Siege Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the EIC of a financial media publication which produces more than 100,000 words of content each month.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Siege Media, and what were your goals?

We faced numerous challenges in terms of Search Engine Optimization. A previously successful SEO strategy failed to yield further results, and we weren’t sure why. Our aim was to increase our search presence on Google, strengthening our position as an authority in a very competitive landscape.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Siege Media was referred to me by a friend in a different vertical. They were highly recommended.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

Siege helped us to develop, implement, and further refine an effective content marketing strategy. They performed a competitor analysis and keyword research, identifying gaps among our competition which were ultimately opportunities for us. They examined our existing content, strategy, and processes, identifying multiple areas which needed improvement. They then looked at our existing capabilities, and facilitated a plan we could feasibly accommodate through content marketing. Finally, they helped us with promoting the content on various social media and other external channels.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I’ve worked directly with three individuals, though I’m aware that a team of 6-7 personnel actively assisted in our collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We’re an ROI focused organization. At the end of the day, if it doesn’t make sense in terms of ROI, we’re not going to do it. With that being said, we’re on track to see a positive ROI from the work performed by Siege. In fact, we’ve seen a number of increases across measurable metrics, including organic traffic, keyword rankings, lead generation, and media mentions from other high-quality, authoritative publications in our space. The latter is very difficult to obtain.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I’ve always felt very comfortable—and aware—of the work Siege Media has done. Everyone I’ve worked with is a great communicator, ensuring I understand what’s going on and that I’m happy with the plan. I also receive consistent updates in terms of progress, including a detailed monthly report explaining progress in the previous month, and plans for the upcoming month.

I’ve found that Siege Media took the initial steps to really understand our needs, and always made our end goal their first priority. After 15+ months of working with them, this is the impression I still have, which is a wonderful feeling. I’ve worked with a lot of agencies and most have resulted in poor experiences, but Siege has been fantastic.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their methodical processes and SEO expertise are what really blows me away. Coming from a very competitive niche, I had concerns that standard SEO practices wouldn’t be sufficient, given our experience. Yet, in reality, this was never a concern once I spoke with Siege. Their knowledge and experience was applied to our content strategy in ways that I had never even considered.

Further, they’ve been able to provide us with a number of mentions from other platforms which are incredibly rare in this industry. I’ve yet to encounter anyone else with the ability to provide similar services.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We haven’t had any issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the operator of an educational brand, as well as a board member of an engineering company and a technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Siege Media?

We knew we needed to develop content that was engineered to drive keyword-specific traffic to our website. We had a rough idea of the value top of funnel content created in our specific target markets but we were very skeptical of the ROI claims that nearly every agency makes. We knew that finding the right formula to increase traffic would dramatically increase revenue, so it wasn't that we weren't able to spend money, it was that we were highly skeptical that it would be a good investment.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We found Siege through a referral. We were told they focus only on content marketing and that they do everything in house; strategic analysis, design, content development, brand alignment, and distribution to publishers. We knew enough to know that we had outgrown trying to have one or two people originate all our SEO work in house. However, we were having a hard time assessing the quality of different full-service agencies. It seemed like everyone could do everything, so Siege telling us they could only do content was refreshingly honest.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After the initial meeting, Siege worked with us to get a feel for our branding parameters. We outlined the business case for our investment to make sure the performance reports tracked the right KPIs. Siege then analyzed the competitiveness of our current pages as well as the search market activity for key terms. From there, they told us where we'd see value from content spending, and gave us a proposal that they were confident would deliver the results promised. Once the project was running, they gave us a regular report showing how we were doing compared to our goals.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with a team from Siege that was led by a content marketing manager and designer, and included several specialists. I don't know all their roles, but I think they divided between industry experts, design specialists, distribution specialists, researchers, and content writers and editors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Traffic in our target markets has grown over 100% in the time we've been working with Siege. We are confident that the incremental gross profit we've seen from their work has delivered a positive ROI. We think we paid for them in under a few months. We'll continue working with them as long as they keep driving the results ( we actually weren't able to start working with them as soon as we hoped because they had a waiting period for new clients).

