Spin Brands

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m head of brand marketing at a global e-commerce business that sells adult goods.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spin Brands?

We were going through a social agency pitch, so we were looking to onboard a partner to accelerate the current social activity. Because of our industry, we face several restrictions surrounding paid advertising.

We were also struggling to implement organic strategies. Essentially, we needed someone to help us think bigger and bolder with our social strategy to make it a better acquisition tool.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started with an audit of our current activity. Then, they worked with us for three months, providing support surrounding our organic content, paid ads, and ambassadors. They just finished up by creating a strategy document that’s based on their learnings over the course of our relationship. 

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Max (Co-Founder, Spin Brands), Katya (Account Director, Spin Brands), and Rob (Paid Specialist, Spin Brands).

How did you come to work with Spin Brands?

They were recommended by another colleague who worked with them previously. So, during our agency pitch, we approached them and asked if they wanted to be a part of the pitch process.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of social metrics, we’ve seen a significant improvement in our engagement rate. They’ve encouraged us to be braver and bolder with our organic content, which seems to be working as well. We’ve noticed a positive sentiment from our followers, as well. Our accounts grew their follower count, and their team helped us approach influencers and ambassadors. That’s really helped us to scale that effort significantly in a short amount of time.   

How did Spin Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a weekly call with them on Google Hangouts. Our teams also share work in progress action documents and email communications. Every once in a while, we have a face-to-face meeting to creatively brainstorm. Otherwise, we work through Google Hangouts. They’re always available at the other end of the phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really passionate about our brand. From the very beginning of the pitch process, they were incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about what we do. They understood our brand and our challenges. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Part of our brief included our need to localize our strategy to specific areas in the global market. Our markets in the United States and Australia are important to us, and I think there could’ve been better ways to localize with our team in Australia. It’s a work in progress, though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear brief and understanding of your goals. That will make it easy to measure your success along the way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Active Kollection is a premium sportswear marketplace. Basically, we bring together the best, elite sports fashion brands with an independent focus.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spin Brands?

We were at an early stage, actually pre-launch in terms of the e-commerce aspect of our business. We wanted to drive growth through organic and paid social media advertising, which we didn’t feel we had the necessary expertise to manage. We needed to build our organic channels to connect with our community and customers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter directly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With a bit of guidance on our demographic, Spin Brands have worked to spend our yearly ad budget to drive organic and paid social growth. Their team has created all of our content for Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. They’ve built collateral to try and grow our channels, providing consistent content across platforms to add value for our customers. Their team has posted almost every day on Instagram and a few times a week on Twitter as well as Facebook. They have responded to typical engagements: any questions that they could answer directly, and any pleasant interactions. Any direct messages that were more commercial or private, their team would let us know.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had interactions with about four or five members of the Spin Brands team. Our team has worked with one core senior account manager. They’ve also brought a junior account manager, a graphic design specialist, a paid ad specialist, and their team of content writers onboard.

How did you come to work with Spin Brands?

The relationship started before my time. A colleague recommended Spin Brands, saying they were trustworthy, transparent, and had a significant impact on the business. First of all, we got in touch with their team to discuss what we wanted to achieve. Then, they brought us in to pitch us content pillars and perceived growth over the year.

How much have you invested with them?

For organic social, we’ve spent about £1,750 a month (approximately $2,200 USD). We’ve also invested about £75,000 (approximately $96,300 USD) in advertising spend, which they’ve spent for us. Because of the amount we’ve spent, we’re charged a premium of £1,750 monthly (approximately $2,200 USD) for paid social.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in late October 2018, and the collaboration’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spin Brands has overperformed. Now, we have 31,000 followers on Instagram with good engagement and 15,000 followers on Twitter. The growth in followers has blown us away. We’re really pleased with that. For their paid Facebook advertising, we’ve had an eight-times return on ad spend. From the £75,000 we’d given Spin Brands to spend, we’ve received about £600,000 (approximately $770,400 USD), which is phenomenal.

How did Spin Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve been really pleased with the engagement from an organizational and project perspective. We’re big on communication and Spin Brands’ the type of agency that gears their management to suit the client. We’ve kept ongoing communication on a monthly basis to assess the project’s progress—always returning to the original plan and content pillars we’d given them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From a hard-nosed perspective, the results have been fantastic. For a young start-up like us, it’s invaluable trusting their team to run our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They’re spending on advertising, accessing our community, and directing our messaging. When you meet Spin Brands, it’s clear that they’re a trustworthy organization. It makes life easier because it means that if there are any bumps in the road, they’re a group of people you can trust.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. They could be louder or brasher about how successful they can be.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their expertise. There are tried and tested formulas for how to go about social media marketing. What Spin Brands suggests, 99 out of 100 times it’s what’s right for your brand—even if you don’t think it is at the time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Social Media Associate for our energy supply company based in Southampton. I oversee our social media channels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Spin Brands?

