Behind the Work

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Real Assets & Sustainability of CF Private Equity

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

CF Private Equity enables pension funds, endowments, foundations, family offices, investment advisors, and other sophisticated investors to diversify their portfolios with private investments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Behind the Work to accomplish?

• In a matter of months, we had to produce product descriptions for hundreds of SKUs. We wanted a partner that could complete the task swiftly because we lacked the necessary resources to complete it internally.

SOLUTION

How did you find Behind the Work?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Behind the Work over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Behind the Work were assigned to this project?

5

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

The purpose of this project was to provide content especially for product descriptions. Features and benefits were to be included in the descriptions for each of them. They adhered to a strict style standard that specified line breaks, punctuation, and character counts. They could easily put the content in a spreadsheet and make it available online with our technical team's help. While we have multiple brands that share the same product, the descriptions also have to be distinct.

We possessed an enormous spreadsheet including every product that might have been marketed in SKU format. They approached this project by segmenting it according to brand and supplying content at a consistent pace. They could handle QA and we would have a consistent weekly deliverable in this manner. Every week, they produced one set of goods for each line.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They created original and captivating reading material. They always adhered to the template and were perfect. It can be challenging for non-autonomous individuals to differentiate between tires and adhere to a brand's messaging. The reason Behind the Work sticks out is that they had no issues.

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

They relieved me of the strain by making their own schedule. They divided the work themselves because they understood we had a strict deadline and wanted to make sure everything was finished on time. The project proceeded smoothly, allowing me to concentrate on other matters. In a heartbeat, I would hire them once more.

I had no trouble reaching them or posing a query because they had two obvious lines of contact. Together, we were able to resolve every issue and maintain the project's uninterrupted progress. We completed everything ahead of schedule, and I was taken aback by how well everything went.

What was your primary form of communication with Behind the Work?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were aware of our needs and the nature of our firm.  They could create useful material because they understood how a consumer would use the information.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Behind the Work could have done differently?

Nothing as of now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Program Engagement and Outreach at an educational institution. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

We hired 120/80 for support in driving several social and digital marketing outcomes, including increasing brand recognition and driving additional interest in our graduate and executive education programs through advertising, web/content marketing, social, and SEO.

SOLUTION

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

The firm came recommended to us by previous counsel.

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

The scope of work has included many pieces, including ongoing digital/social marketing counsel, content development, creative support and development, copy editing, web redesign input, SEO, web and advertising analytics, and more.

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

We worked primarily with the Director of SEM and CEO, as well as a Marketing Manager and Content Specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work and counsel varied widely in terms of the nature of our requests. All deliverables and counsel were of high quality and responsive to our needs/requests while also supporting us in our team's development and goal-setting. We have not only increased and improved our digital and social marketing outcomes across advertising conversion and digital/social engagement, we have built new and improved frameworks for effective decision-making, resource allocation, and overall strategy.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our collaboration has been very effective. We met regularly (approximately semi-monthly) and efficiently to handle items for discussion. We had regular e-mail communication for day-to-day questions, which the team answered quickly and completely.

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

Their team provides terrific counsel and support. This team does a phenomenal job balancing sharing their expertise with partnering to co-create with us.

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

They have been terrific and very responsive to any adjustments we've needed to make in our collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a staffing solutions company called We Are Working.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

We were looking to generate more sales and new leads, so we hired them for their digital marketing services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

120/80 provides us with various digital marketing services, ranging from email marketing to CRM to social media marketing to SEO to digital ads and content creation. They create and implement proprietary campaigns across Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as for our website. They also help with the setup of our CRM systems.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with five individuals from their side, including Sonny (Founder) and Cailey (Marketing Strategist).

How did you come to work with 120/80?

We worked with them on previous projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them on this project in January 2021, and it’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any results to share at this point, but their team consists of strong marketers and strategic thinkers who are very tactical.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve managed the project flawlessly, and we communicate mainly through email, phone calls, and SMS.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguishes them from other providers is their strong grasp of the business economics on how they can add value.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

I really don’t have anything negative to say — they’ve done a great job so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be absolutely clear about your marketing and profitability goals, so that you can work with them very effectively.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of PinSource; we’re a lapel pin manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

We were trying to optimize our PPC campaign that we currently run with Google. We also wanted to reduce our internal workload in managing those campaigns, so we needed an expert in those fields.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

