Disruptive Advertising

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My role is VP of marketing at SAE Institute. SAE Institute is a creative media school. We have six campuses throughout the US and have been around since the 19070s. We mostly focus on audio production courses, but we also offer digital film, game development, and entertainment business courses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We were looking to find a new agency to generate leads for our programs. The agency that we previously worked with was no longer providing the results that we needed. We were struggling with lead flow at our six campuses. Another struggle was that costs were rising, and we couldn’t increase our budget to accommodate that. I was being told to do more with less, but the old agency wasn’t really able to do that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Disruptive Advertising to rebuild our lead generation campaigns. The campaigns are on Google, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as a little bit of Bing and Yahoo. We found the most success with our lead generation from Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Disruptive does all of our paid digital.

They also help us with landing page design. They work more on the testing side.

What is the team composition?

We work with media buyers and strategists. We met with their owner and founder. A few times It was great that the owner of this large agency flew out to meet with us. I thought that said a lot about the integrity of the company. 

There might be an account director leading the strategy, and then there are account managers for Google and social. We also work with a creative strategist who works hand-in-hand with our creative teams to develop the ads.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We shopped around and found Disruptive through another technical college. They had worked with Disruptive in the past, so they recommended that we have a chat with them. We gave them the parameters of what we were looking for as far as our budget and what we were looking for from a cost-per-lead efficiency. We went from there.

What is the status of this engagement?

We tried to coincide it with the way that our financial year runs, which is from July 1st to June 30th. That’s how we run most of our vendor contracts, since it makes it easy for budgeting. 

We contracted with Disruptive to start July 2019, and I think they actually started on June 1st just so that we had a transition period with the old agency. We are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We set a goal back in June 2019 to achieve a 30% reduction in cost-per-lead, and they have been able to do that, which was huge for us. We had a year-over-year flat budget, yet costs were rising, so we needed to maximize our budget. A 30% reduction obviously allowed us to extend that budget further than we had in the prior year, which led to more cost-effective leads.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They have performed very well. We have a weekly call between their team and mine. It is a great collaboration between our two organizations. We have had face-to-face meetings with them in different markets that we operate in, and we really appreciate them coming out. Communication has been fantastic. The deadlines are met, and attention to detail is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have only worked with a couple of different providers in the higher education industry, so my frame of reference is small. I think what separates them from the rest just goes back to their attention to detail and the small team atmosphere that they bring. I have worked with larger agencies before, and I’ve found that you can get lost in the shuffle. 

When they saw us coming on, they actually verticalized their business units a little bit more. They do work with other industries, but I thought it was great that when they saw us coming on board as a decent-sized client, they verticalized and made some changes to their organization. I have a team now that is very dedicated to the higher-ed vertical. That really made them stand out from some of the other agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We always want the cost-per-lead to continue dropping, but there isn’t really anything that I can think of. We have been really happy. I think it was initially a bit of trial-and-error for them to bring on a client of our size with six separate schools. However, we’re now pretty streamlined with them, and things are going really well. I really can’t think of anything that I can highlight that they need to do better. Of course, there will always be challenges at periods of time, but they are very understanding of our business. It has been a great experience.

I think consistency is the one thing that I go back to with them every week. If the leads flow up and down, I tell them that we really need a consistent lead delivery, because the campuses and the admissions teams rely on consistent lead flow. There are tons of market factors that dictate why that happens. For instance, there is a huge election coming up, and that is affecting our spend right now because the political ads are eating up inventory. We knew that was going to happen. It is very cyclical with the seasonality of the holidays as well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them face-to-face. They are in Salt Lake City and I am in New York City, and they flew out and met with me and my team. We spent 2–3 days together. They flew to our school in Miami, and I met them there. We walked through the campus. 

They’ll offer to meet in person, and you should take advantage of it. They build it into the fee structure, and I didn’t get that attention from my last agency that was in Vancouver, British Columbia. It just wasn’t the same. You can do a ton on Zoom, but meeting face-to-face once or twice a year and getting more personalized has been fantastic. I would absolutely recommend that to anyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and general manager of a landscaping and pest control services company. We’ve been in business for about 25 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We needed help making sure we were getting good spend and analytics on our PPC.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising provides PPC services. They work on landing pages, make sure that we’re getting the results we want, and track data. 

They spend a lot of time on keyword phrases. When we weren’t getting as many clicks, we ended up developing very specific campaigns for different services. Instead of using large nets like ‘pest control,’ we used very small nets to capture specific keywords. That was a brainstorming strategy that worked out very well and allowed us to get the most bang for our buck.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with the owner all the way down to different account managers. Over the last couple of years, I’ve worked with 4–5 different people.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

They were actually referred to me by our SEO company, who felt like Disruptive would do a better job at PPC than they were doing. I also met with 2–3 other PPC/SEO companies over a period of time, and from the first meeting with Disruptive, I could tell they were the right fit and pick.

