Spotlight Branding

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of client services and marketing at The Parents Estate Planning Law Firm, which handles estate planning for families with young children. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spotlight Branding?

We hired Spotlight Branding to help us with our digital marketing. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spotlight Branding provides us with a variety of digital marketing services. They manage the website they developed for us, making regular updates and changes. At one point, they were also writing blogs for the site, but now we handle that internally. They do, however, provide us with some written content for the site, including landing pages. Spotlight Branding’s team also sends out a monthly email newsletter via MailChimp. 

We’ve just engaged Spotlight Branding to help us create a podcast, which we’ll post to our website and send out via the newsletter. 

What is the team composition?

Anna (Lead Account Manager) is our main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Spotlight Branding?

We met Spotlight Branding at an event for one of our coaching groups. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invest around $500 a month with Spotlight Branding, and when we start the podcast in May, we’ll invest an additional $250 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Spotlight Branding began in September 2017, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our email open rate has increased from 25% to around 35% working with Spotlight Branding. I’m completely satisfied with Spotlight Branding’s work — their team is excellent and has exceeded my expectations. 

How did Spotlight Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

Spotlight Branding always meets our deadlines and sticks to our budgets. I have a monthly call with Anna to discuss our partnership, but I can email her with any urgent requests and she’ll respond within 24 hours. Spotlight Branding also sends out a regular newsletter to keep clients abreast of changes they make internally — they have excellent communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed with Spotlight Branding’s customer service. We weren’t thrilled with the first project manager they assigned to us, so Spotlight Branding hopped on a call with us to discuss what we wanted. They listened to what we needed and quickly replaced our project manager. Spotlight Branding consistently delivers a good product, and I’ve never been tempted to switch vendors. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything for Spotlight Branding to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to clearly define their company’s voice, messaging, and audience when they start with Spotlight Branding. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing attorney of an immigration law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spotlight Branding?

We needed someone to design and produce our monthly newsletters.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spotlight Branding provides us with digital marketing services, specifically publishing blog articles and sending out monthly newsletters.

I regularly send them topics to blog on and it’s their responsibility to develop and edit content.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been working with three people from their team.

How did you come to work with Spotlight Branding?

Spotlight Branding was recommended to us by another lawyer.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested about $5,000–$6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to say where the traffic comes from because I also engage with other companies for our digital marketing needs.

How did Spotlight Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well from a project management perspective and we typically communicate through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with the volume of emails they send out and the quality of their design templates.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could maybe hire better writers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to always be prepared to edit the work they deliver.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an attorney at a law firm that’s based in Houston.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spotlight Branding?

We were looking for someone who could help us design our website and perhaps give us some small marketing assistance. For this, we brought in Spotlight Branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spotlight Branding first designed our logo and graphics alongside our website. We had a concept and provided them with specific colors and fonts that they could use. We wanted a fairly simple website, and that’s what they delivered. 

They’re now assisting us with social media marketing. They run marketing campaigns for us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. They don’t run paid ads, but they do create posts on those channels about five times a week. We collaborate on the design and content. They also provide the links to our blog and social media so we can check if everything looks okay.

What is the team composition?

I can’t remember how many people worked on the web design, but we’re currently working with three people from Spotlight Branding. Our account manager is the one who coordinates the calls, follows up with tasks, and manages everything else. We’ve also worked with a content writer. 

How did you come to work with Spotlight Branding?

I’d been listening to podcasts on Lawyerist.com, and that’s what led me to Spotlight Branding. We decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve paid an initial fee for the website design and are now paying $1,200 monthly for their marketing services. Our total investment is a little over $12,000 per year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Spotlight Branding around October 2020, and they’re still providing marketing and website maintenance services for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re definitely pleased with Spotlight’s work, and we’re very satisfied with the design of our website. I don’t have the actual figures, but we have noticed a significant increase in the number of people who are reaching out to us through our contact page. 

How did Spotlight Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They do really well on this front, meeting deadlines and staying within our budget. They’re more often the ones waiting on us. We typically communicate via email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We enjoy the personal connection that comes with our partnership with Spotlight Branding. They’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to understand our goals and what we were working towards, and they’ve kept that in mind for every type of work they provide. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think there’s anything. Granted, this is our first time working with a marketing company so we don’t have anything to compare them to, but we’ve been pleased with the work they’ve provided.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open with them about what you’re looking for. Even if you’re a novice when it comes to marketing, they will hold your hands through the process. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an immigration law practice. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spotlight Branding?

