Imarc

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a marketing manager at Beacon Hill Staffing Group; we're a US-based staffing company with over 60 offices. We also have eight specialty divisions covering administrative staffing services, life sciences, and fintech.

We’re a combination of staffing and workforce solutions such as managed services, recruitment process outsourcing, professional services and statement of work, and project consulting. We work with both job seekers in placing them and client companies in filling their hiring needs.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We hired Imarc to redesign our company website because we revamp it every three years, and we also leveraged their digital marketing services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Imarc has been doing website redesign for us. Our original 2018 design was done by a different agency, and we wanted to change that model with Imarc. The goal was to develop a new CMS that we could leverage since the previous one was getting very dated.

The past ones were much more copy and paste because we were sticking to the same CMS, but Imarc built this site from scratch. We tried to touch every piece of content versus in the past, and we would've just brought it over with the next version of the site. The GM calculator that we just worked on this past week is an example of an existing code being carried over.

There were a few elements that we focused on in 2018, such as a brand new logo and a new color theme. We purposely did not want to change those elements because it took us a few years to update all our materials internally and get a lot of adoption across the company. However, they were open to doing a full overhaul.

We also came up with a brand new strategy for presenting our business; our website is broken into two main audiences, one is the client company, and the other is a job seeker. They helped us rethink how we attract those audiences, message them, and even explain our business to them. We were previously trying to explain to both groups how our business runs behind the scenes, and it missed the mark on how somebody new to our site would think about us. Imarc helped us understand that our internal hierarchy doesn't mean much to the average site visitor, so we need to discuss what we can do for them.

In addition, they now officially handle all of our paid searches, so our Google and Bing ads from copywriting, strategy, bids, and budget. They also help us with consulting on optimizing our SEO better so that we're being turned up on the organic search on Google.

Currently, we're looking more closely at our Google business listings and how better to optimize them and make sure we're showing up. We just signed a contract the last week with them to start a brand new project in which they will build an intranet. Probably for the next year and a half, they’re going to design for us a custom application. Our 1100 plus employees can use it as their go-to dashboard when they log in and see everything they need that's specific to them and their role here.

What is the team composition?

We keep being introduced to new teams as we bring on new services. We probably have crossed paths with about 30 people from their end, including designers, developers, a salesperson, and a digital marketing team. Still, our main point of contact was an account manager who’s followed us through the whole thing, and he's on every call.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We found them through an internet search. I was looking across the country for an agency that could fit our needs, and it was coincidental that Imarc is just North of our Boston HQs. It was a nice fit because they are local to where we all physically sat at one point. I also chose them because I was impressed by their website and they had a section in it dedicated to the fact that they built a JetBlue intranet and won an award in 2019. That might have been what got me to their site, and I was very pleased with everything I read.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $362,600 with them so far.

What is the status of the engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Since launching two months ago, we've had immense success with the site; aside from the look and feel, and how our internal population and visitors perceive it, it's also performing better. We also see over 130,000 more page views and applicants every month, with an average time on each page increasing by 31%.

In addition, Imarc has been flexible and open in collaborating with other companies that we bring in.

Overall, the project's success is seeing that we've received so many more optimized job applications, and there's a huge improvement.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

Any missing deadlines or overage on hours is on us, not them. In terms of our expectations on how long it would take to complete this project, we were well within our expectations based on our experience of doing website redesign projects and their estimations. Also, knowing how many additional services like the scope of work snowballed as we continued down the road. We were rethinking so many interrelated processes of what we have to do with getting information in and out of the website — they did well on that end.

They're very clear about tracking their hours every week and updating us overall, and they're proactive on that front. Their team also provided us with a custom project site where both teams could access and upload documents, updates, and timelines. They were also using Adobe XD to present wireframes and initial designs. We also used Zoom and Email for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everybody we've come across has been incredibly knowledgeable in whatever team they're a part of. They're all experts on specific subject matters that we can tap into, which has been great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is nothing they can improve because they deliver beyond our expectations.

Any advice for potential customers?