They definitely knew their stuff and wanted to strategize very well. Instead of just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what stuck, they had a really good idea of what was happening.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $75,000 between Disruptive’s services and ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in July or August of 2017, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re looking for the ROI on PPC. From the beginning, it was very important for me to make sure we got accurate weekly and monthly reports. It started out weekly as we were dialing into the campaigns, and as they got more manageable, we switched to monthly so that we knew what our spend was. What we were looking for was being able to make a profit off the advertising, and Disruptive is very good at furnishing and providing reports based on what we paid. Then, we compare that with our sales close rate, cross-sales, and leads generated.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. As a business owner, I wear a lot of hats, and it’s been very nice to give this hat to them. Sometimes I’m busy and miss appointments or dates, but they’re very good at holding me accountable to make sure that we’re successful together. They’re very accommodating. It has been a very good experience.

I really like that communication is ongoing with each sales period. They're really good at listening to me and being able to dial in those clicks so that we aren't paying for useless clicks and are capturing the clicks that we want. It feels like Google will willingly take your money, and Disruptive is very good at getting the most bang for our buck.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that I really like about Disruptive is that they’re very professional and seem to know the industry well. They have knowledgeable, experienced staff who are always optimistic and willing to try new things. They’re confident and competent in what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re very good at communicating, and I’ve had several very good campaign managers. However, I did work with one who was less accommodating to scheduling. They were good at communicating with me, but if I needed to get ahold of them, it was a bit more difficult. Based on the way I like to operate, that manager wasn’t immediately available or within 5–10 minutes.

Any advice for potential customers?

I think I benefited most by merging my experience and knowledge with their expertise. My advice would be to know your market and what you’re going after, and try to be as precise as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in marketing at Cinedeck, a hardware and software development company that primarily serves the media and entertainment space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We’re a small company, and we didn’t want to spend the resources to hire someone to do our ads. We wanted marketing help without having to invest in an employee.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising mainly does Google Ads work, which includes display ads. They also do email marketing for us. Both the PPC and marketing teams work collaboratively to make sure that the messaging between our email marketing and display ads is cohesive. 

In May, we adopted the HubSpot CRM, and because the team already had expertise in HubSpot, they were able to take everything that they were doing for us already and port it into the CRM.

What is the team composition?

We work with a total of three teammates directly, including two PPC specialists and one person who does email remarketing.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We were looking for a PPC partner, and Disruptive Advertising was recommended by another PPC agency. When they presented us with the proposal, it made sense. As soon as I had one or two calls with them, I felt comfortable because I knew that our money was going to be put to good use.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the year, it will be about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2020, and our engagement is ongoing. I’m so happy with them that I’ve asked them to work on other product lines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve held my hand in terms of display ads and marketing, which we weren’t doing before. We’ve seen an increase in new visitors and people signing up for our trial licenses. Disruptive Advertising has reached a group of potential users that we didn’t have access to before. 

We have a 22% click-through rate (CTR) for one of the branded ads that the team does and the CTR for our YouTube channel is nearly 1%. Out of every single ad that they’ve done for us, there’s not one that has a CTR below 0.3%, which is positive. 

They understand our product and our messaging, and they provide feedback on what people are responding to which allows us to churn out content that people will respond to. I rely on their expertise because they know what they’re doing and the results are there.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Their customer service is amazing, and it feels like they’re teammates within our organization. Disruptive Advertising is very responsive, and their onboarding has been very thorough. The PPC teammates are excellent. 

They follow up with email suggestions. On the email side, I had problems engaging with the person they’d assigned to us, and I had a discussion with the manager and he assigned me a new person who has been amazing. 

Everyone I interact with on a daily basis and the management team are all concerned about how we’re doing and if we’re happy. The fact that an ad agency is checking in with me on that level reassures me that they care. I really do feel like they’re a part of our marketing team and not just a group that I pay. We mostly communicate through email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The reason I enjoy working with Disruptive Advertising is that they’re able to break down the analytics of why something is performing. They can explain why and why not certain things are working and then provide strategies for how to move forward. 

