The Xcite Group

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Ideal Home Loans is a direct mortgage banker. We've been in business in Colorado since 2001.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the president and managing partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Xcite Media Group?

The goal was to have them run our entire search engine optimization campaign and our keyword search campaign as well as our website development.

Please describe the scope of their work.

They've developed all of our websites for the four different markets in which we've operated. They handle our entire search engine optimization and keyword search campaign for all of the markets we're in.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Xcite Media Group with which to work?

We were referred to them by a friend of mine.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they've done for you?

It was from $10,000 to $50,000. We spend probably $9,000 or $10,000 a month with them on keyword search.

When did your relationship with them begin, and is the work ongoing?

We started using them in 2010 or 2011, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback to show the success of the project?

In terms of conversions from the campaign that they've been running, we've gotten a 50 percent increase in closed loans by using them versus one of their competitors. They're good at what they do.

We do a lot of media advertising, probably 25 to 30 different media outlets a month, and they're one of the most diligent groups we work with. They're always on top of everything. They track everything. They're very big on transparency, which is really big with us. We've been really happy with them.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The guys who own the company are involved every day. They meet with us on strategies, ways to best run your campaign, and how to make our business perform.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I think they do a great job.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Just trust what they tell you. Klint [Rudolph] and Rob [Schmela, two of Xcite Media Group's founding partners] know what they're doing. They're both very bright guys, and they're very plugged in with the digital world.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a roofing and exteriors contractor.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I am the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Xcite Media Group?

I had previously done some SEM [search engine marketing] work with other companies and had very poor results. I was very skeptical of any sort of Google AdWords campaign at that point. It seemed like a waste of money. Xcite Media was able to get a gradually increasing budget out of me and was able to turn that into real conversions.

After I began working with Xcite Media, they brought in a secondary account manager, but remained directly involved in my account. Xcite Media has always held the position that SEO [search engine optimization] should be driving traffic to our own website and not to some third-party website. That helps build organic content and the strength of our own website. That then led to some website redevelopment and later a complete redevelopment.

Please describe the scope of their work.

I originally hired them for SEO, Google AdWords, and campaign management. Later, they did a complete redevelopment and update of our website and tied that back into our search engine marketing efforts. More recently, we’ve added social media advertising as well.

Once the responsive Web technology came around, we were one of their first websites that was built in full responsive mode, so that the site could adjust to fit any size screen. They’ve also helped with our creative efforts, such as what kind of strategy we should have, the layout of the website and so forth.

SOLUTION

What was your process in selecting Xcite Media Group with which to work?

I have been working with Xcite Media for about four years and don’t really remember how we ended up connecting originally. Four years was quite a long time ago.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The account fee has ranged from $600 to $1,100 a month, plus my ad budget. For the website, I worked out a special deal because I was one of their first to be built in a responsive mode. On an ongoing basis, if I’m making changes, I just pay for an hour or two for their programmer. Some of the work they just do for free. They’ll do minor adjustments and don’t even bill me for the work, which is nice.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback to show the success of their work?

They have always done a good job documenting how the money is being used by Google and how they’re tweaking the system to optimize searches and block the searches we don’t want. It’s not just a one-time relationship. There’s back-end account management that’s going on to maximize those results, and I’ve come to believe that is what’s necessary to succeed with Google. If you’re not continually working on it, it’s not going to yield results. They also provide me with a monthly meeting to take another look at what we’re doing and reevaluate strategy to make sure we’re putting money in the right places.

They’re building their Web development to reduce the cost per search as well as to give me some more organic search listings to place higher naturally and to have pages specifically designed for certain keywords. They make sure the user ends up on the right page, instead of just directing all searches to the home page. This helps prevent losing people who don’t immediately find what they want. I think that really helps our customer base. I’d say that’s the area in which I’ve seen the most improvement overall.

They’ve really grown their Web development side to stay ahead of the times. They’ve made it possible for me to have a lower cost per click by having a more relevant website. They also provide a lot of information about what’s going on, their take on where things are headed and what the strategy should be to keep up. They’re always growing with the times and looking forward, which has allowed them to excel each year.

Is there anything unique about Xcite Media Group that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

When I was working with other companies, there was a lack of relevant communication – a lot of lip service and promises. With Xcite, there’s a lot more transparency, and they put it in writing. They have a software platform where they can track search terms and keyword history as well as the path to conversion. I get those color printouts every month, and they also listen to the calls that come in and rate them.

Some months I question whether I broke even, but other months I can see that it does add some value, and they can quantify that – it’s not all that abstract. I don’t get really vague reports that have misleading data and no real tangible way to measure the quality of the content. Xcite Media has always stood apart on that account.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

It’s hard to say that anything is lacking. I feel that, for the fee that I pay, there’s a fair amount of monthly and annual value. I wouldn’t want to change that dynamic.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We do painting, roofing, and solar instillation. We've been in business in the Denver metro area for about 12 years.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I'm the marketing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Xcite Media Group?

We were managing our own AdWords campaign, and I think there was a lot of waste on our part. We didn't have a tight enough grasp on keywords, on geographical areas, and things like that. Xcite Media helped us understand the savings we would see, which would offset the cost of using their services.

Please describe the scope of their work.

Xcite Media did mostly search engine marketing. There was some SEO [search engine optimization] and minor consulting in those areas. We also just finished designing a website with them.

SOLUTION

What was your process in selecting Xcite Media Group with which to work?

We knew of them through a previous vendor. Xcite Media was a new, small company when we began working with them, so we felt that we'd get a lot of personal attention and guidance.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they've done for you?

Our cost peaks around $2,000 a month for SEO work. The website project was between $8,000 and $9,000.

When did you begin working with them, and is the relationship ongoing?

We started working together in 2011, and we are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback to show the success of their work?

Our lead acquisition costs have gone down, our rankings in Google have gone up, and our click through rates are up. Overall, we've had a lot of success on the painting side of our business. We've yet to test things out in roofing, and we just started solar, so we're looking forward to seeing what those returns are going to be. As far as our painting business goes, I feel like we dominate in that area. A lot of that has to do with the SEO we had in place before, but it also has to do with Xcite Media helping drive more traffic to the site.

Is there anything unique about Xcite Media Group that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

I think they're really ahead of the knowledge curve. They're a Google preferred partner, they have great contacts, and they're privy to a lot of inside information. I feel like working with them keeps us ahead of the curve.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Define what you're looking for down to a T. The color of the text, the type of text, everything needs to be well thought out. Do your research on other websites and really make sure you're going to get everything you want.