45RPM

Please describe your company and your position there.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

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

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.

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.

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.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

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

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is Binvault, LLC, an on-demand valet storage company that provides a convenient storage service. The older storage model involves people driving to the storage closet, picking up what they need, and then bringing it back home. Our business consists of a full-service storage option for consumers and businesses. Our valets bring the storage coset to the customers in the form of special roundtrip plastic bins. Once customers pack the bins, we collect them and warehouse them using our proprietary inventory system. Our technology includes an online photo library that allows customers to select what items they want to be returned back to them. We then provide a 24-hour delivery window for those items.

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We’re a complete startup, so we engaged with 45RPM initially for brand development. From there, we started working on a comprehensive marketing plan that included a website and market awareness.

What was the scope of their involvement?

While we’re technically a storage company, it’s all about service and technology. 45RPM crafted a brand and marketing strategy for us. Along with building a web platform, their team performs SEO services. We have a two-pronged approach that uses traditional mailers & billboards as well as our web presence to drive traffic and get more sign-ups. Along with general web development, we’re using our own custom images. 45RPM performed a photoshoot for our social media platforms so they cover a lot of ground for us.

What is the team composition?

During the brand development, we have an average of three to four people on a team. For the website, we work with 3–4 people. When we had the photoshoot, it was all hands on deck. Along with the team that worked behind-the-scenes, we had a production crew of six.

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

I received a referral from a contact at another company. They used 45RPM for a new platform launch and had a great experience. I had used a couple of other firms in the past. After interviewing Tim (Founder, 45RPM) about their capabilities, I found that they weren’t the classic advertising agency. Their team focuses on what happens after development, what it takes to capture customers, and how to measure success.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $175,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with 45RPM started in June 2019 and is ongoing.

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

We’re about ready to launch, with a majority of the work concluded. Right now, our primary metric is accomplishing our major goals and milestones to launch. Our next phase will be to focus on conversion rates per dollar of investment.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. If I had to do this all over, I would select 45RPM again.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with other firms, but one of the things that make 45RPM stand out is their understanding of the startup environment. The team understands how to put forth a project scope that meets the goals within budget requirements to achieve the project. There have been no time delays or changes that need extra funding. 45RPM does what they say they’re going to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement, but I think from where we started to where we are now, we’re in a great spot with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The team at 45RPM is collaborative and thoughtful. Customers are looking for a firm that goes beyond work output; they want someone to partner with and who will understand what they’re trying to achieve. 45RPM should be considered as a top choice.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the chairman of a Mexican firm called Miles for Retirement. We offer a service that attaches our customers’ savings to their daily expenses and Social Security accounts.

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We’re trying to improve our customer acquisition processes. We hired 45RPM to help us with several initiatives by leveraging their knowledge of communication and social networks. Our goal is to multiply and diversify our new client pool.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began with a Facebook marketing idea. Using analytics from Facebook, Tim (Founder, 45RPM) convinced us to shift to Google. He used various tools and analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of our click-earning strategies.

We focused on Google for the first few weeks. Since then, Tim has offered fantastic ideas for changing how we manage our social networks. We’ve been experimenting with all kinds of hypotheses. He’s also given us specific strategies for improving the content that we produce.

We’re still using Facebook, and our team is constantly improving our approach. We’re working with Tim to enhance our website as well. He has complete visibility of all of our digital content.

What is the team composition?

We have three people from my team and three people from 45RPM. Noriko (Senior Digital Producer, 45RPM) is our account manager. She’s based in Mexico.

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

I’ve known Tim for years. I reached out to him because he’s proficient in social network marketing and entrepreneurship. Initially, I was only asking for advice, and he told me that he had recently opened a shop in Mexico and was open to exploring my idea.

We exchanged some plans and proposals, and Tim convinced me that his experience and client base fit with what I was trying to accomplish. We eventually decided to begin a partnership with 45RPM.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $8,000 in their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2018. The partnership is ongoing.

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

We’re still working with them because we’re really happy with their services. Tim was right about Google being a more efficient way of acquiring clients than Facebook. We’ve been tracking downloads, likes, registrations on the app, and the number of clients that complete the enrollment process. The numbers have skyrocketed. We measure these KPIs every week and have been completely satisfied with these numbers.

