Measurable Marketing
Hello! We're your CFO's new best friend, a digital marketing and branding agency that specializes in measurable marketing.
What Makes us different
At blue/meta our thinking is different. We take a business consulting approach to your marketing. This means our strategies are based on what will drive revenue instead of what will drive vanity metrics.
Measure What Matters
We leverage our financial and business acumen to tackle your marketing problems with data. Measurable marketing lets you scale your business by quantifying the profitability of each tactic.
Digital Transformation
Developing digital touch-points between your brand and your customers at every step of the buying process. We use latest technology, data and creative to build systems that drive consistent and predictable revenue growth.
Focus
Portfolio
Peninsula Canada, Northern Fitness, Jerky in a Box, Nutri-Bites, Orogen, CAMP Brewing, The Gaming Stadium, ONO Work and Safety, Donia Farms, Inspire Dental, WASP Wildfire, WaterTec Irrigation, Forever Yours Lingerie, Tap 2 Drain Plumbing, Flexibake
Sophisticated Creative Leads To Conversions
Peninsula was looking to partner with an agency to help them increase brand awareness and sales and to establish their brand as the leading HR solutions provider for Canadian small/medium business owners. The company had worked with agencies previously but saw that Blue Meta offered a better fit.
Market research showed our available target market of micro-businesses was extensive in scope and situated across the country. Many of these businesses were also facing operational challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. This redefined our understanding of both the HR issues and the marketing opportunities that existed within those audiences.
Our digital strategy brought a fresh creative solution to the Peninsula brand – one that would capture the attention of key decision makers, create brand recall and generate sales opportunities. We also looked at the customer buying journey by target industry and crafted new messaging and creative for individual personas.
We identified core audiences who would be receptive to Peninsula's services, including the best ad channels and most optimal messaging. By adjusting allocation, we successfully targeted a specific ad set that effectively increased traffic and engagement, which achieved even more conversions for the client. A three-minute video did double duty as a strong lead qualifier as well. The combined research and strategy elevated Peninsula's customer discovery and buying journey processes, which in turn increased lead opportunities and sales.
Our consultative approach allowed for ongoing collaboration, strategic recommendations and informed decision-making. Ensuring responsive, connected teams meant our digital team members could refine and focus the campaigns to maximize returns and achieve solid results for Peninsula.
$100,000 Of Beef Jerky Sold In One Month
Drake Meats came to Blue Meta looking for help in launching their new online subscription brand, Jerky In A Box. Launching not only a new brand but also a new product line in a competitive ecommerce market when ecommerce sales were at record highs was no simple task. They needed to stand out from other already-established jerky companies while competing with other subscription boxes currently in the market.
Our team developed an ecommerce strategy to specify target audiences and marketing tactics. We also crafted messaging that would relate to different segments of the target market while delivering strong ad creative to ensure the new brand would get noticed.
Using Drake Meats' already-loyal following, we teased the new brand with targeted emails and Facebook ads. Overwhelmingly positive feedback generated an email list of over 600 people who were primed to receive dibs on the new product. We then launched Jerky in a Box across Canada, targeting meat lovers using Facebook ads, Google ads and email marketing.
We then built out a campaign strategy specifically geared for Black Friday/Cyber Monday and the holidays. During these campaign months, we worked closely with influencers. This resulted in generating more demand as those influencers shared their 12 package gift boxes with their fans. As part of the arrangements made with select influencers, the real time unboxing of just-delivered product was captured on video that was later used on numerous social media channels.
Armed with a smoking hot deal to entice jerky lovers and gift buyers, we launched the Black Friday/Cyber Monday campaign and sold $100,000 worth of jerky in just one month. Following the holidays, we worked on converting gift givers into subscribers using a series of emails and Facebook ads. We also continued to push Google ads and a new brand video we launched on YouTube to capture general searches from those who were looking for jerky subscription services.
Big, Bold Creative + Adventure On Tap
Even though they had a concept for how they wanted to approach the market, along with a general idea for a logo, Camp Beer Co knew they needed creative support pulling everything together into something that would be big and bold enough to stand out in an already-crowded craft beer market.
Our challenge was coming up with strong creative that would translate into a brand that was strategic, scalable and applicable across a variety of mediums including digital, website and promotional campaigns.
We recommended the following: brand strategy, logo, packaging design and artwork, promotional strategy, website and digital strategy. Since the Camp Beer Co brand would be prominently displayed across multiple mediums, consistency within the brand and its application was critical.
Following extensive research into the craft beer industry, including a thorough analysis of the competitive landscape and potential target market, Blue Meta began work on developing a strong visual language that would be complemented by a fun, approachable brand personality. These components were built into a brand guidelines package, which included all of Camp Beer Co’s creative assets as well as messaging and tone of voice that was to be used in all communications and across all platforms.