We hired Spotlight for their marketing services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spotlight has created our website from scratch. They also currently write monthly blogs and quarterly newsletters for us. The team has done additional services for us before, but we’ve had to reduce our budget since the COVID-19 pandemic happened.  

What is the team composition?

We work with one main point of contact. Another teammate writes the blogs, and we’re also in touch with that person. 

How did you come to work with Spotlight Branding?

I had gone to an association meeting for growing businesses, and somebody mentioned Spotlight off the cuff. That was how we found them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t share any quantitative metrics for Spotlight’s work because what they’re doing is soft marketing. Some people do get our newsletter and have approached us, but the norm is that people check us out through other places where we’ve advertised. In other words, Spotlight serves mostly as a validation of our online presence. 

How did Spotlight Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically communicate with Spotlight through emails and phone meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t hired anybody else for this engagement, so we can’t assess Spotlight in comparison to other companies. However, we’re happy with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They don’t offer paid ads and social media management. That’s not part of their service plan, and they don’t offer it to anybody.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should be fully prepared and engaged with Spotlight; you must be a fully contributing partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an online divorce/family mediation company and family law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Spotlight Branding, and what were your goals?

Initially, the project was to develop a new brand - logos, colors, website, content and social media presence. The goal was to reach potential qualified clients and create brand awareness in the markets we servce.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

This vendor was recommended by many colleagues in the legal field who use the vendor's services.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Spotlight Branding has worked with two of my businesses. The first project was for a startup business, so we needed to develop a brand presence and brand assets from ground zero. They interviewed our leadership team to learn about our client avatars, our market reach, the business mission/values/culture, our personal and business WHY, the services offered, and even spent time to get to know the owners personally. They developed prototype logos/colors/tag lines and once approved, developed prototype website designs. The created branded social media accounts and content (blogs, SM posts, and email newsletter).

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

We were assigned a brand strategist and a brand manager at the outset, and worked closely with the brand manager at the start. Later, a project specialist was assigned to work as part of the team to manage the website development project. A content specialist was also added to the team. Currently, we have a Lead Account Manager overseeing the ongoing work on our account and a Content Specialist. The Director of Operations in also regularly involved to ensure our satisfaction with the team's work and to help us review and evaluate how the services are performing for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have used Spotlight Branding to help us develop and create a brand presence for a new business, and later to help us refine and improve upon the brand presence of an existing business. We have high quality, effective websites that perform well, we have top of mind brand presence for both brands through regular social media posts, blogs and newsletters and our website and social media traffic has grown as we have established both brands and continued to refine our marketing and branding strategies.

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

Initially we had weekly or bi-weekly meetings when the brand and website development was on going. Meetings were via video conferencing with email updates before and after meetings. Timeframes for the project were spelled out in emails, as well as what tasks/milestones were involved, who was assigned to complete tasks, etc.

Our account is largely in maintenance mode, and we have separate monthly meetings with our Lead Account Manager and our Content Specialist. We have ad hoc access to these Spotlight team members anytime we want to implement a new marketing campaign, update website content or add landing pages or other new content, etc.

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

Their commitment to taking time to learn about our business, goals, mission, and what makes us unique is impressive. We really feel like we did not get just a "cookie-cutter" brand proposal. In fact, we regularly get solicitations where people have developed a website prototype as a "conversation starter" with us to sell their services. It is relatively easy to build a website - it is far less easy to build a website that captures the mission, messaging and personality of businesses that seek to stand out from the crowd of competitors.

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

I feel that metrics came along a bit later in our relationship with Spotlight Branding than we would have liked. You cannot improve upon what you don't measure, so as we have gotten better at understanding the value of metrics, we have demanded more data from Spotlight and they are stepping up to meet our requests. Sometimes, the content writers don't do a great job paying close attention to changes/edits we provide to their content, and things have be posted to social media with errors that required after-the-fact editing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spotlight Branding?

We wanted some work done on our website and needed help with social media marketing, as we couldn’t always get to all of the social media platforms that we wanted.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spotlight Branding designs landing pages for us and adds links to our website. We send them a request for what we want, and they apply any changes necessary. Every time they get a new resource, they build a new landing page for that resource.

They also help us with social media marketing. Spotlight Branding is in charge of the copy, and they use the information we give them. They also add images or use a Canva template to create designs for the posts. They send us a monthly social media plan for each quarter, and we go over the posts, edit them, and approve them. Additionally, Spotlight Branding will also be helping us with marketing metrics in the future.

What is the team composition?

