Distinct

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are the global brand leader in the outdoor heating space. I oversee global marketing and lead generation for our sales and specification teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Distinct?

Management of social ads and Google ads in the UK.

SOLUTION

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

We ran an extensive interview process with agencies focused on UK digital ads strategy. We ended up with a shortlist of 3 vendors and selected Distinct.

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

We had a great onboarding experience with Distinct. We shared access to our various regional partner ad accounts so that all parties could collaborate and learn from each other. Ad creative, audience planning and conversion tracking were all setup within 30 days and the results have been great!

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

We work with the principal directly. However, the account team has been fabulous in supporting our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had tremendous success with some of the experimentation from the Directive team that provided transformational lead growth. We have now implemented the strategy worldwide and have turbocharged our Sales Accepted Leads (SAL) goals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have fortnightly checkins via Zoom, frequent Slack conversations as needed and in-depth reporting and strategy calls monthly. We are very pleased with the workflow and communication process.

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

Distinct is constantly testing, learning, and improving. We run more optimizations with Distinct than any of our EU partners.

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

We have worked closely on building out a tighter connection between raw lead numbers and lead quality as it filters into the CRM. We have had to adjust targeting and strategy often to make sure that lead quality was in line.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and chief brand officer for a high-end furniture designer and manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DDigital Mark?

We needed help with paid ads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DDigital Mark manages most of our digital paid ads across different platforms, specifically on Google Ads, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Bing, Facebook, and Instagram. We gave them access to our accounts.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Darko (Founder). We also work with someone in invoicing and a manager specifically for Pinterest and LinkedIn. 

How did you come to work with DDigital Mark?

We used to work with an SEO company, and they referred DDigital Mark. It made it easy for us because they were already vetted by the company we worked with for a while.

They were referred to us by an SEO company. It was easy to pick DDigital Mark because we trusted the vendor who recommended them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DDigital Mark finds creative ways to reach our target audience, and they come up with strategies to reduce the cost of our advertising. They make sure that the money we spend guarantees us leads and conversions. Since we started working with them, our cost of acquisition when it comes to leads decreased by 50%. The number of leads that are converted to customers is also higher. We look at our business’ overall success to measure its impact, and it’s been a success.

How did DDigital Mark perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really efficient. We have meetings every time we need them. They give us monthly reports through a 15-minute video where they go through the different tools they use for their advertising efforts. The team goes through their dashboard to communicate their progress and a spreadsheet that summarizes everything. I then share these with my partners, and we refer back to them when we need to. To communicate, we use Zoom and Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DDigital Mark is highly knowledgeable about online advertising, especially regarding the tools to use and the latest methods. They keep up with cutting-edge techniques and information about online advertising. The team is also willing to research if they need to. They’re trustworthy, accommodating, and helpful. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They offered to design graphics for our banners, but they weren’t what we were looking for. They could improve by improving their design efforts, but we haven’t seen any red flags. No situation comes to mind where they didn’t have their full attention on the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their expertise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Owner, founder of a Social Media & Internet Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Darko and his company to support our Google advertising efforts.

SOLUTION

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

We selected this vendor through upwork.

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

To create and run google ad PPC campaigns that resulted in profitable sales.

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

I worked with one individual who is the owner of the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their performance on the Google ads campaign has been phenomenal and we are very happy with the results. This meaning our ROI has been very well worth it.

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

We typically use Slack to stay connected and organize and have all communication channels go through there.

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

Performance ability in terms of return on ad spend (ROAS).

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

Sooner response times in slack would be helpful; although I do recognize there is a time zone difference.