The team is easy to work with, especially if you’re a newbie in the online marketing and email remarketing space. They outline a specific strategy that works for you and walk you through it so it’s not such a scary experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at the moment. They’ve been really responsive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With Disruptive Advertising, you will see results because that’s what they’re focused on. They are also focused on meeting your business and marketing goals, so don’t be afraid to invest your time and energy in the engagement even if you’re new to this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Luxury Puppies Pet Shop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We wanted to increase our sales with Google Ads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising helps us with PPC. They provide us with good ways of tracking and show us basic analytics. I’ve found that sometimes, PPC companies don't show you the work that’s being done. Disruptive tracks everything, and it’s working out well.

What is the team composition?

Summer (Marketing Analyst) has been a great help since the beginning and acts as my strategist. She’s been my go-to on everything. She does a great job.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I was spending $100,000 a month, and I just wasn’t getting the turnaround I was looking for. I did a lot of research, and Disruptive ended up being the best fit. They do a lot of good Google advertising, and that’s actually what grabbed me.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $9,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began at the end of June or beginning of August 2020, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My cost-per-conversion has gone down a lot, and I’ve improved my sales by about 30% since I started with them. They’ve been doing a great job.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is great. Communication is everything when I’m working with these types of agencies, and Disruptive is on top of it. They respond to any questions, concerns, or emails right away. Summer does a great job of maintaining communication.

They have been meeting deadlines; in fact, they actually got some work done before a deadline, so that worked out very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is my biggest thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No — so far, the experience has been good.

Any advice for potential customers?

Based on my past experience with a bunch of agencies, Disruptive won’t waste your time. They get right to it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We create T-shirts to match sneakers. I’m one of the owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We hired them to help us expand our awareness so that we’d gain more traffic to our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive Advertising is in charge of our Google Ads. They also do a lot on Google Shopping, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. They've done A/B testing as well. For example, Amy (Marketing Consultant) was in charge of the testing for our homepage and the cart page.

What is the team composition?

I work with Amy, Jacob (Founder & CEO), Derek (Marketing Consultant), and Brandon (Marketing Consultant).

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

Our web developer was running our Facebook Ads at the time, and we weren't satisfied with his work. We spoke to the developer, and he actually recommended Disruptive Advertising and said they had really good reviews. He set up a meeting with me and my business partner, himself, and a member of the Disruptive team. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in September 2019, and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve worked with a lot of ad companies, and Disruptive is hands-down the best. Most ad companies just take your money, create some Facebook or Google Ads for you, and don’t put any maintenance into it. Disruptive really keeps an eye on the ads and ad spend. If we’re spending too much on ads and there isn’t much of a return, they make the proper adjustments. Before they launch anything, they always show us and make sure we approve. Overall, they’re a really good — if not the best — company out there.

They put forth a campaign, and it has brought ROI results at the end of each month. We’ve definitely seen major growth with Disruptive.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a follow-up call once a month, during which we go through a deck on Google. We discuss the numbers from the previous month and what we’re going to do next. They’re spot-on in their commitment to launching new features and testing efforts. We communicate via Google Meets and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their integrity is their most impressive characteristic. Integrity is important to me. When we started this journey with them, we didn’t really know anything about ads, how the process worked, or how much it would cost. They could’ve easily taken advantage of us, and most companies we found did, especially when it came to SEO.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t really have anything to say about improvement. They’ve done a great job. I’m the one to tell you if they have something they could work on. Integrity, promptness, and getting back to me in a timely fashion is important to me — and they’ve done all of that.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend coming into the initial meeting with a clear plan and vision of how and where you want your company to be. Then, let them execute on that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Band & Vow, a men’s wedding band company. We’re internet-based.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

I brought them on the very first month I started the business. I’d built out the website and developed the infrastructure for the business, but I knew that I didn’t have the advertising know-how to compete in the online space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive does all of my advertising for Facebook, Instagram, Google, Bing, and Pinterest. They have a creative team that’s put together different artwork. After a few months, or depending on how the creative is performing, ads get a bit stale, and the cost-per-click starts to rise. Disruptive refreshes the ads and mixes things up. They always consult me on new ideas. We also have a monthly call to review all of our progress and discuss strategy.

What is the team composition?

We generally work with Tim and Jessica (Marketing Consultants), and then I think they have a third person who contributes. Tim handles the paid search, and Jessica handles all of the social media.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I looked at a few different ad agencies online. I found Disruptive in the exact same way they’re helping me find my customers: they retargeted me. I started to see a lot of advertisements come up on my Instagram.

This was my first time dealing with an ad agency, and it was a bit overwhelming because there were a lot of choices. One of the things that stood out to me with Disruptive was that they were very open; they welcomed me and were there to help me. They walked me through it and didn’t treat me like I couldn’t afford their services because I was a new business, which was the feeling I got from a few of the other agencies.