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We are in regular communication with multiple team members and haven't found there to be any significant blackouts in communications.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their specialization with content marketing, their willingness to say what they can't do well / confidently expect an ROI, and the fact that their processes for running a project and communicating seem to be well organized.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I wish we could have started right away rather than waiting in the queue. Also, we have other digital marketing needs and since we've been so happy with their content work, I wish they were able to provide some other marketing services too. They did have a few suggested referrals we may try but any time you find a good vendor or service provider, you wish you could go to them for more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the head of content strategy for a work management platform when I worked with Siege Media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Siege Media?

We needed to scale our organic program through SEO and content marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve reached out to Siege Media with our strategies all planned out — we’ve relayed our target market and preferred SEO keywords and topics to their team, and they’ve produced an outline based on that. As part of their efforts to get the word out about our program, they’ve generated optimized content to guarantee boosts in our traffic and overall digital presence.

What is the team composition?

We’ve mainly worked with Ross (Founder & CEO) and Megan (Content Marketing Manager).

How did you come to work with Siege Media?

We found them through word of mouth.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $450,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in March 2021, and my former colleagues are still working with Siege Media as of writing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Siege Media has strategically managed to double our content output within the first three months of our engagement, and they’ve done so without sacrificing the content quality. During the second quarter, they’ve made us rank first on about nine pages, amplifying our organic traffic by 22%. Overall, we’re impressed with their quick turnaround times and capacity to bring solutions that match our goals.

How did Siege Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve communicated via email and Zoom and used Asana for project management. Siege Media is a proactive team with comprehensive processes. They never miss any deadlines, and they’re always eager to collaborate with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Siege Media has amazed us with a strong pitch and a business-minded presence from the start, but we’re most impressed with their capacity to create valuable content that effectively elevates our brand and educates our readers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything constructive — they’re a big part of our program’s success.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good understanding of what you want to accomplish.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Chris Dreyer and I am the CEO of Rankings.io. Rankings.io helps elite personal injury attorneys dominate first page rankings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Siege Media?

We hired Siege Media to help us with an out-of-the-box linkable asset strategy for a client in the legal vertical.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a page that had the opportunity to obtain inbound links naturally, to rank the landing page for it's respective head term, and to use the asset for digital PR strategies.

SOLUTION

How did you select Siege Media?

Ross has a tremendous reputation in the digital agency space as an individual with integrity. I saw what he was doing on the digital PR side of things and instantly wanted to work with him.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Siege started with a very thorough strategy session, we were looking for topics that would appeal to the legal vertical. Next, we were given several topics to choose from to see if they were the right fit.

After the topics were identified, their creative and copywriting team created the assets. They then conducted research on interest groups to target for outreach on who may be interested in the content we created and contacted those individuals to let them know about the content.

What was the team composition?

Several individuals - A primary point of contact, copywriters, strategists, designers, devs, link outreach specialists, etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our assets ranks in the #3rd position nationwide, it's obtained many natural inbound links, and the digital PR produced many high quality and extremely relevant links as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We were informed on the project throughout our engagement. It was a very transparency relationship.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Execution. When dealing with projects that have this level of complexity most companies struggle to pull it all together. Everything was done in a timely manner and we were very happy with the production.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing coordinator for RentSpree. I handle all aspects of our digital marketing. RentSpree is an online rental application and tenant screening service that markets to real estate agents but can be used by anyone looking to screen a prospective tenant.

At present, over 400,000 landlords, agents, renters, and property managers rely on RentSpree’s rental software – across all 50 states. Together we are building connections and creating a standard rental process, one transaction at a time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Siege Media?

As the number of our users began to grow exponentially, we were looking to sustain that momentum by turning our attention to both SEO and SEM. Being that I was the only in house digital marketing SME, it was apparent that we needed to outsource certain tasks to quickly ramp up our marketing efforts.

Fortunately, I was able to identify Siege media as a partner that could provide that type of high quality and high performing content that is vital to any backlink generating and increase in organic search traffic strategy.

Additionally, they were able to take a look at the foundation of our on site SEO strategy and provide key consultation that also aided in our efforts.

What were your goals for this project?

