Explore Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a construction company in Toronto. We specialize in basement foundations, including waterproofing, leaks, lowering basements, building additions and walkouts, and any structural basement work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Explore Agency?

We wanted to have more brand awareness and improve our marketing in the Greater Toronto Area.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We came to Explore Agency’s office and met the two business partners. They explained everything and told me what they could realistically achieve. We went through some rebranding. From there, they edited my website, and we explored different options for running a marketing campaign to get more engagement from people and make the website more Google-friendly.

Initially, we gave them the idea of what we were looking for, and then they gave us ideas of what could work better and how to approach it differently. We worked together throughout our contract, going back and forth instead of telling them what to do.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Bohdan (Creative Director & Co-Founder) and Orest (Lead Developer & Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with Explore Agency?

A friend in the construction industry used them before for his website. I looked at their work and liked its quality, so I decided to reach out to them. Everything they said made sense, and their work ethic, detail-oriented approach, and communication were the main reasons I chose to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $27,000 CAD (approximately $21,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021 and completed the project in March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the website and marketing campaign last Friday. Since it’s been out, we’ve received 3–4 leads from the website and 4–5 calls from the marketing they did, and it hasn’t been a whole week yet. We’re beyond satisfied; it’s more than what we expected.

Moreover, Explore Agency never gave us any false promises. They achieved everything they told me they’d achieve.

How did Explore Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was top class. We bounced ideas off and understood each other. The communication was there 24/7 — whenever we reached out to them, they were always there. Any details we wanted to change, they were there to do them. Also, they had their own input and suggestions, which we ended up going with. In general, it was a pleasant experience from the start.

We communicated via phone calls, emails, and text messages.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail and ability to reach deadlines and specific milestones made them stand out. They followed through, and not many people do that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything, honestly. Everything was flawless; they met all milestones and deadlines. We can’t critique anything because it was all top of the line.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their process. They’re professionals, and the team knows their field of work. Moreover, they’re constantly improving and evolving. Just communicate with them, listen to their feedback, and work together to achieve exactly what you want.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a partner at a law firm specializing in class actions and other complex litigation based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I am the main contact person between our firm and Explore Agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Explore Agency?

We started the firm as of January 2021 and needed an entirely new website from scratch, including designing a logo and selecting our colour scheme, headshots, and creating a video for the first page of our website. We do not have any in-house graphic artists, web designers, or photographers/videographers, so Explore Agency was given all of these tasks to complete.

What were your goals for this project?

As a brand new firm, an eye catching logo and colour scheme to brand ourselves were very important to us, as was our website looking professional and having the ability for clients to submit inquiries and sign up to receive information about our various lawsuits.

SOLUTION

How did you select Explore Agency?

We looked online at a number of companies in our area and narrowed our choices down to 3 that we asked to submit samples of their work and/or have a video call with us to go over their pitch. Of those companies, Explore Agency clearly stood out to us as the best choice and the ones who knew exactly what we were looking for and could get it done in the time-frame that we required.

Describe the project in detail.

We had an initial video conference with the team at Explore Agency (due to the pandemic), where we explained what we were looking for and they gave us their ideas. They went away and designed the initial logo and initial landing page and picked a colour scheme, all of which we really liked. We then met in person to take photos, headshots and some stock background video. They used the photos and headshots to finalize the website (minus a marketing video we are still working on).

The team at Explore Agency has currently provided us with the stock footage for the marketing video and is waiting on our script to finish the video, but otherwise they were able to design our entire website including designing us a logo and picking a colour scheme in a very short turnaround time.

What was the team composition?

We had one main contact person throughout the project who managed everything and relayed all our needs and comments to his team, but throughout our various interactions I've met with or had calls and communications with 3-4 other members of his team working on our project, including a photographer, a videographer, and their lead website designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because we were starting from scratch, we needed a logo and initial landing page immediately. Explore Agency was able to design us a logo, pick a colour scheme, and create the initial landing page in a very short time, but without sacrificing any quality or looks.

From there, they worked around our schedule to meet with us to take photos and videos and designed the rest of the site quickly and to meet our exact needs. We are able to sign up clients easily just as we wanted. We regularly get compliments about the website's UI/UX design.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The entire process with Explore Agency was very simple and easy. Having one person from their team manage everything was very effective. We were able to relay any needs or comments or revisions to him, and he would quickly relay it to the appropriate member of his team.

Despite the pandemic, they used video conferencing and worked around our schedule when we met in person so there wasn't any inconvenience for us. They also had great technology to allow us to see lots of different versions of our website and logo and different features which actually worked, so we could navigate a number of different website designs to pick the one we liked most.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I think Explore Agency's two most impressive qualities were their professionalism and their focus on client needs. They worked around our schedule, were always available, met any requests and answered any questions extremely quickly, and were very knowledgeable about every aspect of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nobody is perfect, but I would honestly have to strain myself or nit-pick to come up with areas of improvement. They did a great job in a very short time and usually they were waiting for us to get them answers or pick designs so they could finish, rather than us having to wait on them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the assistant general manager of Swenco Limited. We produce safety products for the footwear industry and personal protective equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Explore Agency?

We were staring into a new product line that required more marketing and advertising. We used to be a component supplier, so when we were breaking into consumer goods, we needed a full revamp of our marketing and advertising efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Explore Agency fully revamped our website. They also helped us set up Google Shopping. Currently, they provide ongoing social media management and handle our Google Analytics.

