Simple Machines Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations at LBL Strategies. We’re a strategy, management, training, and consulting firm located in Chicago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

Over the last year, our biggest business challenge was our lack of graphic design capacity. We heavily leaned on Simple Machines to help us with graphic design work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the last 1–2 years, Simple Machines has provided graphic design services for us and our clients. They’ve created designs for final consolidated reports, slide decks, and pieces of collateral materials like the landing page on our website. We’re pretty definitive with what we want. Therefore, we’re always very specific with the deliverables that we need.

Whenever we have deliverables to pass on to our clients, I send them to Carrie (Director of Art & Designer) and ask her to take it up a notch. She helps us to take the designs a step up and make what we’re presenting look a little more professional.

Right now, we’re developing trend cards for our foresight program. We collect the content and ask Simple Machines to do the actual graphic design for the trend cards.

Additionally, Simple Machines helps us with marketing subject matter expertise — we occasionally ask them to weigh in on certain matters. For instance, I've asked them about HubSpot as a CRM system and how it works.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Carrie — she has a team that works with her. Occasionally, I’ve reached out to Charlie (Chief Strategy Officer) to ask him some questions.

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

I don’t remember how Simple Machines got on our radar because it was a long time ago. We were looking for more marketing bandwidth and met a few different companies. Simple Machines was in Chicago, and we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Simple Machines in January 2015, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything that we ask Simple Machines to do is to represent our clients, and our clients have been very happy with all the deliverables and how they’ve looked.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email — they turn our email into a ticket, get the work done, and close the ticket.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Simple Machines’ graphic designs distinguish them from other providers — we’re very happy with their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We used to be more engaged with Simple Machines for our general marketing efforts. However, that didn’t go very great. I didn’t feel like they understood our business, which wasn’t a great fit for our relationship. We don’t use them for that anymore, and now they just help us with the graphic design piece.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a grant writer at Lawndale Christian Legal Center, a racial justice nonprofit organization. We're working on criminal justice reform in the Chicago area by providing legal and social services to youth who have gotten felony convictions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

We needed help with rebranding, marketing, and web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simple Machines Marketing has helped us conduct a complete rebrand and adopt a new marketing strategy. They’ve also provided backend support for our website by installing Google Analytics and getting our fundraising database up and running using eTapestry.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Jordin (Associate Strategic Director). Our internal teammates have worked with some of their other teammates, but I only worked with Jordin.

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

We’re contracted with a company who they work with. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent lower than $10,000. However, I’m not sure about the actual cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re delighted with everything they’ve done for us. Our organization is very small, so we’re thankful for their marketing efforts. There have been amazingly positive responses to our new website and social media efforts. 

In terms of our eTapestry database, we weren’t satisfied with the platform. Jordin has helped us navigate through this by communicating directly with the company that owns the platform. Thanks to her hard work, we’re close to reaching a resolution, and we might get a refund. Simple Machines Marketing has just been a great partner overall.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredibly responsive. Jordin is very organized about all of her communications with our internal team, and she never fails to update us about our analytics. If we have any questions, she’s quick to respond. She’s given us excellent feedback and intelligent answers to our questions. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a team of very quick learners. Even if they’re new to a particular platform, they immediately figure it out. The team won’t stop until they get to the bottom of an issue, which is absolutely exemplary. I also love how responsive Jordin is, and if she can’t respond immediately, she always makes sure to acknowledge it by sending a quick message that she’ll reply when she can. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing to improve on at all. I love working with Jordin.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as responsive as they are and give them everything they need right away. Stay on top of things, and they’ll reciprocate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of marketing for an outsourced services company. We would work with small businesses to service their marketing, accounting, HR, payroll, and IT needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

We had an outdated website. It was fine, but we needed a more sophisticated website that could generate more leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simple Machines Marketing built a WordPress website from scratch. Our old website was built on another platform, but I was familiar with WordPress because some of my clients use it for their sites. When the team suggested we use it, I was comfortable making the switch. They also worked on the UI/UX.

During our initial calls, we had a quick discussion about what our company was looking for. Our primary goal was to drive traffic to our site and capture that information. We weren't doing a very good job of providing a call to action (CTA), capturing potential customers' names for free quotations, and so on. Simple Machines Marketing took these and created a proposal based on that. After we accepted it, they brought in Jordin (Associate Strategic Director), who managed the site's content, and Carrie (Director of Art & Design), who created the design elements.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jill (President), Jordin, and Carrie. Jill handled the business side of things, while Jordin acted as the project manager and made sure things were moving along. 

