Disruptive Advertising

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of a company that makes a consumer exercise product for ears. Our products help people clear clogged ears when they can’t do it themselves.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

Because most of our business is generated through online advertising, we decided to reach out to a PPC service provider to help us optimize our campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Disruptive Advertising manages our online ad campaigns as well as implementing conversion tactics for our websites.

Our ultimate goal is to get people to buy our products, but we only sell to nationwide retailers. So, we need to make sure that site visitors use our “store locator” function to find our products. Their team continuously optimizes and A/B tests our main and internal pages, working to funnel as many people to that “store locator” function as possible.

Recently, Disruptive Advertising has created an entire site to support a new product launch in Australia. They’ve developed the content and designed the site to give people another avenue to view our products.

What is the team composition? 

We typically work with about two people: an account manager who deals with our PPC/Google Ads and a contact who runs our website and A/B tests changes to drive conversions. The second person is an add-on service. Initially, we used them for about six months and are now re-engaging them again to test new site modifications.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We found them through their strong online reviews, which can be a good guidepost but don’t always show the actual reality of the situation. After looking through their site, we noticed that they’d worked with some pretty impressive brands, so we reached out to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $3,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work started in September 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While click-throughs and impressions can vary, we’ve seen a continual increase in sales since partnering with Disruptive Advertising. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them and more, from click ads to A/B testing and site optimizations.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly calls every Monday to go over updates. They’re always very personable and friendly on the phone, and the team is willing to answer any question at short notice. If we’re A/B testing, they’ll usually send a report showing different options we’re considering and how each is performing. Then, once they say they’re going to implement something, they do it right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The number one thing is their technical know-how. Their team stays abreast of the latest Google changes, making critical updates that we would’ve been completely in the dark about. Just last year, they walked us through getting our site secure based on Google’s criteria, which we wouldn’t have considered ourselves. They learn more and more about Google Ads each week to keep us updated.

On top of that, they’re all just really nice, friendly people. They’re the kind of people that I’d want to invite over for lunch and introduce to the family. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve never had an issue working with them up to this point. They make suggestions and offer helpful advice. I appreciate that they’re always working toward something new and not just staying in place.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
Just sign with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of an escape room, a live entertainment venue with six different game rooms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them to handle and manage all Google Ads and targeted display ads.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to increase sales, bookings, and brand awareness.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred by a former employee who recommended their services.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Disruptive Advertising manages all Google Ads listings, target markets, target audiences, and more. They ensure that our company is showing up at a high rate and watch the competition. To determine ad effectiveness, they test ads at the beginning and then move forward with the ones that get the best response. They also drop cookies on the devices of people who visit our web site without converting and send targeted display ads to generate sales in the future. 

What was the team composition?

We had a sales or business development rep who got us set up. They later turned us over to Bryan Davies (Marketing Consultant, Disruptive Advertising) who was our account rep and Lui Castro (Marketing Strategist, Disruptive Advertising) who was the account team leader.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We show up as the first name in Google searches at double or triple the rate of our competition. Conversions have far exceeded our goals—almost triple what we set up as our first goal.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Both Lui and Bryan have done an excellent job. Communication has been great, the results have been better than expected, and it’s been a great value for the price. We had lots of attention initially to get us set up. Now, there is a monthly conference call with our reps to review stats, set new goals, and review new ad campaigns or specials that we’re running, and monthly reports come automatically.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’m impressed that there are two layers involved in the account: the account rep and the team leader. They’re both on the monthly conference call to review what is going on.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there’s nothing to improve. We have only been with them a few months, and everything is going great!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing director of a dental office. I am responsible for all aspects of marketing, including new patient acquisition, patient retention, sponsorships and promotions, and online and print campaigns.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Disruptive Advertising to manage our paid online presence.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase our overall revenue by improving our online presence and ultimately bringing in new patients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The owner of our dental office had known Kyle (Account Strategist, Disruptive Advertising) since before he joined Disruptive Advertising. We were confident selecting them based off of his recommendation.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Before working for Disruptive Advertising, Kyle had done some freelance work for our dental office. He had a strong understanding of the company, along with the owner's goals, and was able to customize a plan that would help the company continue to grow. Each month, Kyle sits down with our team to discuss current trends, successes, and areas for improvement. As we find areas that seem to work better for us, Kyle can use his knowledge to help us focus our energy there.

