Orange Element

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of development for an independent high school in Baltimore City that serves students from limited economic means. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orange Element?

We had just begun work redesigning our website when the pandemic hit. Our website was in desperate need of a complete redesign overhaul, and we hired Orange Element to help us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Orange Element started completely from scratch, so the team built and designed our new platform on WordPress. Additionally, we typically conduct a big in-person event every fall and we were already in the middle of planning but had to pivot quickly to create a virtual event. The virtual event was an invite-only event and served as our fundraiser. 

The team built a landing page for the event and some features that we needed to integrate into that. The other piece was helping us manage the attendee list through constant contact to know who registered and who attended, so we were reaching a very specific group of people. The website went live in July 2020. They’re helping us with a second event now. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a couple of different people from Orange Element, but the person I had the most contact with was Caroline (Director of Operations). She was the front-facing person that translated between us and the people doing the coding.

We also worked with a person in charge of web development. Aaron (Founder & CEO) was also involved at different stages of the project. 

How did you come to work with Orange Element?

My coworker had been at some event and recommended we invite Orange Element because they were very close to us. As a result, when we put out an RFP, we invited them to participate. We had brought in 3–4 companies in total to participate in the RFP, and we were most impressed with Orange Element’s presentation. 

The clarity of how their whole plan would come to fruition and what their approach was excellent. We also got a good feeling and had a lot of confidence from the people involved in the presentation including Caroline and Aaron. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April–July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very pleased with Orange Element’s site, and we also received nice feedback from our supporters and families. They made our platform user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, and that also helped us to have an easy workflow. 

How did Orange Element perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a perfect project management process. We communicated primarily through email — which is my preference — it drove my to-do list every day. Through email, I know what they needed from us and what things were coming up. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s hard to say what distinguishes them from others since I haven’t necessarily done this with others. However, they work very well. Moreover, Orange Element had solid teamwork that allowed them to get things done and be on the same page with one another. Most importantly, they had camaraderie and good vibes. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and president of a recruiting company. My role revolves around client relationships, new business development, account management, and maintaining relationships with our existing customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orange Element?

Orange Element was contracted to provide social media strategy and execution. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage all of our content creation and postings. As part of that, Orange Element comes up with a content schedule and the posting schedule for our three platforms, specifically on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

When they come up with a monthly calendar, they propose it and then we go through and approve or tweak it as necessary. The main goal of our content is to be seen as valuable and important for the two communities that we serve across a number of different platforms. 

The team also creates and designs a monthly newsletter and distributes it for us. They’ve also done some one-off projects such as marketing one-pager and a couple of different designs including pamphlets. 

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with Aaron (Founder & CEO) and Hannah (Former Content Developer & Strategist). They also have a designer that we’ve worked with in the past, and I’m sure they also have other teammates on the backend. 

How did you come to work with Orange Element?

We went through a program called Goldman Sachs 10000 Small Businesses Program. I loved Aaron’s approach to solving marketing and brand challenges from a very strategic and business goal standpoint. The substance that he was able to pull together impressed us, and that’s what convinced my partner and I to go with Orange Element. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $60,000 for two years. In the first year, we spent $2,000 per month and $24,000 annually. Then, in the second year, we spent $3,000 per month and $36,000 annually. We continue to pay them $3,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2019, and we continue to collaborate. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been thrilled with everything that Orange Element has done for us, especially from the look, feel, and understanding of the message that we’re trying to get out. We highly appreciate that they’ve been able to voice out our message and it has been well received by our stakeholders. 

From a metrics standpoint, the growth of our LinkedIn followers and other social media followers has been exponential — it’s been literally off the charts. We’re getting more hits to the website and more readers for our content too. Most importantly, our brand recognition, brand visibility, content, and thought leadership have been fantastic. 

How did Orange Element perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a lot of Google Sheets and things that manage our calendar posting and content calendar. Everything’s been very organized, timely, and it's fairly easy for us to go in and communicate back and forth. It’s also quite simple for us to approve content schedules, so it’s been seamless working with Orange Element. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re not their only customer, but Orange Element always makes time for us. Whenever we have questions and needs, they can do it last minute.

For example, yesterday, my partner sent me a note asking me if we have something for International Women’s Day. However, it slipped my mind and I reached out to Orange Element and asked them if they could do something. After 15 minutes, they created a post and put it out on our social media pages. Overall, their responsiveness is phenomenal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything that they can improve. Perhaps, it’s more on our side that has oversight, and we’ve been perfectly satisfied with Orange Element’s services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Call Orange Element and clearly talk about your needs and business challenges that you want to address. Furthermore, tell them what outcomes you’re hoping to gain by leveraging their skills. Then, expect Aaron will be very upfront with what strategy they can deliver best for you.

The team will present a number of solutions and then let you decide which one you want to pursue either based on timing, finance, or other factors. In the end, you will see if they’re a good match for you.