1. Boost the number of high domain authority backlinks
2. Increase organic search traffic to our blog
3. Introduce useful and engaging content to our site
4. Enhance our technical SEO efforts so that the overall DA and keyword positioning of our site could continue to rise.

Accomplishing all of these goals would ensure that our company would become a force to be reckoned with in our very competitive space.

SOLUTION

How did you select Siege Media?

I searched online and found 3 agencies who I liked based on case studies and previous client recommendations. I then presented and consulted with RentSpree executive staff to finalize the decision which was Siege Media.

Quite simply, they offered the total package and in their final pitch meeting- CEO Ross Hudgens - demonstrated that he understood exactly what we were looking to achieve and how Siege could get us there on a timeline that unbeknownst to him was exactly what we were looking for.

That is to say, that we wouldn't have to wait very long to start to see the benefits of a partnership with Siege.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Prior to deciding to go with Siege, they conducted a site inventory and was able to alert us to areas of opportunity for improvement but then once we finalized our decision to move forward with them, they were able to hit the ground running on addressing those opportunities even before we had our first brand discovery conversation.

So their first and second impressions were phenomenal. Once we began having brand discovery conversations and getting into the weeds with what our needs and expectations were from a content creation perspective the creative team over at Siege was thorough, super communicative about what their process was and very concrete in terms of the timing/delivery of all projects.

They would send over a selection of content ideas based on the keyword choices - we would make our selection and then they would send over an outline/draft/final edition before posting to our site.

There was monthly reports and check-ins (if needed) and an easily trackable methodology to see the progress of the outreach efforts and overall work.

What was the team composition?

Account manager - 2 content creators (researcher & blogger) - an entire team of designers (unsure of the number).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the beginning of their work here are the 2 biggest points of success as a result of the work that Siege has done... 12,000/mo or 78% increase in traffic according to Ahrefs since 4/15/20 $67,000/mo or 320% increase in traffic value according to Ahrefs since 4/15/20

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective mainly because the team over at Siege led by Tess Halpern was very consistent in their communication. They also did a phenomenal job of setting expectation in terms of content performance.

They were always receptive to and soliciting feedback. As I stated earlier, they were consistent in terms of identifying projects for the quarter and then hitting the timing benchmarks in terms of when I would receive an outline/first draft/final draft before post.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

1. Consistent performance in all aspects
2. Communication
3. Quality of content (you get what you pay for)
4. Every person that I interacted with was pleasant in nature.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, the team here at RentSpree was pleased with our experience with Siege Media.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a marketing manager within a large fintech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Siege Media?

Our goal is to broaden our digital presence within search results. We were looking to scale our collection of content to help position us as an authority within the personal finance industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I onboarded Siege Media for content marketing. At the beginning of our engagement, they took the time to understand the financial landscape. They conducted a thorough analysis of the industry by conducting keyword research and identifying gaps within our content strategy. 

They've built a wide array of content, including articles, infographics, surveys, calculators, and more. Building content is just one part of their job, they also promote content to bring awareness and visibility to our brand.

What is the team composition?

I typically work with a team of 4–5 people, including an account lead and an outreach specialist.

How did you come to work with Siege Media?

I’ve been working with Siege Media for five or more years now including time with a previous employer. I was referred to them by a colleague of mine. I decided to test Siege as a content creation partner.

They proved that they were successful at creating high-quality content that ranked in search results which in turn drove valuable top of funnel traffic. Based on that test and the great results, I decided to work with them long-term.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the course of five or more years, I've invested approximately $2.5 million across multiple projects and brands.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working in 2015, in the middle of the year. I am currently working with Siege Media. The scope fluctuates depending on business needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We look at the top of funnel traffic to the site that derives from content that Siege Media has created and promoted. We look at search rankings as well as the quality of leads earned.

How did Siege Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Siege Media has been an awesome partner. They’re great communicators, highly collaborative, and flexible, and they don't need a lot of hand-holding. They do an amazing job of keeping internal stakeholders in the loop in regards to what work is pending and what work is in the pipeline.

