Interactive Strategies

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of digital marketing and fundraising for Special Olympics. We’re a nonprofit that runs events, sports training, and activities for people with an intellectual disability. In my role, I oversee the digital fundraising and strategy departments as well as all our digital channels used for fundraising and product. Additionally, I manage all of the consumer-based websites.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We brought them on to handle our paid search and paid social.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactive Strategies does our paid digital marketing. We work on all of the search parameters and spend. We’re a federated model so they’re working with us on strategy for delivering search terms based on our budget and then hitting revenue goals within that.

Their team also does call to action (CTA) testing for the pages we’re using, and they do the same thing in social. Each month, they work on matching the overall themes and campaigns that we’re running. Then, they produce the creative and write the copy that goes into the paid search ads on Facebook.

They’ve also provided some of their other offerings. Their team builds out custom web pages for different campaigns. They’ve also done digital marketing outside of fundraising.

What is the team composition?

We have our account manager, a day-to-day account lead, a creative team lead, a day-to-day creative team member, and a secondary individual who assists on the account.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We did an RFP looking for an agency that specialized in paid search and paid social. My senior manager is the one who found them, possibly through a Google search because we hadn’t heard of them before. We were considering five other agencies through the RFP process.

They were on the top end of retainer costs compared to what we were formerly paying. However, we felt so confident in their work as well as in the way they set up the retainer and KPIs that we knew it’d be better for our business in the long run.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started around April 2018.

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

Cost per dollar raised is the main KPI for the fundraising program. We’re always looking to reduce the cost per dollar raised, especially in search, to make it efficient. Interactive Strategies has done a phenomenal job of helping us achieve that.

We’ve seen tremendous success with their strategy in search and have been able to make a significant amount of budget savings every year because of that. For the social, it’s not always something they can control based on how costly it can be to reach those people because of different social platform dynamics. As long as we hit our budget each month, we consider that successful

Interactive Strategies has also done cost acquisition campaigns for us in the past. Through their work, starting in the test phase down to the implementation phase, they were able to stay under our KPIs of about $1.50 for an acquisition. Their team has consistently hit goals with us and is very honest about different platforms they think are too costly and not worth the investment. It’s been absolutely worth it to make the retainer investment because, over time, we’ve seen such dividends from our partnership.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

As far as project management, account management, and strategy go, Interactive Strategies is phenomenal. I’ve never worried about them as an agency. Everything is always so easy. Their team is very buttoned-up with their presentations and clearly outlines the goals, strategy, and KPIs. From a client's perspective, it’s a wonderful experience. They constantly hit our deadlines and consistently perform for us. We’re incredibly happy with our partnership.

We have a standing weekly meeting. Within one of those meetings, we usually go over the monthly results depending on what week it is. On bigger projects, we’ll have an initial meeting to talk about brainstorming and what we’re thinking. Usually, we’ll come back and have a separate presentation on how they’re going to execute the strategy. Then, we usually have a wrap-up meeting at the end of a project to go over the results.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Interactive Strategies is easy to work with. They really listen to us and our ideas. Some agencies tend to push their own agenda. However, Interactive Strategies is collaborative. That makes me feel comfortable with the work they’re doing. I know that they hear us and are invested in understanding what we’re doing.

Their team is getting into our mindset and always produces exactly what we’re thinking. There’s not a lot of back and forth because they nail it all the time. That speaks to how they invest in knowing about their clients and the work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there haven’t been any areas that need improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest and upfront about your goals and what success looks like to you. We’re all very honest with each other and that has made us successful.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for a 501(c)(3) that works with electric cooperatives to strengthen their relationships with members. We create a lot of marketing resources and educational materials for electric co-ops.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

One of our core values is commitment to community, so we wanted to recognize people in local co-op areas who were making a difference in their communities. We decided to do so through a social contest.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactive Strategies helps us with our social contest, which we’ve now done for five years. Initially, we spent time talking about who we are and what we’re doing. They looked at all of our creative, brand standards, and look and feel, and then they created the contest’s main design accordingly. They created all of the promotional resources, a playbook, and a how-to guide. 

Each year, Interactive Strategies creates new contest designs and provides us with 2–3 options to choose from. They also develop the main messaging, do the copywriting, and provide all of the metrics. They handle outreach and manage all of the contest entries as they come in. They read through the entries, contact members if something is missing, and ultimately approve entries. 

They create copy points and print and banner ads. The team also manages and places all of the media. In terms of social media, they’ve placed ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We have worked in conjunction with them to create video. 

What is the team composition?

