TopSpot Internet Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Techline Manufacturing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

We were having trouble with our existing website and hired TopSpot to create a more professional, new platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TopSpot rebuilt our website from scratch, including our 100 web pages that show our product and service offerings. They gave suggestions and implemented new ideas into the platform to improve the structuring of our information. The new site is built on MODX.

In addition to creating our platform, TopSpot currently manages our SEO and Google Ads efforts. They did an audit of our site and our competitors before creating a list of keywords.

What is the team composition?

Paige (SEO Specialist, TopSpot Internet Marketing), Sara (Team Lead, TopSpot Internet Marketing), and Lauren (Client Strategies Manager, TopSpot Internet Marketing) are the teammates I’m regularly in contact with.

How did you come to work with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

I had worked with TopSpot at a previous employer for my advertising needs, so I knew they could do a good job. I also followed a recommendation from someone who used the team for website development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on the website in 2015. The SEO services they provide are ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Leads regularly come to us through the forms on our site. We see more engagement compared to before we had TopSpot’s support. Site traffic is also significantly higher—it has more than doubled since the start of the engagement.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicate through email and phone, but I’m able to visit their office if I need to. We’re in contact several times a week for questions and updates. We have monthly meetings to review our progress, as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a professional company that is willing to go above and beyond to take care of the customer. They’re attentive and perceptive. We value the suggestions they give us and they respond well to our needs and input. I appreciate their youthful energy and knowledge they bring to the work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of for them to improve. They’ve done a great job and we’re pleased.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a custom metal manufacturing company. We provide custom metal fabrication, welding and machine shop services for a diverse clientele.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

Our previous digital marketing vendor was unable to verify that their services contributed to our business, so we decided to search for a new partner who could develop effective growth solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TopSpot Internet Marketing built the front- and backend our company website. Using the MODX CMS platform, they developed an industrial web design and integrated several images and copywriting. Since completing the site, their efforts are spent on digital marketing. A bulk of their work involves PPC and SEO. Their team also helps us create content for our social media channels. They are currently optimizing our YouTube channel for branding purposes.

What is the team composition?

Less than five of their digital marketing professionals are working on our account at any given time.

How did you come to work with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

One of their representatives came to our office to advertise their services, which is the moment we became of their business. After experiencing little success with our previous digital marketing vendor, we decided to partner with TopSpot Internet Marketing. They always deliver excellent work, so we knew that we could rely on them to generate qualified leads. 

How much have you invested with them?

We annually spend $40,000 on digital marketing. We paid around $20,000 to TopSpot for their team to build the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

They have been our digital marketing provider since 2011, but the web development project was completed in March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We entered the partnership as a relatively obscure manufacturing company, but we are now recognized as a leading competitor in the metals industry. Leads are now calling our phones and sending us messages with a great interest in our work. In the last year, we generated $1 million worth of new business. Expanding our reach would have been impossible without TopSpot Internet Marketing’s digital marketing services. The website that they built has also impacted lead generation; it uses a mix of media to tell a comprehensive story that fosters organic growth.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They are one of the most well-organized teams that I have had the pleasure to work with. Scheduling is managed via Basecamp, and they send weekly emails with metric reports. We also have access to their tech support team to assist with site bugs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with TopSpot Internet Marketing has proven to be an excellent investment. As a Google partner, they always stay ahead of the curve. We have learned a lot of valuable information from them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They are very responsive to anything I throw at them. I occasionally send them emails with new marketing strategies, and they’re always willing to update their strategies on my project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are a great company to work with, and they deliver phenomenal results. We have recommended them to several other companies, and every company that has worked with them has reported similar success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the sales and marketing manager for a tool manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

I was experimenting with Google AdWords campaigns on my own and seeing some results, but I didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to it, so I decided to engage a vendor to help with our PPC efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TopSpot took over all of our digital marketing campaigns and has provided additional feedback on ways we can continue to expand our PPC efforts, including shopping ads and international ads in other languages. They monitor our analytics and provide detailed reporting regularly to gauge the success of each campaign.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with an account manager, who manages others on their team. We initially met with a sales representative, who occasionally joins our calls to provide input as well.