We’re in contact with our account manager. We have a writer who does the copy for the social media posts, though we don’t speak with him directly. One other teammate will be doing the marketing metrics for us. 

How did you come to work with Spotlight Branding?

They were already our partners when I joined the firm. Our CEO and our former client support specialist reached out to Spotlight Branding and engaged them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around October 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Spotlight Branding always delivers excellent work and exceptional results. They’re very attentive to detail and always do what’s needed of them. 

In terms of metrics, it’s hard to measure their specific results because I also do social media marketing, so it’s a joint effort. Overall, we’ve gotten more engagement on our site and social media since working with them.

How did Spotlight Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very well organized, responsive, and always meet their deadlines. We communicate through Zoom and phone calls.

If we have any issues, they easily fix them. For example, if we don’t like a social media post they’ve created, they’ll apply the necessary changes. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Spotlight Branding is very creative; they’re able to think of new ideas on their own without hand-holding. The team is very responsive and easy to reach. Additionally, they’re always willing to assist us and do what’s necessary. Overall, Spotlight Branding is good at what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t anything they need to improve at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to stay in constant contact with them and trust them to do a great job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a new law firm formed during a difficult time. I am the founder and responsible for branding, marketing and advertising and building the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Spotlight Branding?

We needed web design for a new website for a new law practice. We started with building the website and expect to add more services later as we grow.

SOLUTION

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

After interviewing several advertising groups and feeling almost all of them were:

• trying to sell me more than I needed and
•  selling me something that I didn't own, Spotlight was the clear winner. When hiring a firm for the first time, you can look at other sites they have built but you are really relying upon the word of the sales person to know whether or not you are going to be a good long-term fit with the marketing firm. Most marketing firms build a website on a proprietary platform that locks you into them for life (or you have to start over if you want to change firms).
• Spotlight built a Wordpress site for us which means we can move it to another platform if we want to and that is extremely important. This meant to me that Spotlight would be more partner than adversary. It turned-out to be a very good fit.

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

We started with our goals and some design ideas. Who are clients were going to be and the level of service we would be offering. The Spotlight team then went to work and provided a number of choices to choose from. Each of the three designs was right on target and after a few tweaks, we went with one of those first designs. The site was then built within a few weeks which was right no schedule.

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

Great people to work with. Fun, creative, caring group of people and not just trying to sell me as much stuff as possible. I worked mostly with Anna who directed others in the background and she was very responsive and did a great job. Even the back office was great (thanks Brittany!). Would recommend them to anyone looking for website design, social media and other marketing work for their professional business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website design was very nicely done and done pretty quickly and within the time frames promised.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked well together. Anna was available by phone as necessary and of course we went back and forth on email quit a bit at the outset. She then checked-in regularly and made updates along the way.

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

They felt more like a partner to us and they clearly are in this for the long-term success of our business.

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

They did a great job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a solo family law firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Spotlight Branding, and what were your goals?

Website design/hosting and ongoing social media services

SOLUTION

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

Referred by another attorney who worked with Spotlight previously; excellent consultation call with Jana Eatman

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

1. We had a kickoff meeting to discuss my firm's mission/how I would like my firm to be portrayed;
2. we then started by developing my logo and slogan
3. and then, my website was designed and social media posts are developed/reviewed by me monthly

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

I believe 2, at least that I worked directly with:

• a project manager
• a designer who works on social media/website content

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Friends/family/colleagues like the design/information provided; I love the clean look of the website and the knowledge provided. A lot of individuals like my social media content and one even inquired as to the company that posts them (Spotlight)

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

We communicate mainly via email, but also had a Zoom call initially and quarterly phone calls, as well as phone calls when needed. They have been very communicative, timely, and are responsive.

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

A nice, clean professional website was provided; very responsive to any updates I have needed; very communicative as well, which I have not found the case to be from other companies

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

I did have to make a lot of changes to the initial website content provided (more of the legal content describing my practice areas) so perhaps more training for the content writers to give more of a legal background

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP at a customs broker company. We provide brokerage services to importers and other companies that want to bring cargo into the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spotlight Branding? 

We wanted to create a presence in the market for our name and company. Our team hired Spotlight to help us do that. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Spotlight has mainly provided us with marketing services. The team has built our website and social media presence. That way, we can be on par with our competitors. 

At present, they write content for our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter channels. They handle content creation, while we provide the logo, colors, and ideas of the things that should go with our brand. Moreover, we have to follow regulations. As a result, whenever they create content, we check it and ensure that everything is within the rules. From there, we approve the content and they post it on our channels. 

