Chatterkick

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work with a group of similar companies that partner to improve our marketing strategies and development. Chatterkick was able to make a global presence for us through social media channels and website development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chatterkick?

Chatterkick was hired to replace a website and fully manage social media channels.

SOLUTION

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

After reviewing multiple bids, we found Chatterkick to be fairly priced with a unique strategy and data-driven results.

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

We connected with the team for a kickoff meeting. From there, the Chatterkick team learned our language and style and hit the ground running. The entire process was easy and seamless.

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

While we had access to many teams within Chatterkick, our key account ensured it was always easy to know who to connect with for answers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our audience and engagement numbers have grown consistently since working with Chatterkick.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our content review and meeting cadence is the perfect flow. We get enough information to guide the process but Chatterkick handles all of the details.

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

The ability to act as an extension of our team is what makes Chatterkick stand out.

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

We started utilizing the Sprout Social dashboard in the last few months. That was a huge improvement from emailing back and forth.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the account and brand manager of an online retailer that sells Native American made food, gift and wellness items.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chatterkick?

We hired Chatterkick to plan and manage all social media content for Facebook and Instagram as well as lead digital advertising efforts.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for a local ad agency that was affordable and had good reviews from past and current clients. We also love that this company is female-founded.

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

After an introduction meeting to learn more about our goals and our brand, they helped us come up with some brand guidelines. They also helped us research and identify our target audiences. They wrote, designed and planned social media content for Facebook and Instagram using Sprout Social. Each month they send over the planned copy and designs and I can easily proofread and edit, then approve them. We meet once a month to talk about insights and upcoming goals.

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

We worked with designers, writers, managers, ad strategists, etc. In total, we have worked the most with four team members.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us take our Instagram and Facebook presence to the next level. Before we worked with Chatterkick, we had very little presence on these platforms. Now, we have a highly engaged Instagram audience of nearly 2,300 followers and 9,000 Facebook followers with a 4.8/5 business rating.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We meet once a month to talk about insights and upcoming goals. They provide helpful insights to guide each month's content. They have also provided us with unique ideas for new content such as Instagram reels, Tik Toks and creating a LinkTree and Google My Business account.

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

We are impressed by the conversations they create for us on social media. Not only do we gain followers, likes, shares, etc., but we are creating meaningful conversations regarding Native American products, businesses, history and culture. They are always offering fresh ideas and they are available for help any time we need it and always willing to meet outside of our normal scheduled times.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the assistant general manager and VP of operations at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Sioux City, Iowa. We’re a gaming facility with restaurants, live entertainment, and a hotel. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We came onto the market in 2013 to try and win the licensing to build a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in our city. We engaged Chatterkick to assist us in building a social presence to get our message out to our community. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a lot of information to get out to our community and create a lot of buzz around the project, so Chatterkick put together our social media marketing strategy. They worked diligently to ensure all the content we posted online was relevant to our needs and reflected the Hard Rock aesthetic. Chatterkick was instrumental in keeping us at the forefront of the community’s mind when we were up against other bidders for the Hard Rock licensing.  

We’ve continued to work with Chatterkick over the last few years. They continue to run our digital marketing and Facebook account — we provide them with information we need to promote or announce. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with several teammates from Chatterkick. 

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

When we first came into the area, we wanted to work with a company in the region. Very few companies specialized in social media, and Chatterkick soon rose to the top because they had a very polished approach. We were one of Chatterkick’s first key accounts, and their portfolio has expanded since our first conversation with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested just under $500,000 with Chatterkick thus far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We first began working with Chatterkick in June 2013 and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As of the last time I checked, we had under 100,000 followers on Facebook, which is very impressive for a community of this size. Chatterkick ensures that their engagement practices and strategies evolve based on our changing needs. Chatterkick is great at looking to the future to see where we need to focus our efforts to engage our audience.   

Chatterkick has kept us relevant and helped us grow our online platform exponentially. The partnership has been first-class. Our engagement has done nothing but pay dividends since its start. 