120/80 has been doing PPC management for us; they’ve created new ads, updated the existing ones, and worked on other digital assets for Google Shopping Ads. We already had some guidelines established for our campaigns, so they were able to start from there. In addition, we had several calls to go over understanding our brand, objectives, goals, and things of that nature.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working primarily with an account manager, but two others are also involved in the process.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $2,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve already noticed a 10% decrease in our cost-per-click and cost-per-acquisition. These campaigns typically take about three months for the ads to be optimized, so we expect to see bigger results soon — everything is trending in a good direction.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been excellent! They have an organized, helpful, and knowledgeable team — the people in our group are Google Ads experts, which is exactly what we’re looking for. Also, if they can’t find an answer to our questions, they go and figure it out. In terms of communication, we use emails and biweekly video conferences to go over results, review questions that arise, and discuss our strategy as we advance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and knowledge are outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — it’s been a good relationship so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask many questions about your specific industry, especially for PPC; knowing who you’re targeting is essential. Also, make sure that they understand your needs to ensure that everyone is on the same page to set expectations appropriately.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager of one of the top-three largest electrical component distributors in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

When I joined the team, due to turnover and lack of focus within our marketing department, our company was lacking the infrastructure to efficiently market our products. We hired 120/80 to help manage our PPC activity, and implement our fresh HubSpot Account.

SOLUTION

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

While I was not directly involved with the original vendor selector process, I know that the reason that we have decided to stick with 120/80 is their flexibility and agility to tackle projects on short notice.

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

While the original scope of our work with 120/80 continues to evolve, the original process began with discovery meetings to find out what our goals were. We then moved forward with HubSpot implementation (contact uploads, sending domain setup, And some simple sales automation) the HubSpot side of our work with 120/80 continues to evolve, and we enlist their help whenever we are discussing new features within HubSpot, etc.

The PPC side of things is a little more complicated - They have completely transformed our Google Ads and Paid Social strategies to be effective, nimble, and cost-effective. A large part of this process consisted of optimizing and maintaining over 300,000 products via Google Shopping. 120/80 were able to reel in the products & effectively monitor disapprovals and make recommendations on how to improve our ROAS.

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

Our team works regularly with three / four team members from the 120/80 team: 1) Director of Digital Digital Marketing 2) Director of SEM 3) Chief Digital Marketer 4) Marketing Strategist

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went from having no effective email automation platform to having one. Our PPC went from being a jungle to being a freshly-moved lawn. We consistently are seeing improvements in our ROAS, and have the flexibility to market around current supply-chain issues in 2022.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication is very effective - We have weekly meetings with the 120/80 team to discuss current results, good and bad, and then develop a plan to improve as time goes by.

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

120/80 understands what we are trying to do — they have a clear understanding of how their work impacts our team, and it always feels like we are their only client. They are a team of experts, and more importantly, a team of humans. They are the first to admit when they don't think that an idea will work, and learn to nuances of our business to develop a strategy that will. They are flexible and able to pivot quickly to avoid problems down the line.

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

As 120/80 continues to grow, it is important for them to keep that "small-agency" feel. Too much time is wasted with the bureaucracies of larger agencies, and that is the most important value-proposition that 120/80 currently has.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager for a healthcare company that has multiple clinics across the country

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

As we continue to grow in saturated markets, we needed the ability to target viable customers while maintaining PPC strategy

SOLUTION

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

120/80’s work spoke for itself, their dedication, knowledge and Ada plots surpassed any agency I’ve ever dealt with throughout the course of my career. They are truly an extension of our internal team and work with us to ensure success at every touch point.

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

They audited current strategies and came back with a plan of attack that aligned with our KPIs for every service line. They developed campaigns from concept to completion and continue to monitor all performance and work with our team to get the most from every paid effort they manage. The results are above goals and we are only getting better with their help and guidance.

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

We’ve worked with Sonny, the CEO. Laura - their SEM Director and Komal - their PPC strategist

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Deliverables are met above and beyond with over 30% growth across all campaigns YoY

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

Communication is beyond timely. They are responsive to all questions, and updates. They keep accurate records of tracking and we work them twice a week on scheduled calls as well as emails throughout the work week on any changes.

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

I am impressed with their passion. They love what they do and they genuinely want us to grow.

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

This is out of the norm for me to say, but no. They have a pulse on our industry and are always striving to meet what we throw at them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I founded and own a company that offers training in our methodology for end-of-life and grief work with families to social workers, clergy and chaplains, therapists, and end-of life doulas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

I wanted to start a successful PPC campaign to identify most successful segments and to build leads and sales.

SOLUTION

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

I had hired another company for a 3-month trial and discovered gaps in what I needed. I wrote to a few additional companies, including 120/80: "I'm looking for a firm that welcomes me as an active partner; that has copywriting skills that exceed mine; and that will get to know my product from the inside. My company will need people who can think like artists as well as technicians." I'm a professional writer, so the bar was high on that.

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

Because my budget was quite limited, the entire team looked at what I had done so far and brainstormed like mad to figure out how to give me the most bang for the buck. They felt strongly that I should budget for a combination of PPC and SEO, and suggested a 3-month engagement in which their content producer would work with me on a biweekly basis.

