SEO perspective. We then had a few conversations with the team and decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $16,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in Q1 of 2019. We decided to end our relationship with North Star Inbound because we recently hired an in-house SEO team member.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

North Star Inbound bills on a pay per performance basis. So, they were delivering monthly reports of the links they generated. On our side, we tracked the keyword rankings for specific spaces and traffic generated, and we saw an increase as a result of their work.

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. Nicole had calls with our team, giving updates and working through strategy. She did a great job of communicating effectively and often and being very transparent. In the beginning, there was a different focus area that we weren’t having a lot of success with. 

So, we hopped on a call, she explained why and gave recommendations on other areas to explore instead. And then we pivoted, using one of those areas, which ended up being a lot more successful. The team’s early communication and transparency allowed for this project to be successful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by the transparency in terms of the quality of the links that they were getting. We got listed on resource pages and all of the pages from which North Star Inbound got us links were very relevant to our main focus. Other SEO vendors get linked from areas that aren’t the best. So, the quality of Nicole’s work stood out to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re always looking for the biggest bang for our buck. What Nicole charged us was a fair price but if we could get more value, for example through a longer agreement where the cost to go down on our side, proving that it works from an ROI perspective. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look at North Star Inbound and look at other proposals just to get a good sense of what the value is versus the price. If possible, speak to previous clients and understand what the actual deliverables are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for Self Financial. We’re in the personal finance space. We help people build credit and save money.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with North Star Inbound?

We hired them for link acquisition. We have very specific goals we wanted to achieve regarding SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They consulted on the content we were trying to get links for. They recommended some improvements that might make it more effective, both for them to acquire the links through outreach, but also for general usability of the page. Beyond that, the bulk of their effort was around identifying appropriate websites to acquire the links from and conducting outreach on our behalf.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Nicole (CEO) and at least one other person has worked on the project.

How did you come to work with North Star Inbound?

I know the CEO of the agency and previously worked with them when I was working with another company on a similar project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve roughly spent $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in July 2019 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re tracking the number of links they’re acquiring and the quality of those links, but also how our focus page is moving on SERPs. We’ve gone from the fifth page to either the bottom of the first page or top of the second page.  

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

From an operational standpoint, they’re always good. Feedback and reporting is consistent. We chat weekly, and if there are questions in between, they send me a note and I get back to them. From that standpoint, it’s been very smooth.

What did you find most impressive about them?

First, they’ve achieved the result we want. Second, their directness and transparent communication helped us improve our content. Those things go hand in hand and we’re seeing the benefits on that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When it comes to other services that we aren’t using, I’d appreciate it if they clearly outlined how they could help us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re clear on what you’re trying to achieve while keeping an open mind to the recommendations they give you. Be as direct and transparent as you can be with them as well. If you hold back, it’s more difficult for them to perform at the level you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and founder of RankSmart Search Marketing, and I primarily serve as the SEO lead for all of our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with North Star Inbound?

We hired them for white hat link building and outreach.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team provides resource links and link building outreach services.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been in contact with Nicole (Owner & Lead Strategist).

How did you come to work with North Star Inbound?

I found them organically because they’re located here in Austin. I looked at their business profile and, having experience working with link builders for a long time, we knew what we were looking for — a high-quality vendor who was reasonably-priced. So, I contacted North Star Inbound. 

They had traditionally worked with larger companies, but we were looking to engage them for smaller projects. I met with Nicole for lunch and was impressed with her depth of knowledge and insight into the industry.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in Q1 of 2017 and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The direct benefit of their work has been an increase in organic traffic, as well as an increase in sales. It’s an upfront investment with a hopeful payout from the direct benefit from the links, which we’ve seen consistently. 

As I mentioned, I’ve worked with a lot of link builders, but North Star Inbound definitely stands out as one of our top vendors.

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been stellar. The team constantly updates us on the links we’ve acquired and allows us to provide them with feedback. Occasionally, their campaigns are a little slow to ramp up, which can be a little frustrating, especially when we don’t know why that is. 

But it takes a lot of work to do projects like this. North Star Inbound always lets us know when an outcome we want isn’t possible. Our campaigns have adapted quite a bit since we started working with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a company that you can trust and has your best interests at heart. Their mentality is “If they do well, we do well.” The team listens to our feedback and needs, adapting the campaign towards that as best as they can. They also adapt to changing algorithms and changing times, which is why we keep coming back to them. 