A website was built to showcase the new brand and the product offerings. A digital strategy directed users to the site so they could learn more about not only the company, the brewery and its products, but also about how to join the “Original Campers Club”, which offers members exclusive access to various perks.
Since the successful launch of the new brand and with strong sales among a loyal and growing customer base, Blue Meta has continued to work closely with Camp Beer Co on its branded marketing requirements while also managing its ongoing digital promotional strategy.
Local Campaign Nets Major Engagement
A year into the pandemic and local Surrey businesses were feeling the impact of health restrictions and reduced customer traffic. The message that was used to prompt people to “buy local” was getting tired and it was felt that many were starting to “tune out”.
Help was needed, something that would resonate with local consumers. Surrey Board Of Trade wanted to tell people to support local…without actually saying it. We decided to focus on two positive message approaches:
- Show Gratitude – Depict the heartfelt impact that was made in the lives of Surrey business owners by people who shopped local during Covid. The emotional resonance would also inspire the community to keep the momentum going.
- Social Community Impact – By using the current social and economic status as a benchmark, we would provide useful information that would show how SBOT members’ services and/or products could help alleviate stress and boredom.
#ThankYouSurrey was the overarching message that served as a touchpoint for campaign tactics. A social media campaign provided a platform for local businesses to share the uncertainty and struggles they had endured yet still convey their gratitude to those who showed their support by shopping local.
Surrey Board Of Trade members who had been positively impacted by the community’s efforts to shop local were profiled in a high-production hero video, which also “doubled” as an ad to get people to follow the Surrey Board Of Trade Instagram account to hear more stories.
Six local business would each have one week of three consecutive posts dedicated to them: one video post, one family image post and one product/service post.
Throughout all of this was the sub-messaging that indicated Surrey businesses still needed the continuing support of the community.
CAMPAIGN RESULTS
Ad Spend - $7,499
Impressions – 1,593,041
Reach – 397,730
Link Clicks – 2,256
Engagement – 252,541
Post Reactions – 2,209
Post Shares – 147
Video Plays – 1,302,560
Attracting New Customers & Getting Better Leads
Tap 2 Drain Plumbing needed an updated digital strategy to build awareness and attract new customers within the highly competitive plumbing industry. Having recently worked with a vendor that was not producing the results they were hoping for, they began searching for a new one that would listen to their needs, explain what was required and why as well as be there to support them through every step of the process.
Enter the digital team from Blue Meta. We completed an assessment of their current marketing efforts then performed an industry analysis to better understand the plumbing industry as a whole (key competitors, marketing presence) and how Tap 2 Drain could differentiate their business in the minds of potential customers.
We then proposed a digital marketing strategy that included SEO, Google Search ads and Facebook and Instagram social media ads. We also recommended website content updates to further strengthen their marketing reach. Improving their site’s content architecture positioned Tap 2 Drain more favourably in the market and were perceived as being knowledgeable in more areas instead of merely unclogging a toilet or changing a sink faucet.
Campaign results were extremely positive, both in terms of revenue and the number of new customers hiring Tap 2 Drain for their business and home plumbing needs. In addition to the new client growth through their strengthened digital marketing efforts, that also had a digital marketing plan and calendar in place that continuously plots upcoming marketing tactics and content.
As a result of our strategic and measured approach, Tap 2 Drain’s revenue doubled in the first three months of working with Blue Meta.
11.3X ROAS
2 X REVENUE IN FIRST 3 MONTHS
80% DECREASE COSTS PER LEAD
458% INCREASE IN DIGITAL LEAD VOLUMES
39% DECREASE IN MEDIA COSTS
123 Leads In 7 Days - AI Technology & Automation
Corbin Chivers – owner and operator of Corbin & Co, a personal real estate corporation in BC’s Fraser Valley – was given the opportunity to market and sell townhomes in a new Surrey development. This was the perfect time to engage with an external resource that could help them build and manage an online campaign that would support lead conversion.
Blue Meta created a custom digital strategy and campaign, building out a custom landing page for the development, engaging in social media and Google ads and ujtilizing a Facebook chatbot that could directly interact with potential buyers interested in the development.
Using machine learning, AI technology and marketing automation, we were able to quickly and efficiently optimize the campaign to ensure we were targeting and engaging with the right audiences.
With the generation of 123 leads in just seven days – including ten pending sales – Corbin and his team realized the true success of the new housing project’s online campaign.
As a result, they continue to engage the Blue Meta digital marketing team to help grow their real estate business.
$85K In Jerky Sales In Just 3 Weeks
Jerky In A Box wanted to offer three types of Father’s Day specific gift boxes at different price points. They also wanted to drive awareness about a new product – Jerky Sticks – to an already-captive audience, with the new product being included as a bonus.
