45RPM

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO and president of District Taco, a fast, casual Mexican restaurant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We needed help to put together a digital strategy to set up our website, funnel our data, and devise an architecture. Our first objectives were to improve our standards of excellence and have a partner on board to hold us accountable. The long-term goal was to increase sales and customer engagement.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

45RPM has helped us with our marketing strategy, managing our loyalty program, doing graphic design, and creating our brand identity. We initially worked once on a smaller project and came back for a regular agreement. We had a couple of meetings to discuss how we saw the brand, how we’d like to portray it, and how we’d like customers to see it. They’ve redesigned some of our tools to represent the brand in our franchises and helped with messaging and identity.
Moreover, 45RPM has managed our strategy on Google, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok. They work with our loyalty system and help us administer the loyalty program.

What is the team composition?

We have over six team members.

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

A friend and consultant referred them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2023, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still trying to finalize the strategy, so we haven’t dug into generating sales yet. However, we can feel the impact of 45RPM’s presence.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very communicative and conscious of our budget. We don’t have an unlimited budget like larger companies do. Since I’m filling in for the marketing person, sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the amount of messages. They have many members on their team, and they all contribute so much. Overall, 45RPM’s team is assertive and willing to devote themselves to helping us.

We’ve added them to our Slack channels and had conference calls via Google Meet. We also use Google Docs and Google Slides for project management.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Noriko (General Manager) and Maribel (Account Manager) have done a great job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their people and personalities are impressive. They’re very energetic and clearly interested in what they do. 45RPM is passionate about helping us, and we feel that compatible culture between our organizations. We see ourselves in the same light, so we’re excited to have a partner that values the same things.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The flip side of their communication is that sometimes it’s hard to track. When we pass documents back and forth, it feels a bit disorganized. However, it might be because I can’t devote as much mental energy as them. The team is very organized, but their communication method could be slightly different to remove some of its difficulty.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the project seriously and be honest with them; telling 45RPM where you’re at as an organization is helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a consumer goods company with a direct-to-consumer focus.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We hired them for brand storytelling and conversion rate optimization (CRO).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

45RPM provides us with CRO, e-commerce development, and UI/UX design. Every week, we review their tasks and brief them on what we’re looking for. They do research and come back with a  proposal, and if we agree, we put that into our pipeline. From there, they go through development and implementation. The team uses Shopify for development and Figma for design work. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 6–7 teammates from 45RPM, including the CEO, account executives, project managers, UX designers, and one developer. 

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

We found them through a referral by a mutual colleague. After a handful of introductory calls, we decided to have a test project, and since we linked their work, we chose to engage with them full-time. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $200,000–$250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2020, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to 45RPM’s work, our conversion rate has increased by about 300%. They’ve been a great partner and take feedback really well. 

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate using our desired channels, and they’re very easy to get a hold of and usually respond very quickly. We have a small amount of email correspondence as weekly calls over Zoom. Our daily communication is through Slack.

As for project management tools, we started off using Airtable, and we’ve since moved on to Wrike because of our needs, which they’ve accommodated. We also use Figma. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

45RPM’s flexibility distinguishes them from other providers. They accommodate us and adjust their approach based on our business needs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have integrated a UX designer into our conversations sooner. Additionally, the team could be more prescriptive and suggest updates and changes based on how the industry or software is changing. It would be really helpful if they applied knowledge from their other clients and gave examples to help us improve our platform and experience. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a great development agency, and your success will depend on what kind of business you have. 45RPM is worth having a conversation with and then deciding if they’re a viable option depending on the phase of your business and your goals. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Director of Digital Marketing for a leading candidate marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 45RPM, and what were your goals?

We launched a new product and had aggressive user acquisition goals, which would largely be driven by paid search and social campaigns.

SOLUTION

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

For our digital agency partner search, we evaluated 15 digital marketing agencies. We had a rigorous vetting process that included evaluating geographic reach and in-market expertise, core competencies, strategic approach and applicable experience. We selected 45/RPM based on their high scores across all our criteria along with the fact that they were great listeners, had an amazing team and were easy to work with.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

We were looking for a new agency to manage our paid search and social campaigns across Google Search and Display, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok and Youtube. During onboarding, the key deliverables were an audit and campaigns proposal.

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

We work with several resources, including an account director and manager, content and creative resources, and ad platform managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our first campaign was for an event and we exceeded our registration goals by 300%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have weekly meetings where we discuss current and upcoming projects. We also have a monthly meeting to review numbers. They have also made themselves available for ad hoc meetings. We communicate daily on a Slack channel as well.

