August Ash

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Science, Single-Species Planning of a non-profit company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Wildlife conservation planning

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Design a new website
• Build the new website structure

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

Previous website development partner

Why did you select August Ash over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

August Ash worked closely with us to evaluate our existing website, to design an updated site with a new look and feel (including numerous mockup iterations for our approval), and to improve key interactive features on the site including searchable document libraries. They also helped us identify an optimal post-launch hosting solution and guided us through the process of selecting an effective site maintenance plan.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1. Thoughtful external evaluation of existing site
2. Iterative design options with wireframes
3. Final site design that reflected our wants and needs
4. Reponsive site build that incorporated our ideas and suggestions
5. Final build of new site that was ready on our proposed launch date

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was efficient and effective. Cassidy did a great job overall, keeping us on task and on track. The developers were very responsive to our suggestions and our needs across various elements of the new site. 

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The entire team was really friendly and low-key, yet professional. They're really great people to work with!

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

There was some ambiguity around whether specific tasks were included in the contracted scope of work. If possible, it would be good to have more specific detail around what is included in the proposed work and what would constitute a new work order. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of an insurance brokerage firm.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is a life insurance brokerage firm that operates at both the national and local levels, offering a superior portfolio of insurance products and services and an extensive national account market. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Refresh Public Website

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

Previous Vendor

Why did you select August Ash over others?

Worked with them previously

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Design a homepage and website compenents that better reflects our company’s desired brand perception. Upgrade the website from Drupal 9 to Drupal 10, this will include core, custom themes,
contributed, and custom modules. Post launch support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They designed a homepage and website components.

They upgraded the website from Drupel 9 to Drupel 10.

They provied post launch support.

August Ash fulfilled the items in the proposal.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Items were delivered on time. The final website design is satisfactory. Unfortunately, many of the items we wanted were outside of the scope within the original quoted proposal. 

There is some frustration and confusion around using their communication tool, Basecamp, as a customer.  We would have preferred to just use email.

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

Email or Messaging App

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

Local company.

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

We would prefer to not use the company’s messaging tool for communication but instead use email only. 

Some items took a while to get resolved until one of the other web developers stepped in and resolved it right away. It seemed there could have been some miscommunication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A full service financial solutions firm providing CPA advisory, wealth management, outsourced accounting and other services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Website Posting and Maintenance
• Digital marketing and SEO (paid and organic)

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

Our branding agency connected me with August Ash and recommended them.

Why did you select August Ash over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The August Ash team is handling all of the website posting for me. As a sole marketer I needed partner who could take this off my plate. And August Ash has been awesome at handling thev volume of posts, including event pages, blogs, and others. The team is also reviewing many of our blogs and making SEO recommendations. We are also in the exploratory phase of paid search and are relying on the AA team to continue to help us with organic SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our original content is performing very well when analyzing organic search rankings. Our conversions for form fills, phone calls, and newsletter sign ups are also growing each month which is great to see. We also have a good process in place for communication - utilizing Basecamp.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management is done at a very high level. Communication is timely and responsive. I rarely/if ever have to follow-up and ask if something is being handled. Kassie is on top of things and organized and keeps it all straight. And Matt is incredibly talented with SEO and has really helped our content shine and perform much better than it would've without his efforts and expertise. 

Our firm is always producing content and the team turns it around quickly. We are also working through some development changes and updates now that we're about 5 months post launch with our new website and rebrand, and the team is super helpful in hearing my needs and gathering the team together to accomplish what needs to be done.

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team and company is both extremely smart and talented at what they do, but they are also very personable and fun to work with - which is a winning combination!

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

An area of improvement could be in the area of creating a scope of work that is a little more detailed. In the end we get to the desired outcome, but as the client, I want to be sure that everyone involved is on the same page as to what the outcome is. 