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

Our president met Jill at a networking event, and then six months before the project started, we had an initial call with them. They seemed very sweet, so when we started thinking of creating a new website, Simple Machines Marketing was the first one we considered. We also looked at their portfolio and liked their designs versus some of the other proposals we received.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January–March 2021. We started communicating in October 2020, but we decided to start the development work in January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Early returns have been very positive. Our site’s bounce rate dropped — we’ve seen people spend more time on each page and go to multiple pages instead of clicking off early. Qualitatively, we’ve also received lots of good feedback about the aesthetics. The process was pretty straightforward, and building it on WordPress was a brilliant move. Simple Machines Marketing took our goals to the next level.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

The timeline was clear, and the team did an excellent job of sticking with it and keeping me in the loop. The teamwork they showed was outstanding. We worked well with Jordin and Carrie, who were true experts in their field. The whole process was quick and seamless, thanks to them. To interface, we used either Zoom or Microsoft Teams. It was mostly over video conferences, but we also had some phone calls. It was very easy to communicate with them. Whenever I had any questions, they dropped what they were doing and made time for a quick discussion over Zoom call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

First of all, they came up with a solid plan right out of the gate. It had a clear goal and was divided into actionable items. They showed great teamwork, and we collaborated closely with them in defining what the website should look like and how it should function. The team had a high-level understanding of our company going into the project, which really helped. We didn't have to do an extensive discovery phase because they quickly understood what we were trying to do and what we were looking for. Overall, they were organized and communicative. Working with them was easy, and it was a very positive experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have a lot of negative or constructive feedback. It was a very positive experience for me enough that I recommended them to one of my clients. They could do more B2C-type websites, which I didn’t see in their portfolio. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Simple Machines Marketing works best when you have a clear idea of what you want. They’ll give you a cost-effective solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a professional services firm, and we do automation and life cycle automation projects. Our company uses three advanced technologies for automation including robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning (ML), and chatbots. That’s our core business.

We also do other things such as custom development, cloud mobile apps, business intelligence, and more. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

We’re very strong on the technology side, but we needed help with our marketing. We have experienced sales reps and the word-of-mouth marketing approach has been pretty good to us. We’ve been fortunate enough to pick up some brand-name accounts, so we have around 27 customers for automation.

However, we’ve always had a gap in our marketing. My business partner and I just pieced together our marketing approach tactically, but if we wanted to scale and achieve our revenue goals, we needed to be more strategic in our approach. We also needed to make a bigger investment and that entails hiring a marketing person full time or outsourcing our marketing to an agency.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First and foremost, our website was suboptimal, so they’ve done website consulting for us. Their work involved helping us launch our website with much higher quality and functions. For example, for inbound marketing, they’ve helped us with SEO because we’re not knowledgeable or experienced in that space. Additionally, the team has taught us everything we need to know about how people can find us on Google. Moreover, they’ve also developed a LinkedIn playbook that features a step-by-step guide on how we could be better connected and visible on that platform. 

They’ve assisted in identifying buyer personas so that we could find our ideal customers for our services. They’ve also created a number of press releases for us when we were just starting to roll out automated solutions. Furthermore, they also help us with our messaging, so that we can present a solid branding of who we really are. That project lets us see our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Now, they are helping us write an ebook. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Charlie (Chief Strategy Officer), but there are four different people that I’ve also worked with. Additionally, Jill (President) dropped in on a number of calls. Moreover, there might have been other people in the background working on our projects. 

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

My business partner found them. We were amazed by their quality of work and style. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October 2018, and we continue to partner with Simple Machines. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new website gets launched next week, so we don’t have results for that yet. However, we do have a number of leads that have come in through our SEO efforts. Simple Machines really met and in a way exceeded our expectations too. 

The buyer persona they have helped with contributed well to our business development. As a result of that, our sales reps have clearer directives on who they should be contacting. They’ve also done a thorough job of analyzing five different competitors we have. 