I’m impressed by their service and the quality of links that they’ve been able to build for us. It’s been a good partnership. Nicole is very capable of listening to the clients’ needs and developing strategies and ideas around them, which is something a lot of link building companies don’t do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve seen an uptick in cost, which we’re not a big fan of. Additionally, sometimes they’re really consistent and other times we just don’t hear from them. So, they could be a little more consistent. It would also be useful for them to report potential outcomes.

The team could also assist more with strategy, which we’ve been doing ourselves. Otherwise, our experience has been really good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come up with a list of specific goals and strategies. Then, relay that information to North Star Inbound so they can tell you what is and isn’t possible. The team will be honest with you. Go into the partnership with appropriate expectations; don’t expect this to be a cure-all for all of your SEO problems. 

Additionally, know that white hat link building is expensive and takes time. So, expect six months to a year to see the full benefit. If you’re looking for something quick and cheap, you might want to look elsewhere.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m on the marketing team of a company that provides construction equipment rentals to businesses in the construction industry mainly.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with North Star Inbound?

I hired North Star Inbound to promote our website. When I joined the company, there wasn’t an SEO strategy in place. I needed help with off-site SEO initiatives to market the website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

North Star Inbound helps us with our content marketing and link-building efforts. We work together to create content that's on topic. Their team provides content to publish on our website and then promote to get backlinks to the site. They started their initiative focusing on resource links but expanded from there. We sponsor organizations around the web, so their team also supports our sponsorship promotions. 

What is the team composition?

When we started, we worked with a small team that has since grown.

How did you come to work with North Star Inbound?

I came across one of their ads on a social media platform. I decided to call and spoke with Nicole (Owner and Lead Strategist).

How much have you invested with them?

Since 2017, we spent around $800,000 with North Start Inbound.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around January 2017 and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Lead generation from our SEO channel has grown year over year. As well, our traffic has grown between 130-150% year over year. We’re growing our referring domains and backlinks too. SEO has been one of the major factors in the success of the company, converting the bottom of the funnel to sales.

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a call scheduled bi-weekly or monthly depending on the project. When we plan content, calls are more frequent. There aren’t any delays with their work. Their reports are sent on time. It’s always personal. I’ve never had to push back any schedules.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with many providers, but I haven’t felt as close to them as I do with North Star Inbound. I've spoken with the same people throughout our partnership. Since the beginning, they’ve felt like part of our team. I trust them to do the right thing for our business, so there isn’t any micromanagement. No one from their team tries to sell us more like other companies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement but everything works just fine. I’m happy with their service.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to call them. Talk to Nicole. Don’t be afraid of the cost because it’s not just about that. It’s also about the relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Currently, I’m the SEO manager for a car and home insurance provider. 

However, during my engagement with North Star Inbound, I worked for a self-storage marketplace. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with North Star Inbound?

We were looking for a partner to help us specifically with content marketing and link-building services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

North Star Inbound provided support on several different fronts. The team’s work entailed content creation and promotion, with a focus on the latter. They pitched work representing the brand to journalists, bloggers, and other channels to increase awareness as well as the impact of our SEO efforts. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Nicole (Owner & Lead Strategist, North Star Inbound). There was a team of about two or three other people supporting her.

How did you come to work with North Star Inbound?

They were recommended to me by one of my local contacts. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $120,000 throughout our partnership. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with North Star Inbound in July 2017. As of my departure in April 2019, the engagement was ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tracked the number of users who visited our site via the content North Star Inbound promoted, as well as SEO performance. Throughout our engagement, both of those metrics grew, which we attributed to the team’s efforts. 

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was very organized. We exchanged monthly updates over email to stay in touch about progress and next steps. Around once a month or so, we communicated over the phone for further check-ins. We also used those meetings to explore new directions for the project and offer feedback on completed tasks. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

North Star Inbound is a small company, which allowed us to have a very direct, close relationship with the team. They were able to offer us a personalized experience. 

The caliber of work the team delivered exceeded that of other agencies we’ve engaged with in the past.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could be a little more savvy in terms of their SEO campaigns. They’re very skilled in their area of focus of content creation and promotion, but they might be more successful if they expanded beyond that. They could explore integrating engagement metrics or ways to directly tie their efforts into the bigger picture of SEO performance.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set your expectations upfront, so you’re both aligned on what KPIs you’ll be measuring and what outcomes you’re looking for. Challenge them to create content and focus on promotion that will directly improve your brand’s performance and visibility.