Black Propeller

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an advertising, consulting, and marketing company called Mad Girl Marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

I don’t handle any PPC or SEO myself, and neither does my team. So, I brought on Black Propeller to handle that for one of my lead-driven clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Propeller does a number of things. They do display advertising, which they’re also providing for my client, video content for social platforms, and remarketing. I primarily use them for PPC services.

What is the team composition?

I worked with John (Founder & CEO) at the beginning, but I now primarily work with Annie (Senior Account Manager).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I heard great things from other clients who had worked with Black Propeller, so I thought I’d reach out and vet them. I spoke with Annie and John, and we hit it off at the beginning.

Besides their capabilities, I felt an instant connection. John was very friendly and forthcoming, and he provided all of the information that I was looking for. We’re also both small businesses, which we have in common, and we both give our clients a hands-on experience. 

How much have you invested with them?

My clients have spent about $350,000 on the PPC, as well as another $50,000 on fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since November 2019.

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

Black Propeller has played an instrumental role in the growth and success of my client. We sold over 900 confidence plans and we’re in a record-breaking year. Our leads are constantly going up and our cost per click is really low.

I can attribute this success to them because this particular client doesn’t use any other media outlets apart from billboards. Black Propeller has come to the table and has done what they said they would do.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very well. They communicate clearly, and they have a clear, concise plan of how they’re going to handle things. The plans that they put in front of us are accurate and backed up by their expertise. They always convey why we should take certain steps, even though our clients don’t.

Every Tuesday, my client and I receive a simplistic report from them. Their reports are very straightforward, and we can see our spend, conversions, and what we’re getting week-to-week. Black Propeller recaps everything and specify’s each campaign that we’re involved in.

I’m a little different than who they’re normally used to working with because I’m the middleman between their company and my clients, but we’ve navigated through it extremely well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their hands-on experience distinguishes them. When I have an issue, I can call Annie and we can discuss it that day. The ability to reach them and not getting handed off to other people is great. Black Propeller is responsive and cares. They also take responsibility and know what they’re good at.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Black Propeller could make sure that they have their T’s crossed and I’s dotted in terms of paperwork, which Annie and I talked about. Verbal agreements don’t always work out the way you like, so everything should be written down. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent about what you’re looking for. People are only as good as the information given to them. Black Propeller is good at what they do, but you need to make sure that expectations are set up upfront. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Founder of The Garden Montessori school, which is a private preschool serving students ages 18m-5yrs.

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Propeller, and what were your goals?

PPC, increase leads for enrollment

How did you select Black Propeller and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed them along with several other companies and found them to be cost effective, professional and honest. Ultimately, they seemed to be the most knowledgeable and confident in producing real results.

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

I met with them and discussed the priorities of the project, laid out our goals and their strategies for achieving those results. From there, they put together a Google ads campaign that ultimately delivered great results.

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

I worked with the CEO directly.

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

Increased site traffic, gained multiple leads that led directly to enrollment.

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

We met by phone and email and their communication was always clear and consistent. They set forth clear timelines and answered all questions without hesitation.

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

They are extremely professional and communication is definitely their strong suit, but I think their knowledge base sets them apart from other companies. I also felt they are extremely honest and reliable and genuinely care about getting their customers the best results possible.

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

I don't have any complaints at all. I'll continue to work with John & his team for all of my future needs. Definitely could not ask for anything more from this awesome team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing manager for a microscope sales and service company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Propeller, and what were your goals?

We hired Black Propeller to reorganize and manage our Google Adwords Campaign with the goal of efficiently driving an increased volume of sales.

How did you select Black Propeller and what were the deciding factors?

We conducted a search for a PPC partner, and based on Black Propeller's reputation, opened discussions. They evaluated our existing campaign to identify opportunities, proved to be very flexible (based on our needs) and offered a reasonably priced proposal.

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

After a "download" of our business needs and goals and the initial evaluation of our existing campaign, we met with the Account Manager to discuss each phase of a complete reorganization, including:

1. Keyword analysis
2. Development of negative keywords
3. Optimization of settings
4. Re-alignment of sub-campaigns
5. Development of ads
6. Bidding strategy

After this work was completed, Black Propeller has continued to optimize our campaign, making adjustments to bidding, keywords, and architecture as needed.

