Web Solution Specialists
We are the creative minds and technical muscle to help you extend the life of your website while enhancing the experience for your audience.
At Cheeky Monkey Media, we help you achieve success with your online strategy. WebOps is changing how the web works, from web development and design to copywriting, SEO, and PPC. With data-driven strategy and effective development plans, WebOps helps you get where you want to go and eliminates the need to constantly redesign and redevelop your website.
For over a decade now the monkeys have helped our clients solve more than 100 website, design, marketing, and search engine optimization challenges.
We figure that we’ve spent
- more 100,000 hours working with Drupal
- more than 50,000 hours working with Wordpress
- more than 25,000 hours designing fun and informative graphics and layouts
- more than 35,000 hours creating and executing innovating and engaging marketing strategies
Our Promise
Convenience
- Easy-to-engage help for your day-to-day WebOps needs.
- Wide open, responsive, informative communication. No guessing
- Transparency in usage, billing, and information
Efficiency
- Sensible solutions and quality work you can rely on.
- Quality born of specialization - we focus on WebOps support
- Efficient time and resource management so you aren't wasting time.
Expert Guidance
- Our team guides you through the WebOps process to ensure you get the best advice and consultation regarding your online presence.
- We’re dedicated to explaining solutions in a way that makes sense to you.
- A passionate group of designers, developers, strategists, and marketers, we will put the best of our expertise to work in pursuit of your goals.
Flexibility
- There is a solution for everything, including impossible situations. We’ll work with you to discover great options for even the toughest tasks.
- No ask is off limits. If you have specific needs, parameters, or requests, we're always open to conversations on how best to handle it.
headquarters
other locations
Focus
Portfolio
National Hemophilia Foundation Gordon Food Services University of British Columbia Independent Schools Association of BC Simon Fraser University Corban University Brandman University Eye Recommend Access Pro Bono Environmental Law Institute BC Wine Grape Council Souls Grown Deep Wenco Mining Systems Carmanah Technologies Corp. Big White Ski Resort Nature Canada VolunteerMatch AggData
ELI Continuous Website Maintenance, Enhancement, Innovation & Integration
The Situation
When they first contacted Cheeky Monkey Media, the Environmental Law Institute was in need of a significant design update. Not only had the aesthetics of the web site begun to age, but the navigation of the site had become troublesome. Originally, the Drupal 6 site they were using was adequate to their needs. However, as time went on, and more information was published to the site, the general flow and usability suffered. Articles, information, and publications were difficult to search and find, and this left ELI users with a poor browsing experience. With so much of the organization's work involving events, publications, and learning materials, it was exceptionally important for the group to get a handle on the site design and information architecture.
The Solution
Though the look and feel of the site was ELI’s primary motivation when engaging in their RFP process, it became clear in the early stages of the project that significant work needed to be initiated to organize not just the navigation, but the overall organization of topics, article types, and information. Cheeky Monkey Media set to work on a full scale card sort procedure that allowed ELI to clarify topic “buckets” that could then be used in the development of an intuitive and efficient Information Architecture. From a well-organized IA, to the completion of wireframe layouts, the strategy and user flow through the site was planned for optimal user experience. With design concepts based on solid strategy, the creative team was able to put together an engaging, professional and sleek look for the Environmental Law Institute that encouraged visitors to browse and review the site, but also locate specific information easily.
Since the completion of this project we've continued as a valued expert practitioner for their website needs:
- We maintained and enhance their Drupal 6 site past D6 end-of-life
- We built a Drupal 8 base install theme or upstream for their eventual Drupal 8 migration project, and used it ro quicklt spim up other Drupal 8 sites for their organization
- We migrated the entire site and associated sites on D6 to D8
Website Redesign - Wenco
Before the redesign, Wenco’s homepage had a bounce rate of over 50%. That means over half of their potential customers left the website before they even see anything else! That’s a big problem.
Improving their bounce rate and pages per session were the two top goals Wenco had for their new site. According to SEMRush pages per session is the third most important ranking metric on Search Engine Result Page (SERPs), with bounce rate being the fourth most important. This meant it was paramount for us to improve those numbers.
The Solution
To determine the most important design decisions we developed landing pages and conducted multiple A/B tests to find the “sweet spot”. On these pages we tested copywriting styles, messaging, call to action placements, and more.
