BlackBean | Industrial Marketing

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the communications & marketing lead at the Skills Centre, a nonprofit in Trail, BC, that provides skills training, employment services and poverty reduction programming in the region.

For what projects/services did your company hire BlackBean | Industrial Marketing?

Our website needed a complete overhaul to make it relevant to our work and user friendly for our clients. We wanted something efficient, modern, fast loading, mobile friendly, and most importantly, a site that reflected the diversity in our community, in our staff, and in the programs and services we offer to help people gain the skills they need to find the jobs they want. Our analytics on our old site were lacking, and we really didn't know who was using it our how. It was time to tell our story in a different way.

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

Blackbean responded to our Request for Proposals, and was one of the few companies that requested a meeting to go over some of the details of what we were looking to achieve. I've worked with agencies before, and I really wanted a small agency that would value us as a client. After another meeting when they were on our shortlist, we knew they were the company that would respond to our needs.

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

We had an idea of what we wanted our new site to look like; we didn't know how to get there. We showed Blackbean some samples of the things we liked, they suggested a few features that were better, then they shared their vision of what they could build for us. They did the research to show us the strengths and weaknesses of our existing site, and where and how we were getting traffic.

After they shared their vision board, we fine tuned the details, and they got to work. We had regular meetings to go over progress and questions, and they were very good at explaining why they recommended the features they did. This was all done virtually, and they were always available when we needed them and used technology that made it easy to view and comment on their progress.

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

We met with four of their staff initially, including the CEO, and worked primarily with two of their staff who walked us through the benefits of each of features and changes they were making.

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

Everyone, staff, board members, delivery partners, clients & potential clients has told us how much they like the new site! We set out a vision of what we wanted and hoped that they would 'wow' us with their work. They definitely did!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were always available, kept us in the loop, discussed changes and options thoroughly, and stayed out of the way and did their work on time. It was a good working relationship, and we never worried about what they were doing or when they would report back to us. Definitely two thumbs up.

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

Right from their response to our RFP, they demonstrated an understanding of who we are and what we are trying to achieve and how our website is a tool to do that. They showed us information we didn't know, suggested things to include and to remove from the new site, and made it very user friendly for us working on the back end as well as for our clients using the new site. Their focus on making it a fast loading and efficient site was very impressive.

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

Is it rare to say that no, everything went really well, and I can't think of anything I'd do differently?

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of Experience Wine Tours. A boutique wine tour business that services the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys.

For what projects/services did your company hire BlackBean | Industrial Marketing, and what were your goals?

We wanted to refresh our website. It had been built approximately 5 years prior and was in need of an update. As a small family run business, we wanted to make sure we chose a company with a team that could help us streamline our business service while ensuring strong exposure in a saturated market.

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

We searched online and asked friends for recommendations. A friend suggested Black Bean. We interviewed several agencies but, after talking with Laura, we knew that Black Bean would be the right fit for us. She seemed extremely knowledgeable, professional and after reviewing their body of work, we felt it was an easy decision.

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

We had a discovery meeting. We discussed our brand and objectives for the website. We were sent detailed wire frames. The process was seamless.

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

3 people. Laura (the owner), Hope (the project manager) and Dana (the developer).

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

We wanted to have a clean, easy to use interface with beautiful visuals for our guests. We also wanted to focus on organic SEO.

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

It was very direct. They asked how we would prefer to communicate and proceeded that way. They were very easy to work with throughout the process and appreciated the fact that we were busy. They managed to keep us on task without being militant. That was no easy feat considering our tight timeline!

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

Their communication was amazing. They were just so easy to work with!

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

When we first launched, there were some minor issues with the contact form but they were quickly resolved!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Aureum A/S. It’s a medicinal cannabis company based in Denmark. We’re a startup and building a factory for the manufacturing of cannabis extract on the European market.

What challenge were you trying to address with BlackBean?

We needed to create a visual profile and logo for the company and translate it into marketing materials, a website, and visual organization.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed the visual appearance of the company, including colors, the signal we wanted to send to stakeholders, and the story we wanted to tell, etc. They made drafts until I was satisfied with the visual identity and then created the website. I wrote the content, guiding the aesthetics. They made suggestions to make it more dynamic.

Additionally, they provided support for presentation layouts. I created the content and they made the visual presentation based on that.

What is the team composition?

Laura (Creative Director) is my main contact. She delegates tasks to her team.

How did you come to work with BlackBean?

They were referred by a colleague. I met with Laura to discuss the project, and we decided to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000 CAD (approximately $8,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them around May 2019, and it’s ongoing.

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

I felt like my ideas were shown in the layout, but they contributed their ideas and honest feedback too. It was a great experience.

