DMi Partners

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Marketing for Avalon Flooring, a 17 location retail showroom that provides products & services to both Retail and B2B customers. We offer a full range of flooring materials (carpet, tile, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, & natural stone) as well as Window Treatments, Area Rugs & Bathroom Vanities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DMi Partners?

We hired DMI as our agency of record to assist us with day-to-day branding projects, our robust retail sales initiatives and on-going maintenance and enhancements for our company website.

What were your goals for this project?

We really wanted to align ourselves with a local agency partner that would help keep us on track with branding goals and help us evolve our forward facing assets for our customers. We were primarily interested in how we could enhance the customer experience with our website moving forward and we needed not only technical expertise but a group that understood our company, our values and our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select DMi Partners?

When looking for an agency partner there were a few things that were important to us in regards to our selection process. First, we wanted to make sure that the company we chose would be long-term partners and had a reputation for long-term relationships. We also wanted to engage with an agency that had experience in the retail sector and valued the role of a companies website, email communications and other digital assets in the overall consumer selection process. We needed all these elements to work together and having a team that can handle all the aspects under one roof was a huge pro for us when selecting an agency.

Describe the project in detail.

DMI jumped right into projects from day one! We were in the middle of our "busy" season with retail sales and they were responsible for picking up and transitioning where our other agency left off. There was literally not a step missed and the transition was as smooth as you can imagine (even with Covid hitting, only one month into our working relationship!) Through the transitions of agencies to the transitions of remote working, they have never missed a beat and we are extremely satisfied with the relationship and look forward to continuing to grow our partnership.

What was the team composition?

Initially we were assigned a project manger and direct connection to the Creative Director. As our projects have evolved, we now engage with the Creative team (director and designers) as well as the development team regularly to achieve our goals in a timely fashion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As our partnership has evolved we have been able to make tweaks to our digital communications and website that have enhanced the user experience greatly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between teams has been excellent. From the beginning we set up a weekly account meeting to be able to touch base on all the projects and various moving parts and deployed a project tracker to keep notes. Also, the team is always available for ad-hoc meeting requests to discuss new projects or even project status if need be.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have worked with a number of agencies in my career and this has been one of the smoothest transitions I have seen. They jumped in on day one and they advocated for us as their client and made sure that our best interests were at the forefront. What more could you ask for from a partner!?

Are there any areas for improvement?

In our current situation, the only thing I would recommend is a dedicated project manager or assistant. We had one originally and now we have a few Senior people in the account (which, I am in no way complaining about) but it seems that some of the coordinating tasks could be handled by someone less senior with less on their plate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director at Rastellis.com, a DTC meat & seafood company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DMi Partners?

We were looking to revamp our brand and our website to make it more user friendly.

What were your goals for this project?

We ultimately wanted a website and brand that we were all proud of. From a KPI perspective, conversion rate was the key metric that we tracked

SOLUTION

How did you select DMi Partners?

We reviewed 3-5 different companies and ended up choosing DMi. Wanted to work with an agency that shared our vision with where we wanted to take the brand.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We work with DMi on all aspects of our digital strategy, both our website and our direct response marketing efforts. We've strategized with them on how to make the website as direct response as possible while still being brand focused. DMi was responsible for overall design, implementation and strategy around the website along with strategy for new customer acquisition

What was the team composition?

We work directly with about 10-15 people at DMi at any given time. From an account director, a creative strategist, developers, search/social strategist to our affiliate team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've seen conversion rate improve 200% since the new website went live and have seen re-order rates in the 50% range. General brand awareness has increased exponentially as well, as we receive countless inbound leads of companies looking to partner with us

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It's been great. DMi uses Wrike, and it's been very useful in project managing all of the parts of the business

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their creative strategy and implementation has been key for us in introducing our brand to the world. We've had to pivot countless times due to covid but they've consistently gone above and beyond to ensure those pivots don't result in orders dropping off.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of content marketing at Infinera, an equipment manufacturer that makes fiber optic equipment for service providers, network operators, Internet content providers, and enterprises. I manage all of the content through external marketing and web efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DMi Partners?

We were trying to increase our company’s online awareness through SEO, SEM, and social media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team manages our SEO and SEM. They work with our Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They also recommend social campaigns and execute them for us.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with two people.

How did you come to work with DMi Partners?

I used DMi Partners at another company for about eight years. Then when I started working here, there was another organization working on SEO and SEM. I knew very quickly that they weren’t the same as DMi Partners.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest over $100,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with DMi Partners started in April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team at DMi Partners meets our standards. We track keywords weekly along with SEO & SEM, spend, and performance metrics.

How did DMi Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

I enjoy DMi Partners’ project management style. They track everything for us, which we review weekly and decide courses of action. We also follow up on those courses of action in the next week to see what helped and what hurt. Week after week, we follow that process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their overall knowledge of digital marketing. Their project management style is also impressive. We’re always in the loop about what’s being worked on. That’s a huge differentiator from the previous vendor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sign the deal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an Individual Giving Coordinator at YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School, a second-chance charter school for young people who have previously left schools. Part of my role is overseeing our annual giving campaign, which is a direct-mail outreach to 500–1,000 potential donors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the company?