Before I even signed on with Disruptive, I had an onboarding call with them, during which they walked me through their process and business model. It was a very good, welcoming experience. The first person I talked to from Disruptive was Dawson (Senior Marketing Strategist). I wanted one of my friends with experience in marketing to join our call, and Dawson was completely open to that. My friend suggested I try to do marketing on my own at first and then bring Disruptive on later, but I decided to bring them on right away, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

How much have you invested with them?

Right now, we’re spending about $10,000 a month. That’s their management fee plus the cost of the ads.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in June 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In June 2019, we were a brand-new business and did zero dollars in sales. In June 2020, I did $48,000 in sales. They’ve been able to drive revenue like crazy, but in a healthy way. I’ve seen other online companies that will spike and do $300,000 in one month because they spent $200,000 on ads, and then the next month is nothing because they don’t have the money to put back into it. Disruptive has grown our sales in a very healthy way. They’ve grown our brand presence significantly.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They continuously monitor the ads and make tweaks to find the right audience and improve on the number of clicks. In the beginning, they actually set up the entire infrastructures of Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics and put them into my site. They have a dashboard as well. They harvest all of that data and put it into a slideshow, and we receive it during our monthly calls.

Tim is the lead on my account, and he sends me weekly email updates. He always puts a personal touch on his emails, and he doesn’t miss a beat. The weekly updates include a link to the report on the Disruptive dashboard. Anytime I email them, they always reply quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

For me, it’s their level of professionalism. Sometimes, I feel like they give it more energy than I do; I have multiple businesses, so I’m always juggling to keep my balls in the air. However, they don’t take their eyes off the ball, even though some months, I’m not 100% focused on this brand. They don’t slack because of that; they still push and drive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the things that I’ve noticed is that Tim, who does our paid search, goes above and beyond in a lot of aspects. He sends out the weekly reports, and then on our monthly calls, he sends out the slideshows. He’s very transparent, open, and honest with me in that he includes graphs that are particular to what his performance is, so it’s like he’s holding himself accountable. This graph will include where his numbers are each month, such as cost-per-click and ROAS.

On the flip side, I don’t get that from Jessica, who handles social media. Tim takes it to the next level in terms of self-accountability; he just puts it out there and makes sure that I know that he’s holding himself accountable. Jessica does a great job, but I just don’t see that piece from her.

Any advice for potential customers?

The months that I’ve gotten the most out of the engagement were when I actually put time and effort into it. They’ll come with their report, and then I’ll come with mine. This entails doing some of the legwork on the backend and keeping them updated on all of the things you’re doing, because there are ways they can tie that into their marketing scheme. You get out what you put in.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an online retailer that designs and manufactures stencils for the crafting community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We were looking expand and advertise with different online platforms and needed an expert to assist us in the journey. 

What were your goals for this project?

We were wanting to reach our potential customers through online advertising and interaction on the internet. We wanted to expand the business and capital investments with a predictable and steady financial result.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising?

I search out a company that was located close to me, that had strong customer reviews and could help us reach our goals.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We meet twice monthly. The first meeting is to review the previous month's goals and plan for the following months. In each of these meetings, we review the data collected, and make goals based on this data.

• We set advertising budgets for Facebook and Pinterest.
• Discuss email strategy for customer retention and online checkout processes.
• We review CRO data to determine friction issues that are affecting customers' purchases.

What was the team composition?

Disruptive has a team made up of specialist in the following areas:

• Facebook/Pinterest
• Google
• Email
• CRO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business has grown by approximately 160% year over year. We are receiving a ROA of 4 ish with Disruptive. The side effect of this advertising growth, is we are seeing strong sales in other platforms that Disruptive does not assist us with.(ETSY)

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There is good communication between Disruptive and our business. It takes time to gather data, this data has definitely effected our business strategies.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Your are working with young energetic individuals that are highly skilled in their specialties. There is also good communication with management, if help is needed to resolve issues.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Your are working with young energetic individuals that are highly skilled in their specialties, but lack a strong background in business management and life in general. This is no fault of the employees, just reality of where they are in life. I think it would be helpful to have someone with a business background assisting each team, helping teams to understand that success is measured in business owners profit.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales for Campman, an omnichannel online retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We’re a small company, and bandwidth is pretty limited. We’d gone through a few different agencies; our Google Shopping results would be good, but then we’d get a new account manager, and they were terrible. We fell into that pattern for a few years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive manages all of our PPC campaigns and our Google Shopping feed. 