At the beginning of our partnership, we worked with three people, and that changed to two. Our main contacts are the director of marketing and the project lead. However, different resources come in and out, from the copywriter to the head web developer. 

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

A friend of mine knew the owner of the agency. I’d been looking for agencies in the DC area that we could work with on a digital campaign. I looked at some of their work and realized that they have a really good connection with nonprofits and creating value and recognition. We met with them, and they were an excellent fit.

How much have you invested with them?

Over five years, we’ve spent less than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began around February 2016, and it’s ongoing. This is the last year we’ll be working with them on this project.

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

Over the last five years, we’ve reached 4.5 million people in our co-op communities. We’ve had over 175,000 visits to our campaign microsite and more than 758,000 views to our contest submission and winner story videos. 

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Interactive Strategies is extremely responsive and collaborative, and they’re really easy to work with. Once they put together their project plan, we stick to every deadline. They’re very high-performing.

They’re also very prompt and dedicated. For these campaigns, we often get submissions at the last minute. Also, for a couple of years, the submission window ended on a weekend, and Interactive Strategies worked all weekend to make sure that all of the nominations were up to speed and included. 

We communicate via email. While planning and then during the contest, we have bi-weekly meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of focus on our account distinguishes Interactive Strategies from other providers. They really make us a priority. Their responsiveness and creativity are also great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re really great to work with. My creative director and I are really disappointed that our partnership is ending after this year.

Any advice for potential customers?

Know your business and what you’re trying to achieve.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My organization works on protecting wildlife. We primarily operate in the US, but we do some international work. We have field offices across the US and do lobbying, community organizing, and education.

I’m the director of member acquisition. I focus on acquiring low-dollar donors digitally. Facebook is a big driver of new donors, but we also use paid search and our website.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We were trying to grow our digital acquisition program while investing our money strategically. We had been working with another agency that said they couldn’t grow our digital program anymore. However, we saw other organizations in our industry continuing to grow.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought on Interactive Strategies to grow our program efficiently and with a positive net, and they’ve been able to do that. When we brought them on, I provided them with access to all of our accounts. They did an assessment and determined what we were doing well and what we could improve on, and then they presented that to us.

They mainly run our digital ad programs, including Facebook, paid search on Google and Bing, and display advertising. Beyond day-to-day management of our digital programs, Interactive also does the creative and copy for our display ads. They designed our forms and created copy when we moved over to a new system.

They also help us with email strategy and creative. They help us plan out our budget every month, such as estimating how many new donors we think we can get with a certain spend. 

What is the team composition?

I work directly with three people, and they attend our weekly meetings. There are also designers and content developers on the backend; they come to the meetings as needed.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We work with another firm that handles our statistics, and that firm recommended Interactive Strategies because they had clients working with them, and they were doing a really good job.  

How much have you invested with them?

We have them on a monthly retainer. We spend about $200,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

My company began working with Interactive Strategies in August 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

They’ve continued to steadily grow the program, and every month, it just gets better and better. In fact, they’ve done such a good job growing the digital program that the head of the organization wanted to invest even more in digital ads.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re amazing — I never have to worry about things not happening. Interactive Strategies is extremely organized, and they never miss a deadline. They’re so enthusiastic and want to do a good job. They put everything into their work. 

They communicate clearly. We communicate on a daily basis via email. They present at our weekly Zoom meetings and provide monthly reports. Their team pulls data from Google Analytics. 

They also attend a monthly KPI meeting with the firm that recommended them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their smart strategy sets them apart. They incorporate creative and audience targeting into their strategy. The team also figures out ways to work Facebook to our advantage, as it’s constantly changing. They come up with really smart ways to target audiences and get the campaigns optimizing quickly so that we’re ahead of the game, especially for Giving Tuesday or end-of-year fundraising.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No — they’re amazing.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be open with your data so that Interactive Strategies can see the full picture. Also, remain open-minded — they might have some strategies that you’ve never tried before, but it’s worth trying those out. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an international trade nonprofit. We are committed to increasing market access for farmers and workers in the global south so that they can get a better deal on the products that they sell. Cocoa, coffee, and bananas are some of the things that the farmers produce. 

I’m the digital communications manager at my company, so I manage all of our digital channels with them.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We had an old website that was about five years old and we really had a difficult management system on the backend. The other issue we had was our platform wasn’t really serving any of our target audiences at that time. 

We have two target consumers. Our first consumers are generally people who are in the US who typically buy things. The other one is potential businesses that can become our certified partners. Previously, our site offers everything for everyone and we wanted to move away from that and actually create tools that are useful for our target audiences.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the practice in March and they were with us from the beginning. They conducted strategy sessions with our team to verify the research that we had like SEO and content strategy. They built the website itself in WordPress.

