Blue Sky Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a maritime and security video logistics organization. We provide free services ranging from transportation for crew members that come in and out of the major ports in the Gulf of Mexico, spares transportation for freight and cargo to and from the vessels,  and then we also have security. We also provide physical security guards and surveillance security solutions for any customers- not just maritime related- but car dealerships, construction sites, retail centers, or anything pertaining to the video surveillance side. I am the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Sky Marketing?

We wanted to grow our video surveillance market and grow our online presence with our website. The goal was to have our company be one of the top 10 names that showed up on Google when searching for video surveillance, surveillance monitoring, or mobile surveillance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The earlier focus was to drive business to the site. So they came in, got a good understanding of who we are, what we did, our services, and who our competition was. After doing their due diligence, they went back and started putting their work together.

They improved our SEO by adding language and changing our website to make it more prominent on search engines. They created a feature that could track incoming phone calls that came through the website. Also they gave us data on how many people were going to our website and how many clicks we were getting. And just recently, they rebuilt our entire website

What is the team composition?

We were only in contact with two people from their team.

How did you come to work with Blue Sky Marketing?

We actually tried out to other SEO marketing companies prior to going to working with Blue Sky and both of them failed tremendously. We just didn’t see any results in the work that they were putting out for what we were spending. So a friend of ours referred Blue Sky to us.

We had the opportunity to meet with them and then ultimately decided to give them a chance to work with us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $60,000 a year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them from January 2016– March 2018. We plan to still work with them for future updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Being able to track the amount of clicks on our website has enabled us to gain a lot of insight. We can figure out what people are looking for and why they’ve come to the site in the first place. So that's a very important piece because there may be some business opportunities out there that we’ve attracted because of the improved SEO.

How did Blue Sky Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well. They did a great job of keeping us informed about everything. They were very much on the ball.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always in the front of things before I have to say anything or do anything. They’re already well aware of it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any areas of improvement. We've been very satisfied with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Whatever questions they ask you, as busy as you are, make time to provide them with all the necessary information. You've got to do the work and put forth the effort otherwise, it makes their job that much more difficult.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Johnson Development is a real estate development company based in Houston. I handle marketing for the largest master-plan community in the portfolio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Sky Marketing?

We needed help developing a backend content management system for our different communities. There’s a significant data component with regard to connecting with builders and managing inventory.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a backend mechanism that helps us manage, view, and export data for each community. In terms of reporting, it allows us to see where we stand with regard to sales. It allows us to monitor and see what product line is selling what's not selling. It allows us to export data about our vendor and builder partners.

Beyond data management and reporting, Blue Sky Marketing’s role grew to be our digital marketing partner. They keep their finger on the pulse of all that's happening from a social media perspective. They track and monitor what we need to be doing. In addition to the backend content management system for our website, they also help us with our overall web strategy. I’m working with them now on a total redesign of the website for my community. They’re working on SEO for maximum visibility of the site.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with an account manager and an account support person. I also have access to Michelle (founder, Blue Sky Marketing). She keeps an eye on the larger picture, and is accessible if I have a question or concern.

How did you come to work with Blue Sky Marketing?

I recommended them to Johnson Development when I was working for another company. They were very valuable to me in the digital aspects of my role. One of my friends was working for Johnson Development at that time, so I was happy to make the referral.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement with Johnson Development began around 2011, and work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Based on sales of homes within a given community, our sales are up consistently. What more can a marketing person ask for then the answer to the question of “What do I need to do to get to X?”. They help us identify those tracking mechanisms. Thanks to Blue Sky Marketing, we know the number of home searches we need to deliver in terms of sales. They’re able to point back to their value based on our home sales and what we invest in digital.

How did Blue Sky Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is excellent. There are so many moving parts in my role; it’s fantastic to be able to rely on Blue Sky Marketing to help me with critical projects. We'll take a look at our fiscal calendar and they help me project where we need to or want to be with regard to our sales cycle. They’ll flag for me what we’ve budgeted, what we talked about doing, and what track we want to stay on. They make great suggestions about how to boost the website and social media. It’s really helpful to have somebody thinking about the social media calendar and keeping us on track. I'm not great about meeting deadlines but they know to stay on me and send me frequent reminders. They're also good at lobbying on my behalf for more time with our vendors.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s wonderful to work with an agency that’s not only razor sharp but also a lot of fun. They're nice people, and I like being around them. I trust them. I can absolutely count on them with my business. They really know what they're talking about. They’re continually studying, attending functions, and learning.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there's nothing I can think of at the moment.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you want to be right all the time and just do it your way, then they’re not the right fit.  Blue Sky Marketing is going to come to you with a recommendation based on their experience, and it may not necessarily be what you had in mind. They want to work with you and make you happy, but they're going to tell their recommendation from a business standpoint. If you’re comfortable with that and have an open mind, you’ll make better business decisions. They're candid, but they're helpful.