SCUBE Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of a company that sells custom packaging and shipping boxes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE Marketing?

We were a brand-new business starting from nothing, and we engaged SCUBE Marketing to help our company ramp up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our two primary pay channels. These are Google Ads and social media marketing on Facebook and Instagram. We delivered the initial ads to establish and communicate our value propositions to them.

They’ve since contributed to generating the ad content and targeting consumers on social media channels. They provide me with a bi-weekly email update on our progress and let us know if we need to weak things.

What is the team composition?

We have a primary account manager, but we’ve also been in contact with the owner.

How did you come to work with SCUBE Marketing?

I had experience working with companies in the B2C sector and was looking for a specialist with B2B expertise. We found a couple of agencies on Shopify, which is the platform we use. They both recommended SCUBE as their primary outsourcing vendor, so I decided to engage them directly. I also remember reading their reviews on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with their work. They’ve given us a strong return on our ad spend, which is our primary yardstick for success. We’ve seen a lower-than-average bounce rate for ads as well as a solid conversion rate. I appreciate that we’re both statistically driven, which helps us stay on the same page about progress.

How did SCUBE Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good. Their project management style is both a pro and a con because they’re highly-structured, but I sometimes wish they’d have a little more flexibility. They’re fairly rigid about communication where we only touch base at set times. I’m used to having more involvement with my agency, but at the same time, I admire their commitment to just getting the work done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed by their precision and proficiency in analytics. They’re a well-oiled machine that’s straightforward about delivering results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re not as straightforward or quick with their testing, but they’re thorough. This isn’t a major issue because I empathize with their work ethic.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The clearer they are about your goals and instructions, the better they’ll perform.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own and operate an LLC that provides general marketing services for my clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I needed deep expertise on Google Ads for a project with one of my own clients. I needed them to not only set up Google Ads but also ensure the client would get conversions. I also needed help with web tracking, cleaning up the Google Ads accounts, figuring out the right budgets, ad groups, keywords, and more.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted leads in the form of additional web form submissions and tracked phone calls.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found them through a colleague.

Describe the project in detail.

When we got started, SCUBE Marketing walked us through their discovery process to learn as much about the client as possible. They then double checked all of our Google Analytics and Web tracking to make sure it was integrated correctly with the Google Ads account. Finally, they created relevant campaigns, associated ads and ad groups, and helped us monitor results daily.

What was the team composition?

Tom (Principal, SCUBE Marketing) works as the main strategist. Outside of that, I have an account manager that handles the main updates and passes information back and forth between the team that is executing ads and tweaking campaigns.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen over 100 conversions over the last few months.

How did SCUBE Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They offer monthly updates, and between Tom and my account manager, I always have someone checking in or someone I can reach out to. Tom is a good communicator and it's obvious he works hard to understand clients and manage Google Ads accounts in a way that makes sense for them.

What impresses you about SCUBE Marketing?

They are focused on managing Google Ads campaigns. Many agencies bill themselves as covering "all things digital marketing," but I find they don’t stand out in any one area.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I’m very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the e-commerce director at an outdoor entertainment lifestyle company which focuses on selling high-end, outdoor wood-fired pizza ovens. I manage all marketing and vendor relationships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We engaged SCUBE Marketing to jumpstart our paid digital marketing efforts prior to the seasonality ramp-up period of our product.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to be able to drive more traffic to our website an analyze that traffic data. In the process, we hoped to nurture leads and increase conversions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met them at a Shopify event, and they came highly recommended. Tom (Principal, SCUBE Marketing) was highly knowledgeable and devised a great strategy.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we agreed to terms, we held a series of discovery meetings so that their agency could understand our customers, products, and competitors. Their approach involved core Google Ads campaigns that would result in the least amount of risk with the highest potential. They hoped to grow campaigns that would result in higher funnel leads. They also executed on phone number tracking and analytics implementation.

What was the team composition?

We work primarily with Tom and our account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales have increased month-over-month to historic highs. We are receiving more phone calls than ever from our Google Ads campaigns. Our sales and brand awareness have never been better.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Tom and our account manager have been easy to reach and communicate with. We have direct access to Tom if we need recommendations or guidance.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their ability to develop a plan and execute, given the difficulty of advertising an item with a high price point and a long sales cycle. The number and quality of their growth ideas and recommendations were a solid foundation for us to build on.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we are satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of the Law Offices of Thomas W. Lynch, P.C. We predominately work with debt-related issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE Marketing?

I needed to get the word out about our services and highlight our strengths to differentiate us from our competitors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with SCUBE Marketing to identify the specific types of people who’d be likely to need our services, such as those in trouble with the IRS or dealing with large amounts of debt. We then made ourselves apparent to them in ways that would lead to higher conversion rates and more interactions. SCUBE Marketing revamped our landing page to make it more user-friendly for potential visitors and to direct them to the right services and information. They’ve recently moved away from web dev and have focused more on SEO.