Knowing how full service this agency is and how many things they can assist the business with would be helpful going into an engagement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for ASC Engineered Solutions, a manufacturer of pipe joining systems such as pipe fittings, valves, hangars, support, and others. I’m the company’s digital content manager, so I’m responsible for the content seen on our website. I also handle our digital marketing efforts on social media, digital ads, and other channels. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We didn’t have internal IT resources to manage our website. As a result, we hired Imarc to host it, support us with troubleshooting, and help us in development projects. Moreover, we’ve recently rebranded; we were two organizations that came together in 2019 and officially rebranded as one company in March 2021. We needed their help in this project, too. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve mostly worked with Imarc on our company’s rebranding project. Prior to the rebranding, we needed to prepare our website. As a first step, we consolidated our company's legacy brand materials and websites. For context, our firm used to acquire various businesses semi-regularly, and sometimes those businesses had websites. Up until 2020, we let all legacy sites exist. 

Once we decided we’d officially rebrand with a new name, we wanted to close existing legacy sites. Imarc transferred all legacy information from those brands to the new website. To that end, they did a massive data importation and worked on the new site’s structure to accommodate all content. Their team also helped redirect legacy URLs to our official domain while guiding us through the process. Overall, Imarc ensured that products from other websites showed up on the rebranded site with the correct information and necessary images.

After the consolidation effort, the next step was to do the actual site rebranding. We used a third-party agency to design mock-ups, while Imarc executed them. They made a couple of test sites and applied the designs we wanted. The team also reorganized information and created new site sections based on the third-party agency’s recommendations, bringing the site to life. On top of that, we had plenty of talks about the things that we wanted for the site’s UX. 

Apart from this rebranding campaign, we’ve also recently completed an API portal with Imarc’s help, and it’s been a huge project. So far, they’ve taken on various other projects with us and advised us on development best practices. 

What is the team composition?

We work most often with Jenny (Senior Project Manager & Team Lead), Lily (Project Coordinator), and Bill (Lead Web Engineer). Sometimes, we also work with Christian (Art Director) and other engineers, including Tristan (Senior Frontend Engineer). Linnea (Web Engineer) has recently taken on some design work, too. Overall, we’ve worked with a lot of people in their organization. 

How did you come to work with Imarc?

I wasn’t involved in the process of hiring Imarc, and they were already working for our company when I joined. For context, our marketing leadership team originally selected Imarc.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2017, and the partnership is ongoing.

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

To measure success, we check whether we hit all the marks and scope of work that we set. So far, Imarc has met our requirements. They continue to take on projects, and they’re always available to communicate, making sure that we’re informed about any developments or issues that arise. Likewise, our leaders are pleased with Imarc’s work. We’ve continued working with them because we’re truly happy with how they manage our website while working closely with us.

For the rebranding project, a lot of people from their team have worked to make it happen, and they’ve met our deadlines. The team has implemented all of our highest-priority items prior to the site’s launch. 

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

Imarc is always on top of everything, and they resolve most issues within 24 hours. I email them almost every day to ask what’s going on with the site and to check if something’s not working. Based on that, their communication skills are great; they’re responsive to our emails and willing to let us track projects. 

The Imarc team uses Google Spreadsheets to take our feedback in real-time, and their resources use that to assign tickets to their team. Speaking of assignments, they make tickets visible to us so we can see the status of their work any time we want. They also send us emails about where things stand to make the communication process easier. Moreover, we meet with them once a week to go over our projects and issues. This way, we have the chance to talk about anything that we need. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Imarc makes things happen quickly, and they’re readily available to take on challenges. In fact, we throw a lot at them, and they never say no — they always find ways to accommodate our projects. They also always have great recommendations. Overall, the team is truly solution-oriented, and they want the website to function well and be as good as it possibly can. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, we feel that things hinge so much on Bill since he’s the lead engineer. However, he has to take vacations and personal days. When that happens, we sometimes have to wait for him to come back. If something goes wrong and he’s not present, more problems arise because he’s the only one who knows how to fix things. In other words, having more backup or people who can step in and service our account will be an improvement.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re organized; ensure that your priorities and needs are as clear as possible. This helps Imarc know the order of importance of the things they must do. Their team plans their time, how they’re going to do projects, and who they’ll assign to do tasks. As a result, being clear about your end goals is crucial. 

