Effective Marketing

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Sleep Crown, a unique pillow company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Effective Marketing?

I have a high-touch product that I used to promote by going to wellness conferences because a live demonstration was the most effective way to convey its benefits. The pillows are snuggly and soft, so when people touched them, they automatically wanted them.

With the pandemic, my business promotion model radically shifted, and conferences got canceled. Looking into the future, I realized that even when things got back to normal, it would be a long time before people would want to interact with my products in the same way that they used to do during the demonstrations.

I decided to pivot and try to promote my products through longer-format videos online. I had no experience or ability in creating Facebook, Instagram, or other social media ads, so I was seeking to find a solution for that. I wanted to take all the budget that I was spending on traveling to go to conferences and invest it straight into video production and online ads.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Effective Marketing works hand-in-hand with the video production company that is producing my videos. This other company creates beautiful videos describing the benefits of my products, and they hand them over to Effective Marketing for their promotion.

Effective Marketing takes the content and asks me what my objectives are. They also help me determine which customers I’m looking for and define their other interests.

Then, they place ads on Facebook and Instagram and collect the data. They send me reports about exactly what’s going on, including information about which customers are clicking on the ads and purchasing the products.

I only choose to promote on Facebook and Instagram, but I know that Effective Marketing has the ability to promote on all other platforms like TikTok, Hulu, and Twitter.

What is the team composition?

I work with two people from Effective Marketing: Sam (President & Founder) and Marissa (Media Supervisor).

How did you come to work with Effective Marketing?

I found them through my video production company. When this company started making videos for me, I didn’t know how to promote them besides putting them on my website. This wasn’t effective because only the people coming into the site could see them.

The video production company recommended Effective Marketing to me, and it has been a seamless and great partnership. They already work together on other projects, so they’re a great duo, and it’s easy for them to communicate. They recommend things to one another, and they achieve things together. I barely even have to be in the middle of it, which is great because I have so little time.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Effective Marketing started placing ads for me in April 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. Our engagement happened very early on the pandemic, which was a relief because I was overwhelmed by all of my conferences getting canceled. I was up and running with them within a month, which was amazing.

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

Effective Marketing’s work really pays for itself because they take the amount of money I pay them and maximize the exposure of my products to the right people. They’ve been able to aim the ads directly to our exact customers based on their other interests.

Very quickly, I got to a point with Effective Marketing where we weren’t just breaking even in the amount of money that I was investing, but I was actually making money every month. Now, I’m getting an ROI 2–5 times greater, and It keeps getting better. My original goal was to break even on my investment, so they’ve hit it out of the park.

Effective Marketing has completely exceeded my expectations. The fact that every month they keep doing more and more, has been above and beyond anything I ever would have expected.

Now, I’m also completely in touch with my customers. I see the orders come in, and I know where each person has discovered my product, which tells me what a great job Effective Marketing is doing.

How did Effective Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Effective Marketing is excelling at project management. They provide me with more data than I even have time to look through, and they’re excellent communicators. Every single metric, they’ve hit it on time. They also tell me everything that they do and give me the results of exactly what took place — they’re brilliant.

We communicate mostly via email, and they’re completely responsive and available to me at any time. We’ve developed a great collaboration, and they know just what I need. If something comes up, we exchange emails, but for the most part, I get a monthly report. As everything is going great, we don’t need to talk that much.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Effective Marketing’s level of professionalism is impressive — they’re the best. They do exactly what I need from them on time, and they’re making me money.

As the scope of their work includes managing so much data, they can tell me exactly what’s working. They’re great at assessing the data and making quick changes if needed. As their name suggests, they’re very effective.

They’re also great for small companies. Even when my budget is small, they make me feel as important as a big brand — I could not imagine a better partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of a single way in which I would change what they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No matter what business you have, Sam and Marissa are amazing at figuring out your company’s needs and addressing them. They make you feel like you’re their only customer, and they’re great at what they do.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of Underthink, a brand studio that combines nimble brand development with robust creative and production resources. We specialize in launching and scaling brands through targeted social content and advertising.

For what projects/services did your company hire Effective Marketing?

Sam K. and Effective Marketing have been valuable partners in planning and buying media for several good launches. Sam and his team are especially adept at achieving superior ROI through real world message testing and fitting the creative to both platform and audience that resonates with the target consumers for our brands.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to target specific psychographic audiences based on store distribution in specific locations across the US. Sam and his team vetted platforms, predicted and planned spend, and contributed countless creative suggestions and problem solving solutions. They provide both high-level strategic thinking and targeted deliverables.

How did you select this vendor?

I was introduced to Sam Karow and Effective Marrketing through a trusted friend in advertising.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Effective Marketing provided real time hands on keyboard natural experiments and Paid media adjustments as Well as high level strategic planning and brand partnership.

What was the team composition?

We are a team of experts from different disciplines and Sam is the media and analytics expert we trust to deliver real results.

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

Our return on investment and ROAS exceeded goals and benchmarks of industry. Our you tube pre roll achieved 2x the normal engagement for instance. Most importantly, the brand is selling through, adding distribution and our client trusts Effective Marketing. Sam is a valuable and fair partner in the room and at the table. Transparent and accountable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Sam and Effective operate as if an in house resource. Communication is clear and easy. Even launching a meat brand during the pandemic there was no lag or difference in delivery or collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Transparency. Communication. Analytical rigor.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

SGK is a global design firm that helps Clients build better marketing ecosystems through smarter content and packaging solutions. We have a robust integrated marketing practice. Effective Marketing has been a linchpin in rounding out our integrated offering to Clients where digital marketing and media play a role. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Effective Marketing?