Due to the visibility that Tim has of our services, he’s able to understand how and why different strategies work. That has been very useful.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

Noriko has been excellent. My team has always expressed to me that she’s been an excellent partner. I’m not involved on a day-to-day basis, but they’ve told me that she is always available and solves problems quickly. My team has complained to me about other providers, and I know that it’s not easy to make them happy.

Also, I appreciate how Tim always attends our monthly meetings. I know that we’re a small client, but Tim is still willing to give a couple of hours every month to go deep into the analysis and insights of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with similar companies in Mexico, and the majority of these firms have a limited, national view. 45RPM brings multinational experience to the table, which sets them apart.

Secondly, 45RPM is open to having success fees attached to their work. They believe in their work so much that they’re willing to stake their fees on it. This differentiates them as well.

Lastly, Tim is extremely knowledgeable and can understand our project from a design point of view and a technical point of view.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is a minor thing, but there has been a bit of a language barrier. Our project manager speaks perfect Spanish, and we’ve benefitted from that day-to-day relationship. The problem is that Tim has many insights and ideas but isn’t completely fluent in Spanish. This tends to break up the energy and synergy of the group during meetings. Overall though, everything is working out very well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be that, if they’re based in Mexico, they should connect directly with Tim and Noriko at the same time. If you have someone who’s fluent in English, that will make discussions easier.

Aside from that, let 45RPM do their work. Make sure that they understand what they’re doing, but also give them the freedom to explore their ideas. Don’t try to control everything, because that will stifle creativity, which is embedded in these services. Keep track of the numbers, but don’t forget to provide room for innovation.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales and marketing at HTWO Beverage Company. We manufacture products at a facility in Memphis, Tennessee and sell them.

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

We needed to rebrand our e-commerce platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

45RPM rebranded our existing products, narrowing the focus and better defining our messaging. They also revamped our Amazon site. Now, they’re helping us to launch new products. The team leads our social media marketing campaigns, primarily on Facebook and Instagram. They create digital content.

What is the team composition?

My team works with 4–5 people at 45RPM. We have a project manager.

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

A mutual contact referred my company to 45RPM. When we looked at prospective vendors, 45RPM had the best understanding of the direction in which we wanted to go.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with 45RPM in June 2018, and we continue to engage them.

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

Because of 45RPM’s involvement, our online sales grew by 50%. Their work has been well-received by my internal team.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done excellent from a project management standpoint. They always meet deadlines, and their first attempt at any task is thorough and creative. The team is very responsive and readily available after hours and on weekends.

What did you find most impressive about them?

45RPM has done an excellent job understanding our brand. They’re a true partner that takes the long view. They feel like a part of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend them. They’re a great partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at a digital publisher of tax information. I’m responsible for delivering our electronic content to our customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with 45RPM?

Our web platform hadn’t been updated in about fifteen years, and the website was text-heavy. We hired 45RPM to redevelop our platform and provide both strategic analysis and web development work.

What was the scope of their involvement?

45RPM completed an initial brand analysis around the names of our company and products, and they made recommendations for platform adjustments. Then, they developed a website on a Drupal web content delivery platform. 45RPM did backend and systems development, and most of the coding was in PHP. They added many new features, creating an entirely new site experience.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 6–7 team members. Our project manager was Tim (Founder and Managing Partner, 45RPM).

How did you come to work with 45RPM?

I have known Tim in a professional capacity for many years. When we put a bid out for the website work, I asked him to submit a proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent over $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our work with 45RPM in June 2015, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

The biggest impact has been the success of the site. 45RPM implemented features when they said they would, and they have always hit the target. We still rely on them for different development tasks; they’re convenient and easy to work with.

How did 45RPM perform from a project management standpoint?

They assign resources effectively and complete work on time. Information about the work they’re doing is readily available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The combination of skill sets within the organization sets 45RPM apart. They are client-oriented and brand-focused with great technical capabilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This was a long time ago, but we experienced some challenges in a project that we did with 45RPM and a design firm. Although I’m not sure this is attributable to 45RPM, we had issues assigning ownership to various elements of the project.

Any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any specific advice, but they’re a great team that is easy to work with.