How did BlackBean perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very structured and responsive with high transparency. They also make adjustments easily when necessary and execute within the timeframe.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their creative input and speed of execution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I wouldn’t say so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open for input, and make space for a creative process. Listen to their feedback, don’t just tell them what you think you need.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a surgeon who is the owner and CEO of Omorfia Medical Inc, with an online presence and a clinic located in Kelowna, BC. Omorfia specializes in injectables aesthetics (botox and fillers), skin cancer, lesion removal and skin care and protection.

At Omorfia we pride ourselves on the fact that the non- surgical treatments are provided at the hand and under the care of a surgeon, rather than an injector on her behalf.

For what projects/services did your company hire BlackBean?

I hired BlackBean initially to help me improve my branding concept. As a physician trained under a public health system, we are very well trained in what we do, but certainly not given much coaching in terms of marketing, branding and consumer interested. BlackBean brought me to the next level.

What were your goals for this project?

My goals were to solidify my brand, reflect my image and my intention, as well as make an impact in the local market.

How did you select this vendor?

BlackBean came highly recommended by two other local small businesses. I spend time with the team leader and owner Laura, and felt that she was interested in what I had to say and really listened to understand before providing any ideas or forcing me to make a commitment.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Their process started with two causal chats - one on the phone and one in person. This allowed her to learn about me and my business and determine what services I needed. She helped me be practical and gave me honest suggestions. Once I opted to proceed, they created three mood boards - which I had to choose the one that most resonated with me.

We then met again to discuss what I liked and didn’t like and went forward with that as a starting point. They then worked on logos, fonts and colours and provided me with three options. We did again, have a similar review, chat and choice. They then tweaked the finals touches that I liked and didn’t like. This was followed up with a couple of business cards designs to choose from.

Finally, I received a multi page brand guide, a shared folder with fonts, photos, logos, and social media formatted icons. Since that time they provided marketing materials at my request. They also helped me design specific facial profiles for my clinic.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with the CEO who’s then coordinated with her team members. I did have some contact with the artist in the company who did the sketches, to allow us to make a few changes.

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

I am excited to share our new branding, and it is allowing new build up for an official company launch. BlackBean has also gone above and beyond to support us online and in social media. I have received much positive feedback to date.

I also have enrolled our other company to work with BlackBean. I am looking to consider working with them for further web development as it ha e been a thoroughly positive experience.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

BlackBean was very efficient and communicated well. The project would have been done even more quickly but because I am a surgeon my schedule was a little limited. The team tried their best to accommodate and tolerated my last minute OR schedule changes. It was much appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The personnel and customer service. They are a bunch of lovely people who work hard, get work done in a very efficient manner and produce extremely professional results.

They are an approachable marketing company who is not pushy or trying to ego-up, but are building their reputation on surrounding themselves and networking with good people who do good work.

Any suggestions they provide me, I know I can rely on to be above average and easy to work with - rather than just someone who gives them a kickback. They have become a trusted resource in the business community.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Unfortunately, I only have limited experience with other marketing agencies to use as a comparison base; but BlackBean have been by far the best.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a residential heating and air conditioning company, and I’m the operations manager.

What challenge were you trying to address with BlackBean?

We needed them to create our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned our website and put it on a new platform. That involved a migration process, and they were instrumental in helping us transition away from our previous platform. They did all of the front- and backend development as well as the design for the new platform. At this point, they’re assisting us with PPC work as well.   

What is the team composition?

I was working with 3–4. When we started the engagement, we worked with Laura (Owner and Creative Director), but now we work more closely with Grant (Marketing Director).

How did you come to work with BlackBean?

They were referred to us by the person handling SEO for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018, and our teams are still collaborating.

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

We track their PPC work and have been satisfied with the results. Our team has also been impressed with the traffic and leads now coming through our website. That’s a testament to their design and PPC work. 

How did BlackBean perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is strong, and it’s easy to get quick answers from them when we have questions on our end. We communicate through phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to immediately begin troubleshooting and correcting technical site issues when they started with us. When we transitioned away from our previous web partner, they were able to step right in and make everything seamless.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re extremely happy that they could save us when we needed help and good technical support. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d highly recommend them. Keep lines of communication open because they’re very responsive.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a commercial property manager at Associated Property Management Ltd.

What challenge were you trying to address with BlackBean?

We hired them for signage. At one of our properties, visitors were continually getting lost in the courtyard because of the layout’s complexity. Laura (Creative Director & Owner) was brought in to assist with that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

BlackBean took the bull by the horns, creating a big pylon sign with directions and unit numbers. They worked with a local sign company that we had previous experience with for the materials. Then they worked with me on the blueprints to create the layout, making it similar to a mall-style directory with visual components. We worked jointly to get all of the names of the tenants lined up. Laura then mocked up a visual for us to present to our council.

