Satori Marketing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Solutions Salon LLC is a full-service salon located in the Heights neighborhood of Houston, Texas. We keep ourselves armed with a team of razor-sharp stylists dedicated to the art of cut, color, and style. I run Business Operations for the company and took care of all licensing, permitting, registrations with the state of Texas, marketing/branding outsourcing, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Satori Marketing?

Satori Marketing was instrumental in all aspects of start-up marketing, advertising, and branding. Satori direct photography, website build and launch, social media launch and strategy, branding, helping understand voice of customer, and so much more. Satori actively maintains and organizes the business's digital efforts.

What were your goals for this project?

1. Establish a website.
2. Establish a presence on social media.
3. Establish brand guidelines and marketing/advertising practices.
4. Reach out to existing clients and recruit new clients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Satori Marketing was selected based upon several reasons: quality of previous work completed, commitment to social cause (via non-profit support), experience working with start-up companies, their support structure, and their commitment to shepherd the business long-term, and price. Three companies were considered for this work, but did not meet or exceed the above.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

• Strategy: Website and social media development.
• Creative: Photography direction, website design, branding Marketing
• Execution: Full project management from start to finish including long term account management.
• My role: Provided ideas, thoughts, and words that were crafted into creative stories and actionable material. 

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with the CEO and two account coordinators.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first three months of operation, the business has exceeded its revenue target by 38%. This would not have been possible without strategic marketing and communications plan. Our clientele constantly compliment our "look" and we are more than satisfied with the work performed!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Project management was smooth and handled via in-person meetings, email, and phone. An initial meeting was held for scoping purposes. Then, there was a series of conversations and email exchanges in the initial planning. Upon website launch, there was testing that took place. No specific PM tools were used on my side.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to take scattered ideas and coalesce these into a vision that works sets them apart!

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would like to have access to a project management tool for insight into what is happening, but the clear communication replaced the absolute need for this. I am satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Heinemann Medical Outreach. We offer sustainable healthcare to developing countries. Our team also focuses on the donation of medical equipment, training, and educational opportunities for healthcare providers around the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing?

We wanted to alert people of who we are and how we work. To do this, we wanted to redesign and refresh our brand image through an update to our website. Ideally, this would make us more appealing to donors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met with some of their leadership at our offices to discuss what we didn’t like about our previous site. Our team also provided information about the nonprofit and examples of what we would want our new site to look like.

Then, they walked us through each step of the process with a strategic outline, informing us on how we would achieve our goals. This involved determining how we would look to potential donors. After deciding how we wanted to present ourselves as a nonprofit on an international stage, their team got to work. They used our input to inform their designs.

What is the team composition?

Marche (Owner, Satori Marketing) came personally to our office for a face-to-face conversation. Subsequently, she and another one of her colleagues visited us again to get the feel for the site. They were our points of contact.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

We heard about them through word of mouth. It was helpful for us to have an endorsement from another company. When we checked them out online, we were impressed with their work. Plus, they’re animal-lovers, so we knew they’d be great.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and the collaborating is continuing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still in the process of creating the site. Our staff and board are reviewing it currently. We’ve had to make little to no changes to their work at all. What they’re delivering is exactly what we wanted. Our internal team loves it, even the board, which usually prefers more traditional design. That tells us that their product can appeal to any audience.  

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I appreciated their in-person visits to the office to truly get a feel for our organization. That helped them understand us and capture our brand better in the designs. It was great to have that personal touch. That also seemed to get them on board and excited about the development.

We were able to build a personal connection with them because of their stellar project management and communication skills. They communicated with us however we felt comfortable and always made themselves available to jump on a call. The engagement was very malleable to meet our needs, which was helpful because I’m often traveling internationally. They’ve been patient with that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re doing a remarkable job implementing the design changes. Because they took the time to get to know us, they delivered exactly what we needed. This is a rarity for most design partners. I hope we get to work with them for a long time.

They were capable of understanding our organization to deliver a viable, interesting platform that fits our needs. That ability is pretty unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’re often ahead of me on tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hold back any information, even if you don’t think it’s relevant to the project. They had to pull some information out of me in the beginning, and I thought I was bombarding them with it. It ended up helping to be completely open.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and president of REME Homes. We're a residential home builder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing?