Test results in hand we could then make decisions, backed up by data, about how to use each page element to meet Wenco’s goals. We found that even tiny tweaks and subtle switches to the content could impact that number by almost 15%! Now we’re getting somewhere!
Moving forward, we used compelling visuals, intuitive navigation, and clear messaging to build a great Wenco web experience. So good, in fact, that we were able to change the bounce rate from over 50% to under 28%.
Before the redesign, Wenco’s homepage had a bounce rate of 50.15%. After the redesign, we measured a bounce rate decrease of 36.21%, with the final resulting homepage bounce rate being 27.9%.
The average number of pages viewed per session increased by 33.75%, with the average session lasting 67.14% longer than before!
Not only were we able to decrease their bounce rate, increase the pages viewed, and increase the time spent on those pages, we also decreased the average page load time by 16.2% and the average page download time by 23.1%. Now that’s efficient!
SportMedBC
SportMedBC is an organization comprised of sports medical and paramedical practitioners, with the mission to promote leadership, public awareness and education in sport health. Before engaging in their website redesign, the site was an amalgam of pieces that were integrated to add functionality while keeping overhead and expenses low. The result was a site that presented navigation challenges to users, and made it difficult for staff to manage. Built on an older version of Drupal, the site had expanded far beyond the usability threshold, and it was time for a full scale renewal.
The SolutionBy upgrading the site to Drupal 7 and its improved administrative themes, Cheeky Monkey Media was able to alleviate many of SportMedBC’s web management issues. More than just upgrading to D7, the site saw a significant upgrade as Ubercart – a Drupal eCommerce module – was phased out in favor of Drupal Commerce, an updated and improved online shopping platform. With this in place, the site was made easier for users looking to register for courses and programs, as well as for those just seeking to purchase items.
Through the methodical application of Cheeky Monkey’s strategy & planning phases, the resulting layouts and site structure were far more in tune with SportMedBC’s audiences, while ensuring that important content and information was easy to find. At the end of the day, Cheeky Monkey Media helped SportMedBC breathe a little more life and vigor into a site that had hit the runner’s wall.
Branding DrupalCon
It’s a glorious situation when a client is so happy with the Monkeys that they ask us to be part of another project. It’s even more fun when you’re able to follow up a development heavy project with one that allows the creative design team to show off their talents.
On the heels of the Drupal Job Boards project, the Drupal Association again turned to Cheeky Monkey Media to help design the branding for the 2015 North American DrupalCon in Los Angeles. Having already impressed with pure development and programming skill, the Monkeys were more than excited to showcase their creative talent as the designer for one of the largest Drupal events of the year.
The SolutionAs the Drupal Association was focused on ensuring the success of DrupalCon Amsterdam, the creative design team was eager to begin initial concept development. Upon selection as the partner of choice, the Cheeky Monkey team dedicated significant time and energy to brainstorming potential themes, logos, and colors. By taking steps in advance, the Monkeys ensured that the project could really catch fire when Association staff were finally able to catch their breath.
Of course, when you’re entire corporate culture is dedicated to pushing the limits and stretching the boundaries, it was important to the team that the designs not fall back on standard Hollywood clichés and show-biz fare that Los Angeles has come to be known for.
Sfter this project we again engages with the DA to brand and develop all collateral and the website for DrupalCon 2016 and 2017.
Reviews
the project
Custom Front & Backend Web Development for Local College
“They did a fabulous job of connecting the dots for me between the contract, their execution, and how it played out.”
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 are a college in the Northeastern region of British Columbia. We cover a lot of territory but have a relatively small population. I am the Dean of continuing education, so I oversee all of our nontraditional kinds of programming.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.?
I was able to secure a grant from the Future Skills Centre to work on a project delivering skills to mid-career workers to make sure they have the support they need to continue moving forward. I needed a digital media partner to help me develop a custom frontend UX to implement my research idea.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They built the entire program from scratch using WordPress, but with custom code for everything we added on to the basic framework. We had a plugin chatbot, but besides that, they handled the design and page layout, as well as the individual features for people coming to our site to walk through. From there, they integrated everything with the edge cloud server that we needed to use for the project.
What was the team composition?
Two members of their team were in contact with me on a daily basis, and their head was involved on the backend with some of the more technical aspects of the work.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.?