An early challenge was ideating creative that would catch people’s attention and communicate that the gift boxes were available only for a limited time. Plus we knew short campaigns can rack up costs, so we needed to ensure ongoing profitability.
Messaging focused on encouraging engagement and purchase. Campaign tactics included Google Search ads; paid social ads on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; landing page; and email marketing. We also determined the best time to launch.
Google Search ads were a strong contributor to the sales as many people search for new ideas of what to get dad for Father’s Day. We targeted these searches with our ads, addressing pain points of “skip the tie, get jerky” or “Dad will love this gift”. These resonated with audiences and drove a large portion of revenue.
We also sent out a variety of emails about the launch of the campaign and reminders to buy before the delivery cut off date. We also used cart abandonment marketing automation to recover abandoned carts specific to users adding the Father’s Day boxes to their shopping basket.
To give the campaign a full-on Father’s Day flavour, we added a branded postcard, a box of toothpicks and a combination bottle opener/moustache comb to each box.
1,297 boxes of subscription beef jerky were sold in three weeks, achieving sales of over $85,000. Daily revenue increased 3x what the average day had been previously. Sales were so strong that the campaign end dates were pushed back twice.
This campaign was recently recognized with a Web Excellence Award in the category of Advertising & Marketing / Integrated Campaign.
Using The Right Strategy To Attract Investors
Following a merger and new business model, Orogen Royalties needed a new brand and marketing strategy that would reflect their new business and distinguish themselves from the competition.
They also required a digital media strategy to attract not only existing investors in the gold royalty generation space but new ones as well who may not be aware of how lucrative investing in gold royalties can be.
They realized they needed a brand strategy, including a logo and brand guidelines, that would reflect their new business and distinguish themselves from their competition.
Our team worked closely with Orogen to develop a new logo and brand guidelines. Following an initial discovery meeting with the client, we extensively researched competitors in this space to determine how best to differentiate Orogen’s brand in terms of colour, imagery, and messaging.
Time was also spent identifying the target audience (potential investors) and what was important to them when making investment decisions, including their interests and the types of media they consume. This intelligence would guide and inform the recommended brand and digital marketing strategies to ensure they were appealing to - and successfully reeaching - the right audiences.
The final presentation summarized our research findings and included a brand strategy complete with proposed logo, recommended colours, fonts and imagery. We also prepared a detailed measurable digital marketing strategy that outlined clear metrics and KPIs.
Orogen adopted all the brand recommendations, including the logo, into their new website and corporate marketing materials.
Launching The Biggest Esports Tournament In BC
Blue Meta collaborated with The Gaming Stadium and Vancouver Street Battle to launch The Pinnacle, the biggest local Esports event in BC history. We needed to build awareness and hype to get both gamers and spectators pre-registered for the event, which drew professional gamers from Alberta and Washington (USA).
The digital team knew that Esports was the “banner” while the individual games were the real events. Similar to the Olympics, how one might attract figure skaters and people who like to watch the sport would be very different from how the tactics used to attract hockey players and hockey fans. The same principle applied for for Esports.
Once the digital team had identified each audience per individual game, we created tailored campaigns based on the different interests of each audience.
Through continuous A/B testing, we were able to build significant buzz through social sharing and tagging. Prize giveaways and a tiered system of pricing were created and launched to incentivize community engagement outside the identified primary ad set.
The entire campaign achieved ROI in the first 24 hours. Between 12 ads, six audiences and multiple rounds of A/B testing, our digital team was able to encourage very strong engagement. We then brought the total CPM down to $4.38, much lower than current Facebook benchmarks. And with a lower CPM, we were able to reach more people while still staying within budget.
The campaign hit just shy of 500,000 impressions with 1,298 unique clicks on the ads for a total cost of $2,186.52 – well below budget.
In its first year, online registrations for The Pinnacle (previously known as the Vancouver Battle Royale) totaled 353 players & spectators. One year later, we were able to increase the number of online registrations by 39% to 492. Total event attendance including offline registrations was 580 people.
Maximizing ROI Through Targeted Digital Marketing
With connections to a network of over 6,000 business contacts and over 60,000 local, regional and international professionals, Surrey Board Of Trade (SBOT) supports business growth, expansions of brands and help businesses accomplish their government advocacy objectives.
While they've been successful in executing multi-faceted marketing campaigns aimed at attracting new members, SBOT recognized the potential to further maximize their ROI through targeted digital marketing.
Blue Meta's approach would generate new members and provide the best return on SBOT's advertising investment.
We performed an in-depth analysis comparing businesses who were current SBOT members against all of the business licenses that were issued within the City of Surrey. These businesses were split into categories to determine penetration by industry, which allowed our strategists to determine which industries were already saturated and which industries presented the most opportunity to grow membership. We also performed an audit of SBOT’s online assets along with existing digital marketing activities – and their respective KPIs – to determine where there were opportunities to pivot messaging and tactics in order to market more effectively to these specific industries.