We were looking to increase our paid-for advertising presence across our social networks (particularly Twitter & Facebook), and develop these to generate further brand awareness and conversions. We also required the services of Spin Brands' graphic designers, to create new assets for our marketing efforts, once briefed out to them. This is an ongoing relationship with Spin Brands, with new content being created regularly, and regular amendments to current ad strategy.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase our overall brand awareness on social media, and our conversions through our social media platforms. We also wanted to develop a number of creative assets (ongoing), to use for promotional posts on social media.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Based on the recommendation from our home services director, who worked with Spin Brands in her previous company role.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we selected Spin Brands, we had an introductory phone call with the co-founder to discuss our goals and aims for our work. This initial call reviewed our plans for social advertising, Facebook & Twitter growth, and asset creation. We have since had multiple phone calls with our Account Manager to discuss our ongoing ad strategy. Spin Brands developed a full social ad strategy for us, including asset creation. They continue to monitor and report back to us on the success of this.

What was the team composition?

I've worked closely with our account manager, who has ensured all creative briefs are passed over to the graphic design team, and deadlines met on time. I've also had regular phone calls with him to discuss our ongoing ad strategy. These calls have always been productive and informative.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the launch, our CPA for our paid-for advertising has decreased. Our overall brand awareness and landing page views through Facebook have increased. And we've managed to develop a solid number of creative assets, all of which have been used for our promotional posts on social media.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our Account Manager has been consistently easy to communicate with, with regular updates on the progress of our creative assets. We are also provided with a weekly ad report, which gives us good visibility over how our ad strategy is progressing. Overall very impressed with the communications of Spin Brands.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with the number of services they offered and how efficiently they deliver assets. Due to the nature of our business, assets sometimes are required at very short notice, and the design team at Spin Brands is very accommodating with this, with quick turnaround times for creative assets.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Commercial Director at Vivobarefoot Limited. We are a fast-growing international barefoot shoe brand, scaling our DTC business across key markets in the UK, USA, Northern, and Central Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Spin Brands?

We were looking to scale our e-commerce growth, taking our first tentative steps into Social Marketing to support our existing digital channel executions. This expedited growth coincided with a crowdfunding round which required both increased brand awareness and visibility, alongside sales growth.

What were your goals for this project?

A global increase in volume, increase in brand visibility, awareness, engagement, and consideration.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Via a fairly opportunistic cold contact by Alex (CEO, Spin Brands) and Max (Co-Founder) who got in touch at the right time with a very dynamic pitch of how they could scale our business via social. We like to work cooperatively with comparable size businesses and worked with Spin from their infancy, scaling alongside each other as we went.

We spoke with more established (conglomerate style) agencies during selection criteria but thought Spin best matched our requirements given their flexibility and dynamic approach.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Initially paid and organic social, their remit changed as our requirements changed. They also managed the scaling of our affiliate business and provided strategic direction for our overall digital marketing plan.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with the owners/founders Alex and Max initially, and as the team scaled we worked with the relevant channel experts. The team were always accessible and acted as an extension to our organizations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our e-commerce business has more than tripled since we started working with Spin Brands, of which a significant proportion can be directly attributed to their contribution.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Spin Brands acted as an extension of our business, present in the office when required attending relevant meetings. Communication was always open and free between both businesses.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team's overall aptitude and knowledge of our niche industry. They went out of the way to align with our principles, ethics, and values to ensure they could truly speak our language and tone of voice in customer comms. Moreover, they remained more than up to date with the rapidly changing social marketing scene, keeping our growth cost-efficient.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the inventor and founder of TEA REX, the world's first fresh fruit & root infusion. We’re a startup business with an outsourced model geared up to scale rapidly through retail and online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Spin Brands?