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

Account Manager with a supporting team

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

Since implementing the changes to our campaign, we have seen a substantial decrease in our Cost Per Click coupled with a significant increase in sales volume.

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

Our Account Manager is proactive in indentifying/communicating both challenges and opportunities and responsive to our questions. We have bi-weekly status meetings, however, we are in contact throughout the week.

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

Their knowledge of digital marketing is profound which engenders trust and a willingness on our part to explore new approaches to the project.

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

We are seeing great results, however, simplified reporting would help reinforce this.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Owner of a midsize firm.

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Propeller, and what were your goals?

We were looking to expand and refine our online presence. We were spending too much on AdWords through google and not seeing enough return for our money.

How did you select Black Propeller and what were the deciding factors?

I get approached my agencies wanting to help me with my advertising on a daily basis. Black propeller didn’t seek out my business, I researched the industry and was impressed with their results and reached out to them. I liked their boutique size and found them to be direct and honest.

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

They handle my cost per click marketing in a very competitive field.

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

Typically one but now and then an addition team member is brought in to help with particular pieces.

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

I’ve seen over 20% growth since bringing black propeller on. I expect continued growth, despite the market becoming more and more competitive and going through a pandemic.

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

Direct communication, immediate responses to any questions or suggestions I have.

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

Their commitment to me hasn’t wavered. They are deeply connected to my businesses success. Our market requires a constant and vigilant watch, it requires being smart and creative to get ahead of the competition. Black propeller gives me that edge.

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

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a teddy bear company called ZZZ Bears. We make teddy bears that represent our nation's heroes (military, police, fire and healthcare) and gives back to the children of fallen heroes by donating bears to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. As the sole owner, I am responsible for all aspects of the business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Propeller?

ZZZ Bears is a side hustle for me and the truth is I don't have the expertise or time to handle our digital marketing. I've hired other digital marketing agencies in the past with mixed results. More often than not, their set up fees and monthly fees alone make it difficult to turn a profit, even if the advertising itself works. I was soured on the prospect of hiring another digital marketing agency when someone I trusted recommended Black Propeller to me. BP had tripled their sales within months.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for the project were simple. Create a digital marketing strategy using Facebook, Google and Instagram ads with high conversion rates and low cost of customer acquisiton. I wanted Black Propeller to handle all aspects of the campaign including copywriting and design. We gave them a large bank of photos and videos they could pull from and gave them the flexibility to create their own assets as well.

How did you select Black Propeller?

A company that we regularly do business with told me about Black Propeller. They said that BP had tripled their sales within months. I figured it was at least worth a conversation with them so I emailed John and set up a consultation call. What I liked about them (besides the fact that they were likable) was that there was no set up fee and no contracts. Meaning that if they didn't perform to my standards, I could walk away at any time. That's quite an incentive for an agency. With a solid referral in hand and a what-do-I-have-to-lose-mentality, I decided to give them a try.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we officially selected BP, we had a kickoff call with the the people who would be directly managing our account. We talked in depth about our company, our history with digital advertising, our goals, existing assets, etc. They took about a week to look through our account, conduct market research and a competitive analysis and develop a plan. That plan included Facebook, Google and Instagram as the main platforms.

What was the team composition?

I was immediately assigned an account manager - the same one that tripled sales for the company I mentioned earlier. From what I could tell, she was responsbile for almost every aspect of the account (besides design) - developing strategy, placing the ads, interfacing with me, etc. About a month or two into our relationship we were assigned a second manager who handled the Google side of our business.

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

The first month saw an uptick in sales but was largely a learning phase. In month two sales went up and cost of acquisiton went down. In the third month, they really hit their stride with a significant increase in sales and average order value and a decrease in COA.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Every Monday, I'd receive a weekly performance report and every Wednesday was a 30 minute status call. However, I didn't have to wait for Wednesdays for access to my account manager. She was extremely responsive to my emails and open to listening to any ideas and answering any questions at any time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We're a super small business with a relatively small ad spend. Most digital agencies would likely hand us over to the intern. With Black Propeller, I felt like I was just as important as any of their other, larger accounts and I truly believe they were motivated to help us for all the right reasons. They were passionate about what they do and really wanted to see us succeed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Here at CUBE84, I’m the director of business development. I oversee our marketing efforts as well.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We had a poor experience with other firms working on Google Ads, so we looked for another firm to support our marketing efforts. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redid our entire Google Ads campaign. They took the time to do completely new keyword research and competitor analysis. Whenever somebody clicks on the ads, it takes them to a landing page rather than our website, and that helps with our conversion rate. We noticed that the landing page was phenomenal compared to our website, so we engaged with them to build a custom site for us.

