HelloYes Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Growthpoint Properties is the largest REIT in South Africa, with office, industrial, and retail properties.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HelloYes Marketing?

We needed help with the integration between our website and our property admin systems. We also needed to completely rebuild our website and get our digital advertising off the ground.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HelloYes Marketing has ensured that our property system information is fully integrated with our WordPress website. They’ve also assisted our marketing team in launching YouTube and Google Suite advertising. Currently, they’re looking after our website and digital advertising. Additionally, they’re completing further projects with both our marketing and IT teams, and they are assisting our Retail teams in rebuilding around 15 of our malls' websites. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve met all their team members, and they all play a part in our account. However, we continually work directly with four of their team members.

How did you come to work with HelloYes Marketing?

We were referred to them by a design agency in Cape Town. We chose them because they were very strong in development projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We onboarded them at the end of 2023. The project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

HelloYes Marketing has made this project, which our previous vendor made sound like a very hard task to achieve, seem effortless. We’ve experienced massive downtime with our previous site (over 100 hours a month). Now, we have no downtime. Our website traffic has increased from about 20,000 visitors per month to around 65,000–85,000 on busy months.

We now have a property search on our website that works and can search by product/incentive. We’ve also refined our SEO and have BI dashboards that track our projects. Moreover, we have consistent engagement with our digital ads.

We’re finally able to accurately measure and report on our site to our EXCO. We’re finally in a digital space, which has had a great impact on our brand, where our brand is seen, and engagement with our digital content and channels.

How did HelloYes Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is fantastic. They deliver on time, and if they don’t, it’s usually due to a variety of delays on our side in terms of feedback. Any delays are always communicated.

We meet with the HelloYes Marketing team every week, as we still have ongoing projects they’re running for us. The team is professional while being friendly and service-oriented. They’re collaborative and solutions-driven. We have one central point where we save all of our project information, and they consistently maintain their documentation. They’ve fully documented the whole process of our rebuild and the tech solutions that were created.

What did you find most impressive about them?

HelloYes Marketing’s development skills are phenomenal. Nothing we’ve asked for hasn’t been doable. They’re also very friendly and approachable. Where things have gone wrong, their response time in fixing issues has been great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an online marketplace business, and I’m one of the directors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HelloYes Marketing?

We hired them to do an SEO analysis of our website and to help us in setting up shopping ads on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HelloYes Marketing assisted us in setting up ads on Google, Facebook, and Twitter including pop-up shopping ads. They also performed SEO and PayPal services.

Their goal was to increase our sales and social media followers. Moreover, they also ensured the size of our ads was perfect.

What is the team composition?

We worked with John (Co-Founder), a social media manager, and an SEO expert.

How did you come to work with HelloYes Marketing?

I found them through a Facebook group I was a part of.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around 70,000 rands (approximately $4,800 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from October 2020–March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our shopping ads converted into quite a number of sales. We also gained a lot of followers on our platforms because of their effective strategies. HelloYes Marketing set everything up excellently which ensured our success.

How did HelloYes Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at meeting deadlines, and we had an awesome time working with them. We highly appreciated that they shared their knowledge regarding SEO.

What did you find most impressive about them?

John’s overall communication skills were phenomenal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing that I could criticize during the engagement. We were happy with HelloYes Marketing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have open communication with the HelloYes team. Ask them questions and learn from them as they help you navigate your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

UBIK Home is a retail home furniture and accessories company. We import goods in South Africa, and we have online and brick-and-mortar stores. I’m one of two directors in the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HelloYes Marketing?

Our online store wasn’t getting the exposure it should’ve been. The marketing company we were engaged with at the time wasn’t getting us the results we were expecting, in terms of customer engagement, online sales, and leads from online channels, so we decided to look for another vendor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HelloYes handles our Facebook and Instagram content and marketing, our Google display and keyword ads, and our Google Shopping. They manage our social media content and respond to comments and messages.

They create all our content. We provide them with pictures of our products, based on which they create copywriting for social media. They also enhance and animate the pictures.  

They’ve recently started working on our email campaigns as well, and we use them for ad hoc for website and online store improvements. We’ve also done a recent project with HelloYes, to change the layout and features of our website.

What is the team composition?

Meggan (Social Media Coordinator) is our main contact.

How did you come to work with HelloYes Marketing?