He would produce one blog per month, optimized for SEO, and would help me learn some of the principles of writing and posting for SEO. I would also learn to manage my own PPC campaign under the hourly tutelage of their PPC lead.

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

I worked with two members of the team, as mentioned above.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm beginning to get visitors to, and leads from, my website and have built up the confidence to run my Google Ads campaign myself. Even with a small budget, I'm getting leads every day. The capacity-building Peter & Laura did with me was very effective and I look forward to going in for a periodic "tune-up" as needed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very easy to schedule with my two mentors at 120/80.

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

They care deeply about what I do, and they want to help me succeed on my terms and within my budget. They were willing to give me some extra time without charge because of they were invested in the purpose of the company.

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

I would suggest that, even with a small client such as I was, it would have prevented confusion to have a more detailed statement of work at the outset. I'm accustomed both to receiving that and to providing that when I consult and think it is helpful on many levels.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a digital media company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 120/80?

We were already doing paid media on a national level, but we needed help with a specific type of paid media that was centered around performance marketing so we hired 120/80.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

120/80’s services cover PPC, paid media, and social media marketing. They also handle our HubSpot CRM. 

What is the team composition?

We have one main point of contact but we interact with a few other people from their team.

How did you come to work with 120/80?

I found 120/80 through an agency adviser that I’ve worked with for many years. He recommended that I meet Sonny (CEO) so we brought him on. Sonny communicated better than any campaign media team I’ve ever worked with, and 120/80 did so well with the first few projects that we decided to keep integrating their team into more. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in Q4 2020 and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The 120/80 team has gotten better month-over-month results for me than the other agencies I’ve worked with. They’ve definitely helped boost our conversion rates through paid channels. Our clients are increasing their spend considerably and we’re well into the hundreds of dollars a month range because they’re seeing the results that they want.

How did 120/80 perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great to communicate with and they’ve hit every deadline, without any issue, since we’ve started working together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The 120/80 team has the right mix of knowledge when it comes to performance marketing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think there are any.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a good team. Treat them nicely so you can keep working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

BuildCentral is an industry leader in planned construction information, project contacts and geoanalytics. I'm currently the Director of Marketing responsible for generating demand and pipeline.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80?

We knew we wanted a partner to assist with Google Ads, but weren't sure we wanted to work with an agency that didn't get our business or our business model.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We took meetings with various vendors that were referred to us by colleagues, but one stood out because of its industry expertise and down-to-earth approach...that was 120/80.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They assessed all that we wanted to do and then went to work strategizing how best to drive new traffic to our site. After devising a keyword strategy for each product, they were able to drive a significant amount of new contacts, which ultimately lead to new revenue.

What was the team composition?

I work closely with an ad manager, though the owner Sonny is always a call away.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with 120/80 we've seen a nice boost in new opportunities that convert to revenue. Additionally, Sonny is great about referring his network to us. We've definitely enjoyed working with the entire 120/0 team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication is quite good. Regular meetings are held twice a month and we discuss it all--the good, the bad and the ugly. Good advice and strategic insights come out of these sessions. Follow-ups and check-ins as needed, and some helpful prodding when I'm the bottleneck.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They really seem to get our industry. I'm always receiving helpful insights on new ways to approach the market, people I should be connecting with, or shows I should be attending to stay in the loop.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

I'd love to see ad design services packaged with ad management for a one-stop shop.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the sales and marketing manager at Quantum Technical Services. Quantum manufactures high-speed, automated target sauce applicators, waterfall and target topping applicators, granular applicators, and slicer-applicators. Primarily used in the pizza, ready meal, and bakery industries, our topping equipment can be used to apply sauce, cheese, IQF ingredients, streusel, crumb, dry ingredients, and many other ingredients.

Quantum has supplied production equipment to small wholesalers and the largest producers in the market since 1991. We offer standard production systems and have an excellent engineering team capable of custom designing equipment for any production requirements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 120/80, and what were your goals?

We hired 120/80 to create digital opportunities and brand awareness. Prior to hiring them, our presence on the internet was minimal. Our goal was to have a known digital presence, to grow the market share in the non-pizza side of the business as well as grow our existing business.

SOLUTION

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

120/80 was recommended by a business acquaintance. They presented a program that made sense for us at Quantum.

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

Using LinkedIn lead generation to drive sales, book quality meetings and brand awareness. Utilize Google Seach Ad Words, branded campaigns. Added blogs and relevant information to our current website.

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

I work with 2 resources from 120/80.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our sales managers started with about 500 connections and now has over 3600 relevant connections due to the campaigns 120/80 put together. We are seeing more leads from the Google Ads 120/80 designed and implemented.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow of 120/80 works well with our team. If anything, we are sometimes "late" in getting back to 120/80 with answers, etc.

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

I like the fact that they are a smaller company, but large in what they offered to us.

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

I would like to see them hire a social media content writer, I know they are working on this.