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

We have yearly reviews meetings with Chatterkick — we also have monthly and weekly recaps. Communication is a constant back and forth. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Chatterkick is constantly looking for ways to evolve their strategy with our industry — they’re always looking for best practices to benefit us. Chatterkick is very proactive and is always ahead of the game in our ever-changing industry. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything for Chatterkick to improve — our relationship couldn’t be any better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients need to be completely transparent in their vision and arm Chatterkick with all the information they need to deliver the best results. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the social media/project manager person at a business consulting company. We specialize in leadership development, strategic planning, and executive coaching.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chatterkick?

We needed someone to expand our horizons. We had a presence on social media, but we were looking for more. What tips/tricks do they have to create more engagement, what platforms do we need to be on, what's new, etc. They also do our capture contents, which include video, boomerangs, headshots, photos of us in action, and of our space. We look to them for anything social media/marketing related. We have gotten to know them and vice-versa, so they know what we can do and what they would recommend they could help us with.

SOLUTION

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

Andrea, our president, knew Beth from an executive networking group. Beth came in to talk with us and we were sold. Very easy going, understood our business, and gave us ideas to try out that very same day.

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

After an initial meeting, they came in to help us decide a strategy. What were we wanting to improve or work on. We did a deep dive into everything we have done and then what were we capable of doing. It has evolved over the years and they have always been our champion. If they know we can do something on our own, they give us the tools to do that and don't try to charge us more and do it themselves.

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

We have worked with so many of their team members. Chatterkick is very good at bringing in their experts for meetings that we have where we are focusing on specific topics. If we are looking at ads, Beth will bring her ad strategist in. Or content capture, we work closely with Allison, who is full of great ideas and has a great way of putting people at ease. She always has the content capture day mapped out and gets the shots done quickly and effectively.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were non-existent on Instagram before we started working with Chatterkick. We were concentrating on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Beth had to bring it up for a couple months, showing us the benefits and features and now we have Instagram and our followers are growing. Chatterkick never tries to make us something we aren't. We aren't trendy or hip, so at this point, certain platforms might not be right for us, but she still shows us tips and tricks from those platforms, so we are staying "in the know".

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They have shown us so many tools that we have implemented to make our work flow and social media posts run more smoothly. We were meeting with someone from their team monthly, but now we are doing longer quarterly meetings. They bring our numbers from the last quarter, how our social media is growing, things to watch out for, and what to look ahead for.

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

We were impressed by how down to earth they are. They don't try to talk over us or make us do the newest/most trendy things. They took the time to get to know us, our brand, and how much time we had to work on social media posts and our site.

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

Nope! They continue to evolve with us and our brand. Finding new ways to be beneficial to us and where we are in our business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director at a non-profit cancer center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our previous website was out-of-date and not user-friendly. Being new to the Cancer Center, I also wanted previous analytics looked at to help determine what our viewers were spending time on and looking for. This would help determine navigation. Goals included better user experience and increased traffic.

SOLUTION

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

I was looking for a partner who would help create a new website that was both functional but looked great. Having someone who would help with continued expansion and possible issues was important. Cost also was a factor.

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

Their process was ideal! A kick off meeting to set goals. Proposal came back. We finalized and agreed upon responsibilities and a timeline. The process was followed and updates communicated - I could always pull out the initial document to see where at in the implementation process, but I also had one point of contact telling me what they would need next.

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

Project Manager, Designer, and a couple other team members. What I liked the most is the project manager is who I dealt with. One point of contact!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We loved the new design and navigation. Analytics show traffic increased and while people are spending less time on the site, we think it's a positive because they find what they need quickly/easily.

As the back-side user, the platform is so easy to use. This saves me time and money. Chatterkick has assisted as I wanted to make new changes/updates or had ongoing questions. I am very pleased with the result of this project!

