Digitopia

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is in the hospitality industry, so we’re a resort that specializes in golf and outdoor adventures. Our property is 200 acres, and I have managed the marketing department and all of our digital and social media since 2011.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digitopia?

Our online exposure from our website desperately needed to be updated and optimized. Our presence on Google was extremely weak, and there was basically no way for folks to interact with us online. Our website was just a place to go for information, but we wanted users to have the ability to book or ask questions online as well, so we reached out to Digitopia for help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve really helped us with everything. We started by completely re-wireframing our website and developing it on WordPress from scratch. They helped guide us with content as well. We would generate it, but they helped us optimize what kind of content and wordings were the most helpful to us.

They developed our keyword strategy for SEO to improve our performance on Google and have completed smaller tasks like updating our addresses coordinates on Maps to direct people to our front gate instead of the back. Since 2018, we’ve been running a PPC campaign with them as well.

The other major component was our booking system, which we had to work with another company to develop because of the internal system that we use. Their team took the finished product from there and integrated it with our website and Google Analytics so we could track user experience and everything on there as well.

What is the team composition?

Originally, we were just working with one member of their team, but they actually merged to become Digitopia and we’ve worked with two

How did you come to work with Digitopia?

They were recommended to me by a guy I knew in the industry from when I worked in New York. He actually helped me develop the website initially, but optimization was outside of his skill set so he facilitated an introduction with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent between $180,000–$200,000, but we’re getting ready to ramp up that spending a lot because of the results we’ve seen so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started working with them in early 2016, and the engagement is still very much ongoing.

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

Our month over month numbers have been consistently positive since we started working with them, and the return on our current campaign is really driving conversions, which is amazing. We’ve been extremely pleased with the results and are planning on dramatically increasing our spend in order to take advantage of the success we’ve had with them so far.

How did Digitopia perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been very effective. We had monthly calls since the start but moved to weekly calls when we launched the latest campaigns and have found that the more frequent communication allows us to really take advantage of their wisdom and experience in the industry.

We’ve been fixing issues we didn’t even realize were problems before, regardless of whether or not they’re in our current scope of work. Their team is always ready and willing to track down a solution or answer a question for us, which we really appreciate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think their commitment to us is really impressive. They are super helpful and always quick to respond. I’m a person who really appreciates speed in business and I think their ability to keep up with a fast pace of work creates a lot of value for our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t see any negatives. They’re not cheap, but we’re seeing the return so as long as that’s the case, I’ll spend as much as I need to spend. I’m definitely planning on continuing to work with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would just say that their an organization that is focused on helping you succeed, so as much as you can help them do that, the more successful you are going to be. Be proactive about organizing calls, and give them as much information as possible for them to work with.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the assistant marketing manager at a healthcare IT company. Our division provides teleradiology services, and serves different Software as a Service (SaaS)/Platform as a Service (PaaS) products on the other side. We also have a medical image management platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digitopia?

We were using an online service that we had zero transparency with. We had no idea how we were getting certain results and it was never explained to us. We couldn’t talk to anyone and there was zero customer service. The previous service was not hands-on and we were paying a ton of money for it.

Our own work, it seemed, was why we were gaining great online traction and presence— not because of our SEO service. We decided we wanted to change the way we ran SEO. We wanted a more hands-on feel and were looking for a local agency to help us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially hired for a very specific need, they became our go to for anything and everything web related. They made crucial SEO efforts for one of our websites which furthered our partnership.

Digitopia then collaborated with us and our third-party vendor working on another website we were building out. They worked on the design and we dropped the other company because we were seeing better results.

They are currently continuously doing different web projects for us. Anytime we can make something better, they do the projects for us. They improve our UX/UI to be reactive and intuitive for the user. They utilize exciting, cutting-edge, and innovative technology to continue to work with us on building the site out.

Their team listens to our feedback and always takes it into consideration. They draw from our inspiration and visions and bring them to life more than the other company did. We also appreciate that Digitopia evaluates our ideas and are always able to show us a better way or take them to the next level. They contribute to the planning process and are genuinely excited about it.

What is the team composition?

Our main points of contact are Cameron (Lead Web Developer, Digitopia), Gerald (UX/UI Designer & Project Manager, Digitopia), and Krystina (Digital Marketing Strategist, Digitopia).

How did you come to work with Digitopia?

We looked into several others but trusted the recommendation we got for Digitopia. They are 25 minutes away and meeting them in person sealed the deal for us. They pitched everything they could do for us and did an analysis on the backend of the site. They were very thorough from the very start and continued to be.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $63,500 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and the work is ongoing.

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

We continue to get amazing feedback on the websites we launched. Our audience says our site functions better and is more intuitive. Their SEO best practices are working and people spent an average of 4-6 minutes on the site, which is above average for the entire health industry.

How did Digitopia perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive and we typically communicate via email. We can meet with the whole team at their office if needed. They make time for us and get projects done in a timely manner. We’ll email them with an idea and they'll come back within a few days to a week with a helpful proposal. They’re always willing to work with us and we always feel heard by the designers, developers, and even the CEO. They know our team and care about our business.

