Bad Rhino Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a volunteer-led, grassroots non-partisan non-profit working on redistricting reform in Pennsylvania.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bad Rhino Inc.?

We hired Bad Rhino to assess our social media assets and digital strategy and provide training, advice and next steps direction on areas where we could increase our outreach.

SOLUTION

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

We were interested in locating an agency with strong experience in analysis and strategy, as well as experience with nonpartisan non-profits. Bad Rhino was one of very few PA firms that seemed to fit that description.

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

They did an audit of our social media accounts, including over 40 local Facebook pages, a statewide FB page, Instagram, multiple Twitter accounts, two websites, a YouTube channel, and 2 TikTok accounts. They identified gaps, affirmed areas where our work was strong, suggested the most productive places to direct additional energy, and created training and strategy documents. They also provide training sessions for our volunteer local Facebook page admins.

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

We worked with co-founder Rich as well as the digital marketing director and a social media intern.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received good advice on growing local Facebook pages and help in pulling various pages and platforms into closer brand compliance. Bad Rhino advice also helped us jump-start our Tiktok accounts which grew from several hundred views to some posts with tens of thousands of views in just a few weeks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had multiple consultant/director zoom meetings, several training sessions with a larger team, one in-person meeting as well as multiple email and phone-check-ins. The Bad Rhino staff was responsive and communicated well.

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

They provided clear guidance on strategy and a good assessment of where we fit, what we could expect and where we should spend our energy. They were honest about what they would provide and delivered quickly and clearly.

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

Not really. We found their work very helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Diplomat Closet Design. We manufacture, design, and build custom closets, home offices, garages, pantries, etc. We do any type of organizational shelving. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bad Rhino?

We had used a previous company when I handled our social media. I hired a company and let them just kind of run with it. We had hired somebody 2 or 3 months into that relationship to take over the marketing end, and that’s when we could finally devote some time to looking at what they were doing on our Facebook, Instagram, etc. They were also doing our blogging at the time, and we found a lot of sloppy errors. We were not happy with what their work. When we started digging a little more, they were receptive to what we were saying but wouldn’t do anything different. I had hired them off of a reference, and it turned out to be a mistake. We made a switch to Bad Rhino. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Laura handles our marketing, and we’d met with Bad Rhino about taking over our social media. In the beginning, they were drastically more expensive than the people we were using. We had no other point of comparison besides the previous company, so I was a little apprehensive at first. I didn’t really know what they were about. I had only talked to them once or twice. But, when they went over the proposal for our Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, they were incredibly knowledgeable. They were quick with answers and supported their answers with facts and with the previous history of their customers and experience. It was eye-opening for me. I had been looking at the cost first and not the value that we’re getting from it.

From a business standpoint, we share a lot of the same values and treat customers very much the same, so we were aligned in a lot of ways that I didn’t realize until after that face-to-face with the guys at Bad Rhino. They took care of all of our social media, any of the pieces that are applicable. They came up with different ways to engage our audience, to grow our audience, and to keep the content interesting. After about 2 months, they approached us to gauge our interest in doing a paid AdWords campaign. That still hasn’t taken off yet, but I think we’re shooting for early June. They have a plan in place and companies they work with that provide a lot of detail on what needs to improve on our website before we can get started. They found out our goals and have a plan to achieve them. They’ve also discussed how to handle increased volume. They really addressed everything before we dove head-first into it.

I’ve met with the owners of Bad Rhino, but Laura has had the most contact with them. Marty [Co-Founder, Bad Rhino] has spearheaded our relationship. It has been a combination of everybody including Rich [Co-Founder, Bad Rhino], Marty, and Taylor [Social Media Specialist, Bad Rhino]. Laura’s main points of contact have been Marty and Taylor.

How did you come to work with Bad Rhino?

I was over the edge with the people we were using before. I did some research online, found Bad Rhino, talked to Marty, and was impressed with them from the first conversation. The first thing was their name. It attracted me to their website, which was nicely put together. They had all of their pictures, their bios, and a lot of information. They’re local to West Chester. I’m a hometown kind of person and support local business. They had a picture of their dog on their website, and we have a picture of my dog on our website. Their website was well put together. They had a good presence, and their people looked and sounded likable and seemed like they knew their stuff. I remember listening to a podcast that Marty was on, and Rich does a lot of speaking engagements at local schools on Facebook, Facebook advertising, and social media, so they did have the background. Marty is also a Shippensburg guy, which is where I went. There was a lot of connection, so they are the only ones we met. Once we got through that first interview phase, I knew that they knew what they were doing.

How much have you invested with Bad Rhino?