What is the team composition?

Laura was our only contact with them.

How did you come to work with BlackBean?

They had space in the building, so we decided to work with them. I have a background in the creative industry, and just by touring their area, we could see that they had the right creative flair for this project. BlackBean created a beautiful environment for their employees that we could infer shined through in their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2019, and the work was completed in October 2019.

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

Laura quickly delivered the design with little delegation for our side. Everyone loved the visuals. I’ve had no complaints since the sign was put in. People aren’t losing their way in the complex. The property also looks more professional.

How did BlackBean perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they were very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Laura is friendly and professional at the same time, which is a tough balance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There could’ve been a bit more coordination with the manufacturer of the sign. There was an incident with a broken telephone at one point.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of Sales & Operations at ClearSolv Solvents Inc, a North American based solvent solutions company headquartered in Kelowna, BC.

For what projects/services did your company hire BlackBean?

Our website and marketing material required immediate attention to assist us in being market-relevant with an increased focus on growing our brand equity online and in the market.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal in partnering with Laura and the team at BlackBean was to rebrand through a redeveloped website, updated marketing material, and developing a plan to target specific business segments and geographies while continuing to be agile with changing market trends and needs. Ultimately driving more education to who ClearSolv is and increasing our touchpoints with existing and potential new clients

How did you select this vendor?

We heard great things about BalckBean from other partners within our business. We knew once we sat down with the BlackBean team that they heard our message and were eager to be a part of the journey with us

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Our priority was to rebrand and create quality marketing material and redesign our website. We have a presence in many large trade shows and we wanted to be sure we were displaying our brand and business in a way that is relevant and informative. We brainstormed with BlackBean to create a new logo, material, and website content and structure. This continues to evolve today to the point where we are continually reviewing, managing and updating content to ensure we have the right traffic through our online platform

What was the team composition?

There has been a lead person assigned through each part of the process which has worked extremely well. That said, each of them has always been available to assist in any matter when required\

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

We have seen a significant increase in website traffic and conversions as a result of the work we have done and continue to do today. Together we review monthly and have made adjustments to ensure we stay relevant to the everchanging markets and traffic being directed to our website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have had no problem, we always know who we are working with. Any of the BlackBean team members are ready to support and brainstorm at any stage of the process

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism, knowledge, and desire to learn our business to ensure we were building relevant content. Overall BlackBean has a great team to work with at all levels and we continue to work with them as a result. A great partner!

Are there any areas for improvement?

At this stage, I cannot think of anything we would change, we have grown together through this project(s).

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the marketing manager of Okanagan Specialty Fruits.

What challenge were you trying to address with BlackBean?

We are a fruit produce grower and shipper, and we were moving from the education stage within the industry to developing a consumer-facing packaged goods product. We needed someone to help us create sales materials that would support that change in direction.

What was the scope of their involvement?

In short, they developed content and materials that allowed us to speak directly to our new target audiences with the correct key messaging and visuals in place. We had some existing pieces from past versions that we had done for wildly different audiences, and they helped us to move into the future from where those materials were at the time.

The process was pretty simple overall. We provided them with a creative brief generalizing what we were looking for and left most of the decisions around the colors, layout, and overall design of the images up to them. They provided us with a couple of draft pieces that we really loved, and then we went through mild tweaks and edits before delivering the final product to our sales team.

How did you come to work with BlackBean?

We had an existing relationship with them in another part of our company, so when we realized the need we reached out to their team and gave them a few trial projects to start out with. Their work was high-quality, quick, and within budget, so we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

To this point, the total cost has been about $15,000, although we are planning to double that amount on a new project coming up soon.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2019 and the project is ongoing.

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

We were blown away by the designs that they provided for us from the first drafts. They were colorful, engaging, and everything that we thought our audience was going to be looking for. We are incredibly excited about the impact that we’ve been able to make and how well the materials BlackBean delivered have enabled us to tell our story as a company.

By virtue of the industry we’re in, we are engaged with a sales team that is very well connected in the produce industry, and they are very demanding as far as the collateral pieces that they’re looking for in order to be able to represent our company properly. They have been beyond thrilled with the work BlackBean provided to us, and the results have really proved the quality, with overall sales growing and our brand really establishing a place for itself in the market.

How did BlackBean perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication has been very easy with them. They are highly responsive and available over email, phone, or text, usually getting back to us within a matter of minutes and always fulling answering any questions we have. They do a great job of handling invoices as well and maintaining complete accuracy in those. I have even gone to them with general questions about unrelated issues that they were able to help us resolve.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their process makes everything incredibly easy for us. We usually start things with something in writing that lays out what we’re looking for, what the deliverables and timeline are, etc. If there are any questions from there, we have a follow-up session, and then move into the draft phase.