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with them on a weekly basis. Typically, we are all over the map and in some weeks, we have ideas that pop up. I also appreciate that Charlie sends a recap of the meeting, and Jill has been really helpful and instrumental in the success of our partnership.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very knowledgeable, experienced, and collaborative.  They’re also flexible and open to tackling changing requirements. For example, they’re working on a project and we reroute them to another initiative that we have. What stands out the most is that they have no problem with that. 

Moreover, they like producing first-class content. They’re innovative and always come up with fresh ideas. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have nothing to say about areas they can improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an outline or a plan of what you want to accomplish and communicate that with as many details as you can. Additionally, start figuring out your priorities. Just don’t go there empty-handed. Overall, I would recommend collaborating with Simple Machines. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing at ThreeKit, a visual technology company. We take single design files and create 3D renderings or photorealistic images of products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

We had two giant categories. One was improving our website, and the second was starting out with Google Ads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the website, they’ve been helping us with our conversion paths. Simple Machines is trying to understand how customers move through our website, and their goal is to optimize that journey. They started with a comprehensive media analysis to understand other leading sites in our industry. From there, they went through an evaluated our calls to action (CTA).

They’re also building pages for the site and adjusting how we do navigation. They’ve started to add new elements where people can provide contact information more easily. In addition to conversion rate (CRO) and landing page optimization (LPO), they’re also helping us with implementing Google Ads. They set up the entire infrastructure and matched the ads to our landing pages.

What is the team composition?

I work with the president, the strategic director, their head of digital, and their design director.

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

They’re based in Chicago, and I was familiar with them. I actually interviewed with them about seven years ago. They came highly recommended because they do good work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000 at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July of 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The impact has been incredible. We’ve seen a considerable change in web traffic—it’s up by 17% since they started. Our lead conversion rate is also up. We’ve seen more business overall as a result of their work. Also, some members of our team used to dislike the site, and now it’s much better and easier to use. Simple Machines helped us in a major way.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management has been excellent. It’s been seamless—I never have to worry about it. Simple Machines is efficient, and they keep detailed timesheets. We also haven’t been surprised by any overages or unexpected costs. We've met in person once or twice, but we mostly do video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would describe them as being super agile. They’re great about testing new ideas. They’ll come to us with a solution, put it to market, and then iterate to make it better. For a startup like us, their speed and agility are huge. We’ll take that over a team that strives for perfection but takes months to do it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re not world-leading, enterprise-level SaaS designers, but there’s a significant tradeoff there. Their design aesthetics could be better, but we’re not spending a ton of money, and we don’t have to wait long for designs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re an organization that wants to iterate and grow quickly, Simple Machines can help you do that, and do it very well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales and marketing at Switchfast Technologies. We provide outsourced IT consulting, strategy, and planning services to small-mid-sized firms in Chicago. I’m responsible for growing our company through sales, business development, and marketing of existing and new services and products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

Before working with Simple Machines Marketing, we didn’t have a marketing strategy or an in-house marketing team. Our goal was to develop a complete and professional marketing strategy with a budget and measurable goals that we could track and determine ROI from. In particular, we wanted to increase our inbound lead generation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since we began working with Simple Machines Marketing in 2013, our overall strategic goals have stayed the same, but the scope of their work has changed. In the beginning, they developed and designed our website. Now, they continue to maintain our site. They also do SEO on our website to make sure it ranks in organic searches on various platforms, such as Bing, Google, and Yahoo. They’ve targeted the keywords that we told them we wanted to optimize. Their team tracks the various metrics that impact our ROI, such as keyword rankings and different types of lead generation. They also integrated our site with HubSpot to monitor and automate our marketing activities.

They also provide market research. For instance, my company was interested in entering the managed securities service provider (MSSP) space because an increasing number of businesses are interested in these heightened levels of IT cybersecurity. However, we didn’t know much about this emerging market. Simple Machines Marketing used their analysis tools to compile comprehensive reports on the market and the best approach to entering it.

Simple Machines Marketing also manages our content strategy. They recommend topics and create engaging, relevant, and current content for our site’s blog. They often interview members of our team to collect information, and they have the copywriting and authoring skills to compile content. They either ghostwrite or write on our behalf, then publish the content on our blog. Besides website copy, they develop other marketing materials, such as flyers and tailored messaging. Simple Machines Marketing also helps us with event planning and webinars.