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

Their number one asset is their team. They have a lot of talent and it's clear that they really care about our success. They've also been incredibly responsive to our requests and feedback.

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

Can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an Executive Vice President at a nonprofit membership association. I oversee the Communications & Marketing Department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 45RPM?

Our company has grown considerably in the last 5 years, adding many new brands and products. We needed a comprehensive marketing plan that covered our entire suite of solutions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We reviewed proposals from multiple marketing firms. We choose 45RPM based on the quality of their proposal and several interviews.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

45RPM administered a lengthy discovery phase, meeting with our internal and external stakeholders and reviewing our current marketing practices. They developed a comprehensive marketing plan and style and branding guide.

They have since helped us to implement the plan/guide and worked on multiple marketing plans for our various products as needed to include digital marketing, social media, email communications, and website collateral.

What was the team composition?

The 45RPM team included multiple roles - project manager, technical support, and graphic design support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been able to launch several marketing campaigns with good digital advertising results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. The Director of Marketing meets with the 45RPM team weekly for a check in call and then we have other meetings as needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

45RPM is able to bring on board the talent we need to complete projects in a timely manner with a quality marketing product. I'm impressed with the fact that they can pivot easily when our goals and plans change.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the executive leading a digital startup within a larger operating company in the funeral and cemetery space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 45RPM?

We were looking to launch the first ecommerce solution in our industry and after a successful pilot, needed to develop a technology strategy to improve the customer experience and simplify the market expansion process and a marketing strategy for new market entry.

SOLUTION

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

One of the members of the team had worked with this company in the past and highly recommended them. We reached out to a few other companies in our area and that we had worked with in the past, but selected this company due to the breadth of their capabilities and their flexible solution.

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

They first did a thorough review of the existing technology and processes being employed as well as all previous research done for the pilot. We then met with their team to review goals and challenges of this digital transformation and created a plan.

We established a regular cadence of communication for the life of the project and they have led us through mulitple stages of the project, including customer experience mapping to strategic design and development support.

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

We have consistently worked with 5 members of the team, with intermittent support from others. These included a Partner, Digital Marketing Strategist, Product Management Specialist, Project Manager and Front End Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their support allowed us to effectively launch in 7 new states.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow and communication between the teams have been very strong.

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

I am very impressed with their problem-solving skills and the practicality of the solutions they provide.

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

Nothing of note.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Contraqer. We offer procurement as a service. We have a SaaS website and two products: one of which is used by federal contractors and the other by dairy manufacturers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We had a website, but it wasn’t doing a good job of communicating the value that we provide. It also didn’t put our best brand foot forward, so we needed something that was a little more polished and professional.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

45RPM did a rebrand. They took our brand kit and made it a little more professional by refining the logo, fonts, and colors. They also did interviews with us about what we do and who we’re trying to reach, and they changed the brand kit to reflect that.

The second part of the project was a website. The team did content editing and helped to make it flow better. They redesigned the website and added videos and other media. They used AWS and Craft CMS.

What is the team composition?

Tim (Founder & Managing Partner) was very involved in the project. We also had a project manager, a tech team, a videographer, and a UI development team. 

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

We were looking for a company that understood SaaS. We interviewed several companies, and it was our interview with Tim that solidified our decision. He understood our business immediately and told us the problems with our website and what they would do to fix them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in about October 2016, and we launched in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their video work has been memorable and incredibly popular, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback on that. The team’s editing was good. In terms of metrics, we’ve been seeing an increase in traffic, but since we’re not B2C, we’re not too focused on the numbers. 

We also saw an increase in time spent on the site – more pages viewed and more time spent on them. What’s most important to us is the unsolicited positive feedback we’ve received from other people about the website. 

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager mapped everything out and kept everyone on track. We communicated via email, and they were great at sending updates. 45RPM was professional but insistent. For example, when I was running late on tasks, they would ping me on Skype.

The only time where deadlines slipped was when I was slacking. There was also one time where they came back and asked for some more time, which was fine because it wasn’t a critical task. Their communication was really good. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their desire to understand my business distinguished them from other service providers. In our first few meetings, they didn’t even talk about web presence. They started by discussing the business. Tim also has a team of senior-level folks, which I appreciate. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They shouldn’t have been as gentle with me about meeting my deadlines.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Something that we did right was deferring to them. I am very opinionated when it comes to web development, but I let them run with it. So, I would advise customers to be open to giving 45RPM plenty of room to do their work. 