How did you come to work with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

I believe one of their sales representatives contacted us directly shortly after we started advertising on Google.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $1,500–$2,000 per month, so we've probably invested more than $50,000 over the years. Some of our costs are offset by government programs that provide grants to help with the portion of Google AdWords aimed at an international audience.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for three years and counting.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've won an award from the governor of Illinois for export excellence after experiencing a 30% increase in export sales over the prior year. This year is looking just as positive, and we attribute a good portion of our success to their assistance since we rely on them solely for our international outreach.

They've also offered invaluable feedback for ways we can improve our website and approach PPC campaigns. Their input is helping us shape our presence online completely.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm very pleased with their project management and communications. They're flexible, setting up meetings with us as often or infrequently as we need. They're also responsive and generally answer emails within a 24-hour period.

Their analytics reporting is highly detailed; it's beyond anything I could do on my own. We generally hold telephone conferences and quarterly reviews of our results, but they also send weekly updates. Without their help, I wouldn't be able to run as many or as robust of campaigns as we do now.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From what I understand, they're a Google partner, which gives them access to certain information sooner and at a higher level than many other vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'm not sure if they have this ability, but I think it would be helpful to have a feedback loop that would allow businesses like ours to present needs and challenges to Google, or perhaps for TopSpot to have a similar feedback loop with other vendors in their industry.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the sales manager of a commercial janitorial services company. We provide nightly janitorial services to places like office buildings and industrial sites. A lot of times, it’s oil-related companies such as refineries, chemical plants, and such, though we also service churches, private schools, and more. We also have some other services built into our company that are ancillary to janitorial services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

We’re a 40-year-old company. As it’s grown and gotten older, the people have stayed the same and we really didn’t get into online marketing until a few years ago. We wanted to build our SEO and figure out how to find business on the internet.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us establish a paid search campaign using Google. We sat down and discussed what kind of clients we like and where the focus on the paid search campaign needs to be the most. We also went over the different services we provide, where we excel, and where we have a competitive advantage over other companies.

The idea was to get as much business as we can in the form of sales appointments, where I go out and walk the facility to be serviced, meet with the person in charge, and then provide them with a quote.

They had some suggestions and asked us a lot of questions to set up the parameters of the search, focusing on getting the kind of business we wanted. We didn’t want to be paying for somebody we weren’t really interested in having as a customer.

How did you come to work with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

We looked for an internet marketing company on Google. We had meetings with five different companies but chose TopSpot because we felt that they had the best ideas. They offered the most insight into ways they thought they could help us. Also, they’re in Houston, which meant that we could meet with them in person to discuss things.

TopSpot had experience with a lot of industrial companies, which is an area of focus for us, and had good references and reviews as well. They came into the meetings really ready to look at our business and tell us how they could help us and showed that they had a lot to offer.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $25,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our number of appointments has doubled since we started working with them. Additionally, the quality of the appointments has been higher than what we were typically getting from our other methods of marketing, which is ultimately translating into more sales. It’s nice to see people come to us, which means they’re definitely interested.

The amount we’ve invested in TopSpot has more than paid for itself with the amount of business we’ve gotten from it.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really good in this aspect. They stay on top of the work, send weekly reports, and will even invite me out at least once a month to go over things. Our meetings are really productive; we have lots of good discussions and come up with new things to add to our campaign.