We're a start-up company and there is a lot of competition in the area. We wanted to get our name our there, so we needed a vendor to help us with branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a website and a logo for us, helping us with the design and the colors. They also handle all of our social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In addition, they've designed construction and marketing signs for our store, printed them, and installed them.

Helping us get more publicity, they've created a news spread about me and sent it to a number of local publishers. They continue to support our marketing efforts and write blog posts.

What is the team composition?

We usually work with 2–3 members of their team.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

I was referred to them by a business partner. I liked Satori Marketing so much that I decided to move my office into the same shared workspace.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been getting new leads and new followers on social media. It's hard to tell where our leads are coming from, but Satori Marketing has definitely helped us get ahead of our competitors.

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They're doing a phenomenal job. Their owner has a very personable approach and so does her whole team. They've been very responsive and responsible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have exceptional attention to detail. At the beginning, we were making changes to the design and had a lot of back-and-forth. I was impressed with their attention to details when they sent me the new designs. They cater to each one of their clients like that client is unique.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. They've met and exceeded my expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're very good at getting to know their clients' needs, but they're not mind readers. Be clear about your ideas and take pictures of the things you like. They will take all of that and work wonders with it. If you give them a blank canvas, it'll be more difficult to see quick results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director for Scotty’s House. We’re a child advocacy center that works directly with law enforcement and child protective services to investigate child abuse. We provide one place for in-need children to be interviewed, receive medical exams as necessary, and connect with community services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing?

Originally, we hired Satori Marketing to develop a campaign for our Paws for Hope program, a program that provides comfort to children in the process’ potentially stressful situations through our trained service dog—Sawyer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially hired Satori Marketing to develop marketing pieces for our Paw for Hope program, making sure that we had an organized message and voice about the services and benefits that Sawyer provides. While they were developing these end products (e.g. the logo, branding, and voice), we realized that our agency website looked a little outdated in comparison.

They took the time to understand the inner-workings of our services by listening to the different components of the agency, and they examined our current market. They looked at websites from similar nonprofit agencies and developed a sleek, professional framework that embodies who we are, what we do, and how we serve this community.

Satori Marketing completely redesigned our website, created a standardized style guide that we can use in future developments, as well as developed the new logo and branding for Paws for Hope. Additionally, they created all of the social media (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn) for the Paws for Hope program and marketing collateral that we can easily hand out to people that see us with Sawyer.

While doing their analysis of our website, they identified all of the different sites we use for fundraising events and developed a solution to combine those and provide our users with a single url—our home webpage.

What is the team composition?

The owner has been my main point of contact, but we have worked with several different staff members. It always feels like you have a team supporting you, and one that offers multiple viewpoints to develop unique and customized solutions.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

One of our supporters was connected to the Satori Marketing owner through a previous business relationship and acted as a kind of liaison. The owner approached us and proposed what she thought they could do for us. They were exactly what we needed, and a good fit with our company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People do not come to us solely because of our website, but the child-friendly presentation helps all of our users feel more comfortable navigating our site and learning about us.

I think the best evidence is the fact that our business relationship has become a reliable friendship and collaboration. We have fun working together and know that we can go to anyone in the company for advice or a quick opinion, and vice-versa.

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

You never want to work with, or pay, a company that suddenly stops providing service. Satori Marketing delivered on their promises, were always responsive, and stuck to our proposed schedule. Their project management was fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a nonprofit, we don’t do a lot of marketing but Satori Marketing is the first firm I’ve worked with that spent the time to fully understand our services. Everyone else that we’ve worked with was fine with an “elevator speech” level of understanding. It was refreshing to work with someone that understood the intricacies of our day-to-day work and was able to help us in the trenches.

Their enthusiasm for the project really stood out to me as well. They could see the potential benefits that Sawyer would provide the children. That level of engagement and dedication was not something that I expected from a marketing company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best thing about Satori Marketing is that they are ready to work. I would recommend that any prospective clients be responsive so that they can do they work efficiently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the executive director of a government development agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing?

We engaged Satori to redesign our website in a way that would more accurately reflect our message.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Satori collaborated with our marketing team, holding several meetings to go over branding and messaging to develop a new design for our website. They incorporated new features, including blocks that allow users to click on and access stories of previous clients and videos.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work directly with the owner, and our marketing team works directly with a few others on their team.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

The owner of Satori was a participant in one of our previous programs, so we had an established relationship with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our contract covers up to $10,000 in fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the spring of 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been very happy with the designs Satori has provided and received some positive feedback thus far.