They were recommended to me by someone who was using HelloYes Marketing for their online store. At the time, we were engaging with other marketing companies and looking to move our portfolio over.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re paying them around 31,000 rands per month (approximately $2,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with HelloYes in April 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our online traffic has increased significantly. Our Google PPC cost has been reduced, and our overall customer engagement and online sales have increased quite a bit.

How did HelloYes Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a meeting once a month, where HelloYes presents the metrics from the previous month. They provide us spending reports, which we go through in detail. We track tasks through Google Sheets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand our requirements and what we’re looking for. HelloYes Marketing takes pride in what they do and the work they present to us. We’ve had one or two issues where we needed HelloYes to go the extra mile, and they stepped up, worked late, and did whatever was needed to resolve those issues.

They have constant engagement with us, and we’re impressed with the feedback we’re getting. Overall, we’re happy with our revenue growth. We can see a tangible difference in whatever HelloYes is doing.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some issues with managing projects and tasks, but we spoke to HelloYes about it, and they made improvements on their side.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Marketing is an important aspect of any business, and my recommendation is to engage with HelloYes and get them to understand what the need and ultimate goals are. Overall, we’ve got a good working relationship with HelloYes, and they understand us. There’s nothing specifically that an organization would need to do to engage with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of Field Agent SA, a marketing research firm. We use technology to gather information from the field and share it with our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HelloYes Marketing?

Our goal was to gain prominence on social media. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HelloYes Marketing provided and posted social media images. The team handled our accounts to a certain extent, identifying any outstanding issues that were becoming critical and needed attendance. They analyzed our social media traffic and gave us a monthly report.

They also advised us on whether we should bump up any advertising opportunities through social media. They did some limited work with Google Ads based on location or specific demographics. 

They provided us with visuals for a conference, like posters, flyers, or other materials that we needed for the event. From time to time, the team did images for mailshots. 

What is the team composition?

We dealt with 8–9 team members, but at any time, there were only 1–2 contacts at the firm. Up until the point that we stopped working together, HelloYes Marketing team had a fairly high turnover of staff. 

How did you come to work with HelloYes Marketing?

We chose them over other companies because I was familiar with some of the company members. I knew them from before, and all the work they did for us was satisfactory.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the course of five years, we spent $5,000 South African Rand (approximately $300 USD) per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from June 2015–March 2020. We stopped our partnership with them because of COVID-19.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We increased our social media presence from zero to 27,000 followers on Facebook, 8,000 on Twitter, and 8,000 on LinkedIn. The impact they had on the engagement was very strong; they assisted in growing our numbers through their regular involvement. 

We received very little feedback on the content, but it had nothing to do with their team. We were very happy with HelloYes Marketing.  

How did HelloYes Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

The team’s project management skills were up to standard. I didn’t have any complaints about that, and everything was done per our expectations. They were very good at reminding us well before the deadline about various tasks that needed to be fulfilled according to the agreement. 

They used various cloud-based tools that were easy to manage. The team mostly used Google services, like Google Drive, and shared a lot of pages through it as well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

HelloYes Marketing’s team had good ideas and design concepts. They were familiar with our brand. Our business even got a couple of interested clients through them, so they were good brand ambassadors. 

We never had any complaints about their work, and I’d recommend them. I don’t have any issues or anything that stood out negatively; they were good at what they did. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think I have any constructive criticism. There wasn’t anything that frustrated or made me look elsewhere to replace them. Because of their turnover, the team reduced significantly; therefore, it wasn’t feasible anymore to use their services. We decided to do that work ourselves until their turnover stopped.

Any advice for potential customers?

Give them a call and see what their rates are. I didn’t feel they were very cheap nor very expensive; they were fairly reasonable. The team provided a good service, and I didn’t have any problems with it. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the communications and relationships executive for the Eye of Africa and Serengeti Estates. We are both a golf and residential estate based in Johannesburg. I do the marketing, and work with the marketing manager on both companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HelloYes Marketing?

When I came on board, I already had a prior relationship with HelloYes Marketing from my previous company. One of the pieces that the developer had expressed to me during my interviews, was the fact that they weren't getting the proper support from the digital marketing agency and the other company developing on the website. I also felt like they were getting inferior service and assistance from their respective suppliers, especially with how much they were being charged for the projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HelloYes Marketing came on board for Eye of Africa to develop a brand new website, as well as moving in the position of doing our social media, community management, and organic and paid lead generation posting. They’re also doing the exact same service for Serengeti Estates.

Currently, they’re working on three development projects under the same developer.