Furthermore, they’ll monitor some of the phone calls that are made to our office requesting services and then add those services to the paid search campaign. They’re really owning the campaign themselves; I don’t have to do a whole lot. TopSpot has really good ideas and does a great job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a good product and it’s very effective, which is probably due to the specific knowledge they have. Everyone in their company is very educated and they have great ideas that produce results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have anything bad to say about them. Their work is pretty much perfect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Metal Coatings Corp in Houston, TX. We apply coatings to oil production equipment and sell coated fasteners mainly for the chemical industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

Obtaining new customers necessitated a robust digital marketing campaign. We’d mostly been using print ads. Our online presence was limited to industry-related listings like The Thomas Register of American Manufacturers. We hired TopSpot Internet Marketing to improve our website, traffic, visibility, and internet advertising.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TopSpot Internet Marketing executes our entire digital marketing campaign. We collaborate on budget allocations for PPC, landing pages, and site optimization. A keen familiarity with our brand helps them determine ideal SEO keywords. They've developed an expansive list over our 14-year partnership. We recently started strategically targeting regionally specific terms. Our services are geographically limited, so we want to build a local client base. Attracting attention from people across the country isn’t useful.

They’re currently building a modernized platform. Our existing page is eight years old. Core updates aim to make it more interactive and easier to request quotes. Customers can either attach their own drawing or choose from our pre-set list. New features preempt spam and misinformed quote requests. Some customers don't read our site carefully and make purchases that exceed our capacity. Indicating item measurements, price per box, and available inventory should mitigate these incidents.

What is the team composition?

We worked with their executive leadership, a project manager, and a substantial team of resources.

How did you come to work with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

I knew Jeff (Co-founder and SVP of Sales, TopSpot Internet Marketing) from his previous role with an industry directory we're listed in.  We'd achieved notable success and had a positive work dynamic. When he founded TopSpot Internet Marketing, it was an easy transition.

How much have you invested with them?

Our annual costs vary based on advertising decisions.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with TopSpot Internet Marketing since they launched their company in 2004.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales leads have substantially increased every year we’ve worked together. Streamlining our quoting process will improve our business even further. We're the most pleased with our organic traffic results. TopSpot Internet Marketing consistently makes impactful changes and additions. They work proficiently with limited oversight. We only have to approve major costs and changes. We give them latitude because they have expertise we lack internally.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Leadership is split 50/50 between the owners and team leads. They assign project managers for substantial projects like site redesigns. The team includes several resources we can contact at any time. Their responsiveness is excellent for any and all issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

TopSpot Internet Marketing confidently handles all their responsibilities. I admire their business acumen. We trust them, and really value how autonomously they work. They manage our account thoroughly but don’t constantly pester me with questions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, to be honest.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay involved with their lead resources. They'll handle management tasks and contact you about scheduling meetings and important decisions. Try to be readily available to collaborate when needed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bison Profab is a sheet metal job shop. We’ve specialized for the last 20 years in designing and manufacturing industrial enclosures. I am a managing partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot?

Our business challenge was wanting to generate more business. We had not done any internet marketing prior to our association with TopSpot.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We didn’t know where to start with creating an internet presence. Our first step was to create a website. They helped us get that type of information put together and get us on the internet. Since that time, we’ve added a significant amount of information to our website. We started just doing PPC, and for the last 6 years, we’ve been emphasizing more SEO in combination with that. They’ve been by our side the whole way in determining keywords and giving us excellent feedback on what’s working and not working. We had certain markets we felt we could be competitive in. We told them where we wanted to concentrate. I’m pretty illiterate when it comes to specifics.

How did you come to work with TopSpot?

I had a relationship with one of their owners about 12 years ago. I was complaining to him that we were not getting any leads through the traditional marketing efforts we were using and the ones we get are not effective. I asked what he thought of internet marketing. He got together with some of the other guys that are now his partners and that’s how they started TopSpot.

How much have you invested with TopSpot?

We spend just over $100,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s ongoing. We were their first customer, so it’s probably been around 11-12 years that we’ve worked with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were astounded by the traffic we were getting almost immediately. We’ve had a positive experience with them. We get a very detailed analysis report every month. As far as traffic, we’re very pleased with the number of leads and the quality of leads that we get. We have a weekly meeting, and just last week we got 38 qualified leads in and quoted 99% of them. TopSpot responds quickly to questions. They try new things and research what’s working for other companies. We just added some pages attempting to diversify our market. We wanted to get into wastewater treatment. Since we’ve created those pages, we’ve generated $200,000 worth of business. They’ve been very effective for us.