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven't had any major issues with them. There's a lot of back and forth and various documents to keep track of, but we're happy with the way they manage things overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very committed to delivering quality work and great customer service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve the quantity and organization of documentation and email exchanges by perhaps implementing a project management tool.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear regarding messaging and strategy, and communicate it to their team in as much detail as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a wholesale and retail bakery business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing?

I originally wanted to expand our local presence through marketing campaigns and social media. We also needed help creating and managing our events.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created concepts and marketing campaigns for me, bringing together my brand, logo, and everything else that goes with it. They create and manage my events and campaigns, along with my social media. That includes Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles, and they’re also in charge of email and text marketing.

Recently, they created an event held to highlight my new logo and some new flavor options we’ve developed. The aim was to put those concepts at the forefront of the event. It was way beyond successful—more so than I could’ve ever imagined. In comparison to similar businesses in town, it was three times more successful, in terms of attendance. It was stunning.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with all of them. Marche (Owner, Satori Marketing) was the one through whom I got to the company, but I’ve also worked with the rest of the team, based on the particular necessity of my business. They’ve brought some of their social media people this past weekend, for the event, and they were fabulous.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

I knew Marche from a long time ago when we’d worked together on something completely different. When she started the company 11–12 years ago, I knew that they’d be exactly the ones to call.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested around $50,000. This is a lot of money for our relatively small business, but it’s worth it.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them around eight years ago and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business is nearly at capacity, and I plan to start hiring more people. It sounds like I’m a commercial, but it’s the truth. Anyone in need of a marketing person should call Satori. They’re fabulous.

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I never have to worry about it. They’re responsive; we even communicate through text messages. Marche (Owner, Satori Marketing) is nothing short of amazing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What makes them unique is that they consistently think outside the box. They’re not a run-of-the-mill marketing company that promises everything, only to deliver the same thing each time. I’ve seen that in other businesses around me, and it’s boring. Satori’s work is not boring in any way. It’s innovative and they push me out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Satori does such a good job that I don’t have any improvements to recommend. No matter what we talk about, it’s executed before I realize, and I don’t have to worry.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should meet the team and have a conversation with them. If customers feel comfortable in terms of the relationship and the communication, then give them a chance. Marketing is an expansive part of a business, but the collaboration should be given a chance. I believe it’ll be money well-spent. People should take social media and marketing more seriously. If they do, it’ll exponentially benefit their business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run a company that is responsible for creating, developing, an implementing website design and social media for an $850 million toll road project with the Texas Department of Transportation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing.

The project is a venture among 6 companies; my company assumed the public information office’s responsibilities. That position was vacant for 1 year and as a result, there was minimal government communication with the driving public via social media or email. In that role, the government asked me to develop an “epic” website to replace the old, simplistic one. The website needed to brand the project and it as a source of information for commuters. Secondly, I had to plan the ground breaking ceremony in 45 days.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I asked them to look at the office’s existing website and recommend improvements. They created a logo as the first step to improve communicability. We then separated information based on frequency. Updates like lane closures needed to be relayed instantly, but not every day. As a result, they implemented e-mail blasts and text messaging strategies, which the client had never done before.

For the ceremony, the team assembled a media kit based on my creative concepts and distributed it to the press. They also provided collateral materials, including the Step and Repeat banner, which included large-format signage optimize for the media to photograph.

What is the team composition?

I interact directly with Marché [CEO, Satori] and her team. For example, I email Candace and Micah.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

A friend introduced me to Marché when I worked in another industry. Marché and I collaborated on several projects including a client’s RFP. Coincidentally, her engagement on this project predates my own.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $200,000 [CONFIDENTIAL].

What is the status of this engagement?

They started May 2016 and the work is on-going.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received very good results on a public survey of the website and quarterly reports for the emails and texts. Also, we won 5 marketing awards for this project.

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I know the staff very well. Frequently, I email one of them and copy Marché. By interacting with her whole team, I can have anyone pick up the slack without needing to update them. I give them an A.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen intently to their clients. They can turnaround what I’ve said – as cryptic as it may be – in 1 or 2 days. Many companies can’t work that fast or as close to the client’s intent. Furthermore, they’re not afraid to research my concepts and return with informed alternatives. Not everyone will do that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Allocate a 30-minute meeting to be honest and open about timeframes, scope, and expectations. As a result, the parameters are clear and the team can interact with the client effectively.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and president of m-erg. We are a consulting firm based in Houston, Texas that specializes in corporate health and wellness, focusing on ergonomics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing?