For Eye of Africa specifically, we had a preexisting website, but had no logins to get into it so they started a brand new website from scratch. They did an entire proposal for us that includes the entire look and feel of it.

Serengeti Estates had taken over the existing website, and then they made the necessary adjustments that we needed regarding Google, AdWords, SEO, and website organization. Serengeti Estate’s website is on WordPress, but I can’t recall which platform the other one is on. We, unfortunately, had a falling out with the previous agency we’ve worked with, to the point that we weren’t allowed to get anything back from the website.

Additionally, they’ve assisted us with finding plugins for each property listing, or the various aspects of the business like the amenities, the major facilities, and the lodges. Whatever it is we need, they will definitely accommodate. They put our magazine on the website, a page for the homeowners association — they’ve done all the work that we’ve asked them to do.

Moreover, they’re providing us with social media marketing across all platforms. We’re not particularly active on Twitter, as we tend to focus specifically on Instagram and Facebook for both of the developments — they also dabble a little bit in the LinkedIn sphere for us.

They’ve been absolutely phenomenal with organic and lead generation posting. They work with us in setting up or automation processes, and have sheets for the leads to come through automatically. Once they’re live, all the sales agents, as well as the marketing team, can gain access to it.

What is the team composition?

I work with John (Co-Founder) the majority of the time. I also work with social media specialist who do all the content calendars, two website developers, and two different employees from another agency.

How did you come to work with HelloYes Marketing?

The head of the company that did the hosting and digital marketing aspects of my previous company referred me to John. at the time, we expressed needing a company to do our SEO, Google AdWords, and then help us become more prominent in the Google and digital space. We had a few meetings with John, and we did a lot of work with him at my previous company during the lockdown. He’s always willing to help — he would spend hours working and training us through the digital process since we needed somebody in the field. It was a no-brainer to choose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $25,000–$30,000 a month for development. Sometimes even more in terms of social media, website, Google, and SEO.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing partnership started in August 2020. Every month, they’ve improved themselves to be such a good agency, that we keep moving them across our developer’s seven other development projects — including Eye of Africa and Serengeti Estates. We’ve replaced some of the other agencies working on all those other developments, because they’ve done such good work for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We work on a very loose basis in terms of ROI, but we do have access to the dashboard for both our websites, so we can track what people are searching for. The dashboard also shows us what ad words are working, how many calls are coming in, and which page people are clicking on.

We also have very specific lead generation campaigns from a social media standpoint, and we’re not looking at the quantity as much, since they bring in a ton of leads every time. We’re looking at the quality, and how many sales we make from those leads — which we’ve made over the last 6–7 months on both platforms. At the end of the day, money talks. Are we making sales from a digital standpoint? The answer is yes. Yes we are.

In each of our development, we have teams who work in various capacities. They have said that they’re really enjoying the social media pages, and they’re really happy with the work. We also have some really nice engagement from a customer standpoint on our social media platforms.

Moreover, I’m also on a lot of internal informal groups, and a lot of the stuff that’s shared on our social media is often shared internally on those groups. They really enjoy the content so there has been a lot of positive feedback.

How did HelloYes Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We do weekly zoom or face-to-face catchups. If we can’t make it from a marketing standpoint because we seem to have a million things going on, we just pick up the phone and have a chat. Since we have all the automated sheets, tracking the tasks, the deliverables, and where we’re at in the process can easily be tracked.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest thing for me is the level of knowledge they impart. They’re almost like a teaching agency, there’s no hidden drama, they’re just very inclusive and interactive with how they work with their clients. Our partnership is based on conversations and mutual respect to try and understand what our objectives are and what we need to get out of it.

At the end of the day, they do their best to assist us in our journey. They’re basically here to make us look good. They’re the background guys who are trying to make sure that the marketing gets the job done, and gets the accolades for what it’s doing. I just really enjoy the inclusiveness and how they treat every partner that we’ve given them. They don’t hide anything process from us — they teach and show us how to do it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They didn’t really have a lot of property experience coming in, so there was definitely a learning curve. The first time around, there have been a lot of bad leads that came through, the ads weren’t really the best. They don’t necessarily need to improve anything per se, but it’s definitely a work in progress. They’re not always going to hit every ball at the park.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have open cards and have the conversations that you need to in terms of what you want to happen. John and the whole agency will be clear about how they can facilitate that for you. They will take on the challenge as long as you’re honest and upfront. In turn, they will be honest with you on how they run their business, what they can do for you, and they will continue to provide an excellent service — We really do feel like we’re in good hands with them.