Similarly, give them as much information as possible when you encounter an issue. If something goes wrong on your side, provide as much background as possible so that they’ll know what to do. When you do that, they can start working right away and won’t have to do any background research on their own. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager at an environmental engineering and consulting firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We wanted a new and modern website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Imarc developed a template and worked on Craft CMS to build our website from scratch. The team did web design and copy editing work. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a lead designer and an assigned project manager who was our main point of contact. I can’t recall all the team members, but there were more than four people. 

How did you come to work with Imarc?

I contacted Imarc many years ago and kept in touch with one of their employees. Once I had the approval to redo the website, we had to decide between them and another agency. Imarc’s interview process went much better, and the team had already done a website for another environmental consulting firm, so we decided to go with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our company invested around $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from January 2020–March 2021.

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

Thanks to Imarc’s efforts, the website looks nicer, has a more polished look, and is much more mobile-friendly.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

The team performed pretty well. Deadlines were tight because of COVID-19, but we met them as best as both parties could. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with the way they designed and set up the backend on Craft CMS. It’s very user-friendly — and that has been very helpful for me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be have been more upfront and have better communication about where the project stood budget-wise. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise them to be more proactive. Ask the team about the project’s status because you may not hear about them until it’s too late, and you might have already gone over budget.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a 15-person private equity investment firm. I’m one of the six partners. We manage money for college endowments, insurance companies, state and corporate pension funds. We invest $20 million–$60 million apiece in private companies, help them grow, sell them, and hopefully make gains for our limited partners.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We were very nascent when it comes to marketing. We were founded 16 years ago and we had two websites. They were both pretty pedestrian, and we really needed a bit of a brand refresh as part of doing a website refresh. As a result, we hired Imarc to tear it all the way down and build everything from scratch. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team provided a whole new look and feel, color schemes, and more. They also helped us change and upgrade our messaging in terms of how we go to market, how we explain ourselves to our audience, and so on. 

We explained to them at a very basic level what we do, who goes to our website, and what we were trying to tell them since they were not familiar with our business. They presented different strawman ideas and from there, we chose our preferred message, look, and feel. Essentially, the content was really on us. After the website was launched, we just had a few things we needed to modify.

What is the team composition?

For the most part, we worked with five people from Imarc.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

They were referred to us. We called some investment funds that we were friends with after looking at their website. We just asked them who created their website. Then, we interviewed three vendors from Boston and Atlanta. In the end, we chose Imarc.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them from July 2020–January 2021. 

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

When they helped us send the email blast containing the link to our new website, around 6,000–7,000 people received it. After that, we had off-the-charts positive feedback, both solicited and unsolicited. A lot of people had complimented our platform. 

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a collaborative partnership. Every week we used to review items such as wireframes, pictures, and colors. Above all, they were very prompt. 

They were really good listeners and communicators. Even if they didn’t really know our business, they really explored the persona we were going for. They were also very clear on budget. They let us know if we would go over budget, and if it ended up close to the budget we have — around 2%–5% — that wasn’t a problem for us at all. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity in developing the website’s look and feel really helped us nail the persona we were going for. We were really impressed with the ideas they presented. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is a tough question, but the only thing that comes to mind was the fact that they didn’t know what we do for a living, so we had to teach them from the ground up. I’m not sure if I could fault them for that because they’re a generalist digital agency. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What enabled them to do such a good job was their listening skills and how we communicated to them. If you’re going to partner with them, assume they know nothing and introduce your business well.

That way, they can really understand who you’re talking to and what you’re trying to convey. Don’t just take for granted that they know what to do. Start from the very beginning. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the global digital marketing director for a company called Skillsoft. We are a technology and content company operating in the educational space.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We had a website that was not fit for purpose. It looked like it had been built in the early nineties and made it very hard to understand what we did as an organization when it was able to get us in front of any customers in the first place.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The range of services that Imarc provided us with ranged from strategic consulting, to design to SEO for our new site. We were looking to really pivot our business focus in a significant way, and they had to come in, understand the situation, and then take on the very challenging task of convincing some of our members that we needed to represent the business in a way that we had fundamentally never done before.

They built our new website almost completely from scratch, just taking advantage of some content that we had but redesigning and executing everything else. Their team had a really difficult set of requirements because we were building the website as the new brand identity was being established, and they had to navigate gaps in the amount of information that we had to construct a really cohesive and sleek looking website regardless.