We have spent $3,000 with them so far in our relationship. We pay by the month, and the amount may fluctuate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February of 2017, and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have a lot more traffic on the website that’s noticeable. I have a general understanding of Google Analytics and follow it from an overhead perspective. Any time that they’ve used our advertising dollars, it drives a ton of traffic to our website and has noticeably spiked on the analytics. I know the money that they are spending on advertising has a direct relation to the traffic that we are getting on our website. We probably have about 500 more followers on Facebook that are actually in our demographic, which is something that we did look into; the last company had basically paid for followers who didn’t fit our demographic. I haven’t followed Pinterest too closely. I also know that our pictures are getting a lot more traffic and a lot more interactive shares with the people that follow us. We have more views on the videos, and all of the different types of media that we put on Facebook are getting a lot more traffic. It’s gone from maybe 100 people max or 200 people viewing it to quadruple that—even into the thousands for some of our videos. That has been astoundingly different.

How did Bad Rhino perform from a project management standpoint?

They set us up on Basecamp right away and sent a follow-up email. Laura and I are pretty organized, and we could tell from that email that we’d found a good partnership because of the organization. You could tell that they knew what they were doing. They had a plan that was on paper and in line with what we’re trying to do. Even from that first email, they have been organized.

Laura goes over there on a weekly basis and does the review with Taylor, just to make sure that we are all on the same page. After the first month, those meetings spread out to once every 2 weeks. This is not something I’m involved with on a day-to-day basis, but Laura gives me feedback. Bad Rhino sends checklists of the posts for the month. Even for AdWords, which we haven’t started yet, they’ve sent detailed lists of options we’d like to use. They’ve done research on the website. They know what our competitors are using, and it’s been very detailed. From my perspective, this is something that I don’t know a ton about. But, they’re quick to answer any questions that I have and anything that I want to learn about. Bad Rhino really helps you understand what you’re doing; they don’t just take your money and run.

What did you find most impressive about Bad Rhino?

I was cost-conscious, and Marty said told me straight up what their price was. He said if that wasn’t acceptable, there was no sense in us talking any further. Right there, I knew that they had value in what they were doing, which blew me away. This wasn’t like the previous company. They weren’t just trying to get customers or selling themselves short; they knew what they were doing. They know that their work is worth every penny, and it is. They had confidence and really knew what they were doing.

We just had such a poor experience when we really broke down what our previous social media agency had done. If you don’t pay attention to and don’t hire the right person, you could just be burning money, which is essentially what we were doing, unbeknownst to me. I didn’t keep an eye on it. With Bad Rhino, from the beginning, they’ve checked everything. I’m sort of a grammar Nazi, but that stuff would drive me absolutely crazy with our old provider. They’d make just the stupidest spelling and grammatical errors. When it’s your image coming across in social media, you want everything to be perfect. It’s really been perfect from the beginning with Bad Rhino, and I can’t say anything bad about them.

Are there any areas Bad Rhino could improve?

I don’t think so. We deal with a lot of vendors. I don’t know if they’re paralleled, but their customer service—getting back to the people, communication, being humble—and all the values that we hold for our company are followed by their team. There are a lot of similarities, and they do a very good job. 

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company.

The company is Aim High Studios. We're a group fitness studio located outside of Philadelphia. We offer classes in yoga, spin, and barre.

What are your role and responsibilities?

My wife founded the studio in 2011. I help her out with various operational aspects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Bad Rhino?

The time my wife was spending managing the studio's social media accounts was really a drain on other aspects of the business. She was looking to bring in some outside help so she didn't have to worry about it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Bad Rhino handles all of the social media marketing for us. My wife still has some involvement with the media, but they provide about 95 percent of the content. They also handle the studio’s reputation management. Bad Rhino responds to any requests on social media, mainly working through Facebook, Twitter and, to a lesser extent, Instagram. They post a couple times a day to Facebook.

What was your process for selecting Bad Rhino with which to work?

She was introduced to them through a mutual friend who, I believe, was a client of Bad Rhino’s.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for the studio?

We pay a monthly fee of $700 to Bad Rhino.

What was the timeline of the project?

My wife hired them about a year and a half ago, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback to show the success of the project?

One thing my wife wanted to do was create exposure for the studio. That included a lot of content interaction, and then gaining likes on the site. Bad Rhino has done a great job. Aim High Studios now has close to 2,200 likes from a start of maybe 1,500. So, they’ve increased the studio’s visibility. The social media business has grown a lot during the past year and a half relative to everything else.

Is there anything unique about Bad Rhino that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

They really get to know your business. Their account lead actually visits our studio every couple of months to see what’s new, and keep in touch with the pulse of our business. That’s what sets them apart.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I think that with any social media company, they’re not going to know the business as well as the owner, so the owner still needs to be involved. So, my only advice would be that they never take 100 percent of the social media work.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

They’re very upfront with everything. They don’t oversell themselves, and my wife likes that about them.