And as I already said, communication is very good - but occasionally when I am waiting on a report or recommendation, it would be helpful to know approximately how many days it'll take to pull together or when I can expect it. But if I follow-up and ask for an update the team is quick to respond and let me know, which I appreciate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Digital Marketing & Media Relations of Enterprise Minnesota

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Enterprise Minnesota is a nonprofit business consulting firm that works exclusively with manufacturers in the state of Minnesota.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Design, build, and launch a new website
• Analyze and optimize our site's SEO profile
• Maintain website health through monthly updates and improvements

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select August Ash over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Serves manufacturing industry

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our company sought to perform a complete redesign and rebuild of our website, which included a full migration from our previous hosting platform and CMS platform. We enlisted the help of August Ash to provide technical, design, and UI/UX support because of their company history, professional demeanor, and experience in helping companies of our size and scope. 

We didn't have a huge budget and August Ash communicated options, solutions, and project details clearly throughout the process. We were able to hit all of our project goals on time and on budget. Our migration and rebuild was 100% successful, and a follow up SEO/optimization project with August Ash confirmed that, from a site architecture standpoint, we are utilizing current best practices and rank well within our market niche. 

Enterprise Minnesota recommends August Ash as a web development partner and we continue to use them to maintain and update our site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

During the course of the project, August Ash was on time and on budget. They clearly communicated needs, roles, responsibilities, and deliverables from both the client and vendor perspective, which helped all parties stay in line. They provided excellent guidance on design recommendations, including font, colors, layout, interactive elements, and site/page architecture. Every August Ash employee we engaged with was courteous, professional, and responded to our messages in a timely manner.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

August Ash sets an industry standard for how projects should be managed and communicated. We were well informed of progress, questions, and recommendations that kept our project moving forward on schedule. The August Ash team was (and continues to be) fully responsive to all inquiries and works to ensure a strong relationship and quality product after the project was completed. They want to remain trusted partners and ensure continued satisfaction with their work.

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

August Ash brings a talented suite of technical and design experts to the table. They excel in their customer service and product development capabilities.

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

We wouldn't recommend any improvements at this time. Enterprise Minnesota continues to utilize their services and enjoys having a responsive and informed web vendor to rely on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Marketing of Catholic United Financial

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Catholic United Financial is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial services company, connecting people of faith, protecting their future and generously impacting parishes, schools and communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Creation of Digital Marketing Roadmap
• Narrow "cone of certainty" to make confident decisions surrounding the tools, and tactics necessary to execute an outcome-focused digital marketing strategy.
• Set baseline for strategic need to expand digital marketing efforts focused on driving awareness, engagement, and leads.

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

Referral

Why did you select August Ash over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Digital Marketing Roadmap included: Website technical audit, Digital Competitor Analysis, SEO audit, Keyword research, UX Journey Audit (CRO review), Digital Measurement analysis and plan.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The Digital Marketing Roadmap helped us set the baseline for where our company is from a digital marketing perspective. We hope to engage August Ash in the coming year to assist further with our digital marketing initiatives to create more brand awareness, consideration and lead generation.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

August Ash was very timely and responsive to all our questions and needs. We did our initial discovery meetings virtually and then met in person for the presentation of our Digital Marketing Roadmap.

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

August Ash makes their clients feel special and valued. They also make everything about working together as a team. These qualities make it easy to work with them as I know that our values and interests are aligned.

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

I do not think there are any areas that need improvement at the present moment, and I look forward to working with August Ash in the future!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Manager of Indelco Plastics Corporation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a plastics distributor, selling pipe, valves, fittings, tanks, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Redesign of the website

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

Referral

Why did you select August Ash over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We wanted to completely change our website, easily receive orders and make updates to product listings easier. August Ash was able to get this all accomplished for us. We worked not only with their developers, but also the marketing team to get the best launch of our new website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We saw an increase in orders from our website. We also have a site that is easily manageable by our staff.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The launch of our new design was on time. Their team is always very quick to respond to issues or questions as they come up. They also include a more detailed follow up when we do encounter issues and how they resolved them.

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They didn't just bring us an out of the box solution. They created a product that was easier for a end-user to manage.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Sales & Marketing of PGC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a gasket and seal manufacturer for OEM's in multiple markets using materials like foams, rubbers, silicones, and adhesives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Help us create a refreshed website.
• Assist in creating positive SEO and SEM on the new site to allow positive lead gen.

