Symbol Syndication

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Carmella Consulting. We’re a marketing agency, and we have six staff members.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symbol Syndication?

We needed someone who could provide really thorough SEO services. More specifically, I was looking for optimization and link building efforts beyond what we could do ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Symbol Syndication handles SEO services for one of our clients. Each month, their team delivers a report detailing performance and analytics. They identified some issues that were preventing the site from ranking high in search engines. Then, they proposed solutions to fix those obstacles.

Their team performed some backend development in efforts to improve the site’s SEO-friendliness. The goal was to increase website traffic as well as rank high in a really small market. In other words, we needed the website to rank in well in bigger markets and local ones.

What is the team composition?

I work with Jonathan (Owner) and Riley (Marketing Director).

How did you come to work with Symbol Syndication?

Jonathan and I belong to a Facebook group for business owners in Calgary, Canada.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $12,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re always trying to make sure we’re ranking high for the keywords that are most important to the target audience. Symbol Syndication has really helped us achieve that. It’s a slow growth process, and the client is happy so we’re happy.

My team is appreciative of their work, and we enjoy working with them. I’d steal Riley away from Symbol Syndication because we absolutely love working with him. He’s probably our favorite person on their team.

How did Symbol Syndication perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was great. They met deadlines and communicated with us through email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In January, they came to us and reported some issues about the ranking and loading speed of the website. They also explained all the needed changes and projected costs. It was an up-charge on their end, but it really helped the client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The reports provide details about month-to-month improvement, but I’d like to know more about improvement over time. I don’t have this information and it may be because I didn’t look close enough or they didn’t provide it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to start with an exploration phase because Symbol Syndication provides a lot of services that I wasn’t aware of until later. I initially knew what I specifically wanted from them, but it was through trial-and-error that I discovered all they could do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I used to work for Hard Knocks Fighting, an MMA organization. We not only hosted live events but also produced documentaries about the athletes who participated in our series. We had two different TV shows, and I was a producer for both.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symbol Syndication?

We needed a company that we could consistently rely on to create documentaries for us. We were seeking someone to take care of everything from directing shooting, editing, and arranging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Symbol Syndication on a project-by-project basis, where we’d get a call from a client in another state about wanting to create a documentary. We asked Symbol about their availability, and if they were open to taking on the project, they’d quickly work to deliver a 22-minute documentary.

We provided Symbol with a documentary template to adhere to, which detailed the requirements of each episode. They were also given a budget. Other than those ingredients, we gave Symbol Syndication carte blanche in regard to the finished product.

Our target audience was, generally, fight fans — males between 15–35 years old, and they would make up 70% of our expected viewership.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Jonathan (Owner & Videographer), who designated the appropriate tasks to his team.

How did you come to work with Symbol Syndication?

I met Jonathan at a networking meeting and looked at his portfolio. I thought that his youthful outlook could resonate with your viewers, who are also of a younger demographic. He was also skilled and really personable, so we didn’t expect him to have any problems working with our subjects.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $25,000–$50,000. Each episode was somewhere around $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2014, and that partnership lasted until 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We always got good reviews from our subjects about how easy it was to work with Symbol Syndication. They were flexible about taking on projects as they came, and did a good job at navigating open-ended requirements. MMA fighters aren’t typically the easiest people to handle, but Symbol Syndication succeeded in directing and getting great footage of them.

Other than that, Jonathan was always on time and on budget, and we never had to wait for something from him.

How did Symbol Syndication perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all deadlines. Jonathan worked hard to address any uncertainty or issue. I also appreciated the fact that he anticipated problems and suggested possible solutions. That dynamic made him very easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re incredibly creative. It’s very tempting for a company to rely too heavily on a given template, but Symbol Syndicate always delivered a unique punch. Jonathan thought outside of the box while sticking to the formula just enough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing really comes to mind. Jonathan did a great job of navigating changing external circumstances. They performed very, very well, and were the best of the partners I’d worked with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of their creative side. Give them the ability and flexibility to deliver something that you didn’t necessarily have in mind. You can also feel free to push back on their ideas since they’re great at receiving feedback.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the directors of Flagship Business Brokers. We essentially transact the purchase and sales of businesses. We occasionally help with some funding, but mostly focus on sellers looking for buyers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Symbol Syndication?

In our industry, it’s tough to stand out since we don’t have a specific product to set us apart from others. We hired Symbol Syndication to create videos that capture what we do and give some insight into the company itself.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Symbol Syndication created videos of the different tasks we do on a daily basis and helped us with the various creative work we needed. The clips were typically 30 seconds to 1 minute in length, but a few were a bit longer. They handled the writing, shooting, and editing processes for the project. Their team incorporated our feedback through each stage and delivered the content so we could use it across social media and other platforms. 

What is the team composition?

Jonathan (Owner, Symbol Syndication) and Riley (Marketing Director, Symbol Syndication) were the main two teammates we worked with. 

How did you come to work with Symbol Syndication?

I met Jonathan a few years ago through a business group. Having seen his work and knowing him, I knew he cared about his clients and would be able to deliver what he promised. I trusted Symbol Syndication could produce a product we’d be happy with. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little under $7,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for about three months between January–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t leveraged the videos too much for advertising purposes yet, so we can’t speak to their effectiveness in that way. For now, we use it in presentations and talks to give our team more credibility and it’s been working. People are receptive to our company and brand, and the videos cause them to trust us more. We’re very happy using the videos. 

How did Symbol Syndication perform from a project management standpoint?

As far as project management is concerned, they were fantastic. They were on top of the ball and chased us down for anything they needed, which was great. Whenever we had feedback, they were very receptive and applied it directly to their work. Typically, we corresponded through email just to keep track of the progress. At no point was I confused about our status and they were timely in asking us to approve every piece. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since working with their team, it makes complete sense that they work with such impressive, large clients and accounts. They made the process extremely smooth and were receptive to our needs for the final products. Their team was easy to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were really happy with the videos and the budget was more or less what we anticipated, although it changed halfway through the project on our end. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s really important to have a clear idea of what you’re trying to achieve. Articulate your ideas as best as you can. In our case, a brand video could have been several different styles, so we leaned on Symbol Syndication to help us refine our existing ideas. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Web design and development and graphic design agency. Lead, Design & Founder

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Symbol Syndication?

Video production and editing

What were your goals for this project?

To show the high quality and efficient work the client can accomplish on site for their clients of similar scale.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Symbol Syndication are professional and produce quality work at a cost that was in line with our budget.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

Initial planning and concept development of the video, discussed goals and target audience and any details we wanted included. Planed locations and filmed over a few days ensure we had all the shots we needed including some areal shots with a drone. Editing and approvals from the client and final delivery of the product. Video's featured friendly workers painting the exteriors of a condo complex mixed with drone footage of the larger area. Final cuts were friendly and approachable.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Approval of concept before filming. Approval of basic shot styles and angles. Rough cut approvals with a chance for revisions. Final cut approvals including any revisions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Client used all the cuts of the videos on their social media and other online properties to win more work in the same industry. They use the videos as a demonstration of a successful project with a happy client and use it to win work with complexes of similar size.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are friendly and very available. Easy to get a hold of and fast.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not particularly