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

Weekly email updates. Calls when needed more communication. In-person meetings when we need to strategize issues or new ideas.

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

Chatterkick gave us a professional, patient-friendly website that is easy to update. They provided thorough training. And they continue to provide support with team consistency when I bring new projects to them which is great for me because do not have to "reteach" them about my organization.

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

I wanted a special feature included on our site which is an additional program added that has bugs sometimes. Not Chatterkick's fault, but that is what I would change.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Jolly St. Nick, a startup that provides virtual Santa visits, elf craft parties, and jolly gift bags to families with kids below the age of eight. Our goal is to help people celebrate and enjoy the holidays, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We were in our first year of business, so we needed someone to help us shape our brand based on our objectives and identify our target audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chatterkick provided an overall strategic plan to help our brand get started. We had several brainstorming sessions with their team where we discussed our goals. Then, the team talked to some of our target audience through a focus group. 

Based on their understanding of our target audience and what we were trying to achieve, Chatterkick then created a unique proposition to help us execute our vision. It detailed how we could roll out our brand, taglines and promotional pieces we could use, a potential look and feel, color palette, and so on.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six people: the founder, a principal, and four other individuals who helped us with design, social media, and advertising. They came together to create the strategy for us.

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

We found them through one of their online ads, and we also talked to someone they had worked with, who said that Chatterkick did an outstanding job. We called them and hit it off. Their ideas were also excellent, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

It cost approximately $10,000. It was a relatively small project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were looking for out-of-the-box creativity and strategies, and Chatterkick helped us get to that level. They put together a solid plan for us that tackled all various aspects, and their work helped us go forward in the best way. The team went above and beyond what we asked from them.

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

The team did an excellent job. From the moment we reached out to Chatterkick, they did an incredible job of getting back to us and going out of their way to update us. We communicated via email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Chatterkick exceeded our very high expectations. The level of creativity they brought was fantastic, and they were a pleasure to work with. Every time we talked to them, they had a new, unique idea. It was evident that they put a lot of energy and effort into the project. We were really impressed with their ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything bad to say about them — they did an incredible job. The project went well, and we intend on working with Chatterkick again. They’re the first team we would call if we need more help.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I serve as the communications and marketing lead for the Des Moines Airport Authority. The Airport Authority manages the daily operations of the Des Moines International Airport.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chatterkick?

The DSM Airport has never had a robust social media strategy. We hired Chatterkick to build a playbook of best practices for current strategists to use while also creating a living document for succession planning.

SOLUTION

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

We reached out to several agencies to partner with us on developing a social media strategy that was tailored to our staff structure. Chatterkick took the time to understand the needs of our organization while delivering a proposal that fit within our budget.

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

After the initial meeting, they identified key areas the Airport staff should focus on to build our social media presence. The playbook included an overview of the platform and the audiences we could reach, suggested content for each platform, and when and how to use hashtags to expand reach. Chatterkick guided us in subscribing to SproutSocial, a social media management tool, which has streamlined our social content and made it manageable.

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

We worked with the CEO, a creative experience manager, and a social media strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The playbook allowed our small team to organize content, target specific audiences, and deliver more information messaging to the community.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Chatterkick team was very responsive and proactive in reaching out to ensure they delivered on the project.

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

The Chatterkick team was very knowledgeable in all things social. They made the experience efficient while meeting our expectations. As the organization is growing, they have managed to maintain the level of customer service you would expect from a boutique firm.

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

We were delighted with our experience and wouldn't change any part of the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Greene County Development Corporation, the economic development unit for Greene County and the surrounding region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We hired Chatterkick to work on three different projects, including digital marketing and online training.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once we contacted them, we had several meetings. Then they provided a proposal for each project. Once we reviewed each proposal with the board and accepted it, we started working on our first project.

First, they developed an online survey for the establishment of a coworking space. Then they created a county-wide marketing plan. Then for our third project, they provided online training for our local retailers. They hosted Zoom training sessions to teach them online best practices.