We had no marketing plan, which is quite a challenge. We had nothing in place. After I started the company, we grew really fast, and I learned that I can't and shouldn't do everything.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I met the founder of Satori, Marché, and we develop a plan to go forward.

Satori Marketing redid our website, fixed our logo, and standardized our image across all of our platforms. They also helped us crate a presence on some platforms that we previously hadn't thought about. We completely outsource our marketing efforts with Satori.

Anytime we need a piece of promotional material, we ask Satori Marketing. That could include a tablecloth, stickers, koozies, note cards, stationery, or digital stationery. They're in our back pocket. Whenever I need something, it's delivered in a timely and excellent fashion.

Satori Marketing regularly handles all of our social media campaigns and marketing. We have regular posts on all of the platforms that are applicable to us and our clients, and they help us write those. They post, promote, and manage all of the content, questions, and comments on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google Plus. They also do content marketing and ongoing support for our website.

We are prolific with our verbiage, so Satori gives us deadlines for things like blog posts for our website and we write them. We send the rough drafts to them, they polish them up, put a voice to it that really sounds excellent, and then publish. They do everything that I've asked them to do and everything that I didn't know I needed.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

I met Marché at a Small Business Administration class that we were both in, and I didn't consider any other company. Part of my growth plan was knowing that I needed to have a marketing plan, and part of going through that class was learning what I was and what I was not good at. Marché was sitting by my side and said they could help me. That's how we started.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $15,000–$20,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've been working with Satori since May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're getting more engagement on all of our social media networks. Our new clients are visiting our website and learning more about us before we even start pitching, which is excellent. My clients have raved about our website and how easy it is to understand exactly what we do. We're in a market that is difficult to understand, so the fact that our website communicates what we do is excellent, and Satori helped us do that.

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We have contact with a lot of the staff at Satori. I know that there are specialists within the group, but they all communicate well with us. They all know exactly where we are in our strategic and tactical plan, and they know what's next.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their ability to perform well and quickly.

We recently needed a set of branded temporary tattoos with at very short notice, and they were able to turn it around. I know that I can call Satori, ask for something, and they'll make it happen. That's really above and beyond anything I could imagine.

Advice for potential customers?

The team at Satori is really good, and they will help you with questions, but they're not mind-readers, and no one is. Have good questions, know where you are and where you want to go. That goes for working with any marketing firm.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Medicaid Finance Consulting Services is a division of a school district that provides software to other school districts for different kind of building needs. We’re like an enterprise company within a school district. I’m marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Satori Marketing?

We were looking to have a new logo created. We wanted to rebrand, modernize, and update our marketing materials.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided the logo and quite a bit of marketing pieces like brochures, flyers, and a workbook for our conference.

Satori Marketing started from scratch. We had an initial consultation, and then we had about 3 different rounds of drafts where we picked things from certain logos that we liked until we narrowed it down the final one.

Satori Marketing wrote the copy on the marketing materials. I gave them bullets, and they rewrote the content. They also provided a social media card that we passed out to people to follow us on social media. They’ve also done some flyers that I’ve inserted into a newsletter, posters, and lanyards. We’re continually asking them for updated brochures and flyers.

How did you come to work with Satori Marketing?

I found them online. When you work for a school district, you don’t really get a choice in vendors. I had to go with what was offered, so I reached out to three vendors. I called each of them and chose the one that I felt was the best. I’m glad I did because they’ve been absolutely great.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July of this year, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had great feedback on the logo, and our customers have really enjoyed a lot of the marketing pieces. They especially liked the social media card. We heard great feedback about how helpful it was and how well designed it was. Since handing those out, we have had an increase in our social media following.

How did Satori Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. They always followed up and were timely on every project I requested. Marche [Owner/CEO, Satori Marketing] was constantly reaching out. We were in constant contact, and I received every piece on time. In fact, I was late on one thing and she had it overnighted.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have vast creativity. There have been a lot of things that I have thought were maybe crazy to do or ideas that I’ve had that Marche and the team have really helped me bring to life. They’re super innovative, especially in the marketing realm. They’re very persistent, which is what we needed. It took a long time to finalize the logo, and they constantly were providing new ideas and coming up with different things.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.