Viral In Nature

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and general manager of Helmcken Falls Lodge. We’re a wilderness lodge in Wells Gray Park, Clearwater, British Columbia. We have 33 rooms, a campground, a restaurant and lounge, and a small gift shop. We operate seasonally from May 1 to September 30. We also have a guided horseback operation on site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Viral in Nature?

We wanted to enhance our social media presence, but we primarily wanted to list the lodge for sale. We didn’t believe we’d get a buyer from the local market, so we wanted to use social media to reach out worldwide.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I first took a trip to Calgary and sat down with Adina, their Office Manager. We went through a lot of description about the property—how the business operates, where we’re located, the beautiful scenery, why people stay at our resort, and the benefits to the owners of living in this beautiful spot. She took very thorough notes to understand both the business and the lifestyle, as that’s part of what we’re trying to sell. They set about preparing posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. They give me weekly reports with comparisons to other local and similar businesses. Using social media was new to me, and they explained it very well.

How did you come to work with Viral in Nature?

I did a Google search for social media companies. I put a brief description of what I wanted, and I got an excellent response from them offering their services. After exchanging a couple emails, I decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with Viral in Nature?

We’ve spent about $3,500 on their services. They send me what the invoice is going to be ahead of time and tell me when it’s going to be charged to my credit card, then I get a receipt.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2016, and the relationship is ongoing. They’ve managed to get us about a dozen inquiries, but we haven’t yet sold the property. We’ll be suspending their services at the end of April, as we get extremely busy when our season starts in May. If we haven’t found a buyer by October, we’ll restart the process with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We also work with a realtor who has the property listed. He hasn’t yet brought us an inquiry, but we’ve gotten a dozen through the work of Viral in Nature. They set up a separate web page called Canada Lodge for Sale, and any inquiries coming through that page go by Viral in Nature to us. That’s how they’re able to track the inquiries. We’ve also had direct approaches through Facebook. So far, they’ve outperformed what our realtor has been able to do.

How did Viral in Nature perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a very detailed analysis at the start of the project to determine exactly what we’re selling and how to go about marketing it. They put together a comprehensive plan as to which social media platforms to use, and they’ve managed those very well. They send me weekly reports listing the impressions, followers, tweets, and so on, that are happening on each platform. It shows a steady increase in interest on the property, so I think they’ve managed those very well.

What did you find most impressive about Viral in Nature?

They send me the Facebook posts each week ahead of time, so I can check them for factual correctness and so forth. All the posts they’ve prepared have been excellent, only needing minor changes. They’re right on the money as far as what we’re looking to achieve.

Are there any areas Viral in Nature could improve?

I haven’t found anything yet.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing partner of Symons Valley Ranch Farmers Market, which is a year-round market located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Viral in Nature?

Approximately one-quarter of the city of Calgary and surrounding areas is our main target audience. We focus heavily on a very targeted regional awareness campaign to drive people to our market on a regular basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Viral in Nature has been involved since our market opened four years ago, and they helped do the initial launch of the facility. They’ve done all our social media and website development and management. Today, they’re doing all the daily management of our root messaging through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. We work with them on social media across the board. They also handle all our crisis management and the blowback from social media. Viral in Nature is very good at that.

How did you come to work with Viral in Nature?

I bought the company two years into its lifespan and inherited Viral in Nature. I got to know who they were, the services they were providing, and how they were representing us. I decided to continue our relationship as I felt they were doing a very good job.

How much have you invested with Viral in Nature?

I’ve invested in the range of $35,000–$40,000 over the last two years.

What is the status of this engagement?

Viral in Nature first became involved with our organization in 2013. I bought the business in April of 2015, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Viral in Nature has contributed to an overall increase in traffic through our doors over the last 24 months. When I bought the company, we were averaging about 1,200 people over a three-day period. We have since grown that. We do events that generate 10,000 visitors over a two-day period. We routinely have over 5,000 people come through our doors in a three-day weekend. The management of our messaging has gone up tremendously.

How did Viral in Nature perform from a project management standpoint?

Viral in Nature's team is proactive. After four years, they’ve developed a very good feel for how our business works and what makes it tick. When we ask to do specific projects with them, they’re very responsive and diligent. I have no problem at all with them.

What did you find most impressive about Viral in Nature?

I think they’re very engaged. Viral in Nature has an investment in the success of our market, and it shows through all the time. They do things that aren’t required to help promote us, which we appreciate very much.

Are there any areas Viral in Nature could improve?

I’m always looking for contractors to come to me with new concepts and ideas. I find that they come to the table when I challenge them, but they don’t necessarily come to me first.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Gear re-Store. We provide technical services to the outerwear industry for things like GORE-TEX® jackets and technical outerwear.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Viral in Nature?

We previously had a website that was horrible, so we needed an upgrade in that area. I don’t know too much about the technical side of things, so that’s why I hire people who do.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Viral in Nature prefers to use Joomla as a platform. A lot of people use WordPress, which is something fairly easy for the average person to figure out themselves, but if you want a website that’s a little bit more stable and professional looking, programming-type people prefer to use Joomla.