Effective Marketing is our digital media partner of choice. Our team utilizes them for all media placements – small and large. 

This effort was a manufacturer-led paid media effort to boost sales on distributor sites for a myriad of product categories and brands.

What were your goals for this project?

Specifically the goal was to reach operators and decision makers, educate them and push case discount offers and achieve 2x ROAS.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Tasked with developing a digital marketing plan for a complex distributor-targeted e-Comm media plan, Effective Marketing needed to ‘interview’ the various distributor partners and recommend a division of the media buy budget across all of them.  

Effective Marketing produced all of the initial analysis and media buy recommendations for our client to consider.

Once the ads started running, Effective Marketing’s role shifted to managing the ads and the analysis of the advertising so that any optimizations could be made as the yearlong campaign progressed. 

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

A collective effort with Effective Marketing and our team, we exceeded goal of 2x ROAS with a result of 16x ROAS! 

On this project, and overall we find that Effective Marketing is a unique media partner because they are not only experts in media, but also have a sensitivity for making creative work the hardest and not stifling, but enhancing the creative process. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP Fan and Brand Development at the Chicago Bears.

For what projects/services did your company hire Effective Marketing?

Effective Marketing provided media strategy, execution and reporting optmization for Chicago Bears fan events (e.g. Miller Lite Draft Party, PNC 5K, Meijer Family Fest and Training Camp).

What were your goals for this project?

Goals and objectives varied by event. However, in general we wanted to drive attendance amongst fans who were monst likely to enjoy the events.

How did you select this vendor?

Effective Marketing was a subcontractor for one of our agencies.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Effective Marketing was charged with the following for each event. - Participate in briefing meetings - Contribute cultural, consumer and business insights - Recommend strategies to deliver on plan objectives - Recommend media execution inclusive of: target fans/consumers, communication goals (reflecting creative approach/messaging), geography, scheduling/timing, KPIs, budget feedback, optimization approach - Plan execution and optimization work and meetings - Project completion - including learnings, recaps and final budgets

What was the team composition?

We worked most closely with Sam. Sam was woven in with the primary agency team and acted as the liason with other contributors and vendors.

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

There were a variety of different projects that had varying degrees of success and learnings. The key thing is that Effective was comfortable celebrating successes as much as mitigating or redirecting from underperfroming elements that did not have as much in market effectiveness.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our teams was excellent. Sam has deep and broad experience. He is able to collaborate effectively with a variety of different personality types both at our agency and within our organization. He leaves his ego at the door and has the same priorities as our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive thing about this company is that they are able to mirror our priorities and share common goals: If we are successful, they are successful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No areas for improvement - all good.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am in charge of brand partnerships at a content and media company. We create engaging videos for brands to better market their products to make consumers more confident in their decisions.

For what projects/services did your company hire Effective Marketing?

Run and optimize paid media campaigns for our clients.

What were your goals for this project?

Drive conversions for client

How did you select Effective Marketing?

They're our preferred choice

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They create, execute and optimize campaigns using our video content and analyze the results.

What was the team composition?

our leadership team and their leadership team

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

they've proven at low budgets they can drive ROI and conversions that satisfy the clients needs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

very

What did you find most impressive about this company?

their agile work behavior always open to pivoting based on results. They keep the CPA very cost-effective

Are there any areas for improvement?

we can always drive more results...

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Stratecution Marketing, a marketing consultancy. I was the acting CMO for a large restaurant chain (consulting engagement) when I hired Effective Marketing.

For what projects/services did your company hire Effective Marketing?

TV media buying

What were your goals for this project?

I hired Effective Marketing to manage TV buy for my client.

How did you select Effective Marketing?

I worked with Sam (owner of Effective Marketing) when I was the head of marketing at Bob Evans. He did a great job then, so I hired him again.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

1. Develop the media buying strategy
2. Build a comprehensive media plan based on target TRPs and budget by market for 20+ TV markets
3. Work with the cable TV holding company to execute the buy per approved media plan
4. Track results and recommend adjustments to the media plan

What was the team composition?

I worked with the principal of Effective Marketing, Sam, and one other person from the same company.

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

Effective Marketing did a great job managing the entire process from crafting the media buying strategy to building and executing the media plan effectively and efficiently.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We had weekly calls plus frequent phone calls and emails to coordinate.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The head of the company is intimately involved throughout the process, making sure everything goes smoothly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-Owner of a group of 8 Chicago area kids hair salons.

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

Effective Marketing is responsible for SEO work for us. Our Google rankings have improved tremendously.

How did you select Effective Marketing and what were the deciding factors?

We selected Sam through our digital agency SmallGood. They knew Sam via other projects they have done with him. He came highly recommended.

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

Sam Karow's intelligence and knowledge of metrics keeps helping us refine our keywords and maximize the value of our $$$

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

1- Sam Karow

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

We consistently rank in the top 3-8 for various keywords.

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

On time and on budget with good results. What more could you want. Until Covid we were meeting quarterly to review results.

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

They are good people to work with.

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

no