How did TopSpot perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well. We just completed a project for an online catalog on our website that shows all of our enclosures, and allows people to search for our enclosures by a number of different parameters, whether by rating, dimension, or materials. They got that completed in a timely matter and that’s being effective for us.

What did you find most impressive about TopSpot?

They’re the only company we’ve used. I have nothing to compare it to.

Are there any areas TopSpot could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a fastener distributor. I am the President.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot?

We needed a better way for customers to find us on the internet.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were focused on improving our web design pages and SEO. The design aspect gets us a better SEO. Because of the design, there are a lot more pages and keyword searches. That equates to a better algorithm on the internet. They created content for us to put on those pages. We are a distributor of a lot of products; we needed a program that was better suited for the internet.

How did you come to work with TopSpot?

I found them through one of the employees. He was working for somebody else and moved to TopSpot. I did my research on them and decided they would be worth trying. We were looking for a better program at the same time he had contacted us.

How much have you invested with TopSpot?

The website design was $18,000 to $20,000. Our SEO is monthly.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s ongoing. We work with them every day. We started the SEO program in April 2015 maybe. It went further and then we went into the design. It took us 8 to 10 months to create all the pages before it was launched.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Between phone calls and emails, there are probably 12 every day. This is significantly higher than before. We’ve had instances that we’ve written up 7 or 8 new customers in a week. People love the new design. It’s easy to navigate. We can send quotes through it and they can send prints through it.

How did TopSpot perform from a project management standpoint?

We have several people on the team for TopSpot. They each have different roles because we also have a pay-per-click program through them. Everyone works as a team to get us where we think we should be. Sometimes we have meetings every two weeks – it’s always evolving. It’s great to have a team to get good ideas.

What did you find most impressive about TopSpot?

Most of it has been fabulous. It takes a long time, but over a period of time, it’s evolved into a very nice marketable situation.

Are there any areas TopSpot could improve?

I can be impatient at times. I wish they had a better response when developing more pages and that it could go faster. I wish they could have somebody focus on that. We’re always developing our product line. I think we did 15 to 20 more pages and some of them are up and some are not.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company manufactures stainless steel drains. I’m one of the owners and vice presidents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

Initially, we didn’t have a great Internet presence and we wanted something different, so we contacted TopSpot Internet Marketing. I’ve always wanted a website that lets a customer design their own drain online, and TopSpot Internet Marketing developed a really nice program for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TopSpot Internet Marketing provided web development and web design. They configured all our drains online, then we put in the details we wanted. I think they worked with another company to do the configuration on the drains and drawings. We told them what we wanted and then they worked out how to make it feasible. It’s a really nice online program that they’ve done for us. It’s a very unique website.

How much have you invested with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

When we first started working with TopSpot Internet Marketing, we spent around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with TopSpot Internet Marketing. As we come up with new designs and products, they help us update the website. Now, they’re working on social media for us. We send them content, they put it online, and if it needs to be revised in any way, they do that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to TopSpot Internet Marketing, our new website puts us ahead of our competition. It makes us look like a much larger company and everyone comments on the website design. Competitors have even talked to us about acquiring our company. We’ve spent $40,000 and $50,000 on trade shows, and we never got more than 2 or 3 leads from those events. I don’t attend trade shows anymore because of what TopSpot did - I don’t have to. Now, I get leads in the middle of the night and all day long. When we get calls, customers already have specs and we hadn’t even talked to them yet. They went online and did it. TopSpot Internet Marketing has just been the best thing for us. They have really helped us grow our business. They have increased our business by about 25%.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

TopSpot Internet Marketing’s project management is excellent. Every month, we get a spreadsheet report about our website and they call to let us know what’s happening. They go through all the details: feedback, the customers that have visited our website, how many times they clicked on our website, how long they stayed on the page, things like that. We discuss what we need to change, the keywords we need to add, and so on.