What is the team composition?

We interact with two people.

How did you come to work with SCUBE Marketing?

I wanted a local partner and talked to a number of firms. I was most impressed with SCUBE Marketing because they were young, excited, and had lots of experience. They kept up-to-date on current market trends, so I decided to hire them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been partners since October 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their SEO has led to a remarkable conversion rate and made us the best service provider within 20 miles of our office. The results of their work are nearly instantaneous and give us long-lasting exposure. They’re able to keep down costs per click while maintaining our business in a high position.

They were my web designer through the economic crash and attracted enough business to keep me operating during such a hard time. Their marketing has been extremely successful for my organization.

How did SCUBE Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re efficient, quick, and adjust to any of my requests. We communicate about twice a month, and I’m satisfied with their work. They’re proactive and make sure we stay on schedule. If any problems arise, they make themselves immediately available to fix it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re smart, responsive, and dedicated to doing top-notch work. When you hire them, you have a first-rate organization working for you.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re growing well and need to continue to scale appropriately.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Determine the customer base you want to appeal to, and SCUBE Marketing will do a great job of bringing them to your business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the online marketing manager for an insurance agency. I mainly work with medical malpractice insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE Marketing?

I wanted a PPC partner who could improve my Google ads and lead generation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SCUBE Marketing creates Google Ad campaigns, specifically focusing on medical malpractice insurance. My area of expertise is in insurance, so SCUBE Marketing walked me through how to attract new business. I provide the insights into the insurance world, and they provide the tools to bring in new clients.

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact and also talk with the head of sales.

How did you come to work with SCUBE Marketing?

My web person recommended three firms, but none were as responsive as SCUBE Marketing. They understood what I wanted to accomplish and were eager for the work, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in June 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their ads have been highly successful, and both quality and quantity of leads have increased. They saw how a well-run campaign could improve our business and implemented their solutions.

How did SCUBE Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We have monthly meetings to review past work and current plans. They respond to my requests for information and accept any feedback I provide. They manage expectations well and don’t make wild promises they can’t keep. Whatever they say they’ll do, they do.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand that I know the insurance market better than them, so they listen to my advice and input. Instead of a contract, they just charge a monthly fee, which makes the pricing easy and flexible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should offer other services, such as SEO.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Know your product and have clear marketing goals. As long as they’re realistic, SCUBE Marketing will be able to implement them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a contracting company that specializes in exterior projects for residential homes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE Marketing?

We wanted a digital marketing agency to improve our cost per lead.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SCUBE Marketing started by providing search engine optimization. Over the past year, they’ve shifted to Good AdWords campaigns. They also manage our Facebook and Google Plus accounts, creating original content.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Tom [Bukevicius, Principal, SCUBE Marketing] and a second person who handles the AdWords campaigns. They also have two writers generating content.

How did you come to work with SCUBE Marketing?

They were referred to us after we built our first website. I got to know Tom, and we've continued to work with them because they’re a trustworthy agency. Digital marketing companies sometimes make big promises without producing results, but SCUBE delivers.

How much have you invested with them?

About $20,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2013 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We noticed an increase in web traffic from their SEO work and our rankings are now comparable to larger companies. We don’t have any statistics from AdWords yet, but I expect to see results. I gave them a budget and cost per lead goal, and they’re constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of our traffic.

How did SCUBE Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. We usually communicate through email, though I have Tom’s phone number for emergencies. For instance, our site went down after office hours once. I called Tom and he fixed it immediately. That level of availability is important.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We tried a couple of larger marketing agencies, but they tended to focus on volume over quality. SCUBE Marketing is a smaller vendor, which lets them address our concerns directly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more creative in terms of content. Still, they’re receptive to feedback and listen to our concerns. That's important; listening leads to improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you get involved in the process and bring ideas to the table, they will listen and provide tailored solutions. They’ve fulfilled every promise and cemented a strong relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a project manager at a medical certification company, which provides online education for medical professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE?

We were looking for an experienced vendor to provide digital marketing services for us and make our business more profitable. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They're in charge of all the marketing, including PPC [Pay Per Click] campaigns. A lot of their efforts are focused on getting us more business: they handle our email campaigns and online ads and reach out to our current and potential customers. In addition, they work to improve our SEO scores.

What is the team dynamic? 

I've worked with 3 people: Tom [CEO, SCUBE Marketing] and two members of his team who have been managing our PPC campaigns and marketing newsletters. I speak with each of them at least once a month. 

How did you come to work with them?

At that time, there was a different project manager who interviewed several companies and chose SCUBE.

How much have you invested with them?

