Youtech

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Zano Salons and Spa is a family owned business with four salons and spas in the western suburbs of Chicago. I’m the general manager and head of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Youtech & Associates?

We needed our website redeveloping. It had been done three years ago, but we wanted to move it to WordPress. Anything thing we wanted was to tap into Youtech’s design department and get some ideas on how to keep the site looking fresh and current. 

Finally, we needed help with SEO and Google AdWords. Our goal was to make sure we were showing up organically higher than we currently were.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed the website page-by-page. I would approve the design and content as they were completed. I let them decide the design and content on the site.

There are several great features on the new site. We get a lot of calls for spa parties, wedding parties, employment, and so on. Through Youtech’s recommendation, all information is captured in a form and then emailed to the appropriate person. That really helped us capture leads through that communication. We also sell gift cards on the site but no products.

Each month we tweak the site after examining many hits we’re getting. Youtech first recommended the keywords we should use for SEO.

How did you come to work with Youtech & Associates?

We did some research and found them. They have a good reputation in our market.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them 3 years ago, and the project took 2 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They improved the SEO through backlinks. I get a detailed report on a monthly basis that shows the organic hits and where we rank on keywords. Every keyword has gone up since we started.

How did Youtech & Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

I met with them as needed throughout the project. They’re the best—very responsive. I get an answer within minutes to any query I have during the work day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re pretty practical, which means there’s no fluff. When I have a question, they give me an answer and a recommendation that they back up with some data.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is a residential insulation company. We insulate walls and attics of existing homes and also do ventilation for attics and the roofs. I'm the vice president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Youtech?

I wanted them to run my pay-per-click Google ad account to be able to get more leads from customers from Google searches.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They run my pay-per-click campaigns. They make up ads based on keywords that we've gone over, which have to do with the services that we provide. And then they give me a monthly reading of how many times they ran the ad and how many times it was clicked on. We can do it by type of ad, and we can change all the ads anytime we want. We can look at it by keyword, what position we're coming up on, what our click through rate is, and what my cost per click is. So they work to drive additional business my way.

How did you come to work with Youtech?

I had a previous pay-per-click campaign through another provider. My sales rep left the company and joined Youtech. He thought that it would be a good fit for us. So, he brought us over there where they’re a bit more hands on. I work with Eric, and I can call him anytime I want. We can go through the stats, up to the minute. He can break things down for me. It's a lot more hands on and personal.

How much have you invested with them?

I spend $2,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

It has been about a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can tell you that my click rate is 3.3%. The national average for the industry is 1.1%. So I'm very happy with how they're driving business my way. Eric takes the time to change things up if we notice something isn't working as well. Then he can watch the effects on a daily basis and see what's getting more results and more clicks.

How did Youtech perform from a project management standpoint?

They're wonderful. I can call Eric at any time. If he's out of the office, they let me know, and he gets back to me immediately. He'll reach out to me when he has something that he thinks he wants to change or something to share with us. I always get a monthly report from him that we go over in detail.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a younger company. I think that they are a little more up on technology than other companies that maybe a little older and set in their ways. I'm finding that that's important for this kind of work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I can't think of anything. It's really been a very good experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager for an insurance wholesaler. We are interested in recruiting insurance agents and financial advisors to sell annuities to consumers. We hold the contracts with the insurance companies that issue the annuity contracts. We’re kind of the middle person between the agent and the insurance company. I’ve been working with the company for over 2 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Youtech & Associates?

For years, we had used a different vendor to host the corporate site as well as some of our agent websites. The agents we’ve recruited sometimes need help establishing their own business websites. However, our old vendor used some really outdated code, making it difficult to change anything. The analytics were virtually not there at all. When we would ask about visitors or any type of analytical data, the old vendor did not have it available because it was built on such an old platform. We looked to Youtech to make our corporate site and our agent sites up-to-date.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We consider Youtech & Associates as our go-to experts for building and hosting our websites. They are responsible for pretty much everything. We use WordPress and plug-ins for different requirements, such as e-commerce or pop-up forms to sign up for newsletters and collect lead data. Youtech is good at recommending plug-ins and setting them up for us. They also help us with data backup, content, and search engine optimization.