We also recommended that SBOT conduct focus groups with businesses who were already members as well as with those who had yet to join to better understand their reasons for becoming a member and gain insight into what type of messaging would resonate best with them.
Our strategic digital marketing plan and budget focused on increasing awareness of the value and benefits current members were receiving as part of their membership which would then encourage new members to join.
Dynamic Branding & Cohesive Packaging Boost Sales
While the flavour of Meridian Farm Market’s jerky was winning over customers, their existing brand wasn’t doing them any favours. The emergence of new competitors in an already-crowded beef jerky market was also negatively impacting sales.
They needed a strategic partner to help them establish a cohesive brand foundation which while adding additional flavours to their existing product line.
During the research phase, we learned much of the focus of competitors’ branding was significantly misplaced. While the emphasis in existing packaging has historically pointed solely towards male consumers, it was females that emerged as the primary purchasers of the product.
The biggest revelation? An entire audience of mothers purchasing beef jerky as snacks for their children was being ignored. We also identified an entirely new sub-market: health enthusiasts who purchased the product primarily for its high protein content.
With this in mind, our team came up with a creative direction that would be visually attractive to both male and female buyers, without skewing too far in either direction.
We also proposed that the jerky product move away from the traditional Meridian Farm Market logo and rebrand under a new label – Meridian Smokehouse. This shift maintained an association with the parent brand while also helping to position the product for a large scale retail presence.
Our creative team utilized a bold, eye-catching palette of vibrant colours – pinks, yellows, and oranges – which stands out among the imposing sea of reds and blacks typically present on the shelf. Large typography assists in easy product identification and more relaxed messaging appeals more to a feminine audience.
With the new design, the product window shifted to the reverse, giving us room to communicate the product’s benefits, one of them being where the product was prepared. The team accentuated this previously unmentioned key selling point, helping to instill both pride and trust in the product.
Brand Clarity, UVP & Entering New Markets
Like many companies, 10net was struggling to effectively communicate their unique value propositoin (UVP) and product and service offerings to potential customers. Brand clarity and support for entrance into new markets was critical to ensuring future growth.
10net needed a plan for lead generation as they acquired new companies and expanded into the US. But because they hadn’t been able to effectively communicate their UVP within the digital signage solutions space, they also needed to demonstrate the benefits of their products and services to potential customers. Trying to be “everything to everyone” was creating confusion in their messaging and diluting their marketing efforts.
10net recognized the benefits associated with bringing in an objective, external resource who could evaluate their business, their sales and marketing efforts then provide direction and support on how to move forward.
We recommended that a new brand architecture be undertaken to separate the unique service offerings and target audiences according to specific needs. New marketing strategies and tactics were brought in to directly target lead generation and support sales efforts within identified verticals.
From there, we created a strategic marketing plan for each of the new brands, including names, logos, messaging, and supporting tactics. These tactics were aimed at aiding future acquisitions while helping acquire customers in both existing and future markets.
A marketing calendar and budget included the creation of new messaging, sales tools, websites, digital marketing strategies and trade show activity. Clear KPIs were established to identify what was working and what needed to be adjusted.
Reviews
the project
Label Design for Brewery
‘‘I was impressed by the branding they did.’’
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the marketing and corporate manager of a brewery.
What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Meta?
We needed to design a branded label for one of the products to bring it to life, add more character to them, and make them more visually appealing and fun.
What was the scope of their involvement?
It was a back-and-forth project with them; we communicated our vision, and they brought it to life. We started with an initial meeting and described what we were looking for. After that, they sent us a hand-drawn rough draft to give us an idea of what the final product would look like and provide notes on that. In the end, the deliverable was the label for our beers.
What is the team composition?
I worked with Aaron (Art Director) and Jay (VP of Business Development).
How did you come to work with Blue Meta?
I found them online. They did some work for a business close to us, and I was impressed by the branding they did for them.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $3,275 with them.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them on this part of the project from February 2021–March 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’re impressed with the quality of their work. We haven’t released the beer that they designed yet, but everyone on our team is happy with their effort. They also saved us money by creating a template for labels that can be easily changed. Instead of spending $2,300 per label, we’re only spending $900.
How did Blue Meta perform from a project management standpoint?
We communicated through email and had meetings on Google Meets for visual check-in.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their design and branding capabilities are what stood out from them.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.
the project
Digital Strategy & SMM for Food Marketing & Distribution Co
"Blue Meta diligently compares results and spend."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the president of Donia Farms. We market and distribute dairy products to grocery stores in western Canada.
What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Meta?