We would like to keep financial information confidential.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in August 2013 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our company has increased tremendously since we started using them. We saw a significant growth in revenue: the cost per order has decreased 21% year over year, and in the past year the number of orders has gone up 22%.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They're always available and reply immediately if I have any questions. They regularly provide reports with the end of marketing results. We primarily use phone, email, and join.me meetings to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're knowledgeable and very personable. They guide me through the project and always take my opinions into account.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do not hesitate to reach out and share your ideas with SCUBE. They're always open and willing to try what's best for your company to get the results you are looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital marketing for DeanHouston Inc., a full-service integrated marketing firm serving a wide array of industrial B2B clients. We do everything from website development, literature and catalog development, to trade shows and full-service digital marketing. We’re a comprehensive marketing firm for industrial companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE Marketing?

We approached SCUBE for a strategic partnership in order to increase our PPC [pay-per-click] knowledge base, as well as to find a scalable way to increase the PPC services we could offer to our clients. By approaching SCUBE as a strategic partner, we knew we would be able to count on them to help grow an important part of our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SCUBE works conjointly with our account management and account pages to figure out what our clients’ high-level businesses goals are and what the sales objectives would be for a period of time. Afterwards, they use this information and translate it into optimized PPC campaigns.

They help us figure out what products our clients want to sell more of. We work with them to create our ad copy for our PPC campaigns, figure out what keywords should be targeted, as well as decide how the technical aspects should be handled for optimization.

Although we have an internal team who handles SEO, SCUBE still consistently finds ways to increase that value. Much of their work ends up translating due to the highly-related nature of PPC and SEO from a keyword perspective. They’re always willing to offer their expertise even if it’s not a formal part of our arrangement.

What is the team dynamic?

We were in primary contact with Tom [Principal, SCUBE Marketing], who is one of the owners of the organization and a fantastic person to work with. He’s immediately available whenever we need him to manage high-level strategies or pressing issues.

We’ve also worked with Remy, who is responsible for the day-to-day campaign monitoring and also involved with a lot of the technical work. Additionally, there’s a fantastic and detail-oriented individual who acts as admin, manages accounts payable, and is involved with operations.

How did you come to work with SCUBE Marketing?

It’s been a long-term journey, and we were lucky to have found them. We work in an office complex not too far from them, so we engaged on a couple of projects 3–4 years ago to get some campaigns started.

PPC wasn’t as big a part of our business back then as it is today. We had a great experience in working with them, but we just didn’t have a lot of PPC throughput, and there was a little bit of lapse in the business.

As soon as we started to get more demand from our clients and matured our digital service offering, Tom was the first person we called when we needed PPC. We were able to leverage a lot of the initial work we did, which stayed consistent over time.

They’ve been one of our primary PPC resources and a key strategic partner since then, and it was a chance meeting that organically transformed into a mature business relationship over time. We rely on them for some important services.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since May or June 2014. It’s been about 8 months since we started working them on a bi-daily or daily basis depending on how much technical PPC work we have. We anticipate this to be a long-standing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Metrics can vary across different PPC accounts. We usually see double-digit growth month over month for many of our key metrics. If we see a 2% click rate in a campaign, and then they start to get more involved, it’ll go up by 0.5%–1.0%. It’s a good, regular increase for all of our PPC metrics. They haven’t let us down since we started working with them.

They’re good at setting realistic goals as well, which helps us communicate and make sure our clients know what to expect. They do an honest and accurate job of saying what they anticipate depending on the changes they make to our campaign.

How did SCUBE Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We strive to be as reasonable as possible with our clients, so we ask the same of our partners. An email never goes more than 4 hours without being answered, which is fantastic. We’ve never come within risk of letting a client down because of having to wait for a report or anything like that. They’ve done a great job at managing their time and making sure that we get answers we can relay to our clients.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Most of our clients are in a niche market, so it’s not something that comes naturally without being engaged in their industry. SCUBE wasn’t afraid to learn the vocabulary and lingo of various industrial industries, and they immersed themselves in order to approach it as experts. That’s hard to find in a PPC agency, and they’ve done a great job with that.

They’re always incredibly responsive, and they always overdeliver. They allow us to offer a complicated, technical service in an affordable, yet very effective, manner. They’re reliable, communicative, and client-focused. If Tom needs to be in contact with one of our customers, he handles himself very professionally and in a way that DeanHouston can stand behind. It takes a special organization to offer this level of service.

They provide great work that gets good, quantifiable results. It's all PPC and stats based, and we've always had excellent experiences. In our agency, it’s all about billable time and making sure we’re getting as much done during specific time periods. The ease of doing business with SCUBE goes a long way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Every organization can always improve, but as per our expectations in our business relationship, I can’t say there’s been any real frustration in working with them.

Initially, we had to figure out how to work together as partners. They were very adaptable in order to make that happen. It would be tough for me to say that they’ve never provided a result that we weren’t expecting or had paid for, but the early stages of the strategic partnership are always tough.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest being transparent and honest upfront about objectives and potential issues for accounts, specific clients, or industries. This information got us through the initial partnership-building phase.