They are well organized and ensure that my content calendar is up to date. Siege Media provides me with a monthly report to recap on the performance, and it has always been timely.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Siege Media's ability to create quality content that ranks well within search is impressive. They are experts in content marketing and have always been great at providing guidance and recommendations on strategy to yield stronger results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I had to be nit-picky, I would wish that they had a financial writer on staff to help shape the content. Siege Media does their due diligence in terms of research prior to writing any article.

I can only imagine that having a finance expert would make this process more efficient for them as well as for internal stakeholders when we review and provide feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Test Siege Media out! I've been a long-term client of theirs due to their work ethic, customer service, and the results that they deliver. Be very clear with your goals and outline them upfront.

Level-set brand expectations and educate them on your brand guidelines. Most importantly be open to their recommendations. They are experts in the field and know what works and what doesn't.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder and COO of Blue Tree, a digital PR agency focused on SaaS and software startups, both B2C and B2B.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Siege Media?

Our company prides itself on delivering a product and service that no other digital PR agencies are able to provide, namely: ultra high touch, custom outreach for the purpose of earned media mentions.

We hired Siege to help offload some of this work such that we could continue bringing on clients and delivering high quality work. Specifically, we leaned on Siege to deliver ongoing content marketing services and outreach to promote that content.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to work with Siege long enough that we could scale up our own processes and fulfill the work ourselves. Ultimately, we found an equilibrium - Siege continues to deliver high quality content marketing for a handful of our clients, and we continue to do what we do best.

SOLUTION

How did you select Siege Media?

Given that many of our clients are big brands in the B2B space with specific content requirements, we knew we needed a partner who was able to deliver high quality B2B/technical content at a reasonable price.

There are only a few agencies in the US/globally which seemed to be able to execute on this requirement. Given Siege's deep experience with content UX in both the B2B/prosumer and B2C spaces, we felt confident that Ross and team could deliver.

Further, several of our clients have offices on both the east and west coasts, so Siege's presence there made it easier to do business.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Siege performed content marketing and promotion (custom outreach / PR) for three of our B2B clients:

1. FinTech payments rails software,
2. DevSecOps platform, and
3. IT data warehousing provider.

The contracts for each were performed over an 18 month period which was roughly overlapping for all clients.

What was the team composition?

Our monthly spend for each client was roughly $15,000-$17,5000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the past, we had struggled to show measurable results for these particular B2B clients. There are not as many types of immediately obvious and relevant content/keywords to go after as a PR agency, so we felt that our hands were somewhat tied.

However, after the campaigns with Siege, each client saw a significant increase in the number of sales qualified leads (SQLs). In terms of raw numbers, clients reached 2x and 3x SQLs at the following months:

1. FinTech payments rails software: 5 months and 13 months
2. DevSecOps platform: 3 months and 7 months
3. IT data warehousing provider: 7 months and 10 months

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

No issues whatsoever. Siege's team is extremely professional and easy to work with. We learned a lot form them, not just operationally but also how to have fun while working hard.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Quality of the work/content. That's what we hired Siege for and that's what they delivered, and despite our high standards they exceeded our expectations month after month.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing particular comes to mind. As an agency owner with overlapping services to Siege's, I found some of their processes so detailed that they were difficult to follow along. I wouldn't improve those, however, as they seem quite effective.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a performance content marketing manager for a global eccomerce company selling print on demand consumer products. I am involved in developing content strategies and managing a team to deliver content that aligns with our SEO strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Siege Media?

We were looking to improve our upper funnel customer acquisition by broadening our reach for longtail queries. We partnered with Seige Media to get expert advice on SEO best practices and ideal content topics to focus on.

What were your goals for this project?

Increase in search traffic visits per month.

SOLUTION

How did you select Siege Media?

My team searched for content marketing agencies specialising in SEO for blogs and websites. Siege media seemed to do all the things we needed from research, content creation, design, link building and analysis of our on-site experience.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Siege Media sought to understand our company focus and created a content marketing strategy based around our key themes along with other opportunities they felt we could be competitive on.

We then regrouped as a team and went through each opportunity to assess viability. Once we finalised our priorities, they put together detailed briefs that I was able to give to copywriters and designers.

In other areas, I have asked them to review landing pages and site structure to provide actionable feedback (copy, page structure, internal linking) to improve SEO to these pages.