The challenge was the efficient use of digital marketing.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We provided Blue Meta with ad copy and then their team mapped out a digital marketing strategy. They then took over the strategy and execute it on Instagram and Facebook. Although there’s talk of them creating graphics for us, we mostly do that in-house at the moment.
What is the team composition?
I work with Carissa (Digital Marketing Specialist) and Ricky (CMO).
How did you come to work with Blue Meta?
I knew one of the company’s principals and then stumbled across one of their podcasts during which they talked about how it’s frustrating for brand owners to use marketing agencies that don’t care about the bottom line. I then reached out to them and gathered information. We started to do a little bit with them and slowly did more.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent about $3,000 a month on their services.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in October 2020, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Blue Meta uses metrics to measure their performance. We've seen a significant increase in website traffic and growth with our sales. Unlike the other firms we used in the past, Blue Meta is results-based. There are numbers involved in our discussions.
How did Blue Meta perform from a project management standpoint?
We have monthly meetings. Everything that’s frustrating to a brand owner, Blue Meta is not. When it comes to monitoring and sharing results, their team does it.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Blue Meta diligently compares results and spend.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t think so.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Set a budget and stick to it. Blue Meta is good at working within a budget. They’re also scrappy when determining the best spend.
the project
Paid Advertising for Exercise & Rehab Facility
"They know what it takes to get this work done and achieve results."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I run a personal training and rehab business in Vancouver. We have two locations.
What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Meta?
They do our Google and Facebook advertising.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We met with them for onboarding, set up, and a keyword diagnostic exercise. That helped us determine a direction for how we could work together, which ended up being through paid search. From there, they starting managing Google Ads and Facebook Ads for us. Since then, they’ve added Bing. They create landing pages as well. We meet every month to review our progress and hear their advice.
What is the team composition?
We work with Carissa (Digital Marketing Specialist) and Ricky (CMO).
How did you come to work with Blue Meta?
I met Nick (CEO) through a leadership group and heard about his company’s services through that meeting.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent about $25,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve been working together since around May 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Their work has collected an average of two quality leads each week, which we consider a success. They focus on metrics as a quantitative team. There has been some back and forth between our teams about which lead could be fully attributed to their ads because we don’t use a traditional CRM for tracking. However, they’ve addressed the issues and have done a great job getting us leads in general. We’ve grown because of their work, so I’m very happy to continue working with them. About half of our business is from online marketing, so they’re worth the investment to us.
How did Blue Meta perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re very responsive, willing to address issues right away. Their team is very growth-minded. While there have been a few hiccups, but they’ve always provided us with additional management time and explained concepts very well when addressing any issues. They provide us with dashboards that I can check whenever for updated information. Additionally, we have a meeting every month. They take our concerns seriously and make adjustments when needed.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They know what it takes to get this work done and achieve results. Compared to others, they’re a bit more expensive but have done the job much more effectively than other providers.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They’re doing a pretty good job, so I can’t think of anything.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Give them a call and work with them. They have their process down.
the project
SMM, Google Ads & Web Dev for Wildfire Equipment Co
"They’re friendly, accessible, and willing to take on projects that are outside of their initial scope of work."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the president of Wasp Manufacturing Ltd. We sell wildfire protection equipment to governments, independent contractors, and retailers.
What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Meta?
We wanted to address our online marketing programs. We needed a more targeted system for direct to consumer retail products. We wanted to create an online store and then advertise the products accordingly.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Blue Meta focuses a large portion of their efforts on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads. Their team has designed and placed a variety of marketing ads for Facebook and Google Ads. They started with a number of different designs but narrowed them based on their performances. It’s an ongoing process, so we’re still working on that.
They also set up our online store through Shopify and have adjusted it throughout our engagement. Their team was involved in redoing our website too. They changed the host of our website and worked to make it more user-friendly.
What is the team composition?
We primarily work with two people from their team. Carissa (Digital Marketing Specialist) handles our day to day operations. Ricky (CMO) manages the entire process.
How did you come to work with Blue Meta?
Our director of sales and marketing found about 3 companies that we interviewed. Two of the companies talked about broad marketing guidelines but not social media marketing. They had old school marketing styles and wanted 1–2-year commitments with huge budget amounts.
Blue Meta looked into our company ahead of time and initially created a proposal through a PowerPoint presentation that broke down our different options. Their team was the only one that addressed our targeted market. They also proposed an initial budget that we could review throughout the partnership.
How much have you invested with them?
For their services, we’ve spent about $10,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started the partnership in April 2020, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
For our online sales, we made 10 times more than what we previously made. Our online sales are way up, so we’re happy with Blue Meta. Their team doesn’t make excuses. If we don’t have a couple of weeks when we don’t see sales, they review their efforts to understand why.
At the start, they actually wanted us to spend less money on advertising than I wanted. They knew that they had to first learn our market and audience. Their team doesn’t try to have us spend more than is necessary.