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with about four different people. We worked with Beth (CEO & Founder) on each project and 2–3 other people.

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

They were recommended to us by another company in the community.

How much have you invested with them?
We’ve roughly spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them from June 2010 and wrapped up around September 2010. We started working with them again in March 2021 and are now nearing the final step of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered everything that was in the initial proposal. Due to their support, we were able to open the coworking space in our community, and it’s doing very well.

The training they provided has also been very successful; our retailers were able to implement the information Chatterkick provided, and sales have already improved.

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job managing the project, meeting deadlines, and sticking to our budget.

They provided ongoing updates, were responsive, and were available for questions throughout the project. We used email, phone, and Zoom to communicate with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re familiar with current internet options and processes. They know how to deal with different platforms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we are happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend them. They’re experts in their industry. We felt like we could rely on their recommendations and suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Siouxland Human Investment Partnership, a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We needed help with social media management.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chatterkick handled our Facebook account. They created two posts every week based on the content we sent them. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 6–7 people. 

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

I used to work with the founder of Chatterkick.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from February 2014–January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Chatterkick, we secured an increase in engagement, impressions, and likes. They created a solid online presence for us.

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job. We mainly communicated through email or phone calls, and they were very accessible. Additionally, we had yearly meetings to talk about their strategy for the coming year.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was really open to whatever we wanted to do. Chatterkick seemed invested in our success, so we appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve helped us more with the content. In the end, most of the content was supplied by us. It was also quite inconvenient that our point of contact also changed a lot throughout the years of the engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief insights officer at a consumer engagement agency that uses merchandise solutions to drive impact for brands and consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chatterkick?

We started working with a marketing agency for the first time. We had done all of our marketing in-house previously. We didn’t feel that we had the ability to stay current and understand what was going on in the marketplace and create growth opportunities. We worked with a small marketing agency that helped us get off the ground. It became apparent that they didn’t have the resources to help us continue to grow.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chatterkick helps us on two major fronts; they help us around social content and making sure we’ve got good conversations in the marketplace going on LinkedIn and Facebook. Chatterkick helps us with a lot of the content work. We give them the raw materials and they can get it into the right voice for us. They’ve helped us prepare for some ad spend that we might deploy as well. 

They also help us with HubSpot as a lead generation and contact management tool. We also use it for our email deployments to improve our practices in that area. The team makes sure that we send the right information at the right time. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Beth (CEO) and half a dozen employees. They’ve definitely shared their philosophy around having a pod of people with different specialties. It was a much more helpful set up than the last agency. 

How did you come to work with Chatterkick?

One of our executives happened to meet Beth at an industry event. He was impressed with her and we decided to do some due diligence. We brought them on to do some initial discovery and project work in December 2020. 

We were all very pleased with that experience, and we decided to put a retainer in place for the rest of 2021. We loved their approach to things. They were friendly, engaging, knowledgeable, and willing to listen. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000–$200,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020, and our work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen tremendous gains in the basic metrics of followers on LinkedIn and Facebook. The level of engagement is up too, especially around the number of people on our posts. 

We’ve seen our website traffic up by 35–40% YoY. We’re even starting to get some email outreach from people we’ve never heard of. Things are working well. On the whole, I’m really pleased with the fit, and I’m pleased with the results I’m seeing. 

How did Chatterkick perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is perfectly good. Everything seems to be on time, especially in comparison to our last agency. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They continue to help guide and lead up in a collaborative manner. At the same time, they’re good at reminding us about our commitments. They seem ready to pivot where they need to be. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Twice a year, we have strategic check-ins where we assess where we’ve gone right and wrong. Sometimes they’re a little overly rosy about their interpretation of the results. There was some turnover as well that led to us having to do more work on our creative posts. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to do the right due diligence. Have those up-front conversations. Be really clear and specific about your needs that will get translated into a statement of work. The team will use that as their roadmap and deliver on it.