If an organization engages with SCUBE without immediately informing them of goals and shortcomings, their engagement will not go as smoothly. They’re able to provide results quickly and adapt to the present sition when they know what’s going on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager for a marketing PR firm that represents primarily law firms. I manage most of our digital projects spanning from website development to social media to digital ads and campaigns.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE Marketing?

The reason we reached out to SCUBE specifically was because of their expertise in the PPC area. We managed the project from a whole. It’s great to be able to use them for their expertise that they can provide in this one specific area. This project is a very competitive area of law firm marketing. The cost per click is crazy high. It takes a very strategic and nuanced approach that we were looking to SCUBE to provide.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SCUBE is partnering with us to provide PPC management for our end clients. We don’t run any PPC for our agency specifically. It’s more of a white label service. SCUBE primarily deals with me, not our clients.

How did you come to work with SCUBE Marketing?

I found SCUBE through Google Partners website. I went through the directory. I searched for a legal expertise and they were one of the options that came up. I called them and I was very impressed by my initial conversation with Tom, Principal with SCUBE Marketing, and decided to work together with him.

How much have you invested with them?

Budget wise, they are helping us manage between $40,000-$50,000 a month in AdSpend.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them October 2016 and have been working together since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are primarily focused on generating case leads, which the firm then handles to determine if they actually lead to a case as the end goal. We have had one filed case as a direct effort of PPC so far and we’ve had hundreds of case leads to date. They are very specific. It’s very rare to get a case. They are few and far between. The fact that we have one is great. The number of relevant case leads that we’ve seen is a good indicator that there will be more to come.

How did SCUBE Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They have performed well on all the accounts so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed that they’re very proactive in coming up with new strategy and approach and doing the research to implement that. They’ve been able to provide strategic campaign ideas that we wouldn’t have come up with. We then pitch those to the firm and are in the process of getting those approved. Their proactive approach has been very helpful and a big benefit of working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re very transparent. If I do have any questions, I’m able to log in and they’re very responsive. No, I haven’t had any complaints.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with SCUBE Marketing?

Because I have some knowledge of the platform and capabilities, we’re able to have more productive conversations to work through strategy. If the lawyer was going directly to them, there might be too much of a language gap to figure out how to do it successfully. Working with them with some knowledge has been helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an online program services provider for traditional education institutions throughout the US and globally. I manage all third-party lead-generation efforts for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SCUBE Marketing?

We wanted to work with third-party lead-generation providers who utilize branded advertisements in order to generate additional interest for our online program management clients.

Our target customers vary by institution and programmatic interests. We offer both secondary graduate and undergraduate programs across our portfolio, so we tailor our marketing strategy to the ideal type of recruitment process we try to generate for those institutions. It could be based on age, income, dayparting, geotargeting strategies, and other variables which come into play when trying to find the ideal prospect for a client. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With SCUBE, we have been engaging in social media advertisements across Facebook. At this point in time, we have not expanded beyond that scope.

How did you come to work with SCUBE Marketing?

I knew Tom, their CEO, and gave him the opportunity to support our desire to be more prominent within the social media space. SCUBE customized a product for our specific business need.

How much have you invested with SCUBE Marketing?

Our preference would be to not disclose specifics around the business transactions of leads, but SCUBE does support many prospective students for our top-tier traditional online program offerings.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SCUBE Marketing in early 2017. We have an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been utilizing SCUBE for 2 of our clients. One of them is in the nascent stage. We’ve seen some positive results from these social efforts. Based on the cost-per-lead we’ve agreed to with SCUBE, the launch of our recent campaign yielded results below the $1,500 mark, which is especially good for an educational campaign that wasn’t considered fully mature. In terms of KPIs [key performance indicators], we’re seeing some positive discussions between our admissions advisors and the prospects which SCUBE helped us generate. It’s not a fully mature KPI, but we anticipate that as advisors speak with more and more prospects delivered by SCUBE, the cost-per-application will only improve.

What did you find most impressive about SCUBE Marketing?

I was impressed with SCUBE’s ability to design and build a product that was not necessarily in their usual scope of services when I approached them. There were customizations that needed to be made in order to fulfill our need for this particular social product. I was impressed with their turnaround and ability to align with both our business and quality needs.

Are there any areas SCUBE Marketing could improve?

The only areas where we struggled initially involved a specific campaign for which we were hyper-geo-focused. By this, I mean that we were isolated and had a demand for high-quality prospective students. We ended up finding less demand than we originally anticipated based on market research. SCUBE also saw some of those struggles with the recruitment itself. I don’t think that’s a negative thing by any means, but the strategy was not adequate for fulfilling our recruitment needs for that client.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with SCUBE Marketing?

Be very specific in what you need and are looking for.