Their team was already working with our college marketing department at the time to refresh our website. I assumed they wouldn’t have the capacity to take on both projects, so I looked elsewhere at first but had pretty universally bad experiences and decided to give Cheeky Monkey a shot. They impressed me from the start, and we’ve been working together ever since.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project started around October 2019. We have launched the site and started to get new research participants, but they are continuing to help as we transition from the development phase to maintenance and data extraction.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
It has only been a week and a half since the soft launch of the site, so we haven’t quite seen the adoption numbers that we’re hoping for yet, but everyone who has gone to the site has been amazed by how user friendly it is.
At a time when we were transitioning as a nation to a fully online system, they were able to implement a high impact platform for people that doesn’t present barriers to use for just about anybody.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?
I’ve been in education for a really long time, and they are one of the best communicating teams I have ever worked with. They didn’t just listen to what I needed, but they interpreted those needs into a technical language perfectly and built an incredibly trusting relationship with me along the way. I never ever felt like they were taking advantage of my lack of technical knowledge, which was incredibly reassuring despite the difficulty of the task we were working on.
We primarily communicated through video conference or Basecamp for our major milestones and decisions, as well as Slack for more day to day questions.
What did you find most impressive about them?
As a researcher building a set of assessment tools, I knew what I wanted and how I needed it to look, but I didn’t know how to make it work. Cheeky Monkey wasn’t your average developer just executing requirements because I didn’t have the specific requirements to give them.
We were able to talk about everything and then they produced the logic behind what I was trying to do so that we could tweak it from there together before they implemented it. They completely exceeded my expectations in terms of the implementation of what was really just a vision for me.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I really don’t have any specifics that I think they could improve upon. They did a fabulous job of connecting the dots for me between the contract, their execution, and how it played out.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Really be open to both having your idea of what you want as well as they’re able to make it better than you think. They will deliver what you want, but if you leave the window of opportunity open to them adding on, they’re going to do that as well.
My project needed to be very precise so I didn’t necessarily think there was a lot of room for variation, but they were able to take that precise thing and simply elevate it in a way I could not have envisioned.
the project
WordPress Development for Software Solutions Company
"They’re very helpful, and they listen deeply."
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 am the manager of corporate marketing at a company that makes computer systems for the mining industry. For example, we make fleet management systems, which we control from a central hub. We control the behavior and movement of a mining fleet, record the data, and then use it for reporting and optimization. We also work with a business intelligence platform.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.?
When we initially hired Cheeky Monkey Media Inc., we wanted to test out different messaging to see what would be most effective for our target market.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They were responsible for the design and development of our entire customer-facing website, including our landing pages.
We came up with different messaging, performed tests on landing pages, and observed which messaging worked the best. Then, we rebuilt our website based on those findings.
The website needed to be modular and it needed to incorporate Gravity Forms. The site also needed on-page navigation so that customers could easily find our products and features.
Since that time, we’ve been continuing to have incidental website iterations. We engage them on an ad-hoc basis whenever we need help (e.g. recently we had an issue with our spam filters).
Technologies used include WordPress and associated plugins.
What is the team composition?
Dennis (Lead Sales & Business Development, Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.) was the head account manager. At any given time, there’s been four or five team members, including Dennis. The others include a designer, a developer, and a sub-level account manager.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.?
We were looking for a Canadian web development firm that was comfortable with WordPress.
I interviewed 3–4 companies across Canada before deciding on Cheeky Monkey. Out of everyone, they were by far the most helpful during our first call.
I wrote a synopsis of my interactions with all of the companies and sent it to my boss, who agreed with my decision.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested up to $50,000 in their services so far.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in February of 2017, and the partnership is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
For the landing page project, we were able to source what messaging would be useful. We were able to narrow down 3–4 different ideas in terms of which would get the most traffic and attention.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?
I've always been really happy with Cheeky Monkey's project management. They’re quite quick to respond and they're quite good at managing expectations around deliverables and projects. They’re easily accessible and very good at keeping lines of communication open.
They offer extremely helpful suggestions. For example, during my first conversation with Dennis, he said, “Hey, you might want to try this plugin. This might do the trick for what you need.”
I communicate through email, but I use Basecamp for project management. Once in a while, Dennis and I will chat via FaceTime. During the project, we had a monthly catch-up scheduled with Dennis to touch base.