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

Referral

Why did you select August Ash over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

August Ash help create a new platform and art for our website. They took what we currently had and stayed true to brand while creating something that is sleek, easy to use, and shares our story better than we could have imagined. They came up with two different designs and worked with us to make sure the functionality was exactly what we needed. 

They provided training and a team of people that were amazing to work with and walked us through each step. They ultimately gave us the tools and then showed us how to be successful in using them. It was an empowering experience for our marketing team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Ultimately, we wanted a site that we could use, change, add or remove items, and be able to bring a lot of the functionality and content in house. They absolutely accomplished that, and we can own this website and its content moving forward. Also, they were able to add the SEO and G4 information to make sure we started with qualified leads and understood where they came from, where on the site they visited and how we can help the potential customer.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their communication was spot on! They laid things out and shared exactly what we could expect and the timeline in which we could expect it. They pushed us outside our comfort zone in deadlines and what we needed to accomplish and although rocky while in the project, looking back I appreciated it and wouldn't have wanted it any other way. 

As I mentioned, they provided us the tools to tell our story and then showed us the best way to do that. Anytime we had questions or concerns, they were there to answer them and help us through it all. If we couldn't do it via email, we would set up a call and they could talk us through it. Amazing team of people!!

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They have a passion for web development, marketing, and teaching their customers how to use the tools they are creating. They meet you where you are at in your process and help you navigate so you know how the data you are collecting can be used in the best way for your organization. 

Their communication is thorough, and they are there to help you whenever the tasks of the project can get a little overwhelming. August Ash allows you to tell your story, they just give you the beautiful tools to do it.

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

The only issue we had was when the new website went live and how much our internal IT team had to be involved with backend passwords, and understanding how much the website touches outside of marketing. I wish we could have been a little more prepared for what that would have involved so we could have prepared our staff and had some of that information upfront. None of us had any idea how much the website actually touches.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on January 6, 2020.

Marketing Coordinator, Manufacturing Company

Manufacturing

51-200 Employees

Edina, Minnesota, United States

Less than $10,000

Jan 2019 - Ongoing

Project summary

August Ash provides full-stack marketing services to an industrial manufacturing company. Their services range from brand-persona creation and content writing to demographic and keyword targeting.

Feedback summary

The marketing strategy, materials, and execution delivered by August Ash have exceeded all stakeholder expectations, drawing an increased number of projects and streamlining the process for the client. Their team is easy to work with and takes time to explain every step of their process thoroughly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Coordinator at a manufacturing company. We are converters that make parts for sound/vibration and EMI/thermal management problems. We also work with adhesives and develop gaskets. We work with the military, medical, heavy duty, fluid power and electronics markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire August Ash?

We had been working with other partners in the industry that did a good job of getting us to where we were, but we wanted to really start getting into digital marketing.

A focus of ours was to create campaigns across different search engines and platforms that would help grow our brand awareness and what services we provide. We also needed help with generating content and creating landing pages for our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Two primary goals were to grow brand awareness and generate leads for our sales team. We were wowed by the results. We didn't expect the kind of numbers that we received and we continue to see the growth that is generated by them.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I personally was not a part of the searching process for a new partner, but I know that calls were made to see what their referrals had to say. We are very happy to be working with August Ash.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The first step in the process was to create brand personas-something we had never done with our previous partners. These personas have played an important role in creating campaigns. During this meeting the team learned about who we are, what we do and what are goals are.

I work with the team to create campaigns that focus on our target markets. I give the team the information they need like, blogs or other content that will help them write up something for the campaign. From there they choose a photo that fits and a CTA is written.

On the backside of things they plug in keywords and manage the daily spend for the campaigns. While the campaign is running they make weekly changes based on how it's performing and give us updates.

We also have bi-weekly calls where we go over the last two weeks and we discuss things that I am working on and how I can support them better too. They also created a content calendar for us that I combined with what I already made and they give us topics to write about for our blogs.

What was the team composition?