What was the team composition?

We have mostly worked with Kyle, but we also have occasional meetings with his supervisors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Disruptive Advertising’s efforts, we have found new patients and seen our online search rankings improve.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Kyle is an excellent communicator. He manages our monthly phone calls and emails updates throughout the month. Following any meeting with him, he sends follow-up emails wrapping up what we discussed. He monitors our Google accounts and maintains spreadsheets regarding our monthly progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very resourceful and always brainstorming unique ways they can help us improve. Kyle goes out of his way to find ways to better his process and our internal methods.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Despite their hard work, we don’t always see an increase in patients that matches the dollar amount we're spending on services. But Kyle is very open to feedback, proactively adjusting areas to try to help whenever possible. In our most recent meeting, we discussed some of our issues, and Kyle came up with his own list of changes he will be implementing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Northern Arizona University is one of the three state schools in Arizona with over 30,000 students. I’m the digital marketing manager for all of the colleges and departments. In my role, I’m responsible for driving our digital initiatives and strategy for the website, SEO, and paid advertising as well as email communications and lead generation follow-up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

We mainly hired them to handle our paid advertising for social and search engines.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Disruptive Advertising mainly manages our paid advertising on Google, Facebook, and Bing. They create most of the ad content themselves and run it by us before pushing it live. 

One of the more innovative projects we’ve collaborated on is a separate microsite landing page where we send all of our paid traffic. We used Squarespace as the CMS, and their developers did a lot of custom work.

On top of that, there’s a lot of reporting that goes into all of our campaigns. They’ve cleaned up our Google Analytics to make sure we have all of the right trackers in place and now give us weekly performance updates.

Other deliverables involve analyzing the market to identify the latest trends and developing a future strategy for how we should attack those channels. They also provide budget estimates for tasks based on our overall budget.

What is the team composition? 

We’ve worked with at least a dozen individuals. At the moment, we work with four main contacts: an account manager who oversees our Google campaigns, a Facebook specialist, an analytics specialist, and a conversion rate optimization (CRO) specialist.

I like how they’ve split up their responsibilities. If I have a specific question about our Facebook ads, I can go to a dedicated contact who can devote all of his time to the issue without getting bogged down by other platforms/concerns.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

My boss had worked with them on a previous job, so we reached out again for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $140,000 in fees to them thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking with them in June 2018 and went through our university’s approval process. Once we got started, they put out their first ads at the end of August 2018. All of the paid campaigns are currently ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can’t tie their efforts into our revenue quite yet, but our conversion rate is our main metric. Since their initial involvement, there’s been a substantial increase in conversions as well as a decrease in cost per conversion.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They manage our projects well overall, and I enjoy having a designated contact for each service. As for scheduling, they’re good at meeting the necessary deadlines when we plan them out in advance but will occasionally miss cues for more ad hoc assignments.

For example, if our upper management asks us to get a campaign up and running in two days, it would take them at least a week to complete the task. This doesn’t happen often, but it would be nice if they were flexible enough to pivot quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re definitely a very personal group. They know how to keep the atmosphere light and calm, which generates a better environment when it comes to brainstorming and being creative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For the first several months, there was a bit of a disconnect in expectations. They spent more time listening to us rather than coming up with strategies to move our campaigns forward. Granted, this might have been because they weren’t familiar with our industry, but part of the reason we hired them was for consulting work. Now, they’re doing a decent job at strategizing.

They might also benefit from improving their ability to ramp up projects. When we increased our ad spend and upped the amount of work involved, there was a bit of a lag before they were able to get more people onto our account.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
Have a clear plan for future initiatives so that they can appropriately plan for it and organize their resources.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of marketing and business development at Micro Kickboard. We are the sole US distributor for micro-mobility, offering scooters and ride-ons for people of all ages. Our company is global—with over 80 distributors worldwide, however, we cover the US exclusively.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We currently use Disruptive Advertising to manage our PPC efforts.