So, we work most directly with one of the account managers, and they end up sourcing whoever is available on their team. On a day-to-day basis, we worked closely with a project manager (we’ve had 2–3 over our engagement with them). If I have a technical question, I’ll talk to whichever developer was working on it with me.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re very helpful and they listen deeply. Cheeky Monkey is very consultative, and they’re interested to learn about us. They want to understand what we’re trying to do rather than pushing us down any particular road.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I’m quite happy with our working relationship. If anything, I know they’ve had some issues with turnover, and I know they’re concerned about that. Fortunately, we haven’t been super affected by it, but there have been a couple instances where something takes longer due to the resources they have available.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Future clients should have a clear idea about what they’re looking for. They will help pull it out of you, but it would be helpful to have an idea. (This is advice I would give to anyone who is trying to engage with any vendor.)
the project
WordPress Web Redesign, SEO & SMM for Utility Company
"Almost all of our new business comes from the online services they perform."
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 owner of Comfort Tech Heating & Cooling Ltd., a utility company.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.?
We needed to increase our online presence, so we hired Cheeky Monkey Media, Inc. to build a website.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We engaged with Cheeky Monkey Media Inc. for a variety of services including a WordPress site, SEO, SEM, and SMM. They began by quoting the website, giving me a comprehensive estimate on the build. We were shifting from a non-functional Drupal platform. Our course of action involved rebuilding the site with similar content. Their team also took care of the contact forms and SEO for the website.
Once the WordPress website was finished, their team began taking on marketing. They do Google Ads, create retargeting campaigns, work on social media through Facebook, and design elements for media and printed formats, like brochures. Along with crafting marketing campaigns, they provide updates to webpages and add landing pages when needed.
What is the team composition?
I work closely with four members of their team.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.?
My husband is related to the owner. We did entertain other companies and put them through the paces, but Cheeky Monkey Media Inc. is a well-run business.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent between $50,000–$199,999 so far.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our ongoing engagement began in December 2016.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The website launched in February 2017. Their team shares Google Ads reports and keeps track of Facebook hits. We also track several metrics internally using our own software. Almost all of our new business comes from the online services they perform. Our platform looks better than our previous one. Everything is exactly how I wanted.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?
While there were a few glitches along the way, their team did well and managed to take care of anything that’s come up. They did an exceptional job managing the project. We have daily communication using Slack and utilizing Basecamp for written correspondence and file sharing.
What did you find most impressive about them?
We’re a weather-driven business and Cheeky Monkey Media Inc. is responsive when we need them. A lot of times, I suddenly need something. They’re excellent at turning things around in a short period.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Their communication could improve, but they’re working on that. If there are any issues, they work on addressing them.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Trust Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.’s judgment. They have yet to steer me wrong. If I don’t understand a process, they’re incredibly responsive and will even try 14 different ways to explain something. If there are disagreements, they end up being right.
the project
Drupal Dev & Support for Paddle Manufacturer
"Cheeky Monkey has exceeded my expectations from the start."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I’m the marketing supervisor for Branches LLC, which owns the consumer brands Bending Branches and Aqua-Bound. We manufacturer paddles for kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddling.
For what projects/services did your company hire Cheeky Monkey Media Inc.?
Cheeky Monkey took over the management, maintenance, and improvement of our Drupal websites.
What were your goals for this project?
We wanted to increase traffic by 30%, add e-commerce functionality, and relieve some stress for our marketing team.
How did you select this vendor?
We went through an extensive process of selecting our web programming partner. We looked at roughly 30 different Drupal-servicing firms. We chose Cheeky Monkey because of their knowledge, experience, friendliness, and services provided.
Describe the project in detail.
Cheeky Monkey has dedicated their efforts to improving and maintaining our sites. They've dramatically improved our search-engine optimization (SEO), made our sites more secure, added e-commerce solutions, and optimized the user experience (UX). They continue to manage our sites.
What was the team composition?
Two marketing people from our firm—a supervisor and his understudy—had no programming experience. Cheeky Monkey provided an account manager, a website programmer/coder, and a web designer.
What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?
We’ve noticed 41% more traffic on our websites and reached five figures in e-commerce sales. The sites continue to improve, which makes our marketing team extremely happy.
How effective was the project management?