What was the team composition?

We’ve worked with about 15 or members of their team throughout the process.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

They had worked with our CMO previously at another organization, so when I came on to the team I was directed to work with them for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around November 2019 and is still ongoing.

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

Their work with us has been absolutely transformational. We’ve gone from being a legacy organization that had basically no online presence compared to our competitors, to having a successfully pivoted image in the public sector with one step from our original branding. In light of that, the fact that our site performance and functionality have drastically improved is just icing on the cake.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been absolutely amazing. I’ve worked with a number of outsourcing agencies, and not only does the Imarc team have incredible technological expertise for someone in their space, but their management of our project has been unparalleled. At no point throughout the whole process have I felt uninformed, unsupported, or like anything was going off task.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One major asset that they have is their incredibly deep expertise in virtually every field related to our project. NO matter what the question or challenge we brought to them was, they always had a subject matter expert that they could pull in to lead that particular effort. Imarc’s entire team feels like their A-team.

They were very generous in that regard as well, because often the people they got involved wouldn’t even be team members assigned to our project. Their chief engineer, for example, would occasionally drop in and answer questions that would have taken significantly longer to solve otherwise.

On top of all that, we were just blown away by their ability to take in our particular situation and all of the internal dissenting voices about what we needed to do and then come up with a way to synthesize all of that and find a solution. They hit the nail on the head the first time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t see how the process could have been improved. I’ve been absolutely delighted.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them truly understand your business challenge, because their strength is in translating that to business impact. Give them as much access and information as you can, and they will be able to synthesize it in an incredibly productive way.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing director for a master distributor of standard pipe products. We have distribution centers across the United States, serving wholesale supply companies in the plumbing, heating, HV/AC, PVF, electrical and other segments.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We wanted to create a new logo for a brand name that had been predetermined for us to take as a result of a merger with a competing company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team met with their creative and other team members with the goal of creating a logo and brand identity that not only shows who we were but also have elements of describing or showing two competitors in the marketplace coming together of going to market and explaining our situation to our customers.

We also wanted to be able to unify employees under one banner.  We came to them with the only precondition of the name, which was a mix between the two former companies. There was a lot of name history within the market of the two. The logo needed to be professional and needed to describe us and have a sense of pulling together two teams under one banner.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two designers and one representative that was there from beginning to end.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

They were referred to us by a printing company we use for collateral.  We decided to work with them because of their overall presentation and competency level.

How much have you invested with them?    

We've invested $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in December 2019 and wrapped up in February 2020.

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

In a qualitative sense, everyone is thrilled with the new look. From how they designed the wordmark to the actual icon itself has been really well received internally and externally. Frankly, it just looks killer on collateral, signage and all sorts of other things we've been doing. We've gotten really positive feedback from it.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. We had an aggressive timeline to complete the project. We had been talking to them prior to the beginning of the project and we weren't able to make a decision and start the project until December with an end date in mind for the middle of February.

They were very on top of managing the timeline, pushing forward materials for us to look at and approve, and give revisions on. It was very much like clock-work. They never missed any deadlines, made calls on time, and were able to keep us in a mode of responsiveness that's typically hard to maintain. They were able to keep us on track the entire time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project management in combination with their creativity was definitely something they excelled in. It was a fast project and they were able to turn out lots of materials for us to take a look at and give feedback on. Everything we saw from them was potentially a winning design. Nothing was ever thrown together and sent over.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. They did an excellent job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Amesbury Carriage Museum, a small nonprofit organization in Massachusetts. We do events and programs throughout the community surrounding local history.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We had recently secured a space that the museum would be owning and managing, and we needed help creating a brand identity for the new venue. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

The primary deliverable was a graphics package that included a logo, style guidelines, and thematic standards to use in print and digital media. We went through a series of meetings with their team to come up with the final product. 

What is the team composition?

There were two primary people that we worked with, but there were four or five additional team members involved in the early stages.  

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We had some mutual connections. Ultimately, they reached out to us and offered to do some design work pro bono. 

How much have you invested with them?

They didn’t charge us for the project; it was a donation. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in the summer of 2019, and our work wrapped up at the beginning of 2020. 