What was the team composition?

I've worked closely with three members of the team, so we've built a strong relationship and they understand our needs well. They have different people managing content briefs and strategies for our blog vs the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have achieved our targets for increased search traffic to the blog, received inbound links and started to rank #1 for multiple posts- sometimes in the space of weeks after they launched.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project managers assigned to us are very responsive and helpful. We have video catch up with the team multiple times in the quarter, and they are very quick to collaborate in Google docs. They have achieved all of the outlines on time as per our contract.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very proactive and are always free to discuss opportunities in detail. They are very generous with their time and always willing to share their knowledge. It's a very easy partnership and one that has personally helped me to grow professionally in my role.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really... In the beginning, the topics suggested didn't always align with our (very specific) business model. However, they have taken on all of our feedback and have a much better understanding of which topics will align with our strategy.

It's a credit to them; they listened and learnt as the partnership developed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO of an InsurTech Startup. We are Series B funded a growing significantly. We are about 140 people with 20 on the team Siege works with.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Siege Media?

We were looking for help in building rich content from concept to implementation.

What were your goals for this project?

Although we had a small content team and expert in SEO, we needed articles that could generate a lot of interest, help build our site ranking with Google, and improve our SEO for specific keywords. We wanted to secure our position with those keywords to help create a barrier to entry for new competitors and create value long-term.

SOLUTION

How did you select Siege Media?

Siege was referred by our SEO expert. I have worked with dozens of people who claim to be experts in SEO but few that are. Ours is one, and his opinion carried a lot of weight in my decision as I had also worked with several content agencies like Siege.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After selecting Siege I worked with them on a content strategy a quarter at a time. It was their recommendation to not plan beyond a quarter as we would have to adapt to how our content was trending. It was great advice. We came up with a project plan, they did research and came to me each month with a list of potential topics that they had already researched as viable areas to claim space. They produced the articles, worked with us on feedback and editing, and then implemented the technical side with our website team.

What was the team composition?

Me as CMO working with our SEO expert, two writers on our side, and a team of three at Siege whom we interfaced with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Simple. Our Organic Search traffic from Google increased 2x in only two quarters.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. They are very efficient. They come to the meeting prepared and with ideas already flashed out They also give clear timelines on implementation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They "get" it when it comes to Content Marketing. I have worked in tech marketing for 25 years, and most of these shops are just faking it. Siege is not. I can see through BS is this particular area and there is none on their side. Honestly, it is quite refreshing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Tech implementation occasionally has issues with detail work

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner for a SaaS venture company. We own and operate a handful of SaaS companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Seige Media?

Seige Media has done a number of consulting engagements for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

 We’ve been consulting with the CEO, and because we have many other properties, we’ve done lots of different things. Some of their work includes site audits and consultations. We hired them on an hourly rate to have them join our review and marketing meetings to get their feedback. They’re our strategic advisors.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 4–5 people. I work with their CEO, SEO director, and content producer.

How did you come to work with Seige Media?

I’ve known their CEO for a number of years and was familiar with their work. I heard from other marketers that they’re one of the best content marketing companies in the industry. That’s what prompted us to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in June 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their results are great. That’s why we’ve kept them around for so long. They’re very good at generating content that can generate and earn links.  

I’ve been truly impressed by their team. My background is in marketing, so I know what I’m doing and are rarely impressed by other agencies. Seige Media stands out because they’re able to do things that I don’t know how to do myself. There are few agencies that can do a better job than my internal team.

How did Seige Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicate over email, but I can also contact them over Zoom. I haven’t had any issues with their deadlines, either.

They’re fairly good about setting expectations. One thing they do well is communicating how the project is progressing. They don’t wait to tell me that they missed a deadline after it passes, but instead, will make projections and communicate with me along the way. As a result, our expectations are met. Their proactivity has saved countless hours.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are two things: the bar they set is really high. Their content quality is at the next level and is more representative of the type of work I would expect from my internal team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

State your expectations and goals. Tell them what you want to achieve and what timeline you want. They are proactive and communicate well, so outlining how you plan to communicate can be very helpful.