How did you come to work with Viral in Nature?

I met the owner of Viral in Nature, Shawn, at a networking event and started building a relationship over time. He’s very passionate about business, social media, and other causes that I empathize with. I’ve worked with other agencies to build websites before, but I was not very happy with the outcome. I decided to give Shawn a try based on our developing relationship.

How much have you invested with Viral in Nature?

We have invested $4,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2016, and it was ready to go early November 2016. I’ve done some subsequent work with them since the website was complete. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Some of our potential customers are pretty big players—half a billion dollar companies. I knew that when we were setting up meetings to visit with these companies, they were going to do their due diligence and look at our website before they considered doing business with us. I knew it was unprofessional to take them to our old website. I now have a feeling of comfort that when they go to our website, I’m not going to be embarrassed. It’s hard to measure or know for sure if any particular business contracts that we’ve landed are a result of our website, but it’s all part of a process. I just didn’t want our website to be a stopping point in that process.

How did Viral in Nature perform from a project management standpoint?

I was quite satisfied and happy with the way the project rolled out. If anything was held up at any point, it was more likely because I wasn’t quick enough in getting Viral in Nature the information they needed.

What did you most impressive about Viral in Nature?

Anyone can set up a website and pick an off-the-shelf template. Shawn’s background is in print media, so he has a real flair for design and really puts thought into it. I’ve seen some of the brochures and websites that he has designed. He’s a two-for-one deal—you get a web designer and a graphic artist. That really stood out.

Are there any areas Viral in Nature could improve?

I can’t think of any. I’m happy with the way it went.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We operate a bartering platform for businesses.

What is your position?

I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Viral in Nature?

We worked on two projects with them: web design and social media management. For our website, we wanted something fresh and new in terms of rebranding the site. With social media management, we wanted to engage current followers and prospects while increasing educational awareness and attract new customers to our service.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They did the front-end design work for the website. Maybe some back-end coding, but just basic work there. It was a bit of a combo of both with a focus on the front-end development. For social media management, they manage and engage our networks with posting a strategic management.

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

Social Media management is $1,250 per month. The web design was $2,000 or $2,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together about two years ago. It is ongoing. They continue to maintain the website. With our social media, they continue to manage that monthly. We are quite happy working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Viral in Nature do from a project management standpoint?

On a 1-10 scale, I'd definitely give them a 10 for project management. They were really on top of their game. Whenever I had a question, they would get an answer back to me quickly. Working with them is great.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The website, aesthetically, is great. Members within our own community and networks like the website. It's tough to get specific numbers on that outside of SEO [search engine optimization], which we sourced to a difference company.

In social media marketing, from when they started until now, they've increased our likes maybe to an additional 100. It's not substantial but it is steady. It's more a fact of keeping consistency with our message and continuing to put information out there.

What distinguishes Viral in Nature from other providers?

I really appreciate the high level of customer service. Viral in Nature is always prompt to get back to you on any issue. They're willing to hear and listen to what you have to say, such as what information needs to get pushed out. They'll also suggest some good ideas. I guess it's their creativity and strategic posting of content.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Alberta Prosperity Project is an inspiring initiative to educate and unite all Albertans, businesses, and organizations to protect their prosperity, individual freedoms, rights, and sovereignty. I am the VP of Communications for the Alberta Prosperity Project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Viral In Nature?

We hired Viral In Nature as our lead Social Media manager.

SOLUTION

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

Viral In Nature cam highly recommended by a number of people in our network.

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

Shawn established himself quickly as a subject-matter expert in social media, especially a deep understanding of Twitter. He naturally rose to the occasion and took the lead on build our brand's online voice. Viral In Nature’s ability to increase our online engagement is second to none.

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

We worked directly with Shawn and he provided incredible service.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our Twitter followers jumped from 0 to almost 4000 within 6 months. Our Facebook likes have increased by over 7000 and our reach has increased by 4000%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used Slack with Shawn to develop, review and approve social media posts.

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

Viral in Nature had deep knowledge in the subject and topics relating to our brand and mission. He is able to leverage this knowledge effectively.

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

It would be good if Viral In Nature had more experience leveraging TikTok.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Campaign manager for a political campaign

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Viral In Nature?

Social media placement, advertising purchasing, messaging

SOLUTION

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

Their work was known to me from previous projects. They were professional and efficient.

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

They worked with us from launch to conclusion of the campaign. We went from an introduction phase to a persuasion phase to a fundraising phase to a get out the vote phase.

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

Two other individuals worked with me. A communications manager and a graphic designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our campaign acquired new followers and the candidate was in first place during the campaign.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We chatted daily via a group chat and planned out our weekly messaging in advance.

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

Very knowledgeable and responsive. They were very familiar with the issues and political landscape.

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

More information/suggestions around targeted marketing to certain segments may have been beneficial.