We have a couple more projects that were more technical in nature such as creating a portal for our customers and the brands we work with. In that system, there was a product finder that was connected through API integration with our internal system. This was my third website redesign and we rewrote the entire website with their guidance.

Interactive Strategies did the design as well, that was a really cool part of the process. Before, we had a pretty standard nonprofit website. Now, you can actually donate to us too. Additionally, we now have products and photos that were not there before. After launching our campaign, they helped us build a campaign site and craft additional components for that.

What is the team composition?

I interfaced with at least 5–6 people, including a project manager, designer, strategist, and developer. However, I know that there were more people involved on their end.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We had a pretty expensive RFP process. They were recommended by another company. During one of our RFP processes, a different company decided that they weren’t going to pitch but they suggested we reach out to Interactive Strategies and they pitched, which is great. We interviewed 14 different firms since we’ve never really spent so much money on a project before, and we wanted it to be the right fit.

In the end, we had four final interviews with me and my supervisor. It was pretty much a no-brainer for us to choose Interactive Strategies. They had the right price and they were the perfect balance of having a vision on how to make the process easier for us. They also had the idea of how to make our website more useful while also having a good design aesthetic and be functional in nature.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $200,000 dollars for the whole project including the portal and product finder.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Interactive Strategies from April–August 2020.

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

It's been such a dream working with them. It’s been about a month since our site launched and so far we haven’t hit all of our SEO goals at this point. Despite that, everything has been great.

Our platform has really beautiful backend and very easy to use. The web itself is a massive improvement on what we had before, I really love it a lot. It’s been really awesome and fulfilling to tell the stories of farmers in different places around the world and the brand that we work with.

But I can tell you that in the months since it went live, our Google Ads traffic has significantly improved both from the previous two quarters and year over year it quadrupled. Most of the results happened in September even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since they built the campaign site, we’ve seen our email audience doubled in size through that campaign and also because of the beautiful and appealing website. At present, we have a more credible looking website and people want to spend more time on it.

There was a weekend where we were getting a massive sign up and we were expecting to have 1000 new followers, but instead, we got over 6,000 thousand followers halfway through the campaign. The team was so delightful and so easy to work with. 

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was super strong. We had such a tight turnaround and they were really kind and transparent through the project. They kept the project moving on a very quick timeline. The team really made things so much easier including introducing me to a system I hadn’t used before. 

Interactive Strategies were always available and if any issues came up, they were really able to come and pivot when things came up last minute. We also had helpful tech meetings with the team where we can really make decisions and ask questions, do a little bit more probing than a project manager might do. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a really strong design and UX knowledge. Further, the team was really good at development and design work. Interactive Strategies listened really well and they went out of their way to understand what we needed. Additionally, they also understood what our audience needs and what they were looking for through examining the data and surveys we’ve done. 

Aside from that, they also do a good job of managing people and handling complex processes such as redesigning websites. It was really hard to do this work remotely but they made it easy because they were kind and genuine people. I highly recommend them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m having a hard time thinking of anything specific that the Interactive Strategies could improve on. Overall, they handled everything gracefully.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Knowing that they’re experts, future customers can let Interactive Strategies do their thing. I think they really shine and are able to give something that you never would have realized.

I would definitely recommend going with them because they’re great professional folks and they are always ready to do the work. The first option is to use this as an opportunity to just get a new website. The second one is seizing the chance to have a conversation that your organization needs about your brand and messaging as well as your goals and audiences.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing at Union Plus. We’re a nonprofit organization created by the AFL CIO. We provide benefits and savings programs for union members across the country.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We brought them on because we had a website that didn’t function well. There were challenges related to how the website engaged our consumers and getting our consumers to understand our product offerings. We wanted to make sure we had an engaging website that was easy for consumers to interact with all our different programs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our website is hosted on Drupal. The Interactive Strategies team worked on all of the creative aspects of the website’s full update. They also helped us with the voice and tone of the site as well as updated the backend. The objective was to receive effective updates on our analytics so we could better track what our users are doing.

Interactive Strategies also made updates to the data infrastructure. They did some discovery on how the data infrastructure should be set up and communicate with one another.

What is the team composition?

We had three main contacts — a web developer, Leslee (Director of Client Service), and Jacob (Senior Digital Project Manager) — but there were about 7–8 individuals on the team.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

The partnership started before I joined my company. When I joined, I had some conversations with them about their capabilities and was very impressed. I signed them on to do this larger project with revamping the website.

How much have you invested with them?

For this project, we invested about $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This specific project lasted from June 2019–September 2020.