How did Blue Meta perform from a project management standpoint?
We have a sit-down meeting every month when we analyze what happened, and those meetings can be deeply involved. Blue Meta gives us reports that tell us exactly what we spent and acquired. I can receive reports monthly, weekly, or daily, so there’s a ton of feedback. They’ve almost become like a business manager.
Their team’s easy to reach including Blue Meta's owners. However, I haven’t gone to the owners after our initial meeting because their team’s excellent.
Their fee isn’t based on a percentage of our ad spend. Instead, they charge a fee to oversee the project. That’s awesome because they’re not pushing us to advertise. Their team’s pushing to get results, which is much better.
What did you find most impressive about them?
My business partner, who has been involved in marketing for her whole career, is incredibly impressed by Blue Meta. What sets Blue Meta apart is that they’re easily accessible and their staff’s excellent. They’re friendly, accessible, and willing to take on projects that are outside of their initial scope of work.
Their team will even take on a project that’s outside what they would prefer to do. For example, they wouldn’t normally redo a website on a different server. However, their team included technicians that could do it, so they did it for us. They’re also reasonably priced.
Are there any areas they could improve?
There’s nothing negative that I could say at this point. However, they’re improving all of the time. For example, they just brought on a new program to further analyze marketing data.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Stay away from any company that tells you that you should be splash marketing. Work with a company, like Blue Meta, that knows the technical side of marketing and can track reactions to marketing content. You want to work with a company that can give you data and create targeted ads.
the project
Direct Marketing & Lead Generation for Wealth Mgmt Firm
“We trust them and they are very solid. It was a new area for me and they were helpful every step of the way.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I run a financial planning practice. We’re also self-employed contractors, so we get a lot of leeway on how we actually want to run our own business when it comes to marketing.
What challenge were you trying to address with blue/meta?
They were working with me for lead generation and connections on LinkedIn. During COVID-19, we couldn’t do any in-person networking or seminars, so they’ve helped me get in touch with the right people online. It was more brand awareness targeted towards our audience.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We sent direct messages to people on LinkedIn. We worked together to come up with the messaging. They’ve done stuff like this before, so they know what works, but we wanted to make sure it sounded like something I’d say.
What is the team composition?
Nick oversees the general business stuff, Ricky is the tech lead, and Kianna does the day to day stuff. They’re only a phone call away on Google Hangouts, so I’ve been really happy with their responsiveness.
How did you come to work with blue/meta?
I knew Nick (CEO) and Ricky (CMO) from University. We stayed in each other’s networks, so when the time came, we were able to work together.
How much have you invested with them?
I’ve spent about $5,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in May 2020, and the work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Anecdotally, this project has put me in touch with the right people. Connecting with people on LinkedIn has been helpful during the pandemic. The business I am has a long sales cycle, so it’s difficult to measure the ROI right now. I have some meetings set up, calls, and a handful of lunches as a direct response to this initiative. It’s trending in the right direction. I have more connections and responses; we’re just waiting for it to convert to business.
How did blue/meta perform from a project management standpoint?
We trust them and they are very solid. It was a new area for me and they were helpful every step of the way. The schedule meetings, have check-ins, scorecards, and track metrics as well.
What did you find most impressive about them?
It’s hard to pick a highlight right now, but I’m pleased with some of the leads. We’ve met a few ideal clients in Vancouver.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I don’t have any constructive feedback. We found a price that was comfortably in my budget and I’ve seen positive responses,
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Sit back and let the experts do what they do best.
the project
E-Commerce Strategy for Meat Products Manufacturer
"They took on this project and treated it like it was their own, which I’m not used to."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a marketing manager at Drake Meats. We develop, manufacture, and market meat products for Saskatchewan and western Canada.
What challenge were you trying to address with blue/meta?
We are entering the e-commerce world, and we needed to hire some e-commerce experts to navigate that. That’s why we hired blue/meta.
What was the scope of their involvement?
blue/meta completed a comprehensive e-commerce strategy, which involved developing, identifying, and recording a target audience, market positioning, pricing, keyword overview, and marketing funnels.
They did tactics that we’ll use for the launch and for the whole year after we launch. The team also did a general overview of ad design and messaging that we’re going to use during our campaigns. The final product was an entire marketing calendar for year one of this new e-commerce project.
What is the team composition?
We worked with 4–5 teammates, and there were probably others working behind the scenes. I mostly dealt with Nick (CEO) and Ricky (CMO).
How did you come to work with blue/meta?
A colleague of mine who used to work with them introduced them to me.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $10,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from February–April 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Nick and Ricky were available at all times. They went above and beyond, doing more work than we had hired them to do. In terms of success, they really got us prepared to launch this e-commerce business from a marketing and promotional perspective.
