Sachs Marketing Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of American Pavilion, a ClearSpan tent rental company. We supply portable buildings for sporting events, construction, and product displays.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sachs Marketing Group?

We are based in Illinois, but have a national reach. Our team hired Sachs Marketing Group to improve our website and search rankings. We wanted to get more business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they redesigned our website to generate new engagement with potential clients. The team now provides White Hat SEO and social media marketing for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Sachs Marketing Group handles all replies on these platforms. They only contact us for highly specific inquiries. Ongoing services include call tracking. When potential clients call our office, we can tell if they’ve been on the website.

What is the team composition?

I interact directly with Eric (Founder & CEO, Sachs Marketing Group) and work with the two resources assigned to my account.

How did you come to work with Sachs Marketing Group?

I had worked with three other SEO companies and wasn’t happy with their level of service. Eventually, I partnered with a PPC vendor that recommended Sachs Marketing Group for SEO. When I talked to Eric, his expertise impressed me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2015 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ROI and engagement levels are our primary metrics. We use a spreadsheet to track website visitors and call data. Our team then uses that information to measure how much business the site drives.

How did Sachs Marketing Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done a tremendous job. I flew to California just to meet Eric and get a better feel for his company, which I rarely do with vendors. The teams communicate via email and phone calls. Eric and I talk directly about the engagement’s development component. We use Google Docs to organize the entire project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our ROI has been much higher with Sachs Marketing Group than any other vendor. I’ve always insisted on White Hat SEO and that’s where they excel.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In four years, I’ve never had an issue with the team. There’s nothing that I wish they’d do differently. If they keep up the good work, I’ll be happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand the different SEO procedures, but don’t worry about Sachs Marketing Group not following White Hat SEO. Clients should also learn how to measure progress and track their ROI.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager at Piedmont Roofing, Inc., a residential standing seam metal roofing business. We’re one of the only companies to offer the original historic application of this material.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sachs Marketing Group?

Our website was antiquated and wasn’t generating leads or income. We hired Sachs Marketing Group to improve our company’s online presence efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To begin the project, we supplied Sachs Marketing Group with our photos, projects, and outline for the site. From there, they designed the platform and developed it from scratch. The site is mobile friendly and administrated by their team.

Additionally, they handle our entire digital marketing approach.  This includes providing SEO services and supporting our social media efforts. Their team manages our blogs and ensures the content is accurate and relevant for our business.

What is the team composition?

They provide a consistent team of 2–3 people to focus on the project. Eric (CEO, Sachs Marketing Group) communicates with me directly and there are others working with him.

How did you come to work with Sachs Marketing Group?

I followed a recommendation from a connection who worked with Sachs Marketing Group for a complex business venture. I got in contact with Eric and he was enthusiastic and empathetic about our project. We liked that their team took the time to understand our issues and what we were looking for. Additionally, I’m not an expert in computer technology and they made me feel informed and confident in their approach. Choosing them for the project was an easy decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$200,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in April 2011 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since beginning the project with Sachs Marketing Group, our online presence has greatly improved. Our search result placement is more prominent than before, even for simple searches. We’ve also been able to reduce our expenses in other advertising areas because of the success of these efforts.

Their team has been marvelous to work with and their support has had a positive impact on us. We see real-time results because of their expertise.

How did Sachs Marketing Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicate through email. Sach’s Marketing Group sends us monthly reports on results and plans, and offer to provide weekly versions if needed.

The responsiveness of Eric’s team is excellent—they’re available to help us on weekends or after hours. Their patience and support are helpful when issues and concerns arise. I can ask them for clarification on any aspect of their approach and they’ll provide it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a personalized approach and are invested in our company’s success. They continually go above and beyond what we ask for and we’ve forged long-term business relationships with them. We can tell they care about our business and we work together as a united team.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more you invest in the relationship, the more they’ll provide you with. Trusting and sharing information with their team is how you’ll get the most robust experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of National Family Solutions. We're a family law business that offers affordable services to clients. Our clients represent themselves, but we have in-house case managers who walk them through the process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sachs Marketing Group?

We wanted to increase the number of leads and bring the cost per lead down. We were not entirely satisfied with the SEO companies we worked with in the past, so we were looking for a new vendor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They're fully in charge of our SEO strategy, so they do link-building, on-page SEO, and create geo-targeted pages for us. They also add content and keywords to our home page and other pages. In addition, they’ve created our accounts on Manta and Yelp and help us with reputation management.

What is the team composition?

We have two main points of contact, one of whom is responsible for writing the content and another one manages the SEO strategy.

How did you come to work with Sachs Marketing Group?

We were referred to them by another company I'd been working with.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them about $1,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of leads has definitely gone up. Our presence on Manta and Yelp also contributed to the increase in traffic. SEO can be tricky because Google often changes their algorithm. Sachs Marketing Group set everything up properly, so we haven't had any issues.