They’re fantastic! Cheeky Monkey offered great communication, follow-through, and support from the account manager and the primary programmer. Most programmers don’t communicate in terms that marketing teams can understand, but Cheeky Monkey made sure everything was clear for us.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
First, I appreciated how easy they are to work with. They really take the stress out of website management. I’d have them manage my personal finances if I could.
Second, they wanted us to learn how to make changes or improvements ourselves, which gives us a better sense of control and reduces our costs. They’re unlike any other firm I've encountered.
What tips or recommendations do you have?
Think carefully before hiring a website programming firm. Check their references and make sure your budget matches the provider’s expectations. Cheeky Monkey has exceeded my expectations from the start.
the project
WordPress Dev for TV Company
"I was impressed with what they did for us."
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.
Visland Media is a television development and distribution company selling television series to broadcasters in North America and around the world. I’m the CEO.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We were launching a new television series and we needed a website for it. We wanted the site to be the hub for the show and be a home for all the video content associated with the show. The viewers of the show can visit the site and guests of the show can direct their colleagues and fans to the site to be able to view their interviews after the show aired.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We used WordPress for the site because our in-house team is familiar with that platform. We wanted to be able to upload new content and videos ourselves so Cheeky Monkey Media did that for us. We came to them with an idea of what we wanted the site to look like but we allowed them to help us decide the best way to proceed. We just recently migrated our corporate website over to them for them to maintain. They also created a new marketing landing page for us and we have a few other projects we plan to use them for this year.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media?
I’ve met Gene, their CTO, a couple of times through some mutual friends and business connections. I’ve had a couple of friends work for him over the years and several people recommended I use them. We wanted a change in who we were working with and Cheeky Monkey was the first name that popped into my mind. I always liked what I saw about their company and heard good things from other people.
How much have you invested with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We spent $5,000 on the site.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in October 2016, and the site was completed in February 2017.
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
We were looking for a clean, professional site that would represent the show well. The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media perform from a project management standpoint?
They used Basecamp, which I really liked, so I knew exactly where they were all the time. I’ve never had that experience before with other providers. They were able to meet all the deadlines. Any delays were because we didn’t get them what they needed in a timely manner.
What did you find most impressive about Cheeky Monkey Media?
The project management impressed me the most. I’ve never dealt with an agency where I felt like I knew what was going on.
Are there any areas Cheeky Monkey Media could improve?
No. I was impressed with what they did for us.
the project
Drupal Development for Education Non-profit
"They are incredibly helpful, flexible, quick to respond, and really committed to getting things done on time."
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.
Jobs for the Future is a national non-profit organization that focuses on education and workforce development. I am the associate director for an initiative called the Pathways to Prosperity Network.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We were creating a new website for members of the Pathways to Prosperity Network. Members pay a fee to join the network. They then get access to technical assistance and resources for building career pathways in states and regions across the country. We wanted to create a place where members could connect with each other, share ideas, and learn from other people in the network. This would be a member-only benefit. We were looking for someone who could design the site to make it more valuable for members. At the same time, we wanted an attractive yet functional website.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Cheeky Monkey developed the site in Drupal because our organization uses Drupal for other websites. We were able to take the new system they created and integrate it with other websites at the organization. They were very creative in thinking about what steps were needed to be able to integrate all the websites together.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We put out an RFP and Cheeky Monkey responded. They put a proposal that gave us a lot of confidence in their graphic designer because the proposal itself was beautiful. They had carefully read what we wanted in the RFP and had made suggestions to improve on our ideas.
How much have you invested with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We spent about $50,000 for the project. We are a non-profit, so budgets are always a concern. Cheeky Monkey was sensitive to that and found ways to save us money.
What is the status of this engagement?
The work is ongoing.
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
People within our organization are impressed with the site and other teams are interested in having similar websites. We’ve also gotten really good feedback from users that the site is exactly what they needed, letting them learn from other members.
What did you find most impressive about Cheeky Monkey Media?
I can’t say enough good things about their team. They are incredibly helpful, flexible, quick to respond, and really committed to getting things done on time. We were previewing the website at a national conference and their developers were up for 48 hours to make sure everything was ready for the site demo.
Are there any areas Cheeky Monkey Media could improve?
I can’t think of anything. They were great.
the project
Drupal Development for Drupal Development Company
"They’ve [Cheeky Monkey Media] done a great job with making the system very user-friendly."
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.
