Asset Digital Communications

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Francophonie en Fete, a nonprofit organization that organizes music festivals for the French community in Toronto.

What challenge were you trying to address with Asset Digital Communications?

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to go virtual. We needed someone to update our website, rank up in search results, and create visibility for our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Asset Digital Communications provides us with SEO services that include keyword research. The majority of the work that they do is to research keywords so that people can find our website. And because people are bilingual, they implement the keywords in French and English. Additionally, they also do some email marketing through MailChimp.

Moreover, there was a period in our partnership where they were in charge of updating blogs, and our social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with two people, a project manager, and the owner.

How did you come to work with Asset Digital Communications?

Asset Digital was already working for the organization before I was nominated, so I’m not aware of how they were hired.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing partnership started in January 2017.

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

One of their major tasks is to choose a theme for the festival — and the theme is perfect. As a company, we appreciate how they make sure everything works. We have a different program that we put online, and as soon as we give them the tasks for that, they usually finish them very quickly.

How did Asset Digital Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

What we do is write a script for all the changes that we want implemented, and once that’s done, we send it over to them. Afterward, we review the changes that they made through Zoom and everything is usually 100% after the first meeting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say that their communication is the most impressive thing about them. They communicate everything like issues, site updates, as well as license subscriptions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We need to select a new theme for the website, one that includes a video feature — which they’re looking into right now, so we’ll have an update on that soon. They could also improve on the budget. Since we’re a non-profit organization, the problem usually lies within the budget.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking to start your own website, listen to the recommendations of Asset Digital Communications. They know what to do, what to look for, and they can help you understand the visibility of your website.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and CEO of a human resources consulting business. We help small and medium businesses set policies, productivity metrics, retention programs, and other elements of the people side of their businesses. I am also a career coach.

What challenge were you trying to address with Asset Digital Communications?

I wanted to improve our organic rankings without having to pay for ads or other PPC campaigns. The goal was to appear on the first page organically and increase the number of new clients visiting our site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us design landing pages and worked on the SEO for our website and our blog posts. They reviewed all of our content to make it more SEO-friendly, and they supported email and social media campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with the owner. She was my main contact, but I know she had a team working under her.

How did you come to work with Asset Digital Communications?

A freelancer was working on our social media, but they couldn’t offer the full level of service that we needed. I am acquainted with a number of French organizations and noticed that one company completely changed their approach after hiring Asset Digital Communications. I contacted them, and we started working together.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration lasted from around May 2017–October 2018. All our objectives were met, so we’re currently taking a break but may resume in the future.

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

We had close to 30 new subscribers, more than 100% growth in the number of Canadian site visitors, and a 30% increase in users. The most valuable channels were the website and our social media. In all, our positioning as an organization is a lot better than it was before we started working together.

How did Asset Digital Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was very good. They were always on time and provided good advice. Most of our communication was through email, and we got regular progress reports from them and through Google Analytics.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication style is clear and direct, and their expertise was extremely beneficial. They knew how to optimize our material and made sure we remained on the first page for several keywords.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything specific they should improve; we enjoyed working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as straightforward as possible with your needs and give them a clear understanding of the deliverable.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Francophonie en Fête is a not-for-profit organization that promotes culture and events. I’m the president of the board of directors.

What challenge were you trying to address with Asset Digital Communications?

We didn’t have the necessary in-house resources to reach our target audience, so we decided to bring a digital marketing firm on board to help us build an online presence.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mary-Jane Owen, Asset Digital Communications’ founder and CEO, came on board as a volunteer. She quickly curated a team of volunteers to assist with online development. Their main objectives were to improve our website traffic, grow our social media following, and increase ticket sales for our events. In addition to email marketing, they promoted our organization on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They also created SEO content for our website and social media platforms. Asset Digital Communications has also redesigned sections of our site and integrated an automated purchasing system for secure ticket purchasing. Most recently, they helped us promote our Afro-Caribbean music festival with targeted marketing. 

What is the team composition?

Mary-Jane served as our main point of contact. She utilizes our in-house digital development team to assist her marketing efforts.

How did you come to work with Asset Digital Communications?

We were already considering the benefits of a digital marketing team when Mary-Jane connected with our general manager at a French cultural event. As a bilingual company, we felt comfortable working with a professional who was fluent in both English and French.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re currently spending $3,000 a month for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Asset Digital Communications became our exclusive digital marketing vendor in 2016, a year after Mary-Jane started volunteering with us.

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

Without Asset Digital Management, our online presence and event sales would be virtually nonexistent. We now have access to audiences that we previously struggled to reach.

How did Asset Digital Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Their planning and organizational skills are incredible. All of the project information and status updates are shared via phone and email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are exceptionally skilled at growing online audiences, but their greatest strength lies in their positive work environment. Their unwavering enthusiasm is a good indication that our success is their top priority.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Asset Digital Communications is highly proactive in finding new ways to enhance their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use their expansive knowledge and innovative ideas as a resource for business development.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a corporate director member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. I’m also a member of the Le Club Canadien de Toronto, where I once served as the president. In addition, I was the treasurer of the Marcus Beach Cottages Owner’s Association.

For what projects/services did your company hire Asset Digital Communications?

I hired Asset Digital Communications to handle my social media exposure. I lack the technical skills and time to garner an online presence in areas such as board issues and business challenges.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to ultimately attract more traffic to my online profiles, especially those looking for board mandates.

How did you select this vendor?

We considered a few organizations but had good references who had worked with Asset Digital Communications. We knew they had done digital marketing work for a well-known French organization, so we chose them based on their experience.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Asset Digital Communications researches articles and sends me a detailed posting schedule for approval on a monthly basis. They post relevant, weekly articles to my Twitter and Facebook account, and I provide them with content to post on my LinkedIn.

What was the team composition?

I work directly with Mary-Jane (Founder & President, Asset Digital Communications), and she provides a team for finding and posting content.

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

I’ve experienced an impressively higher number of impressions on Twitter. My followers on social media have significantly increased, as well. I’ve also been approached by several recruiters thanks to my increased visibility online.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They manage the project effectively; I have one primary point of contact which is helpful. I’m impressed with the people Mary-Jane has working for her, though I don’t interact with them directly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are a highly professional team with a strong knowledge of their industry. They have been reliable, well-organized, and accessible, making for excellent client service. Additionally, being a bilingual team has been helpful, as French is my first language.