They set us up for success in terms of laying the foundation for what data needs to be tracked throughout the marketing funnel so that we can improve our campaigns every week and ultimately make this profitable.
The team set themselves up in a way that they had to deliver results, otherwise, we would’ve known very quickly. There was no way to hide.
How did blue/meta perform from a project management standpoint?
Overall, they performed very well. blue/meta reached out on a regular basis and followed up when they needed to. They conducted the work extremely quickly, a lot faster than we were expecting. From start to finish, it was a smooth and seamless process.
What did you find most impressive about them?
What set them apart from other agencies that I’ve worked with is that they weren’t just concerned about ad spend and spending a lot of money on marketing campaigns. blue/meta was far more concerned with the project’s profitability and that we were accurately measuring our market performance post-launch.
My favorite part about working with blue/meta is that they treated this as their own company. They took on this project and treated it like it was their own, which I’m not used to. As I mentioned, they truly wanted it to be profitable.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I have no specific criticism for them at this time.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Hire them. If you’re interested in measurable marketing, particularly in the e-commerce space, blue/meta will get you where you need to go.
the project
Branding, Web Dev & Digital Marketing for Realtor
“We’re really happy with the results.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the president of Corbin & Co., a personal real estate corporation.
What challenge were you trying to address with blue/meta?
We wanted to increase our online engagement.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Corbin & Co. basically redid everything that we had in terms of content and branding, and they developed our website from the ground up. They continue to do SEO and execute different campaigns that we have on a regular basis. They also do social media coordination with another company that they work with. They manage our content and work on the creative side as well.
What is the team composition?
We work with three people, including Ricky (CMO) and Tianna (Digital Marketing Specialist).
How did you come to work with blue/meta?
I’d done business with the other partner Nick (CEO) through a pub that he owned.
How much have you invested with them?
My company has spent about $30,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working together in September 2018, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
My ranking for being a top realtor in my local area used to be in the hundreds on Google; I used to be way down on the list. Now, for certain keywords that are important, we rank in the top two and three in my local area.
How did blue/meta perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re great. They’re really organized and help keep me organized. We communicate via email and video calls. I’ve collaborated with them to determine KPIs, and we have monthly in-depth calls to discuss those KPIs. It gives me a very clear snapshot of how the business is performing in regards to online.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their attention to detail and expertise in the space sets them apart.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, they do a great job. We’re really happy with the results.
Any advice for potential customers?
Listen to and trust in what they say; they know what they’re doing. Results aren’t immediate for anything when it comes to branding, so be patient. If you’re patient, big changes can happen and make a world of difference.
the project
Digital Strategy & PPC for Plumbing Company
"Their communication as a team is amazing."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the business manager of Tap 2 Drain Plumbing.
What challenge were you trying to address with blue/meta?
We didn’t have much experience on the marketing side of our business or time to devote to it, and it began impacting our business. blue/meta was working with us on a part-time basis whenever we needed help, and I eventually brought them on and gave them full control.
What was the scope of their involvement?
I asked them to do a light digital audit to start with to see what our footprint was. From there, I was very impressed with what they came back with. It told me exactly what I thought was the problem. Then, we put together monthly marketing reports and dashboards. This let me access all the information they were tracking for me. We met on a monthly basis to steer our efforts in the right direction.
One of the things they built for me was a live dashboard that tracks and compares KPIs with how much I’m spending, including cost-per-click (CPC). I also asked them to track all my calls and they found a company that lets me use different phone numbers for different clients – with everything linked back to my phone so we can track which ads or landing pages they’ve seen. We've also looked at website traffic, booked calls, and analyzed Google Ads and Facebook Ads and Bing Ads performance. They don’t do any organic work for me.
We were about to start on a website redevelopment in mid-April as well, but that’s on hold because of the pandemic.
What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with everyone since the beginning, from the President on down. I’m a face-to-face kind of person. Especially at the beginning, I like to know who I’m working with: how they handle themselves in meetings and how they think on their feet. Starting with the President, I worked my way down to the team I have now.
Nick (CEO, blue/meta) is the President, and though he no longer works on the day-to-day side, he joins meetings, which allows us to discuss if they’re actually performing the work that I want. Ricky (CMO, blue/meta) is the project manager and my main contact. I go to him to perform certain tasks for me or put projects together going after certain clients. Finally, Carissa (Digital Marketing Specialist, blue/meta) is the one behind the scenes that I work with on a daily basis.
How did you come to work with blue/meta?
I’ve worked for banks for years and owned my own company for years. In working in different industries and with different sales and marketing teams, I can say that blue/meta is number one. They deliver, they’re not afraid to communicate and they don’t mind when I tell them if I don’t like something. They’re very open. I would recommend them to anybody.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent over $50,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
I’ve been working full-time with them since August 2019. They’re part of my management team. I’m not planning on bringing anyone else in. I get great value from them.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Business has increased by 20–30% thanks to them. Because I request a face-to-face meeting every month, along with the reports in front of me, it holds them accountable. We go over everything — every KPI, ever number we’re tracking — and they’re well-prepared for me. They’ve taken responsibility, no matter how it falls out.