How did Sachs Marketing Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They're flexible and make changes to the process if we ask them. Also, they're very responsive and get back to us within less than 24 hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very ethical and attentive to our needs. They went beyond the scope of the contract and even helped us with our blog without charging us for that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd highly recommend them. You won't see the results immediately, but you'll definitely see long-term results. They do it properly. Their owner is incredible, and so is his team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of 2Hat Media and Linktub.com. We offer off-page marketing services to dozens of PR, SEO, social media marketing, and object-relational mapping agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sachs Marketing Group?

We needed assistance with managing media relations, link building, and supporting off-page media outreach.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our search rankings. Specifically, we wanted to build more authority with Google’s E-A-T algorithm and medic update.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose to work with their team because we liked Eric (CEO, Sachs Marketing Group). He was transparent and customer-focused, which set the tone for a healthy long-term business relationship. At this point, we’ve been partners for nearly five years. We continue to work with them because they’ve developed a deep understanding of our company value and how it fits into our evolving market.

Describe the project in detail.

We’ve done over 30 projects together. Our latest work includes both quick projects and long-term initiatives. They delivered branded media pitches to a group of established contacts from over 50 of the largest national publications.

What was the team composition?

I work with Eric, a director of search, and an account manager from Sachs Marketing Group.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Their work proved its long-term value within just six months. The team is hyper-responsive, clear, and detailed. They read and respond to every email. It sounds simple, but in the media and PR industry, email communication is the foundation of successful campaigns. Their inquiry responses are detailed and thoughtful, which helps our business and our reputation.

How did the Sachs Marketing Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team composition is clearly organized—everyone knows their role. Each team member provides their own unique insight to improve the final product. Lower-level resources work collaboratively with senior staff to help them make quick and thoughtful decisions. We can trust them to meet deadlines, even the aggressive ones. They respond to calls and emails during off-hours and on weekends.

What impresses you about the Sachs Marketing Group?

I really appreciate their transparency and customer-first attitude. They deliver results and take the time to explain their processes. We’re always aware of their progress, goals, and any upcoming objectives.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, they should just keep doing what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a drug and alcohol treatment, intensive outpatient, and sober living network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sachs Marketing Group?

We hired Sachs Marketing Group about eight years ago. The scope of their engagement has grown, but we initially tasked them with building our website, growing our social media audience, and improving our organic search results. Since that time, Sachs Marketing Group has taken over our email marketing, reputation management, and overall branding.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our organic rankings in search engines, specifically Google, and grow our brand and culture through social media. Ultimately, we wanted more leads and patients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A mutual friend introduced us. The drug treatment and recovery space is small, and their owner is deeply entrenched in it. 

Describe the project in detail.

I've given Sachs Marketing Group full creative control over our digital assets, branding, and overall messaging. I've visited Sachs Marketing Group on a few occasions and we've become close. They have grown over the years, yet they continue to work on my campaign as if it were new. 

What was the team composition?

We have a member of their SEO team, a member of their social media team, a project manager, a creative coordinator, a web developer and a reporting person. The CEO also continues to be involved despite his status and duties.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

I've worked with other digital marketing vendors that fell short of my expectations. However, Sachs Marketing Group utilizes numerous digital assets in the recovery space. Our verticle is difficult to market successfully, but they've cracked the code.

When we started, however, everything was dismal. We didn't show up on Google after searching for relevant search terms, even if they included our city. I attribute our growth to Sachs Marketing Group. We now enjoy an impressive level of organic search visibility and a respectful social media presence. Plus, we get phone calls!

How did the Sachs Marketing Group perform from a project management standpoint?

You won't find a more responsive, transparent, and professional organization. They respond to emails in minutes, never refuse meetings, and answer calls with real people, not machines. They show their work on an internal system that tells me exactly what they do.

Everything is done in-house by people that I know and love. As they grew and acquired more clients, I worried that my campaign would become less important. That never happened, for which I'm grateful.

What impresses you about the Sachs Marketing Group?

In addition to the results, what most impresses me is that they have their fingers on the pulse of the confusing world of search engine marketing. As Google evolves and creates algorithms, Sachs Marketing Group keeps up with best practices. They make the necessary adjustments to keep us above the curve and at the top of search results. That's why I've been with them for eight years!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Because we've worked together for so many years, some things have warranted improvement. They're always willing to make adjustments to keep me happy.

At one time, they completely relied on their daily workflow document to communicate, forcing me to log in and look on my own. Several years ago, they proactively improved that process. Now, they send a detailed monthly report about their activity and its results. The report is easier for me to follow and understand. They also track all phone calls and form-fills, then send me the results each month.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of a background-screening company called IMI Data Search. We’re a woman-owned business that provides comprehensive employment background checks to companies nationwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sachs Marketing Group?