What is the team composition?

We usually work with 3–5 marketing team members, including a marketing director who is our primary contact. We don’t meet with the marketing director as often now, but we used to have weekly meetings to review performance and goals.

My team also works with several marketing strategists and analysts. A marketing specialist does all the website analytics and SEO work. We also engage with the content team.

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

I’m not sure because Simple Machines Marketing began working with my company before I was hired, but I believe we had a previous business relationship that evolved into our current one.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $550,000. Our annual costs are around $30,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration began in August 2013, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We consistently rank on the first page of Google for all of the keywords we’re most interested in. Their work has also increased both inbound and qualified sales leads.  

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Simple Machines Marketing does very well in this area. They’re organized and professional. They use some type of project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When we need information, such as on a new market segment, Simple Machines Marketing does a great job collecting market research and delivering reports.

As a HubSpot enterprise, Simple Machines Marketing’s staff is certified in various areas of marketing and marketing automation. Their knowledge has been very useful, as they’ve helped us set up HubSpot and automate much of our marketing platform and program. Their team attends an annual HubSpot conference each year, and they always return with innovative ideas. Simple Machines Marketing helps us remain at the cutting-edge, which is so important in the technology industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their higher-level strategy could be slightly improved. They’re great at planning the day-to-day, month-to-month, and even quarter-to-quarter. However, they don’t always plan year-to-year. When my team asks for it, they deliver, but I think there could be a little more structure in this area.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

For over 20 years, IPMG has proven to be a committed partner to independent agents, brokers, and their clients. Building trust, delivering on promises, and achieving optimal results have placed IPMG in the very fortunate position of being a go-to resource for those who do business with us.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

We wanted experts in marketing to help us with our marketing redesign, restructure, and strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to achieve a cohesive message that reflected the voice of IPMG. Simple Machines Marketing helped us integrate all our services to provide uniformity and interconnectivity. They’re helping us improve our market visibility at trade shows, boosting our social media presence and helping with blog content and calendars.

What is the team composition?

Our initial point of contact operates almost like our creative director and VP of marketing. We also work with a few additional team members on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

A valued client referred them to us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around May 2014, and work is ongoing. We just launched a new website and are crafting our marketing plan for 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work on the website has had an impact. They’ve freshened and modernized the look and are assisting with proposals and presentation templates. They’ve helped us to find our voice, setting design and verbiage standards across the whole company.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They are incredibly timely. I have never had an issue with them, and they’re faster than we are ready for them. They provide comprehensive information and are great to work with. We have a weekly huddle where we speak on the phone for 15–30 minutes with the whole team. They prepare the agenda beforehand and cover everything we’re going to do in the coming week. Afterward, they follow up within minutes so that we always stay on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really understand what we do. Insurance is hard to explain, but they connect to what we do and are able to discern the different communication methods we need for all of our services as well as for brokers, agents, and direct-to-client marketing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. When our internal marketing person left us, they filled the gap and are now helping with the recruiting process to make sure we get the right person.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are fluid and flexible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or give feedback. If they provide something you don’t like the first time, you can be honest and straightforward with them. They take the time to understand your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of communications for the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians. It is a national member-based association providing educational and career opportunities for osteopathic emergency physicians, from medical school all the way through retirement. We are also able to offer educational credit to MDs [medical doctors].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

We were concerned that we would lose our members to other associations, so we looked for someone to help us with whatever we needed to get back on the right track. The industry was going through a change where osteopathic physicians were trained the same way MDs were trained. However, DOs [Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine] had an additional component to their training, which meant that our college is significantly smaller than MD colleges.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Simple Machines to help with the big picture planning. Initially, they did a lot of investigation and market research for us. They helped shape and strengthen our messaging nationally and then branched out from there. They actually recommended a different direction than what we were planning to do. We took that to our board, but the board decided to keep going the direction we had planned. After listening to our concerns, Simple Machines went back to the drawing board and gave us something workable that made smart marketing sense. Also, we recently acquired a smaller college. We’ve been working on rebranding with Simple Machines. It’s been a long process, but they’ve remained professional and optimistic.