What were your goals for this project?

Our overall goals are to decrease our cost per conversion (CPC), improve our keyword bidding, and assess competitor behavior in the PPC space.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through an internal search and assessment of other PPC agencies, relying on reviews from other companies who utilized their services.

Describe the project in detail.

Disruptive Advertising manages our PPC account for Google AdWords and Bing, providing weekly reporting on our spend/return and bringing up areas for improvement or new opportunities in the space.

What was the team composition?

We had previously worked with other account managers but transitioned to Jacob (Account Analyst, Disruptive Advertising) in January 2019. The team is comprised of Jacob as a direct contact, who is in communication with myself and our general manager.
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Our CPC has stayed at or under our goal figure, which we provided to Disruptive Advertising at the beginning of our relationship. Our account has operated in a much leaner manner, offering great return on our spend.

How did the Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

The contacts at Disruptive Advertising have been great to work with. We speak on a weekly cadence, and they provide key updates via email when necessary outside of this call. They are very responsive to our concerns/questions whenever they arise.

What impresses you about the Disruptive Advertising?

Jacob assisted our team when our website was breached recently, contacting Google for scans which took hours on the phone. His help was greatly appreciated, and he was a key contact for us as we worked through this issue.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there are no adjustments required. We're happy with our current relationship with Disruptive Advertising.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We manufacture custom beds and offer a wide variety of options to our customers. I’m the sales team leader but also work on our marketing team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Disruptive Advertising?

Our online presence is very important for our business, and the majority of our clients find us through our site. We needed help controlling the customer experience, and they offered attractive conversion optimization options.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They make suggestions for what works to drive revenue and encourage customers to move deeper into the site. Most of their involvement is A/B testing. They’ve found errors on the site and set up common practices. They designed a few different variants, which included changes to our fonts and new calls to action. They tested elements each month and discovered which variants performed best; then we’d decide if we wanted to make a permanent change.

After some major changes at the beginning, we started finetuning little things and working through bugs. We’re about to launch a revamped site, and we plan to do a lot more with them in the future.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Disruptive Advertising?

We found them through one of their employees, who is personally acquainted with us. He told us about their services, and mentioned they had solutions available for our problems.

How much have you invested with them?

Our budget is around $2,000 a month, so our total expenditure is somewhere around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve implemented a lot of the changes they suggested, which contributes to a reduction in our bounce rate and an increase in volume. It’s hard to attribute our success to any one thing, but we know they’re helping. We feel assured that we’re following best practices, and they help us eliminate any of our ideas that are underperforming.

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve never missed a deadline. The majority of our communication is via email, though we occasionally have phone conferences. Sometimes we set up meetings on a regular schedule, or we just meet as needed. Either way, they’re always responsive whenever we call or email them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re excellent analysts. They listen to all our concerns and prioritize accordingly. As soon as we’re unsure of how to proceed, they offer very helpful ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m really happy with them and can’t think of anything they should improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

This isn’t specific to Disruptive, but it’s generally important to make sure everyone knows what’s going on. Team buy-in is vital to ensure there’s no confusion.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re Oklahoma's top privacy law boutique firm. We focus on erasing, sealing, removing, or rehabilitating public records on behalf of interested clients. This includes arrest records, criminal cases, non-arrest police interactions, and unfavorable background check entries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them for AdWords and Facebook PPC.

What were your goals for this project?

Our AdWords PPC had tapered off over the last several years and needed to be refreshed. Additionally, our Facebook Ads had performed very well in the first and second quarters of 2018, but after Facebook's algorithmic changes that summer, their performance tanked and needed to be rescued.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our research on PPC management companies was completed in November 2018. We then completed phone interviews with the final two candidates in December 2018 and ended up selecting Disruptive Advertising.

Describe the project in detail.

As stated before, the goal was to refresh our AdWords PPC and to rescue our Facebook ads. Disruptive Advertising presented an individually tailored and compelling plan to do both of those things. After the work began, it was discovered that other deeper issues needed to be resolved in the PPC campaigns themselves and online. They jumped right in and started working on fixing those collateral issues as well.

What was the team composition?