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

The quality of their work is excellent. It has impressed and inspired our leadership group and people involved with the museum, like our donors. We’ve used their designs in brochures and we have a banner in the town square with their work. 

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were as good as I could’ve imagined. It was clear that they knew what they were doing and came very prepared. The team delivered on time and followed through on expectations. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with how they incorporated our feedback into the next iterations of their work. They were able to understand our feedback and then generate something that reflected a more advanced version of it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of that would’ve made the process better. If anything, the weaknesses would be on our part. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be in a position where you have some clear expectations, but are open to letting this process drive your organization to a new place.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

 I’m the senior manager of website operations for a major cable provider.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

Imarc gives us operational, development, and marketing support for all aspects of our business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started off the engagement by interviewing users, taking stories from stakeholders, and then just going through the entire lifecycle of our website to better understand our operation. Now, they handle everything from requirement gathering, design, development, user acceptance testing, and production.

They’re well versed in a lot of different platforms but are currently helping us move from Drupal to Laravel. They also support us on a variety of digital marketing campaigns, whether it’s small projects like Black Friday or an email campaign, or something like rebuilding our entire shopping cart API and billing system.

What is the team composition?

We work with about 12 people from their team full time. That includes UX engineers, architects, project managers, designers, and SEO experts.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We were looking at companies local to the Boston area, and we found that they came particularly well recommended.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in 2013 and are continuing to work together.

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

They have significantly improved our operations and digital infrastructure, like the shopping cart and billing overhaul I mentioned earlier. We’ve had great success in increasing online sales through that work. Their team has helped us to increase traffic and SEO performance through their support on that end as well.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve worked with a lot of different service providers in my career, and I think Imarc is close to the best I’ve ever worked with at project management. They use a variety of tools, including Smart Sheets and the entire Google Suite, and they really make use of them well to stay on top of everything that’s going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team shows up every day asking how we can do things differently, or better. What can we do to create an impact? They really bring a creative element to the work that we were lacking before. As major players in all of the tech hubs, they’re also be able to deliver with some of the greatest technologies and techniques in the industry, which is really impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. I’ve been very happy with everything they’ve done for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Imarc is very accommodating and open. They really get how to provide expertise to bring less technical people up to speed on what they’re doing as well, so I don’t think there’s anything that you need to do to be successful with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing communications for a consulting company that supports public school districts around the country. We offer various solutions, from thought leadership and consulting to technology solutions that enable the best educational practices.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

We’d last updated our website a few years ago, but we were struggling to optimize it as a dynamic marketing tool. Imarc had previously conducted an SEO audit for this site and had tried to address some of the problems.

We kept on hitting roadblocks in the site’s backend, which impeded us from making improvements at the rate we wanted. Focusing on restructuring our value proposition and improving the efficacy of our messaging, we decided to let Imarc completely redesign our website. They also sought to improve our backend functionality.

In reorganizing our website, Imarc worked to communicate our wide range of services in a succinct, legible way.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The process evolved substantially, as we succumbed to a severe case of scope creep. We’d set out a strategy phase, creative phase, development phase, then launch.

They had originally set out to simply redesign our website and migrate it to an improved backend platform, but they ended up building an entirely new website. It was in the creative phase that we realized that in order to get things right, it’d be worth the investment to build an entirely new platform.  

After arriving at that conclusion, Imarc was flexible in expanding their team. They made sure they could deliver the extra capacity required to implement the new website.

The strategy phase involved a discovery process, where they interviewed some key users. They developed wireframes, and eventually, some design comps. It was an iterative process where we frequently saw similar but different versions. When something wasn’t working, they were excellent at troubleshooting and giving us different recommendations to solve the problem.

Once the platform was built out, we partook in an internal QA session in collaboration with their team before going live with it.

What is the team composition?

We were working with Patrick (Partner & CPO, Imarc) who operated as our project manager. Robert (UX Researcher, Imarc) provided strategy and SEO assistance, and Tristan (Front-End Developer, Imarc) was our lead developer. Paul (Art Director, Imarc) spearheaded our design efforts. We worked with several others, including an expert on HubSpot.