Our company is a high-level Drupal web development agency. Our versatile team includes designers developers, and digital marketers. We also are associated with a technology college here in Victoria, British Columbia [BC]. I’m one of the senior project managers.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media?
Our partnership arose from a lack of resources because our in-house team was allocated to another large project. We reached out to them to take on a build from start to finish. The designs were already prepared, so they only needed to make those designs come alive.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We delivered the design files that were done by another agency to Cheeky Monkey Media. That was a challenge on its own because the other agency is neither a user experience specialist nor a Drupal expert. This led to a large amount of collaboration to help refine the designs.
For this Drupal 8 build, Cheeky Monkey set up the site from start to finish. They did a great job in producing a high-quality website, both on the front end and backend. In addition, we met once a week to prep for our weekly status call with the client so they not only completed development, but also were comfortable with client-facing relations.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We had worked with them in the past after finding them through the Drupal community. It’s a tightknit community, especially in Canada and even more so in British Columbia. We’re one of the bigger Drupal companies in BC. Our hourly rates matched up, so that made a great partnership.
How much have you invested with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We spent more than $50,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
It is ongoing. We started working with them two or three years ago. We started utilizing them for project tasks about a year ago.
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
We haven’t launched, so I can’t give metrics. We’ve demoed the site and our team has been quite impressed. Typically, we conduct training for the client, but they made the backend so intuitive that the clients haven't required any training. They've done a great job making the system very user-friendly.
Overall, they've done an outstanding job in being involved and immersed in the project - communicating with the client and myself, understanding what the requirements are, and understand what we're trying to achieve. They always made suggestions and implementations that satisfied the original scope.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media perform from a project management standpoint?
They did a great job. I’m working with a project manager and a developer on their end, and use Slack to communicate. They’ve been very responsive - nine times out of ten they’re available. Especially for technical developers, they were great with communicating.
What did you find most impressive about Cheeky Monkey Media?
It would be their willingness to find solutions. They’re happy to do the work; they’re happy to get creative and find a way to satisfy my needs as a project manager, their client, and our end client as well. I found that they are inspired about what they do, which in turn makes it easier for me to work with them to find solutions and talk timelines, etc.
Are there any areas Cheeky Monkey Media could improve?
Not at this time. We’re not launched yet.
the project
Graphic Design for Government Commission
"The way they ... communicate among themselves, as well as with the client, shows they [are] on top of things."
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 am a consultant for the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission. I’m on contract as a consultant. One of my positions relates to agriculture and what programs and services we can do to enhance our agriculture sector.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We needed a document created with great graphic design. This document would be used both in print and online. I had used an artist years ago who was freelance and I found out he’s the creative director at Cheeky Monkey. The document was called “An Economic Profile for Agriculture in the Central Okanagan”. It’s unique. There aren’t many of these in Canada. It had to be very dynamic, and the graphics needed to suit the content. It had to be visibly dynamic online and user-friendly. We needed to be able to update facts.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We had a good working relationship. I went in knowing what Cheeky Monkey would want and had my copy ready to go. I had some ideas for pictures, but I was open to other ideas. We talked about the format I needed to provide things in. Everything that we expected happened on time and the way it should. It was really pleasant and seamless.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media?
I had met them previously through one of my other contract areas at the commission. I thought they were a very innovative, growing company. I knew they were interested in doing more work locally. I approached them and they said that they could do that at the right price.
How much have you invested with Cheeky Monkey Media?
The project was $2,300.
What is the status of this engagement?
It was just this project. I put their name forward to bid on our website and other projects, and I have recommended them to other businesses.
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
I had this document vetted by planners and others who would be critical of it. People from the Ministry of Agriculture looked at it, and the feedback was very good. Once it was online, I was in a think tank planning session and this consultant said she was very aware of my work and that the profile that I’d done was excellent.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media perform from a project management standpoint?
Excellent. It all happened like I thought it would. They’re very good about how they track their time. They went beyond what was expected and were very pleasant to work with.
What did you find most impressive about Cheeky Monkey Media?
The first interview I did was with Gene. When we were talking, I saw how they had their team meetings. I sense the company has a very organized structure and process management system. The way they handle projects, schedule them, and communicate among themselves as well as with the client, shows they seem to be on top of things. I think that’s reflected in the caliber of work they give their clients.
Are there any areas Cheeky Monkey Media could improve?