I prefer small teams and that is what Disruptive has provided. There are two individuals and myself on the team, one managing Facebook and the other managing AdWords. There is also an account manager that I can reach out to if needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

In the 90 days since Disruptive Advertising started the work, our cost per like on Facebook is down by 88%.

How did the Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly conference calls to cover their progress and to coordinate action items for each person. When emails are necessary, they are very prompt to answer.

What impresses you about Disruptive Advertising?

Their results are outstanding. We also appreciate their willingness to invest time and energy into getting to know our company and tailoring their work to what we do.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of communications at Western Seminary, a school of just under 1,000 students. I oversee the marketing and communications department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Disruptive Advertising to support our team with market research, advertising services, digital campaigns, and other promotional activities. We were looking to enhance our brand recognition and increase overall awareness of our organization.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to grow the number of lead conversions from calls to action on our website. Specifically, we wanted to see more visitors fill out the information request form and apply to our seminary.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our previous director of marketing gathered information about Disruptive Advertising through reading reviews and connecting with colleagues who had worked with them. After hearing and seeing many positive comments, we decided to set up a phone call with their team, and soon after began our partnership.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we selected Disruptive Advertising, we held planning phone calls where we discussed our needs and desires regarding the partnership. We now meet every other week to give updates and talk about trends, making changes to our strategy when necessary. Their team conducts market research and user analysis and helps us with content testing and lead generation.

What was the team composition?

I’ve worked closely with Casey (Marketing Consultant, Disruptive Advertising), and he has been delightful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen our number of leads and conversions incrementally grow month after month since we began working with Disruptive Advertising. We’ve also seen an increase in requests for information and online applications.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I’ve been very impressed with the quick and helpful responses I have received from their team. Any time we have a question or idea, they reach out to us within the same day.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their skills and expertise regarding marketing strategies have far exceeded our expectations. They also collaborate well with our team, and we’ve come to trust them and their decision-making.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of any areas for improvement at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Window Tint Specialists is a 3 million dollar certified commercial, residential, and automotive window tinting company. My role involves marketing and business development. I create and execute marketing plans and oversee digital marketing campaigns and website maintenance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Disruptive Advertising for PPC campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

Our project aimed to target quality leads. Our company wanted to generate additional business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The owner of our company came across a Facebook advertisement. After consulting with Disruptive Advertising, we decided their services were the best fit. They were equipped to provide us with the PPC management we were looking for. 

Describe the project in detail.

Disruptive Advertising created, adjusted, and managed our PPC campaigns. They provided these services for all three divisions of our business; commercial, residential, automotive.

What was the team composition?

Kyle (Account Manager, Disruptive Advertising) works with the owner of our company and I.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Disruptive Advertising’s PPC campaigns have generated quality leads for our business. Since we are very new to PPC campaigns and they just started, I can’t provide a true scope of the impact yet.

How did the Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Disruptive Advertising went above and beyond from this regard. Our account manager is reliable and highly knowledgeable. He's been a huge help and a pleasure to work with.

What impresses you about Disruptive Advertising?

They deliver exactly what they say they will.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are completely satisfied with Disruptive Advertising so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Valhalla Wear.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them for digital marketing through social media.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to use social media advertising to reach new people and demographics and accelerate our growth.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for the best digital marketing company to fit our culture and help us achieve our goals. It was clear after the introductory meeting that these were the right people for the job.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They do digital advertising for us on both Instagram and Facebook. We’ve started utilizing their Google Ads services as well.

What was the team composition?

We have contact with one person who’s dedicated to our social media advertising account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their progress has been fantastic. We tripled our return on ad spend (ROAS) almost from the beginning and we couldn’t be happier.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team communicates well and they give us constant updates. This in conjunction with weekly or biweekly meetings creates total transparency. We feel comfortable in our workflow with our single point of contact, who ensures continuity and stability.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’re most impressed by the speed with which they tripled our ROAS. Working with Disruptive Advertising is one of the best decisions our company has made.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They sent us a small remote-control helicopter as a welcome gift. My 3-year-old flew it into the side of our car, so they could include some turtle wax scratch remover with their future gifts.