Spotlight also continues working on our website, which is a venue for our customers to see who we are and what our background is. We also use it to show reviews from our previous customers. The website also has resources for whoever wants to book a consultation with us. Our contact information is also available on the website. Essentially, it’s a place for existing and potential customers to see that we actually exist. We also use it to be more visible on Google and acquire customers via an internet search. 

Their resources have also offered to create podcasts and newsletters for us, but we’ve told them to start with the website and our social media platforms first. 

What is the team composition?

I have direct contact with Macy (Account Manager) and one writer. Megan (Director of Operations) also communicates with us. 

How did you come to work with Spotlight Branding?

I saw Spotlight on the website of one of our competitors. At that time, I was also looking for a team to create a website for us. I liked what I saw, so I contacted them. They immediately called me back and presented their company and packages to us. That was the start of our engagement. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $3,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Spotlight in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with Spotlight’s services. People from our industry have been commenting and liking our posts, especially on LinkedIn. That’s good for us because our main goal is to let the industry know that we’re here and ready to help any customer. 

In terms of the website, Spotlight is still working on it, and they’re trying to speed up the process for us. Whatever they’ve done so far has been in accordance with our needs and preferences. In other words, we haven’t had the need to change many things in what they’re doing. They already have an idea of what we like, what we need, and what we expect from them. 

How did Spotlight Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

Spotlight’s project management is great. When we forget to respond to them, they send us reminders. If they don’t understand certain things from what we ask, they’re always ready to set up a phone call for us to communicate openly. That’s faster than back-and-forth emails. Simply put, whenever we get stuck, our phone calls speed up the process. 

Moreover, every two weeks, we conduct a meeting with their team to go over what we’re currently doing. Macy and the writer discuss questions or concerns that may be slowing down our progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their desire to help us is impressive. For instance, during our initial conversation, they’ve prepared answers to our questions using statistics and data that prove they know what they’re doing. They have a deep understanding of marketing. Overall, we truly like their confidence in what they’re doing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can improve their services in terms of logo creation and design. For context, they tried to help us in creating our logo, but we didn’t like the result. If they could create better business cards and similar items, that would be great. That way, we’d have everything in one place. We wouldn’t need to look for other teams to do those things. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spotlight knows what they’re doing, especially in terms of marketing and social media. You might have to communicate back and forth in the beginning, but once they understand what your company does, everything becomes faster and better. They’re also great at communicating with anyone. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the partner attorneys at Elder Advisors Law. We have offices in Janesville and Wales, Wisconsin, as well as Venice, Florida. We primarily do estate planning and elder law.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Spotlight Branding?

We had a website, but it wasn’t drawing a lot of traffic. Nothing was consistent across the board on our branding, and we had sporadic social media and blog posting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Spotlight Branding to review everything we were doing and give us a game plan on moving forward to improve everything. Then, they started on their journey to rework our website and get us consistent exposure on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.

Spotlight Branding created a brand new website for us. Once it was up and running, they replaced it on the same domain. Now, they post blogs and manage everything on our behalf.

How did you come to work with Spotlight Branding?

In 2020, my partner and I went to a training session in Tempe, Arizona, regarding work with dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. Spotlight Branding was one of the sponsors; they gave a session on what they did. We followed up with them, had several meetings, and hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent $35,000 or more; we pay about $1,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our engagement in March 2020, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to the work they’ve done, we’ve probably quadrupled the traffic coming to our website. Now, our number one referral source is people who have seen our website or social media posts. Also, we’ve received fantastic feedback from clients, other law firms, financial advisors, bankers, insurance people, and so on. It’s very user-friendly and well put together — people can find out what they need, and it drives them to attend our workshops. Overall, it accomplishes what we wanted.

Additionally, they’re easy to work with. The team takes our suggestions and improves them. We’ve got a great website thanks to them.

How did Spotlight Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been fantastic with us; they’re very responsive. When there are issues, they’re almost always solved immediately. Also, when there are urgent changes or updates, they do them promptly.

We do phone calls as needed, but we primarily use emails to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen to our needs. Even when we started, they took a lot of time to just listen to us. We’re not a typical law firm, and they’ve grasped that and put it into play in all of the work they’ve done for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are always areas for improvement, but we’re happy if they just keep doing what they’re doing. They do a fantastic job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them an opportunity. Their philosophy is a little different; they work based on content, but they do an excellent job at that. Have a hard look at what they do — there won’t be anybody that does it better than them.