They run everything pretty smooth. There was one hiccup, but the team handles communication errors very professionally. We never experience anything lacking with timelines and constraints. They really try to cater to you and our teams collaborate really well. We all communicate very clearly with each other. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They impress me with their consistently clear and concise proposals/reports. They’re very knowledgeable in their domain and we appreciate their hands-on attention to detail. Their team makes it feel like we're one team and do not feel like a third party. They work with us seamlessly and are an extension of who we are. We can call on them at any time and they're very reliable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a growing team and we experienced the slight growing pains with them when they were bringing on new designers, but they stayed on top of things. We rushed our last website launch and they really pushed with us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear with your expectations, timelines, and results you’re looking for. They always verify those things with you, which we appreciate.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of an FAA Part 142 simulator-based flight training facility called LOFT. We provide simulator and in-aircraft based initial, recurrent and transition training and mentoring for the Cessna Citation and CitationJet series of jets.

What challenge were you trying to address with Digitopia?

We transitioned into SEO marketing because our direct mail campaigns were too costly and couldn’t reach our target audiences. However, with our previous SEO company, we couldn’t generate the expected sales conversions despite how much we’d spent on Google ad placements.

Furthermore, we experienced a significant number of callers who mistook us for a clothing store of the same name. We wanted resources who could provide consulting and lead our SEO strategies.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they performed a comprehensive current-state assessment. They worked closely with us to learn about our business and industry while also informing us about Google marketing techniques. Once they gained an understanding of our needs, they developed and implemented new AdWords strategies to increase our rankings and generate prospective clients. This involved conceptualizing new ads, optimizing organic ad positioning, targeting our keywords, and refining our site’s content and backend to be SEO compliant.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with their project manager answered our questions and connected us to their specialists. We also worked with their web developer.

How did you come to work with Digitopia?

Our previous SEO company focused on technology companies and lacked the commitment needed to learn about our company. As a result, we sought a local agency that could immerse themselves in our industry to understand our needs and develop effective approaches. After researching online, we found Digitopia due to their strong digital presence. We met them in person and appreciated their willingness to actively engage with us and learn.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000–$60,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in April 2015 and is ongoing.

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

Although we knew that it would take at least six months to a year to see results, the ROI has exceeded our expectations. We’ve gone from spending $15,000 a month on Google AdWords to $5,000. In terms of rankings, we consistently land the top search results for our industry, which has drastically increased our conversion rates. Compared to before, the generated leads are relevant and sincerely interested in our services.

How did Digitopia perform from a project management standpoint?

They send a monthly report that details our status for keywords and digital impact, which we review as a team. Typically, we conduct conference calls to analyze a holistic overview of our strategies and metrics, making adjustments as necessary. In the beginning, the meetings lasted longer because we were still mutually learning about each other. However, as the engagement progressed, they’ve learned what we want and know how to achieve our goals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As I’ve mentioned before, we value the amount of effort they’ve taken to learn about our industry. Although it took time to educate them, this has allowed them to develop effective campaigns for our business. Their dedication and in-depth knowledge have fostered a fantastic working relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing brand manager at the supplement company Wakunaga of America. Our parent company is in Japan, but we’ve been in business for 45 years in the United States. We specialize in the brand Kyolic, an aged garlic extract, but we also have a probiotic line, a green powdered drink line, in addition to other supplemental health products

What challenge were you trying to address with Digitopia?

When I started at the company over a year ago, we didn't have any social media or consumer marketing strategy. While loyal to our products, our largest consumer demographic is older, and in order to continue growing the company, we wanted to reach younger consumers. We knew we needed to establish our social media network to reach a younger audience, which is why we started working with Digitopia.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to make sure Digitopia’s team and our team always knew our goals for the campaign so they could support us with effective strategies. Additionally, we wanted to make sure our online brand was consistent with the branding we do with print and radio.

They helped us establish a regular content calendar with Facebook, and with our guidance on editorial content, they have grown our social media exponentially. We maintain a consistent messaging image across our Facebook calendar and content and really have seen a lot of growth in our consumer outreach through social media. Since we were so successful in engaging new followers on Facebook, we decided to explore a presence on Instagram and hope to continue reaching a young audience there.

Digitopia also improved the appearance of our web site’s home page to keep it consistent with the brand we were promoting. They also improved the navigation tools on our website to make them more user-friendly.

What is the team composition?

I’m in most consistent contact with our account manager, though I occasionally communicate with the owner or with team members to discuss web management.

How did you come to work with Digitopia?

I’d worked with the team at my previous company after they’d been referred to me by a colleague, so I was familiar with their work when the Wakunaga team began looking for help with a social media campaign. We asked for proposals from a few companies, but Digitopia had everything we were looking for: they were local, they understood our company’s messaging methodology, and we worked well together.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $2 and 4,000 a month, depending on activities.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership is ongoing.

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

Our social media has grown since the campaign started; the amount of engagement and number of followers on Facebook have increased. Based on our goals of increasing our Facebook impressions and engagements, we have consistently seen double-digit growth every month since we started working with Digitopia, often by more than 40%. In our first year with them, our monthly statistics have increased by thousands of percent. We've gone from little exposure to a strong, consistent outreach program.

How did Digitopia perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very good at communicating and they follow up quickly. So much of what we do requires quick turnaround, and we’ve always been able to rely on Digitopia to remain aware of changing topics and new trends.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They invested in helping us grow our business and consumer outreach. They took the time and energy to learn about the supplement business, our business, and who our current consumer demographic is and who we’d like to reach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.