We lacked SEO optimization and a strong social media presence, so we needed to update our current online marketing to continue growing.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to expand our reach and increase our visibility in search engines. Sachs offered online marketing consultation, updated our site and blogs, and established social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After identifying our goals and outlining achievable steps, we conducted online research for local SEO marketing companies. We met in-person at their office and were impressed by their knowledge and professionalism.

Describe the project in detail.

They performed a current state assessment to familiarize themselves our brand and goals. They evaluated our SEO process and updated our targeted keywords. They also implemented structural changes to our site to make it SEO friendly. For their social media campaign, they increased activity across all accounts, adjusting the icons on our site to be more visible. Currently, they write a monthly blog for us.

What was the team composition?

We work with two project managers: one for our site and another for our blogs, SEO, and social media campaign. The owner also consults with us to provide new ideas.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Our new key terms have augmented our SEO rankings. Both site traffic and social media followers have increased, and more users have engaged with our online blogs.

How did the Sachs Marketing Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very pleasant to work with and are responsive to our emails and phone calls. If we need additional information on our performance, they’re always available to address any concerns. They provide a monthly report, which allows us to quantify and gauge our performance.

What impresses you about the Sachs Marketing Group?

Their strong marketing strategy has delivered exceptional results, and we expect to continue growing our online presence. Their professionalism and SEO knowledge has allowed us to navigate a highly competitive industry. We particularly appreciate their diligent efforts to develop and execute our social media campaign.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They are reliable, professional, honest, and fair.

BACKGROUND

[Our organization] assists consumers with reviews of contracts, filing complaints related to grammar fraud and educates consumers on the rules of contract grammar. TAFCR works within the United States with all consumers. I am the senior case manager in charge of all cases.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

[We] needed to develop a better site to get the message to our target audience.  

SOLUTION

Sachs Marketing Group assisted by developing a website to do exactly what we needed to accomplish. They were extremely timely and assisted greatly with the design and feel of the site. The project lasted about 2 weeks.

I was familiar with the founder of Sachs Marketing Group from a past job. I trusted him and knew of their reputation management expertise. I also wanted to work with them because of their speed of delivery.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

SMG was incredible at all tasks related to the development of our website. They were incredibly responsive to all email requests. All of my emails were returned within minutes, even on weekends! 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a rehabilitation center that provides residential treatment to adolescents with mental health or chemical dependency issues.

What is your position?

I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached Sachs Marketing Group?

At the most fundamental level, we just wanted to increase our visibility in the marketplace. We wanted to position our brand in front of potential buyers. We wanted to be able to go directly our clients and to have them find us with relative ease.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

It’s pretty standard SEO [search engine optimization] work, but they were quite good at it. We gave them a list of key search terms that we thought were important to the success of our business. They did some additional research and encouraged us to add some more search terms. We all agreed that if we could have organic rankings, if we could get on page one for the majority of those terms, that we would be in a good place. That was our goal from the outset.

How did you select Sachs Marketing Group as your solution partner?

We interviewed a lot of different companies. Sachs Marketing Group was recommended to us through a close business associate. It was made clear to us that Sachs Marketing Group

When was this project completed?

It’s more of an ongoing initiative. We’re still doing work to improve our ranking.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For us, the most important thing is the phone ringing. We want leads. We knew how well were doing with SEO based on whether or not people were able to find us. We’ve seen a considerable increase in Web-generated leads coming through. I think our brand is coming up on the first Google results page for 95 percent of the terms we’ve targeted. The remaining 5 percent will be more difficult to capture since we’re competing with some very large entities, but we’re still confident that with enough time and effort, we’ll get there.

When working with Sachs Marketing Group, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach that distinguishes them from other vendors?

The majority of vendors we spoke with are heavy on the front-end in terms of their sales department, and then they have other people outside of the country doing the development and on-site work. What I’ve really loved is that I can call them anytime and tell them what I need. They can get it done. I’d say we’re pretty demanding as a client, but they’ve always been available to us. We’re always making changes and adding content to the site, and they’ve been very responsive.

I also appreciate that they’re like a one-stop shop for all of our Web services. They’ve been incredible. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve never had a better experience with an SEO company.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We're a third-party logistics provider that operates in the transportation warehousing and distribution space.

What is your position?

I'm the director of business development for our warehousing group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached Sachs Marketing Group?

My biggest challenge was internalizing a logical issue in regards to the benefits of search engine optimization, the benefits of the Internet on the enterprise as a whole. We knew we wanted to generate more leads and more business through our site. We wanted to capture potential customers when they were searching online for firms that might fit their needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select Sachs Marketing Group as your solution partner for this endeavor?