I've worked most closely with the digital marketing strategists, but also worked with the strategic account manager, digital marketing coordinator and IT team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our application engineers have seen an increase in the number of projects they are working on. They are much busier!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team is very easy to work with. They explain everything and they give us the results before the phone call. This is important to us because it gives us the opportunity to look it over and have questions ready for them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I continue to be impressed by how intelligent everyone on their team is. They are thinking ahead for us-which is great because our previous partners were not. They have such great ideas and look at things differently from what we do. They always come up with fresh ideas that help propel us ahead of the competition.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sometimes there isn't a clear date of when things will be done, it's more general. I know that things come up and they're super busy, so this doesn't bother me too much. They always deliver high quality work.

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4.5 

Phenomenal team!

Quality: 4

Great work, but always room for improvement.

Cost: 4

Schedule: 4

Always hits important deadlines.

Willing to refer: 5

Absolutely!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive at APF

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a brand promotion management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire August Ash to accomplish?

• Improve SEO
• Improve website experience
• Improve website activity reporting

SOLUTION

How did you find August Ash?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select August Ash over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from August Ash were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Arrowhead was looking for a digital partner to improve its web search results and customer engagement through various website modifications needed to reach these goals. We looked for a partner who could provide the right strategy to achieve these goals while maintaining a cost-effective budget.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Each month we meet with our partner to review the website reports which outline the success of the site along with the increased levels of leads we receive from the SEO modifications.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, we've been very happy with the results of the site modifications and recommendations for additional advertising.

What was your primary form of communication with August Ash?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I appreciate how responsive they are to the needs of our business. They understood our goals and provided great ideas and considerations for how we could improve our results.

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

They've experienced a higher-than expected turnover on their team, but that can be expected. They've quickly jumped in to ensure we're taken care of however.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Loft is a 45+ year-old, community based arts nonprofit dedicated to readers and writers. The Loft believes that story, verse, and writing aren’t just nice things you put on a shelf, but are instead core to a full existence.

At their best, they help us connect, entertain, mourn, protest, provoke, educate, and empathize. Join us—and find or share your story. I serve as the Communications and Marketing Director at the Loft.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire August Ash, and what were your goals?

We hired August Ash when we need to transition and update our website project from a closed, proprietary CMS to a more universal, modern, and open one. For being a small, arts nonprofit, the Loft has an extensive and complicated network of programs and constituents.

Our website needed to serve and recognize grant applicants, students, teachers, artists, donors, and institutional partners. It needed to combine functions of a traditional nonprofit website (giving, community-building etc.) with that of a modern commerce site (ticketing, class rosters etc.).

To do that, it needed to fully integrate with our Salesforce system.

SOLUTION

How did you select August Ash and what were the deciding factors?

We conducted an extensive RFP process and hired August Ash to build us a Drupal-based commerce site that integrated with multiple Loft systems. We chose August Ash because of their reputation, related work with similar clients, ideas for innovation, and price.

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

We began by looking at the project needs and goals, built an overall plan, and began implementation. Their team worked very closely with ours. One of the key differences I noticed with August Ash in this process was the ability to listen and adapt based on our team's expertise.

I've worked with other firms that never fully get what you do or why some functionality you might be requesting is so important to your operations, but August Ash always did. In the end, we launched a mobile-friendly, fully-integrated commerce site through Drupal.

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

We worked with a core team of four people. A project manager, a developer, a designer, and a UX analyst. We have since worked with other people at August Ash with various specialties, including marketing and SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wanted to get to a point where we had more control over our system and more ability to continuously improve our website. The component aspects allowed us to build and test and improve.

And when something wasn't working, we would go back to August Ash for improvements or tweaks to the site. We've seen a more manageable site for users, with a much lower abandon rate and less time finding what they came to find.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

This was always very well done. We knew when something was happening, how the budget was progressing, and what accountabilities we needed to provide to keep everything on track.

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

The ability to listen and the development skills is impressive. They would sometimes propose alternative solutions that were better than what we were initially asking for because they took the time to understand the core problem, not just the asked for solution.

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

Not really.