What is the team composition?

Annie (Senior Account Manager) is my pain point of contact, and I work with two other team members- Bill (Project Manager) and John (Founder & CEO).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I went on Google and searched for a few firms and connected with them. I honestly hired them for their attention to detail and the preparation they put in before the call blew me away. Ultimately, the cost was unreal. For the quality of the service they provide, their fee is low. I thought it was too good to be true.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve roughly spent $12,000 and the website was the bulk of that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020 and it’s ongoing.

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

 The project has been extremely successful. My organization has never had these results with their Google Ad campaigns until we brought in Black Propeller. Before I came in, we didn’t have a marketing place and we were getting about five leads a month. Now we’re getting about five leads a week.

They always over-perform for us. They provide phenomenal work for us for what we pay. We recouped our costs within the first two months of working with them and continue to see massive ROI. We’ve actually doubled our ad spend because the engagement has been so successful.

With the result they’re generating, their experience with Google Ads has to be their biggest strength. The difference between them and their competitors is night and day.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really nice, cool people. I look forward to our weekly check-ins with them. Since we started working with them, they haven’t increased our rate. We communicate with them via email or Google Chat in addition to our calls. For documentation and proposals they use Panda Docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I can’t say enough good things about Black Propeller. We’ve become friendly with our points of contact. It’s not solely a business engagement. They’re an awesome small team. They truly want us to succeed. They know if they give us good work, we will continue to work with them and give them referrals.

I also like that they’re available to talk through challenges with them. Even if it’s a one-off task and isn’t a part of the scope of our project, such as a graphic design project, they are willing to help us out and introduce us to their graphic designer. The biggest takeaway is that they go above and beyond.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I was being nit-picky, there have been a few times that I’ve asked to reschedule meetings, and I just get a calendar invite. If it was me, I’d also send a response saying that it wasn’t a problem/ It’s such a minimal thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their experience, insights, and recommendations. That’s how you can get the best results. They’re the experts.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of Helms Electric. It’s a residential electrical company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We were trying to get more business. I tried Google Ads myself and wasn’t having a lot of success with it. I talked to Black Propeller and they were super nice.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed my website and explained in great detail what they’d be able to do for me. They handled my search optimization on Google and PPC. They make sure that people can message us through our website. They regularly provide analytics for us. They were able to tailor it for people searching in my area.

What is the team composition?

I just talk to John (Founder & CEO). If I have any questions, he answers right away and calls me back immediately. We have a good working relationship.

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I did a Google search. Long story short, I’ve worked with several other web development agencies and have had issues in the past. When I spoke to John, he assured me that the website they designed would be ours, I’d control it, and I could have them manage it. He was very upfront, and that’s what I liked about him.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $800/ month (approximately $19,200 in total).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in August 2017 and it’s ongoing.

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

They came through with everything they said they could do. Once we started working with them, we got a lot more calls and business picked up a lot—we probably doubled our business.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

I can just send an e-mail or text them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re super nice and they do what they say they’re going to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend them. Doing it on your own can be tough, but they’re experts.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former marketing director at a surf camp. We have two hotels, multiple restaurants and surf shops.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

Our Google Ads account had been neglected for about a year, so our cost-per-click (CPC) was high, along with our overall spend. The account wasn’t being managed efficiently at all, so we hired Black Propeller.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, they provided us with an outline of the goals they were going to aim for, including lowering our cost-per-conversion. They took over our Google Ads account, along with our Facebook Ad efforts targeted toward the US market. They also create landing pages and graphic design tasks for us. 

What is the team composition?

Annie (Senior Account Manager) is our main point of contact. A Facebook specialist and a graphic designer also support us. 

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I did online research after I was tasked with managing our Google Ads account. I considered different ratings across Google and they were the most recommended and the price was right. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,200 per month. Although we’ve had to close the hotel for now because of COVID-19, they’ve comped the last two months and continue to work with us. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2019 and our engagement is ongoing.