There really isn’t. It was extremely successful.
the project
Drupal Development for Volunteer Organization
"We’ve always had a project manager we could reach out to who 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.
Volunteer Match is a website that helps connect volunteers and nonprofits online. On average, around 100,000 nonprofits post their volunteer needs on our site every day. We have about 13 million visitors to our site every year. We have corporate services that we license to companies who run employee volunteer programs. I am the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and engagement. I am in charge of all of the marketing and communications for Volunteer Match.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media?
We have in-house product and engineering teams that focus on our core services and our own website. In 2012, anything that involved outward communication and how we talked about our services was shifted to Drupal. We have been working with independent contractors for a couple of years for those projects. Those contractors were all great, but as soon as they would leave, we would be stuck. We did not totally understand what we needed to do to keep things up to date and a lot of knowledge was lost. Also, they built things in a technical way, which made it difficult for us to go in and make really simple changes. We started looking for some companies that we could bring on for a more consistent relationship. We asked Cheeky Monkey Media to modernize the way our sites were working and then ultimately overhaul some of them. The websites needed to be a lot more modern and match what people expect to see.
What was the scope of their involvement?
When we first started working with Cheeky Monkey Media, our main priority was shifting a lot of the pages and templates over. That would make it a lot easier for our team to make updates and small edits when needed. They had to create the templates and pages in a way that would allow us to go in and duplicate them in a simpler way. That was the first project and seeing how that went, we were really happy with it. Next, we wanted to completely overhaul our corporate marketing site because that hadn’t been touched in a really long time. So, we engaged Cheeky Monkey Media in more web design. We asked for different layouts that they thought could work in Drupal, given what was already on the site. Once we selected an appropriate layout, someone on our product team created the full design. Finally, we sent that over to Cheeky Monkey Media for implementation. That website launched at the beginning of this year, which has been awesome. Since then, we’ve been making small changes to get it exactly the way we wanted it.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media?
I had been talking to a couple different groups out in San Francisco, where Volunteer Match is based. I think one of the contractors recommended Cheeky Monkey Media. Somehow I got connected to Gene and I really liked his approach to the relationship. It was very informal. At the time, I was very frustrated with our Drupal experience, but Gene was able to explain things to me. I really appreciated that. They spent time getting to know how we work and how Volunteer Match is a unique model because we’re a nonprofit. At the same time, we’re also a technology company with our own developers, but they don’t really work on the sites that my team works on. Cheeky Monkey Media was patient and understanding, and they really figured out what could bring us on as a client.
How much have you invested with Cheeky Monkey Media?
In the first year, we probably spent around $10,000 with Cheeky Monkey Media. This year, we’re probably closer to $15,000 or $20,000. That’s probably the limit of our budget. We’ll probably spend less next year since we’re done with all these bigger overhauls.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our next project for Cheeky Monkey Media is a complete overhaul of another section of our site. It’s a learning center where nonprofits go for training. It has not been updated in a long time, and there’s a lot of work to be done before we get a whole new look for it.
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
I don’t have any metrics right now, but anecdotally, the launch of the new corporate solutions site has been incredible for us. We’ve been really happy with that. Also, Cheeky Monkey Media’s work allowed us to hook into Pardot. As a result, we’ve seen a great decrease in bounce rates and we’ve seen better leads coming through. The updated site is able to surface relevant content to our users in a smarter way, bringing them in as potential leads. I definitely think that the updated and relaunched site by Cheeky Monkey Media has been an important factor.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media perform from a project management standpoint?
Cheeky Monkey Media has been really good in terms of project management. We’ve always had a project manager we could reach out to who is amazing. She would jump on a call and wrangle her team when we needed it. We use Basecamp to document everything and communicate back and forth, and they’ll contact us when they need extra input. They’ll really listen to things that we’re trying to tackle and give suggestions. There was a situation that happened earlier this year, it may have just been a perfect storm. Our main person was out because she had a baby and then someone else was out, so things got strangely quiet from their side. Overall, our experience has been really great. We’ve been realistic with how the relationship with Cheeky Monkey Media will go. It’s a big improvement to the relationships we were having with other Drupal contractors. I was willing to take this call, so obviously I like them enough to be talking about them.
What did you find most impressive about Cheeky Monkey Media?
