Academy

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of marketing at Travelzoo. We offer deals on hotels, flights, vacation packages, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abacus?

We needed to build a Facebook acquisition strategy and optimize campaigns on an ongoing basis.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to tighten up creative and drive down our cost per ad while still meeting brand standards.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We went through a proposal process.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They shared a detailed onboarding plan, which included a kick-off meeting to walk through our business problems, the challenge/opportunity at hand, and expectations. From there, we had a strategic audit, with recommendations from Abacus, and set up biweekly statuses to monitor progress.

What was the team composition?

We had a campaign manager who was in charge of optimization and execution, a two to three-person creative team who handled design and copywriting and then a one to two-person account team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our cost per ad has stabilized. While we’re still testing our creative, it’s been good so far.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’ve recently beefed up their account team and it’s been good. They’re generally very thorough when they prepare earning reports.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their close ties to Facebook give them access to tools and best practices that in-house teams don’t have. They also have the ability to share best practices from other client campaigns. They’re sense of curiosity and willingness to learn new things stands out to us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything can always be done faster. However, they’ve been responsive to feedback and have shown improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder and the head of growth at Helpful. We provide a video messenger for executive communications, team alignment, and coaching.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abacus?

We used Abacus to define and execute a strategy for advertising on Facebook.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have low cost per impression (CPI) app installs from high-quality leads using Facebook advertisements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Abacus is well-known for their expertise in this area. Several of their staff are ex-Facebook employees who know the tools and skills very well.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Abacus ran campaigns, helped with messaging, and did testing for audiences. While we provided the creative content in the ads, they were available to do content and messaging as well. They worked collaboratively with us to define the strategies and roadmap.

What was the team composition?

At least four people were involved. Our point of contact was a relationship manager who also defined campaigns, while two content experts gave feedback on our creative and copy. Another person helped execute the campaigns and reporting.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were effective marketers on Facebook. We have a list of highly qualified leads acquired for low CPI, so Abacus was successful in this regard.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They communicated in a flexible manner using our own tool, Helpful.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It was a huge added value that they had several ex-Facebook employees who knew the tools and strategies. They helped us understand the tactics each step of the way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's nothing in particular.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an associate at a banking firm. I help run businesses on the trading floor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Abacus?

We had no Facebook marketing, so we were looking for Abacus to handle the end-to-end of that for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our work with Abacus has been a joint initiative. We provided them with guidelines, and they took the lead in creating content and testing what resonates with our consumers. We have a standing weekly governance call to review the performance of our campaigns and note any particular keywords or phrases that are really resonating with consumers. They provide us with further suggestions about future campaigns based on what the results are.

What is the team composition? 

We work primarily with their project manager.

How did you come to work with Abacus?

I was referred to them by an old coworker who now runs a startup and partners with them for that.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $17,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Abacus sends us reports that allow us to see which ads are working better than others. On my end, I can see how much Abacus’ ads are ultimately driving sales. We’ve been pleased with the outcome so far.

How did Abacus perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager is very dedicated to our portfolio. He’s extremely responsive and remains on top of the work. They move quickly and often times, we’re trying to keep up with their pace. 

Aside from our weekly performance review, we speak on the phone or email if need be. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good at executing. Once we give them the approval of an ad, they move quickly. If I approve copy for an ad, I can expect to see if on Facebook ads by the end of the day. We haven’t had that experience with other agencies we’ve worked with in the past.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with what they’ve done so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a financial institution dealing which specializes in online trading and wealth management. I am the senior marketing specialist for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Abacus?

We have a robust marketing focus on our product across different channels (Google, Bing, etc.). We had a challenge around Facebook with regard to reaching audiences at a target CPA.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started a Facebook campaign aimed at creating brand awareness and getting a greater rate of return on our spend. The initial scope was very small; we wanted to see how the collaboration would work. As we started seeing a better rate of return, we scaled up.

We initially wanted to promote specific content. Facebook is a dynamic and ever-changing platform, and we needed content for different audiences. Abacus created content aligned with our brand guidelines.

We had a few meetings initially, but, once we sent our brand guidelines and styles to Abacus letting them know what we liked and didn’t like, they were able to create content and come back to us for review.

How did you come to work with Abacus?

We were referred to Abacus by the agency that created our brand voice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Abacus in August 2017 and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen substantial growth in our lead count. With Abacus decreasing our CPA's on this platform by 100% to 150%. On Facebook, we’ve cut the cost down to single digits.

How did Abacus perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always available to us. We always feel like we’re their only client. We mainly communicate via email but we also have a weekly call. We have a meeting with the whole team for the month-end report.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Abacus has done a great job in reducing the CPA we have previously seen on this platform.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The timing between when invoices are sent and when we have to pay them is something we have to resolve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

As soon as the objective is defined, it will become easier for Abacus to help the client. Often times, a company will want to be on Facebook without really knowing why.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an assistant marketing manager for Nickelodeon Consumer Products, a subsidiary of Viacom.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Abacus?

We have multiple preschool & kids shows that extend into consumer products. Our goal is to create effective campaigns for each retailer we work with, which includes reaching kids as well as their parents through digital platforms, specifically Facebook and Instagram.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve run quite a few campaigns with Abacus now, briefing them on the key product drivers for each retail account. Based on this, they have produced creative for us, including static, carousel and animation ads & executed media buys by targeting specific audiences via Facebook/Instagram.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been assigned a project manager to lead our account, who works with the media buyer and creative strategist.

How did you come to work with Abacus?

They were referred to us by another agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $100,000 during our first few months of collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first met with Abacus in September 2017 and ran multiple campaigns with them through to December. We will continue working with Abacus in 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Abacus did a great job of targeting the audiences we requested, as well as discovering new ones. They strategically tested broader audiences and came back to us with new insights and findings. For example, we advised them to focus on children and parents, but Abacus found out that the grandparent's demo had the highest engagement with specific properties. They were very insightful in this regard.

How did Abacus perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very communicative and responsive. They demonstrated great turnaround on campaigns; both from a creative production and media buying perspective. Whenever I had any questions, they got back to me quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As mentioned, I very much appreciated their quick turnaround as we had some tight deadlines and last-minute requests for campaigns. Their industry knowledge is also very impressive. We enjoy that they hold regular speaker sessions with partners such as Facebook, allowing clients to learn more about new and upcoming platform-specific trends.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Developing a set briefing template would be welcome.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d advise new clients to establish a process early on in terms of creative briefing and to provide a deep dive overview of their business in advance, especially when working with multiple brands.