Trust them, and don’t try to drive the process. Letting them develop the ideas and guide the process worked out very well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is  Torchlyte and I’m the VP of marketing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We needed to elevate our website visually. That was the primary purpose of our engagement with 45RPM.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had another UI/UX firm create the layout and wireframes, so when we engaged with 45 RPM, they took that starting point, elevated it . They designed all the graphics, created the CSS style sheets, and delivered all of that, so our developers could take that and lay it into the site.

We wanted a consistent brand impression across all of our assets. They developed all the designs for our investor presentations.

There is a ticket functionality on the platform, and we had this idea that people could get tickets for referring friends, and their were some challenges with embedding referral codes into social media, and they investigated that and were able to come up with a solution.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people over the course of our engagement.

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

I heard about them through my network, and somebody introduced us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in December 2019 and it wrapped up in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

 Mission accomplished. The visuals on the site really pop. We’re really happy with the work they did. We’ve launched the site to a group of beta customers, and the feedback has been very positive. The tone of the website has been very positive, the visuals, everything we would hope to get from that feedback, we got. The feedback from our potential investors has been great as well.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was fantastic. There were some challenges on our end, but they were always super flexible and available. It didn’t matter what time it was, they always rallied to get it done.

We gave them access to Jira and our Google Docs. Other than that, we primarily emailed or used Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Beyond the quality of the branding and the imagery, I can’t say enough about how responsive they are. They’re truly a great partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get the same team as me—they’re great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of Nebia. We’re an e-commerce company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We were looking for a streamlined way to manage our website and content in a way that’s nimble, up to par with the quality we want, and cost-effective.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked for a new website design. They took the content we have and transformed it into a web design. Once they got our feedback, the completely rebuilt the site. Along the way, they provided wireframes. They cover the full landscape. They do everything from content creation, which in our case was more like content adaptation. They’re really strong in visual and graphic design, and can do everything in web creation as well.

What is the team composition?

I interfaced with four people, but there were probably 1–2 people who worked with us as well.

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

It was a reference from one of our co-founder’s friends. We talked to 3–4 agencies and evaluated with agencies we’ve worked with in the past before selecting 45RPM. We had the best connection with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019 and we continue to work together.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been able to resolve each problem we’ve faced. It’s the best experience I’ve had with a web designer. Our website is much more adaptive, it was totally rebuilt from scratch. Before this, we had a hard time finding an agency that we meshed with and their strengths matched our needs.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

They were super easy to get ahold of and they were very organized. It was awesome. They were adaptable and fast. They did the entire development very quickly. They even worked during holidays.

We used lack and both of our project managers used Trello to keep track of tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s easy to work with them. We gave them a few ideas, and they got it and were able to turn it into a reality. We went back and forth on ideas, and it turned out well. That’s not always easy to come by.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be slightly more proactive in terms of telling us where they stand on the project. There was a project scope, and they could tell us where we were relative to the projected timeline.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your expectations. The more information and detail you can provide them, the more likely you are to get what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m part of a unit called brand elevation within the marketing team of Danone, which is the parent company of about 20 food brands including Danone yogurt and Oikos.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We’ve hired 45RPM twice. For the first project, we wanted to create content to help sell the value of one of our brands at a trade show. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

45RPM created video content for a unit in our company to exhibit at a tradeshow to get people to come to our booth and talk to us. Their team was responsible for conceptualizing, scripting, and casting for the video. They also created graphics for the content. Their team made a live-action video, so they filmed people in real situations. They’re currently creating a video for one of our brands.

What is the team composition?

There was a lead assigned to our project but 2–3 other people from their organization joined our calls.

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

I worked in television for many years and knew one of their associates at that point in my career. I chose them because I knew their work previously.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $75,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our work with 45RPM in January 2020 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One project's still in production but our brand's extremely happy with 45RPM's progress. The project has gone well. We had to put certain projects on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but our brand was impressed.

On the first project, their team created the content for a tradeshow, which went well. It got a positive response from the team who was at the booth and the people who interacted with that team.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via phone calls, texts, and e-mails. We’re in different locations but have web access. Their team’s organized and the schedule’s regimented, which is what I like about them. They tell us what they’re going to deliver, and they deliver on time. They adjust well to curveballs, which get thrown into projects all of that time. Their team's excellent and makes sure that nothing gets dropped. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The authenticity of their content sets them apart from the competition. In marketing, we try to achieve content that exudes authenticity, not something that feels like a commercial. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There aren’t any issues that stand out to me at this stage. I like what they do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Most large corporations have an old school marketing philosophy and may approach a company like 45RPM with a traditional idea for their content. 45RPM can deliver on those ideas but allow 45RPM to guide content according to current best practices. Keep an open mind and let their team develop content based on their knowledge of what's successful now.