Last June 2017, Youtech helped us transition to our new company name and hosted our new website. We used to be known by a different company name. Our old URL had been around for so long that we really needed their help. They were key in helping us switch over to this new URL. Youtech’s design staff also came up with our new look. They have good designers. Our corporate office was very pleased with it and signed off on their work.

Youtech created several websites and optimized them for mobile, which was something we didn’t have before. Youtech helped improve our agents’ sites by integrating video, which is something we never had before either. We’re now able to track the hits and activity on those agent sites.  

We have an educational workshop program that’s pretty extensive, and Youtech is working on our website for that program. Consumers can go online and register for workshop courses at community colleges in their area. Youtech added an e-commerce capability that we didn’t have in the past.

From time to time, Youtech would even help us with content. Our corporate office sends us most of our content. Youtech would sort of mold it into the site so that it wasn’t too heavy, making the content more web-friendly. Youtech suggested that we write our own content and post it on our website. We were a little light on content, so they pushed us to write about popular topics so that we could drive traffic to those pages.

Youtech is helping us with SEO from start to finish. They’re doing business listings on Google and Bing for all of our offices across the country. They teach us how to use keywords, backlinks, and content more effectively. They also help us with the backend, metrics, and analytics.

What is the team dynamic?

I work closely with Youtech’s team. Every month, we have meetings and talk about our current efforts.

How did you come to work with Youtech & Associates?

They’re in Illinois, which is the same town that our office is located in. One of our principals knew them and contacted them. That’s how the relationship started.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together June 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our domain authority score has improved since using Youtech. That’s one of the biggest things that I’ve seen.

How did Youtech & Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent. Youtech has been good at communicating with us consistently each week. This keeps us on track as far as a schedule goes. They make sure we’re getting things done when they need to be finished.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Youtech has a young, energetic, and tech-savvy staff who can provide up-to-date solutions. We’re in the insurance business, which moves more slowly and is a little outdated in terms of technology. Somebody like Youtech is really great for bringing us up-to-date with current technology.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints as far as the work they do is concerned.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

KO Water Games is a manufacturer, distributor, and seller of a water game that’s an alternative dunk tank. It’s more portable and less expensive than the standard dunk tank. We sell on multiple e-commerce sites. I’m the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Youtech and Associates?

We needed to increase our sales and create more brand awareness.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Youtech rebuilt our website; I also have them working on our SEO to get better organic search traffic. In January, they started a Google AdWords campaign and have been managing that. They help with both SEO on the site and with link building. We’re trying to expand into the Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom markets, so they created a landing page to bring more traffic to the site. They’re working on a Google Merchant account currently and trying to make the site mobile friendly. The website mainly describes our product. It’s really easy for customers to purchase right from our site.

How did you come to work with Youtech and Associates?

I was referred to them by a friend who went to school with the owner of Youtech.

How much have you invested with Youtech and Associates?

We have spent $15,000 on our relationship so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen an increase in organic traffic. They’re building our presence to prepare for our main selling season.

How did Youtech and Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve sat down with them and they explain what they’re going to do. They’re good at listening and they really understood my vision. They’re responsive and give suggestions on what would be the best thing for us as a company.

What did you find most impressive about Youtech and Associates?

Their availability is great and they answer my questions promptly.

Are there any areas Youtech and Associates could improve?

No. We’ll see how the results work out. We’re trying new things to see what works best.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder of Pollyanna Brewing Company. I am also the head brewer and lead of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire this vendor?

We hired Youtech to design our website and dozens of labels for our beers.  

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our designs to have some continuity, and we wanted to expand the exposure of our brand.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We learned of Youtech through a referral.

Describe the project in detail.

In addition to designing our website, they provide unique and distinctive labels for each beer that we offer. Each of those projects is similar, but the label design is obviously different every time. They continue to produce new labels as we try to make our brand consistent.

What was the team composition?

Nathin (Creative Director, Youtech) has been our primary contact over the years, but he’s been supported by several others, as well. They all do a fantastic job.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact this project/engagement has had on your business?

Our website is easy to use, and it enhances the customer experience. Our labels are eye-catching and pop on store shelves. We’re very proud of the way we look.

How effective is your workflow between your team and theirs?

They are easy to work with. We never have trouble communicating.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their customer service is impeccable, and the quality of their work is top-notch.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, nothing stands out as needing improvement.