We needed help with the setup and running of our Amazon account to ensure the listing was correct from day one. We also needed help with the creation and ongoing management of our Facebook and Instagram advertising.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build awareness of our brand, find our 'sweet spot' target audience, and drive sales through our website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We talked to five agencies and then selected two for formal proposals. We selected Spin Brands because members of their team had run successful online businesses and could relate to our challenge. Their affordable entry cost allowed us to test and then scale up. Their team was seriously hungry for the work and keen to help.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We had 2–3 meetings to define our objectives and then they got started within 24 hours. They provide a nimble test-and-learn approach to inform our strategy. Spin Brands handles the tagging, merchandising, and ongoing optimization of our Amazon listings. They defined the cost-per-click and cost-per-acquisition for our social media advertisements. They also do testing, creative messaging, targeting, and ongoing optimization for the ads.

What was the team composition?

We have a point person for both Amazon and social media. In addition, there’s a team of 10 experts who contribute to our account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spin Brands quickly highlighted creative elements that weren’t effective and paused campaigns so as not to burn budget. It’s early yet, but we’ve already seen sales on Amazon. Our cost-per-click has been reduced by 20% on social media. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We’re a startup, and they keep it very simple. They’re always available to pick up the phone. Spin Brands is collaborative. They offer weekly reviews that allow us to make decisions as a team. Then they act, test, learn, and repeat as necessary. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re business people who do marketing. There’s minimal downtime, and they work super fast.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything at this point.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Fay Campbell Events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spin Brands?

I find most of my work by word of mouth. I wanted to grow my social media presence, so I was looking for a vendor to help me.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage my Instagram account. They create content and post images, helping me form connections with like-minded people.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with Savannah (Account Manager, Spin Brands) and Katya.

How did you come to work with Spin Brands?

I found out about them through another company.

How much have you invested with them?

I've spent about £3,000 (approximately $3,800 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've helped me raise awareness of my business. I can use my Instagram account to showcase the work that I do, which promotes my work and reinforces my credibility within the industry and amongst peers

How did Spin Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive and do everything on time. Also, they readily accept feedback and correct their mistakes immediately. We mostly use email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They care about and understand my business and ensure that is reflected in the content.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'd like them to be a bit more proactive and suggest more ways I can interact with clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about who you are, your objectives as a business and what you're trying to accomplish. Then, let them do their job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of Longhaul Endurance. We make organic savory fuels for ultra-endurance events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spin Brands?

We were a new company, so we were looking to grow our social media presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage all of our social media, posting content on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They also respond to customer comments on our behalf. We provide some of the content, and Spin Brands helps us create a lot of the content, take photos, and make videos.

What is the team composition?

We mostly work with Lovisa, who is our account manager.

How did you come to work with Spin Brands?

They were recommended to us by someone who had worked with them previously.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them £450 a month (approximately $560 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spin Brands has definitely helped us get our name out there. A shop in England contacted us because their customers were asking about our product. The only way the customers could find out about us is through social media. They've also helped us raise awareness among race organizers and other influencers within the industry.

How did Spin Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

We usually use email to communicate and they always respond the same day. We also meet with them once every six months and talk to them on the phone occasionally.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're not specialists in sports fuels, so I've been impressed with their ability to find great content. They post engaging things that bring us more followers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think so. They've done a fantastic job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more content you give them at the beginning of the project, the better they can understand your business and accomplish your goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CFO of the Altamarea Group, a restaurant and hospitality company with restaurants around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spin Brands?

We engaged Spin Brands to manage our social media strategy for one of our restaurants in London. We were hoping to create buzz and visibility around the restaurant that specifically targeted locals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After going over our objectives and goals with their team, Spin Brands completely took over the management of our social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram). They took photos of the restaurant, spent time getting to know its managers, ran promotions, and created and posted content regularly. They also ran campaigns, spotlighting our food delivery services by partnering with nearby food delivery service companies.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Alex (Co-founder, Spin Brands).

How did you come to work with Spin Brands?

We found Spin Brands through some mutual contacts who had recommended them. We felt they would be a good fit because they grasped our challenges and were nimble and entrepreneurial like us. They took ownership of their work and seemed willing to dedicate a lot of attention to achieving our objectives.

How much have you invested with them?

We worked with them on a monthly retainer of about £1,000 (about $1,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from 2016 to 2018. Due to some other unique challenges outside of Spin Brand's control, the restaurant recently closed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spin Brands successfully increased online engagement with our targeted audience and helped us significantly grow our delivery business. They effectively highlighted menu items that attracted more customers and increased followers by creating eye-catching content. Their work helped us translate the quality of our food and drinks and authenticity as a restaurant to the local Londoner, expanding our reach beyond the mostly tourist-driven audience.