Eric Sachs [founder of Sachs Marketing Group] had a relationship with our previous director of business development. We were already familiar with them and their work, so it was natural for us to reach out to them when we first began our research.

Could you describe the scope of work they've delivered over the course of this relationship?

They've handled all of our SEO management, along with all of our social media sites. All of their work has revolved exclusively around digital marketing. Some of the work is technical, such as the configuration and management of our pay-per-click campaigns. Some of their work is more strategic, like providing recommendations on information architecture and how certain pieces of information are displayed to users, and when.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I would say we've spent around $100,000.

This remains an ongoing relationship, correct?

Yes, that's right. We still have several initiatives ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I would say we've had a 200 percent increase in site traffic. Eric's also helped us implement specific indicators that have enabled us to track inbound traffic from Google, which I believe was also up 100 to 150 percent, depending upon which division we're targeting. That's during the course of a 12-month period. The first 12 months, I'll be honest, ever since we've started, when we got those first initial statistics back, we haven't really gone back and analyzed the return. I can tell you that it's a significant amount of work that Sachs Marketing provides, especially when you consider the return we're witnessing. Feedback from our staff has been overwhelmingly positive, too. We've all been very pleased with the work they've done for us.

When working with Sachs Marketing Group, is there anything you'd consider unique about their strategic approach that distinguishes them from other vendors?

Yeah, as a matter of fact, there is. One of the most beneficial things to me, and one of the things that I have enjoyed the most is that Eric is continually providing additional services outside of the scope of work, without our knowledge and ultimately as just part of his service. For instance, when we first started, Eric and his team were first dispatched here and handled all of our search engine optimization. After a period of time, he came to us and told us that he had created an online persona to help with our social media networking. After that, I also found out that he put together an informational site, which was now the home of this online persona to help drive traffic through our webpage through backlinks of an additional web source. Long story short, he never told us he was going to do that, nor did he tell us that there was any additional cost. It was just something that he went out and did as part of the benefit to the account. I felt that to be a great deal of value to us, and that's the kind of service you can really expect from Sachs.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think Sachs Marketing Group could improve upon as a service provider?

They have a very robust documentation portal. They do seem to have a very comprehensive documentation process, which is adhered to without fail. The data and information they collect is invaluable, but the manner in which they choose to present it is less than ideal, at least from my perspective. They use a series of Google Docs to record all of this information and present it. I'm really not the biggest fan of Google Docs, especially for the amount and type of detailed data they're trying to capture. I think there's probably a better, more efficient way of doing it. That'd be my only real recommendation for them.

BACKGROUND

Could you please provide a description of your organization?

We're a local dog breeder. We breed, train, show, and sell golden retrievers and Vizslas.

What is your role and responsibilities, please?

President and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached Sachs Marketing Group?

We started initially for some reputation management. We were having some issues arising from a negative incident that was incorrectly reported all across the Internet dating back to 2009. Consequently, that was negatively impacting our company and our business, so that's where we started with them. We also had them perform some social media and SEO [search engine optimization] work for us because we were so pleased with the reputation management work.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work delivered during the course of this relationship?

In addition to marketing, they've done SEO, reputation management, and social media management for us. They manage all of our Facebook, Twitter, and blog accounts. They've done a little bit of design and tech work on the website, but rather limited. Just before starting with Sachs Marketing, we had undergone a complete redesign of our website, so it was in pretty good shape when they started working with us.

How did you select Sachs Marketing Group as your solution partner for this endeavor?

Eric Sachs [founder of Sachs Marketing Group] had contacted us about purchasing a golden retriever. In subsequent conversations we found out that he ran Sachs Marketing Group, and we ended up in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this project?

SEO is about $2,000 a month. Our reputation management and social media management is about $1,400 or $2,000 a month. So, on average, we spend anywhere between $4,000 and $5,000 a month on their various services.

What were the results of the project?

Project has been ongoing for about 16 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As far as overall effectiveness, in the last year our net sales have gone up 60 percent. The first six to nine months we saw an 80 to 95 percent increase in traffic to the website. The last six months we haven't seen that much growth in traffic, but it is more focused. Our bounce rate is down and our lead conversion rates continue to increase, even though the traffic has sort of peaked.  

When working with Sachs Marketing Group, is there anything you'd consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

I'm not really qualified to comment on that, other than to say that working with Eric and everybody over there at Sachs Marketing has been an absolute joy. They respond very quickly, and they're wonderful with what they do. I don't pretend to understand even half of what they do over there, but that's the joy of having someone that's good at their job. I don't need to know what they do, I just get to see the results.

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

Not that I can see based on my numbers with the company and growth. It's certainly not inexpensive to have somebody doing this type of work on a monthly, ongoing basis, but we've more than reaped the rewards of any expense involved. They've done a wonderful job and we are more than happy with them.