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact, but I believe there are two people working on the project.

How did you come to work with Explore Agency?

We knew about Explore Agency beforehand, so we reached out to them. They gave us a great presentation and proposal in terms of what they were able to do for our marketing. They were easy to communicate with, which was very attractive to us. We decided to give them a shot, and they’ve been doing a great job ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’ve spent around $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Explore Agency surpassed $5,000 in sales for us, which has been very good. Our website traffic has also increased.

How did Explore Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email, and we also hold Zoom meetings to do monthly recaps. They bring us up to speed on some of the metrics they’re seeing from their end and regularly ask us about how we are feeling about their services.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Explore Agency’s website development was great, and the work they’re doing with our social media has been terrific. Those have definitely been strong suits.

We’ve worked with other firms in the past that were hard to communicate with. Explore Agency has been very upfront and open with their communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Up to this point, we haven’t noticed any area in which they could improve, but we’re constantly monitoring and observing them. I’ll be sure to let them know if we see any area that we think they could do better. So far, they’ve definitely satisfied every requirement that we’ve asked of them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them effectively and be in constant talks. Always review what they have going on, and they’ll certainly be able to rise to the occasion.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a hair salon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Explore Agency?

We hired Explore Agency to create our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Explore Agency built a customized website and a booking app for my clients to book appointments, view my gallery, and all that. They also help me with my Facebook page as well as getting a YouTube page set up. This work includes marketing and social media advertising. They currently maintain the site and make minimum updates.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one, but they did have a team.  

How did you come to work with Explore Agency?

I found them on Instagram and just thought they were a little more professional than the others on social media.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August 2020 and the relationship is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The overall experience was good. I liked the way that they built the site. Their services absolutely catapulted my business.

How did Explore Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Communicating with them is really easy and they make it very simple. They’re also pretty good at meeting deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they understood where I was coming from, they understood my business and goals. I think that their professionalism is most impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe finding options that aren’t so expensive would be helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be specific as to what you want and they’ll give you what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We sell smoking accessories and I’m the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Explore Agency?

We typically order in bulk and sell it to pop-up stores and bigger stores in smaller increments. In connection with that, we just wanted to build a website where we could sell our products directly to people all around Canada and the world. We also decided it was the best time to do that since there were several COVID-19 restrictions going on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Explore Agency team built it from scratch using WordPress. The site allowed our customers to come in, browse easily, and checkout. It also enabled customers the option to earn reward points and referral points. They also integrated money discount codes for some of our representatives all around Canada. Furthermore, they also incorporated a chatbot on the website, so that people could come and directly speak with us without having to send us e-mails. It also gave us the ability to respond to our customers immediately. 

What is the team composition?

We probably worked with 2–3 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Explore Agency?

My girlfriend was the one who came across their sponsored page on Instagram. We decided to go with them because we looked into a few developers, and after comparing pricing and what they could offer us — we figured that Explore Agency was the best fit for what we were trying to do.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spent $10,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership ran from May–June 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I could genuinely say that their work helped us to reach more people to see our product and recall our offerings well. External stakeholders also genuinely liked the layout of our website. In addition, in the last few months, our sales improved because of their work. 

How did Explore Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a good project management workflow. We communicated pretty often by phone and email, and they were very professional. He allowed me to see the work process and he didn’t just give it all to me in the end. There was a lot of revision, but we really worked together well and it was fun. The engagement wasn’t stressful at all.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their efficiency when it comes to web development was very impressive. I felt like my investment was worth it. In addition, they got the work done in a timely manner. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Instead of areas they could improve, I would’ve done my own research to be more clear. I don’t think that anything that he did could be better. When I went to him, I wasn’t sure what I really wanted — I just knew I wanted a website. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you want because they’re good at making your vision come true. If you’re not sure what you want, be clear about your vision because they can make it come true.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and creative director at Golden Crumb Biscuit. We are an online based cookie purveyor shipping cookies Canada wide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Explore Agency?

Our website was old, boring and buggy. We needed to hire a team to give it a brand new fresh look, along with a full ecommerce setup.

What were your goals for this project?

• ecommerce integration
• sleek design
• minimal and smooth checkout process

SOLUTION

How did you select Explore Agency?

I went through a dozen companies and decided on Explore Agency for a couple of reasons - from my discussions with them,, they understood my needs better than the rest. They were straight forward and thorough with their approach rather than providing false promises. And their portfolio looks great

Describe the project in detail.

Once I decided to move forward with Explore Agency. There was a multi-step process. Bohdan and his team broke down the phases of the project, from the broad framework:

1. redesign of the logo to bring it a modern look
2. Structure of the site - overall theme.

This process involved research and other Then came the actual design of the site. With the moods, the branding, all of that. The build. The whole process was great as Explore Agency was providing frequent updates and showing me how the site was coming along. We also did a photoshoot through them for some of our product pictures.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned a project manager whom I dealt with for the most part. He was extremely responsive and was able to help out throughout the journey.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first month of the launch, our existing customers were thrilled to have a new website to work with. My sales shot up by 78% in the first two months. Customers love the fact that they can pay online and they really are enjoying the easy to use site.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. They were there for us even after hours and fended all of our calls. Very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledge for their industry as well as for mine. THey really put the time into research and looked at competition to see what would be most effective for us. Their service is unmatched. They were there for us the whole way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall extremely satisfied with Explore Agency.