They facilitated the smooth integration between our website and HubSpot, which was very effective. They have an incredible range of expertise; there’s always someone on the team who can tackle the specific problem you’re experiencing.

How did you come to work with Imarc?

We’ve had an ongoing relationship where they were providing SEO audits for our previous website.

What is the status of this engagement?

This particular project began in June 2018 and wrapped up with the launch in March 2019.

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

While we don’t have hard metrics, our organic traffic has definitively increased. A huge win for us is our new ability to track site activity, in itself. Our HubSpot systems have been very effective, where we’re able to witness what on our sites pique the most interest.

Another significant benefit for us is the ability to scale and make updates to our new website. Imarc built the new site utilizing Craft CMS, which is easy to tweak and maintain. It’s so easy to navigate the backend now, and the site looks beautiful.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were phenomenal and just terrific to work with. They kept us on track and made sure we were prepared for the next steps. They’re excellent communicators who maintained an ongoing conversation with us. They ensured that they executed the promised deliverables. If I had to build another website, I’d work with them again in a second.

What did you find most impressive about them?

That’s a difficult question to answer since their services are impressive as a whole. I’d say that the whole Imarc team was outstandingly collaborative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d tell them to go for it because Imarc is a wonderful partner. I’m confident that they’ll be excellent no matter what challenges you’re facing. Know what your own goals are because they’re great responding to the challenges you articulate.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run the enterprise digital asset management systems for Marriott International. I started at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which was later merged into Marriott.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imarc?

Although we’ve been working with Imarc on various projects over the course of 15 years, they developed and currently host our digital asset management system.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, they’ve provided updates to the management system that I inherited. Each time, we do a basic RFP and talk to different vendors. Imarc is a strong competitor because they offer a complete out-of-the-box solution for digital asset management.

They conduct research to strategize the best technologies for our business. They create detailed wireframes and bounce ideas to us. They’ve always delivered a bug-free product, which they then maintain. We’re constantly doing new iterations of the product, though.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Alex (Project Coordinator, Imarc). We’re always engaging on Slack. I’ve also got an open channel with our main developer and onsite engineer. I appreciate that I have a good enough relationship with them that I can directly contact the technical team.

On any new business—when they do work for our third-party clients—I interact with Katie (Partner, CBDO, Imarc) who handles proposals. Finally, I frequently touch base with Dave (CTO & Managing Partner, Imarc), who lends us his technical expertise, and Nick (CEO & Managing Partner, Imarc).

How did you come to work with Imarc?

I used to be at Sheraton, who hired them in the 90s to host their marketing assets. Sheraton was then acquired by Starwood, and I inherited their product a few years later. When we decided to scale our product, they were shortlisted along with other vendors during an RFP evaluation process. We realized they could bring a lot to the table.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $160,000 a year, for the standard hosting and maintenance fee. We also pay them for separate projects, so we spend another $50,000­–$60,000 to build different tools and partnerships throughout the year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for close to 16 years. They also work with our clients and have created new partnerships.

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

The success of the system is one great sign of success. We’ve continued to get glowing reviews of our digital asset management system. The system is endowed with great flexibility; it allows us to create tools that meet the exact specs of my different clients. While we have a very large user base, we’ve been able to offer the highest caliber of service, all thanks to Imarc’s product.

They’re very hands-on and relationship-driven. I don’t feel that I’m just another company, because they take the time to get to know me and my business.

How did Imarc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. They’ve got a streamlined, transparent system where I can drop in anytime to check project progress. If any questions or decisions come up, I get pinged in our PM software so I can provide any guidance or direction. Although we’re very demanding and our requirements are constantly changing, they’ve proven that they can roll with the punches.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In short, they deliver on their promises. They have a long track record of pumping out bug-free products in a very timely manner. They give accurate and detailed briefs. We’ve established excellent communication, where they ensure they understand our exact ask before launching into development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This isn’t at all on them, but they run a very tight ship. Sometimes, I have to make completely insane demands while knowing that I’m asking too much of them. In those instances, they have to bring on extra help. They’re always communicative of their resource stretches, though, so it’s never been a problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a bit of a free reign. If you give them an idea of what you’re looking for, they’ll take that creative freedom to come up with something brilliant. Letting them create their own plan produces the best long-term plan for that project.