We needed someone with expertise to design the layout of marketing collateral for our annual giving campaign. There were only 2–3 of us on the team, and we couldn't dedicate the resources or the time to designing something we'd be proud to send out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a theme for this year’s campaign in our head, so we discussed it with David [Lachowicz, Creative Director, DMi Partners] for 25–30 minutes. A week later, we had a mock-up of the initial design. Within 2 weeks, we’d made great progress, which is indicative of the quickness and attention to detail with which David and DMi work. David provided a lot of constructive feedback throughout the process. He was honest about what worked and what didn't work.

He helped us develop the look and feel of the campaign, designed for us an 8-panel folding brochure filled with content, and created 2 different versions of a letter that goes out to past and prospective donors.  In addition, he designed 2 easily customizable versions of remittance cards for us to send out.

What is the team dynamic?

Patrick McKenna, one of the owners of the company, assigned us to David, so we mostly have been working with him for the past 5–6 years.

How did you come to work with DMi?

It's my third year working with David, but our organization has worked with him for six years. Patrick is a former YouthBuild board member, so that’s how we were connected initially.

How much have you invested with them?

They do the work for us pro bono.

What is the status of this engagement?

This year, we worked with them from September–October, but we’ve worked them on similar projects for the past 6 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While this year’s materials haven’t gone out yet, we were very comfortable with the work he was doing and very proud of the final product. We were impressed with the layout and the design of the letters and with the flexibility David showed in making changes on the fly. In past years, we’ve received nothing but raves about the designs.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

David is very responsive over email. He’s thorough in explaining the process to us, and in answering our questions questions. We usually just meet once at the start of the campaign, sort out the logistics and our timeline and then just let David take charge. Plus, they’re able to turn deliverables around quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by David’s attention to detail. Also, he’s extremely accepting of any feedback and is very candid in the feedback he gives us. With other firms I’ve worked with, giving feedback could often turn into a difficult conversation, but with David, not only has there been a minimal need to give him feedback, I’ve never felt uncomfortable giving it to him when appropriate. It was very collaborative, and we were treated more like design partners than like clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a level of trust and comfort with delegating the work once you’ve explained what you’re looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Julia Weekes and I'm the director of Moonstone Preschool, an arts-based center for children 18 months to 5 years old.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DMi Partners?

We had a woefully outdated website. Key challenges included adding interactive features, improving site navigation, and creating a portal for parents to access information. Secondary challenges included updating the look and feel of the site to reflect the vibrant, creative community of the school.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first step was the team taking a campus tour to get a sense of what the school offers. They also took an inventory of our needs and desired functionalities for the site.

Next they created a wireframe of the new site, which we used as a checklist to provide the necessary documents and images. They held an in-office demonstration of the static site and the new interactive elements, such as parallax scrolling and ambient video. DMi also proposed making a visual depiction of a child’s typical day at the school as the main feature of the homepage.

Post launch, the team made any necessary adjustments and linked the existing blog to the site. One additional meeting is scheduled to show us how to use the new Parent Portal and how to edit the site.

What is the team dynamic?

Communication and workflow was mostly filtered through the project manager.

How did you come to work with DMi Partners?

We had a pre-existing relationship through the school community. DMi approached us about the redesign and sent examples of their previous work. We selected them based on their understanding of the school’s mission.

What is the status of this engagement?

The bulk of the work was done from May–October, 2017. The remainder of the work should conclude this month [November 2017].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is much more functional. The layout makes sense to visitors and content is easy to access. The design is clean and visually appealing; interactive elements add a playful quality without distracting from the information. By showcasing our music and theatrical performances, the arts-based ethos of the school shines.

The Facebook post announcing the launch received 300 clicks in one day, with very positive feedback from parents and the school community.  

How did DMi Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

It was such an easy relationship. They were in constant communication throughout the process. Email response times were extremely fast—within hours—to any questions or concerns. The team was very accommodating of our schedule for in-person meetings, and did a great job hitting all deadlines.    

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills and interpersonal relationships are core strengths. The team is able to combine creativity with functionality to deliver an impressive website. DMi really took the time to learn about the school and make its mission central to the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the COO of an ecommerce company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We create entertaining food content that sells products

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire DMi Partners to accomplish?

• Build Website
• Integrate Klaviyo

SOLUTION

How did you find DMi Partners?

Referral

Why did you select DMi Partners over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from DMi Partners were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Along with the standard Shopify build, our dev build included a custom app built to house video content both free and behind a paywall.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Our website was built on time and on budget. Videos worked as needed as did Shopify.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

DMI was very responsive. With each request, we were able to obtain results quickly and efficiently

What was your primary form of communication with DMi Partners?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were very responsive and cared a great deal about the work and the relationship.

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

We had once instance where our quote came in higher than expected initially. Once brought up, we discussed and were able to get within reason to move forward.