After that, there are usually very few tweaks to be made because of the accuracy of their work, but they are nevertheless incredibly flexible in incorporating any of the changes or requests that we have.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. We are always open to someone showing us a different or better way of doing things, and they have been very helpful in pushing back when they think we could be doing even better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and Communications Officer for School District 46 - Sunshine Coast. We have over 600 employees, 13 school sites and 5 district programs servicing 3,300 students in our community.

For what projects/services did your company hire BlackBean?

Our district and school/program sites were over 12 years old and did not have a cohesive look or functionality and were outdated. BlackBean redesigned and developed the district site and a template for the district programs and school sites. Further to this project, we hired BlackBean to rebrand the district as well as provide the visual materials (posters and brochures) for our launch of the district's new strategic plan.

What were your goals for this project?

We were interested in a simple user friendly platform that would modernize the traditional approach to school district sites. We wanted to bring our registration and forms online. We wanted the sites to be attractive and engaging for the families in our small community. We anticipated that this project would connect our busy families in the district to information in a clear and approachable way and provide a cohesive image of who we are in our community.

How did you select this vendor?

We went out to tender and received over 30 proposals and interviewed a short list of 5 companies. BlackBean completely wowed us from their innovative and well researched proposal to their outstanding pitch. They were personable, fair, wildly creative and highly skilled. We liked that we were working with a small team that we could build a relationship with and that they went the extra mile to really understand our vision and who we are as an organization.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected this vendor, we had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our goals and objectives. BlackBean followed this up with a timeline document and got to work on the wireframe and design. Once we approved these, they began working on the design and development.

As promised, the website was delivered within a few months. At that time, our team worked on content and received training from their team. By the end of August, the district website was ready for launch and the program and school site templates were ready for us to work on populating. We also received ongoing technical support as we transferred the sites to our server.

What was the team composition?

The team was composed of the owner & creative director, the marketing director, and the lead developer. This team of 3 worked with us closely and were present from the initial pitch to the technical support following the launch.

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

The community feedback has been wonderful! The websites offer the user a clear and fresh new experience of our organization. It is functional and everyone loves being able to submit their forms online now!!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was very clear on timelines, communication, and managing expectations. We communicated easily by phone and email. They were always prompt with their response.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by the knowledge that this vendor had about website design, user experience, and optimization. We learned much more than we thought possible, and we appreciated that they were patient and thoughtful while we came up to speed. This was a collaborative and positive experience. I will certainly engage with this company again for any website needs that we have in the future.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were very satisfied with their work every step of the way. At some points in the process, there were moments of miscommunication which resulted in technical challenges. Every project will have these types of challenges though, and the team worked through every one with the utmost professionalism. In the end, we ended up with a beautiful product!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of sales for Diablo Nutrients.

What challenge were you trying to address with BlackBean?

We had several challenges. Our marketing lacked a bit of focus and coordination because I was trying to do everything myself. They helped out with the things that you just don’t have time every day to do.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we prioritized our goals, which led us to start with redoing the website to make it more effective, user-friendly, and mobile responsive. We also added some features to it that we knew our customers wanted. Some of those features included an application chart and a dealer page where users could click on an area of a map to find retailers of our product.

Then, we focused on things like building a database for a newsletter by running a contest and offering a survey. If someone responded to a survey we provided them swag to incentivize them. Those things attracted people and increased our presence. They also helped us design a new tradeshow booth. It’s cool and professional. We’ll take it to major tradeshows in the future.

More recently, we’ve been working on creating the actual monthly newsletter.

What is the team composition?

They always had a lead person for us to liaise with.

How did you come to work with BlackBean?

I’m not sure, but I believe the owner of our company knew someone who knew BlackBean. That person facilitated some sort of meeting. I was involved in the second meeting where we hashed out a plan.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000–$50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2019.

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

Sales have increased without a doubt, and the same is true for our presence, our profile. In my mind, it’s been a successful engagement.

How did BlackBean perform from a project management standpoint?

We always knew the one or two people that we should be dealing with directly. It was always clear. It can be ambiguous with some companies — not knowing who we should be talking to; but, it’s always clear with BlackBean.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their response time stands out to me. When we set a target or goal, the work gets completed; it doesn’t go on and on forever. They’re professional. We set out the goals together — and things happen that can slow it a bit — but they always come through on what they promise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not off the top of my head. They haven’t failed at anything so I can’t be critical. If I were to be critical about anything it would be on my side because I’m limited by staff size and the things on my plate.