It’s a partnership; we ran our own campaigns for a while, but we didn’t have the bandwidth to continue doing so. Bringing them on allows us to keep our headcount low. They definitely come to the table with new ideas and different strategies to try that usually work out well.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with several people there, but Berrett (Marketing Consultant) is my day-to-day account manager.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We actually looked at agencies on Clutch and interviewed a couple of them. Disruptive had good reviews, and then out of the 3–4 that we interviewed, they were the only ones that came to the table with applicable solutions after looking at our backend. Disruptive let us know what they could do and what they recommended, such as running Smart Shopping versus traditional campaigns.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $60,000, or a little more than that.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in February 2019, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our return on ad spend is 50% higher, and our overall growth for our direct channel is up almost 100% this year.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform extremely well. There are obviously different parts of the company, but as far as the project management side, they do a good job of meeting deadlines, scoping things out, and figuring out what the right deliverables will be. We’ve hashed it out in the time we’ve been together, and now it’s pretty seamless.

They’re always available for ad hoc requests via email. We also have biweekly calls to go over everything, and they send us a weekly report. They gave us a nicely packaged Google Data Studio sheet that helps with evaluating some of the other metrics as well, such as brand performance. We’ve built that sheet together over time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve had good account managers in the past that have done a great job with their account, but the thing that makes Disruptive different is the continuity of service. They’re also better than other agencies at involving their whole team, from their Google to Facebook specialists. They were a little more expensive at getting the feed set up properly, but compared to other agencies, they did a better job. Once you have it up and running, it runs pretty seamlessly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. I think every organization has their sacred cows, and ours is our analytics. They’ve offered a full spectrum of services, but we don’t really let anyone else touch our analytics.

Any advice for potential customers?

Just be direct and communicate effectively. Tell them exactly what you want. I think a lot of people shy around having direct conversations with agencies, and that’s a recipe for disaster. Set clear expectations and communicate what your experience has been and what you need. They’ll do whatever they can to try to figure it out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a digital agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

A few of my clients needed help with Google Ads management. We previously worked with vendors that didn’t perform well, which led us to look for a new one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Disruptive creates and builds Google Ads campaigns. Their team manages display advertising and retargeting campaigns. They also provide the creative for the retargeting campaigns. Their team also designs landing pages.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with a total of five people from Disruptive but currently, I work with Nick (Marketing Consultant).

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

I found Disruptive on Clutch. As they were the top reviewed firm, I decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Each retainer is about $2,500 a month, so we spend a combined $5,000 a month on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initially brought them on board around February 2019, and our partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They garnered tangible conversions. For both of our clients, their team generated a ton of leads that turned into tangible new business.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Since we started to work with Nick, the project management’s been incredible. As with any big agency, the success depends on the team provided to you. We’ve worked with 4–5 different account managers over the course of our engagement. I had to micromanage a few of our past account managers who weren’t top tier like Nick. All of our challenges subsided since we switched over to him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Disruptive tracks digital marketing campaigns really well. They helped set-up conversion and end-to-end tracking for our clients. For one of my clients, we’re now able to track cost per acquisition for products.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their consistency across the account managers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Request an account manager who has had a successful tenure with the company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Vara Safety is a tech company creating a safer way for families to live with firearms and protection. I am the CEO at Vara Safety and also manage the marketing/creative team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Disruptive Advertising?

We needed an effective way to increase our e-commerce conversion- though we were getting a lot of traffic, the sales were not equally reflecting the volume of site visits. We started the project with Disruptive to increase our conversion funnel and create more effective Facebook advertising.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to get a better understanding of our ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and increase our overall sales through our Shopify site.

SOLUTION

How did you select Disruptive Advertising?

Disruptive Advertising impressed us with their initial analysis of areas of improvement that would benefit our marketing efforts. After trying some of their suggestions and seeing immediate results, we decided to go ahead and start working together with them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The scope of work covers management of our entire ad campaign and strategy, testing and optimization of our website and e-commerce funnel.

What was the team composition?

We work with Braden, who is the team lead for this project and manages the Facebook advertising strategy. Taylor and Amy cover the CRO. We also recently added on email marketing, which is led by Jenny and Zack.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since beginning work with this firm, we were able to hit a record of monthly sales and saw immediate results that were phenomenal and very exciting. We are enthralled by the performance and looking forward to continue in our working partnership.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication is excellent and our weekly meetings are always efficient and very productive. Their team is super responsive and always engaged, which makes it very easy to work together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Disruptive has brought a performance and metrics-driven approach to marketing that helps build confidence and transparency into how results are created and achieved. Throughout the entire process, the team is collaborative and very fun to work together with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

n/a