How did Spin Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team took ownership of the project and provided regular updates, including metrics regarding followers and engagement. Throughout the process, they were proactive, engaged, and highly communicative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very accessible whenever we had any questions or needed to reach someone on their team. They also provided a lot of great insight and feedback throughout the project, proactively helping us find the best solutions to reach our goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of LiveFit. We are a personal training agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spin Brands?

We wanted to optimize our small, locally focused promotional campaigns for personal training in London.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We organize our promotional campaigns by borough. For each, Spin Brands implemented advertising strategies to optimize our outreach through Facebook and Instagram. Initially, we had a consultation to plan the campaign. Over the course of several meetings, the team improved our engagement with initial testers, audiences in specific locations, and new profiles we’ve picked up along the way.

Currently, Spin Brands is trialing Facebook ads in different styles. They are also helping us adjust our content and our production methods to better reach our target audience. Leads form these ads are funneled through our Facebook link page. They are also doing some Instagram work, as well. As we take on new locations, we plan to expand our engagement with Spin Brands to include all of those new campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We are mainly in contact with an account manager, but initially, we spoke with the co-founder.

How did you come to work with Spin Brands?

They approached me. We are located in the same area. I normally don’t accept cold calls, but I was in the market for a service provider and found them respectful and detail-oriented. I also appreciated their approach in contacting us, I didn’t feel pushed into the partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent around £3,000 ($3,832 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018 and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spin Brands optimized our social media advertising campaigns and they’ve all been successful. They also helped me better organize the processes on my end of the sales funnel. Last month, I received 150 leads and increased our sales rates. Due to the nature of our business, those initial sales will most likely turn into repeat sales and over time our profits will multiply. We are really looking forward to that.

Through our engagement, I’ve learned how to do some of the work myself, but I plan to continue the partnership because the return on our investment is good. They offer high-quality services at a reasonable price.

How did Spin Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

Spin Brands is very responsive. Our account manager works efficiently and is always available for meetings, phone calls, Skype calls, or emails. The team manages projects with detail, but they remain flexible when dealing with changes or problems on our end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I am most impressed with their performance. The results have been better than we expected.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would’ve liked to work with them earlier on, then I could’ve avoided some mistakes. It would also be nice of their services extended through my end of the sales funnel, but that is asking them to do my job.

We are working through small issues with location and other details with the Facebook ads to make them perform even better. Spin Brands has even enlisted the help of their Facebook account manager, which is a huge step forward.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients give Spin Brands a chance. They provide a lot of services at a fair cost. All of their work is efficient and intuitive. Also, clients should provide their team with a lot of information and stay open and involved throughout the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-founder of Well & Truly. We're a healthy snack food brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spin Brands?

We wanted support for our social media channels.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they just managed our Instagram channel. They don’t create the content but they post it for us, making sure that it goes up in a timely manner. They also ran a campaign to generate additional followers, which followed their follow/unfollow strategy. After several months they also started managing our Facebook page. They supported a paid Facebook advertising campaign that was requested by one of our Scandinavian distributors.

What is the team composition?

Our main contact is one of the co-founders. We've also worked with two account directors.

How did you come to work with Spin Brands?

They actually approached us. One of their account directors sent us an e-mail. One of the brands they worked with was owned by a friend of ours. We contacted them to get a reference and their review was positive. We then had a meeting to understand their capabilities, and decided to give it a try.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £5,000 (approximately $6,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've achieved every numerical deliverable that we've set since we've been working together. They doubled our Instagram following over a month. Then they got our following over 10,000 so we could have access to the additional functionality within Instagram. They successfully supported the Facebook campaign across Sweden, which was geo-targeted with specific metrics for each store. They also maintain an ongoing 25% level of engagement on our channels.  

How did Spin Brands perform from a project management standpoint?

They're really good at communicating with us. We primarily use email and phone, but we do have in-person meetings as well. They made sure that the handover was smooth when they switched account directors. We have monthly calls where we talk about the performance of the previous month. They send us monthly reports and also pull out interesting nuggets—such as an influential blogger that has started following us—so we can fold that into our PR campaigns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always available, which for a startup is great. When we've had an issue over a weekend, somebody always replies. They offer a lot of added value by making sure they're involved with the brand, such as coming to trade shows. They've gone the extra mile.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could potentially generate some free content for clients once in a while as an additional value-add, that would be a nice gesture. I think it would be interesting to see what discounts you could get being a longer term client rather than just a short, project-based client. I think those would be the two areas.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to set the measures and metrics you want to accomplish in order to get the most out of the engagement.