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

They’ve done an amazing job. They took a mess and turned it into a high-functioning Google Ads account which has been helpful for us. The contacts we were receiving from Google Ads went from 25% of our total leads to our biggest funnel for leads, surpassing our organic traffic. 

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

They set up a few tracking tools for us and send weekly reports that are easy to read. When we first started, we had weekly calls with Annie. Once it settled down, we reduced it to biweekly calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided us with goals at the beginning, which no other provider offers. They’ve met and surpassed all of the goals they set and are easy to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If anything, they seem a little overwhelmed at some requests that are needed immediately, so we’d receive work a day later than when we asked for it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you do the calls with them and know exactly what you want out of the relationship. Also, know what customers you’re trying to reach. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a luxury travel company that designs custom itineraries to 83 countries around the globe. I’m the director of marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We wanted to get more out of our ad spend with Google and Facebook.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were aiming to strengthen our presence on Google. However, after the global pandemic hit and we wanted to decrease our ad spend. They were able to help us pivot our focus to Facebook Ads and develop a plan to help us capture more emails. Their team identified the right market for our ads and aimed to lead people to the landing pages they developed.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Annie (Senior Account Manager), Kelsey (Account Manager), John (CEO), and Brad (Digital Designer).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

We did an extensive search and reviewed the work of several agencies. Our team felt confident in their flexibility and commitment to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $4,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2020.

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

We ended up gaining more exposure, capturing more email addresses for our database and elevated our understanding of how we can advertise in different markets to attract different people. I’d like to see more qualified leads, but that’s not to say that they’re not deloping a strong strategy. The global pandemic has greatly affected the travel industry, but they’ve performed well. 

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

Their ability to work with us through changes has been very impressive. When I run into issues, they’re always available to talk. Otherwise, they set up a cadence of meetings that fit our comfort level. They often assisted with needs that were outside of their contract to make sure everything ran efficiently.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their focus on flexibility and customer service really helped us produce the best results. While travel was a new market for them, they were committed to our success. We could feel that through their customer service and willingness to go above and beyond.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to see more qualified leads, but they’re doing a great job even given the circumstances.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Start the engagement with a target or goal in mind. We didn’t do that, and it was our rookie mistake while deadline with a company of this nature. I’d recommend having a strict deliverable in mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a personal and commercial lines insurance broker that represents 35 insurance markets over six different states. I am the office manager and deal with our digital presence, including web advertising.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

Insurance is a changing field currently moving from an old-school model to an internet-based one, and we wanted to get out in front of that change. We wanted a partner to help us get some exposure over social media in our local area.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Black Propeller team handles our Google SEO, including targeting specific keywords for our industry. They also provide social media marketing on Facebook and are moving into Instagram as well. We primarily collaborate around the strategy for those campaigns, but they do help us to develop some content for those as well.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Kelsey (Account Manager), but we have a person working on the ads and their president regularly in communication as well.

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

Their team was a client of ours, and when my bosses suggested we work on our online advertising, I suggested we reach out to them because they were local and would be a little bit more reactive to our needs because of our existing relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

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

What is the status of this engagement?

The campaign launched over a month ago in January 2020, and we are continuing to work together.

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

We’re tracking click-throughs and calls into the office from the landing page that we’ve set up for all our ads, as well as the qualified leads that we are gaining from those. We have been very satisfied with the results we’ve seen in that regard because we are definitely getting new business and have been contacted by a lot of our existing clients, which shows that we have a lot of exposure in the marketplace.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams stay in pretty frequent touch with one another. We have a phone conference every two weeks to align on progress and goals for the next two weeks, and then we email back and forth every day about the little things going on. If I have any idea or something that I’m thinking about, I can shoot them a message and get a response from my ad consultant right away.

Kelsey’s follow-up is really good, so we never have to chase them down about anything that we need done. I get feedback the same day that I request something, so I’m never worried about what they’re doing or whether it’s delivering value.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I love the fact that they’re local. They understand the cities and towns that we’re working in and can target the right people for us. The most important part of insurance is having a real relationship with the person you’re representing, so being able to deliver that feeling over the internet is a truly incredible capability and helps us be way more successful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are relatively new to the insurance industry, but they’ve been really good about asking questions and are constantly getting better so it’s not something I would say they really need to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just make the phone call. Learn about the service that they can provide, because no matter what industry you’re in, there’s a good chance they will be able to deliver a lot of value to you.