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

We reached out to five or six companies in Chicago. What I liked about Simple Machines is that they’re a full-service firm. They can help us with graphic design, social media, and the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2016, and the work is ongoing. Our relationship with Simple Machines has evolved a lot. We have really come to rely on Simple Machines, and I’d like to continue working with them indefinitely.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A lot of their work has been around raising the profile of our conferences and helping us with advertising. For our spring seminar, we’re 25% over what we were this time last year. All of the feedback from our members has been overwhelmingly positive. We put out a magazine for each conference, and there’s been an incredible increase in the quality of that and the website. Their work is of high quality.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We work with Brittney, and she’s amazing. She keeps everything on track, which means there are no delays in their work. If they provide us with something that’s not quite what we want, they don’t hesitate to come up with something different. They listen very well and are very organized.

What did you find most impressive about Simple Machines Marketing?

If there’s something the board doesn’t like or needs to be changed, they don’t waste any time in finding something that will work, which I really appreciate. Last summer, we had five members of our staff leave and our biggest conference of the year was coming up. I was also getting ready to go on maternity leave. We would never have never gotten the project accomplished without them, much less on such a high level.

Are there any areas Simple Machines Marketing could improve?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of AAA Pool Service, a swimming pool service company. We provide weekly service maintenance, seasonal work, major renovations, repairs, equipment installation, and anything else related to swimming pools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

My father and I are partners, and we don’t have any knowledge about marketing or websites. We tried doing it ourselves and using local people who were cheaper, but we weren’t getting results.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simple Machines started out by doing research on my company and my competitors. They came up with a plan and made suggestions on what we should do and why we should do them. They also completely redesigned our website from start to finish. We had an idea of what we wanted the company to look like to others, but the way the website had been done by the previous developer wasn’t reflecting the image we were trying to portray. We worked closely with Simple Machines to describe our vision—what we do and who we want to be. From there, I gave them complete control over the process. The SEO part of the site was completely overhauled as well. Over the years, we’ve continued to change things about the website and advertising.

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

I got a cold call one day. It was right when we were discussing the fact that we don’t know what we’re doing with advertising. Jill Wilson came in, talked with me, and sold me on their process. I believed that what they had to offer was what we needed.

How much have you invested with Simple Machines Marketing?

We spend $20,000 a year on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2010, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They send me reports on the metrics, but all I know is we’re a lot busier and the phone rings more often. I have also gotten positive feedback on the design and navigation of the website.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the things that I first liked about them was that they were prompt to return phone calls. We have a couple of in-person meetings every year, but mostly we’re communicating via email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about Simple Machines Marketing?

For a small company like us, we’re experts at what we do but that doesn’t mean we know everything about advertising. I really enjoy the fact that I’ve got two or three people regularly worrying about my business. It’s like having someone in the same office, but I’m not paying them what I would a full-time employee.

Are there any areas Simple Machines Marketing could improve?

No, they’ve met all my demands.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the business development manager. 

Aloha Print Group is a 15-year-old digital printer in Chicago. We do printing for business cards, marketing materials, banners, etc. We also attack vertical markets along with architecture printing, litigation, and e-discovery. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Machines Marketing?

Aloha used to heavily rely on referrals, but they wanted to use a different strategy to grow. They hired Simple Machines to put together a marketing plan for both internet and other approaches.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of the vertical markets we wanted to attack was the hospitality industry. Simple Machines helped us with proper keywords and a layout that would give us higher success with email blasts and Google. Another example of Simple Machine's involvement was with our concierge stand collateral that they helped us build. This was created for guests of the hotel that couldn't fly with their marketing and print materials. So they would be able to get printing done quickly at Aloha. Simple Machines also reinvented our website from top to bottom and helped us usher in a name/identity that better defined our capabilities. 

How did you come to work with Simple Machines Marketing?

I was hired on after they were brought in.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Simple Machines at the beginning of 2015, and we continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Simple Machines was easy to work with and build relationships with. We have had an increase in responses from Google and Yelp reviews. There has been an array of business that we’ve been able to work with together. We’ve seen an increase in traffic on the website and have received positive feedback from the users.

How did Simple Machines Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I thought they did a great job. I worked with 4 to 5 different people from their team who were extremely responsive.

What did you find most impressive about Simple Machines Marketing?

They were always very good at finding solutions and had different options if an issue came up.

Are there any areas Simple Machines Marketing could improve?

I enjoyed everything about working with them.