What did you find most impressive about TopSpot Internet Marketing?

I have enjoyed working with TopSpot Internet Marketing. They’re delightful. They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do. I can’t brag about them enough and we’ve referred them to a lot of people.

Are there any areas TopSpot Internet Marketing could improve?

I don’t have a clue what it would be because I’m pleased with everything they’ve done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a producer of metal stampings supplied to the auto industry, among others. We do metal stampings and value-added assemblies.

What is your position?

I'm the vice president of sales and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

We were looking to increase our Internet marketing efforts to bring in more leads.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Initially, we got involved with them, utilizing their pay-per-click program, which has worked out quite successfully. They have helped us target our pay-per-click marketing campaign to the best utilization of keywords and cost per click. After that, we've initiated an SEO [search engine optimization] program with them, where we are defining and refining our choice of keywords. They're developing an SEO program for us as well.

How did you come to work with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

I attended a conference where members of the TopSpot team were speakers and was impressed with their approach and simply followed up after the conference.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We’ve spent less than $10,000 on this initiative.

When did you start working with them?

A year ago this time approximately [February 2015], and it’s ongoing work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We track the number of calls or email contacts that we get, which is up substantially since we started working with TopSpot. The conversion rate of contacts to sales has also seen a great improvement.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I think the best indication of that is that we moved forward with two new programs with them, so we're obviously pleased with what they've done at this point.

What distinguishes TopSpot Internet Marketing from other providers?

They are very cost efficient.

Is there anything TopSpot Internet Marketing could have improved or done differently?

No. At this point, we've been very pleased with the results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My organization is a manufacturing plant that makes industrial filtration equipment.

What is your position?

I am the marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

We wanted a better web presence. I had designed our website years before. Originally, we seemed to be getting some good traction from the web. Then, it all dried up as things changed with Google. Initially, we just wanted to improve your web presence through Internet marketing, and then we decided we should redo our entire website, so they did that for us as well.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

TopSpot Internet Marketing did a lot of SEO [search engine optimization] work for us, and they continue to do that. We have a pay-per-click campaign. We also do call tracking with them, so we can track how our people on our business end respond to calls that come in. Those are the main things.

We meet with them on a monthly basis and go over keywords and talk with them about any cyclical things that we know happen in our industry, so that they can focus our pay per clicks on certain terms at different times of the year.

How did you come to work with TopSpot Internet Marketing?

They found us. One of the sales guys, Warren Martin, came in and mentioned he had found us and he thought we could really benefit from their technique and their help. He sat down with me, went through our website, and gave me many good ideas about how to improve it, which I was able to do on my own actually some of the things that he suggested. I was able to see that it really was beneficial.

He just kept visiting with me, and it took about three years before we decided to do the campaign with them. He was not pushy, but he was very consistent and always had some good ideas and things to think about. After three years, we decided to go ahead and do it. Then, looking at the website, and thinking about how search engine optimization would work, we decided we should also just start from scratch with the website.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

To date, we've spent between $10,000 and $50,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've had a marked number of increased leads since we started working with TopSpot. In the first year, we had leads that converted to more than $500,000 in sales from new customers that came through either pay-per-click or a web response.

How did TopSpot Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I think TopSpot's performance was wonderful. We never felt like we weren't getting a response from them. In fact, they were, at times, pushing us because they were waiting on information from us. They were very on top of it and always have been very helpful, even as we do our monthly review of what's happening. They always have fresh ideas. I just think the management is great.

What distinguishes TopSpot Internet Marketing from other providers?

There's a lot of youthful energy within the TopSpot team, so they have some great fresh ideas. The management there is not afraid to listen to the young people that they employ and their new fresh ideas. That's good because we can get stuck in a rut and don't even have the ability to think outside the box, but they do. They employ people that have an amazing ability to think broadly.

Is there anything TopSpot Internet Marketing could have improved or done differently?

No.