From my perspective, Cheeky Monkey Media has been really easy to work with. For example, they’ve been flexible with the pricing model for our engagement. We talked about whether we should have a minimum number of projects a month, or just have them wait and see what projects come up. I think they’re a fun group, and that comes through when you’re having conversations with them. They enjoy what they’re doing.
Are there any areas Cheeky Monkey Media could improve?
Cheeky Monkey Media can improve by continuing to improve the communication side of things. It would help to continue to have proactive conversations with clients. It’s important for Cheeky Monkey Media to think about what else they can help us with, instead of waiting for us to reach out to them. We’re probably too reactive when we’re planning the improvements to our site. I get it because we’re a fairly small client of theirs, so it’s a balance.
the project
SEO for Moving & Storage Company
"The experience I’ve had with Cheeky Monkey Media has certainly been very pleasant, so that definitely gives me confidence that they can do more."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please introduce your business and what you do there.
BigSteelBox is a shipping container company. We rent and sell shipping containers and modified shipping containers. We provide a residential moving and storage business as well as a commercial storage business. I am the Marketing Director.
What challenge were you trying to address with Cheeky Monkey Media?
It was an AdWords specific project. We had had some experiences with another agency and they didn’t pay enough attention to our business or the ROI on AdWords. We were just trying to get the cost down to a more reasonable level where we could actually justify running AdWords so that it would actually make us money.
What was the scope of their involvement?
There was an initial planning phase where they investigated what was happening on the platform—in the AdWords tool and in the analytics tool. After the planning phase, there was a trial period of probably three months or so where we lowered our level of spending just to try to get the cost for acquisition down to a reasonable level. That included strategic development, a review of the existing tools, and the development of landing pages.
We followed that with a trial phase on both the keywords and the landing pages to see how they were performing and converting. We did some testing in terms of what ads converted better and what combination of ads worked with what markets.
We did a few test markets in those three months, then expanded our marketing to our network of locations using a very granular approach. It’s really hard, tedious work. I needed somebody with the brains to figure all that out and just work really hard to get the cost of acquisition down to a reasonable level, which the agency was able to do.
How did you come to work with Cheeky Monkey Media?
Somebody I knew here in Kelowna had started to work with them. I reached out to Cheeky Monkey after that person recommended them to me. I told the agency what we were looking for, and they came up and gave us a proposal. They were able to bring the right person to the project.
How much have you invested with Cheeky Monkey Media?
There are two sides to that. There are the fees that they charged, which would be in the $10,000 to $50,000 range, and then there is the overall size of the buy. When I look at our AdWords, we probably spent over $100,000 on AdWords this year. The agency is managing that budget for us.
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work or the impact of the engagement?
We’re really in a very competitive business, so I was really just hoping to break even from an ROI perspective; the cost of just acquiring a customer has got to be reasonable. Based on the results so far—and it took a few months to get there—our AdWords are making us money.
It’s a little hard to tell with our current systems exactly what the ROI story is. I can’t follow a lead all the way through; I have to make some assumptions about the revenue that I’m going to get from the customers I’ve acquired through AdWords, which I base on the average value of a particular customer type. Based on that average, the ROI story is I’m probably doubling my money in terms of what’s been spent. Instead of it being a painful experience every time I look at the AdWords conversions, I’m happy.
How did Cheeky Monkey Media perform from a project management standpoint?
They have done well but it is a simple project management experience. I’m really working with one person who does monthly reporting and updating. I can easily get in touch with the agency. I just work directly with their AdWords consultant, so it’s very seamless. They’ve tried to eliminate the errors and inefficiencies.
What did you find most impressive about Cheeky Monkey Media?
The experience I’ve had with Cheeky Monkey Media has certainly been very pleasant, so that definitely gives me confidence that they can do more. They are on top of things and every client seems to represent an opportunity they take very seriously. As I have more needs that come up, I will certainly be inviting them to quote on other projects or provide proposals for other solutions.
Are there any areas Cheeky Monkey Media could improve?
I can’t comment on that, given the limited scope of our involvement with them. But they’ve been pretty proactive. They know what’s going on and where we’re at in terms of our online marketing. I keep them up to date, but it’s really just based on what our own needs are.
The program has just been launched but is already receiving compliments on its usability and design from early adopters. The Cheeky Monkey Media Inc. team was intuitive in their interpretation of the client’s requirements and worked closely to fit the research question and maintain all timelines.