Anecdotally, I work mostly with Google services, but they told me that Bing was trending and that it was less expensive, and we’ve seen traffic grow from that source. I wouldn’t have even considered it without them. They look at all angles.
How did blue/meta? perform from a project management standpoint?
If I send out an email or text, they’re on it right away. I’m not versed in everything but they handle me very well. By the time they’re done explaining, I’ve realized it was a stupid question, but they never make me feel that way. They’re on time and budget, and if something happens during the project they won’t increase their bill form the original quote. Some people will add to your bill, but they don’t.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I went to them in March and told them I was losing well over 30% with the virus and I asked them what they could do to help me out. Without reducing their services to me, they reduced their invoices by 50%. That’s unheard of. Since then, I’ve sent two projects to them and given them some money back because of it. Most people would cut back their services, but now, when we get out of this, we’re going to start franchising and I’m bringing blue/meta with us. Every one of our franchisees is going to work with them.
They work well as a team. I tried to trip them up by saying the same thing to two different people — seeing if I could get two different answers — but they were on it. They don’t put each other down for any reason if something gets dropped. Their communication as a team is amazing.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Nothing comes to mind right now, and I’m the type of guy who would tell you if there was something. They’ve just knocked it out of the park.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be brutally honest. Don’t hide if your business has been bad or your marketing is not good. They’ll find it regardless, so be honest from the beginning. They do the same. They won’t mince words or make you feel wonderful if it’s not the case. They want you to learn.
the project
Branding & Digital Strategy for Gaming Company
“Their attention to detail and service was through the roof.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of The Gaming Stadium.
What challenge were you trying to address with blue/meta?
We were a new company and were looking to build brand awareness and drive registration for events we were doing prior to our opening.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We started with a discovery meeting, where we laid out who we are and what we’re doing, as well as the potential challenges we’d be facing as a startup with limited bandwidth.
We were able to build out a plan that would accomplish our goals and utilizing technology like Facebook Ads and Google Ads. That led into roadmaps, and regular ongoing meetings. They leveraged those digital advertising channels to drive people to our website to sign up for our newsletter and promote our events as we led up to our opening.
How did you come to work with blue/meta?
I worked with the co-founders previously and had seen the work that they do. We still went through a formal RFP process, and they had the best plan by far. They’re both gamers and understand our industry, which was important as well.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested $50,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working together in October 2018 and wrapped up September 2019. We only stopped because we brought an internal person onboard.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
When it came to driving visits to our registration page, we jumped up 35% from the previous year. Using the ads they’d done, we were able to track all of the data. We also saw a 17% increase in ticket sales through their digital campaigns. They set a clear expectation at the beginning and followed through to make sure that expectation was met. They were very honest and realistic. If things didn’t go as planned, they scheduled a meeting so we could strategize on how to meet that goal.
How did blue/meta perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re fantastic. Their attention to detail and service was through the roof. We could contact them at any time. They had great communication and I still talk to them 1-2 times a week. If we ever needed to engage an agency again, they’d be our first call, no questions asked.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They empowered us to help with the work, which helped us stretch our budget for more ads. Even when we hired our in-house personnel, they helped and aided with that transition process.
the project
Digital Marketing Support for Terpenes Manufacturer
"They’re always eager and available to contribute."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re a manufacturer of terpenes for sale into the cannabis industry. Terpenes are a biomedical compound produced by over 20,000 plants in nature, one of which is cannabis. I’m the sales and business development manager.
What challenge were you trying to address with blue/meta?
We were looking for local, open-minded, non-discriminating digital marketing to help us with some very short-term objectives.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They provided digital design, website enhancement, and a trade show digital strategy and execution. They’re currently working with us to build our SEO potential and increase our online sales through e-commerce.
What is the team composition?
We’ve worked with up to four members of their team.
How did you come to work with blue/meta?
I did some research and came upon blue/meta and chose them among a pool of candidates. I liked their portfolio, their approach, and their willingness to work with such a new sector like ours.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested $7,000 – $8,000 so far.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working together in November 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They’ve helped generate more revenue, and they’ve been extremely flexible with the way the market has changed due to COVID-19. We’ve received incredibly positive feedback on our website and they were instrumental in delivering on time and on budget.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re genuinely interested in our business. They’re always eager and available to contribute.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They could maintain their attention to detail going forward.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
My advice is to put it all on the table. Trust that they can pick and choose where strategies will take off from, but make sure they’re fully integrated. Don’t try to box them into a corner.