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

We are one month post-launch and have already seen a significant impact. For one, there’s been a 12% increase in our number of users. Among all of our users, we’ve seen a 10% increase in the number of sessions, an 11% increase in the number of page views, and a 5% decrease in bounce rate.

What’s more, there’s been a 10% increase in generated revenue, and we’re continuing to see that climb. We’re seeing very significant improvements in our business metrics and we expect that to only grow over time.

I’m very impressed with Interactive Strategies and the individuals on their team. They’ve done a spectacular job with everything we’ve asked them to do.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed exceptionally well. They’re a prize partner of ours, and we consider them a valuable part of our team. I bounce ideas off of them with anything having to do with development, strategy, and business. Their team is very smart and insightful.

They think about our business and take the time to know what we need; they really contribute as true team players. I don’t know what we’d do without them. They’re exceptional strategists and members of our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Interactive Strategies is less often in sales mode and constantly thinking about what they can do to earn more money for the agency and much more focused in contribution mode. This ultimately does lead to sales opportunities, but they’re truly thinking about how they can contribute to our business.

They use their knowledge and ability to contribute to figure out how they can further our business. It’s very refreshing to see that kind of approach from an agency. I know they’ll always be very honest and will tell me the best ways that I can use their services to make our business better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been the best agency I’ve worked with, and I’ve worked with many. I do not see any areas that need improvement or that they could do better in.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them exactly what you need and don’t need. Be very open and honest, and they’ll be responsive to anything you share.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief marketing officer of the Center for Workplace Inclusion. We’re an almost 60-year-old nonprofit that focuses exclusively on workforce development for low-income individuals who are over the age of 50.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

Our website was very out-of-date and didn’t reflect our brand. We needed an organization to come in and advise us on not just how to update our website, but how to make sure it’d be able to grow with us for a certain number of years.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactive Strategies built a new website from scratch. They helped translate our organization’s strategy and vision for the future into what the public sees through the website. In another project, they helped us with rebranding efforts about a year later. Their team created our new visual entity. They also built the website for our sister organization from scratch, making sure the two platforms were aligned but reflected their respective missions.

What is the team composition?

We have a wonderful project manager who’s involved in everything. She took the time to get to know us, how we work, what our goals were, as well as what our strengths and weaknesses were.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

The engagement started before my time here at the organization. I got involved about two-thirds of the way into the project. We ultimately selected them because they provided the best value.

How much have you invested with them?

The CWI Lab website was about $37,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in July 2018. The first website was launched in March 2019. The rebranding project ran from March–May 2020. We launched the sister organization’s website in July 2020.

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

It’s been a game-changer for us. Interactive Strategies brought us up-to-date and set us up for our future strategy. Our conversations with funders and partners have been much more productive and fruitful. We’ve been able to achieve all of our goals in terms of traffic and visits. We’ve had fellow nonprofits in the same field using us as a benchmark.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style was very effective. Interactive Strategies understood where we were trying to go. They were creative, so when we came across a challenge, they talked to others to see if they could come up with a solution. Their team was very solution-oriented and sensitive to the fact that we’re a nonprofit. Our budget is limited, and they gave us options at different price levels so we could make strategic choices along the way.

On top of everything, our project manager was a genuine and nice person. She was well-suited to being a partner, and her personality was great. She always responded quickly to emails, had a smile on her face, and never flustered even when I’d send her four emails a day. She’s a great fit for someone who works with clients.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to treat us as an individual client, rather than just another in a stream of clients was wonderful. They were a true partner in a positive and friendly way. After two years, it feels like they’re part of our business and team. There’s a great level of trust in our partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it’s been a positive experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring your project manager into the conversations. They can help you make smart, strategic decisions that will help your website be scalable and grow with you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of online communications at CFP Board.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

Our organization went through a web assessment process and the conclusion was that we needed a new, upgraded website for various reasons.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Through our web assessment process, we produced an RFP that outlined the initial direction of the project. We also had a strategy phase with Interactive Strategies to further outline what the deliverables would look like.

The team then did a sizeable overhaul of our website using Sitecore. It involved working on the architecture, UX, design, content, technology, and certain functionalities. The team also worked to improve the overall branding and look and feel.

They further developed some of the existing tools and site areas and improve them and how they operated.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, but we also interfaced with a full team. 

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

We put out an RFP.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Interactive Strategies began in September 2018, and we launched the new website at the end of January 2020.

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

We have much better personalization throughout the website. We’re still in the process of measuring results, but the numbers are good so far. 

We’ve seen strong traffic and initial engagement numbers. We’re able to get better insights into audience engagement based on some of the analytics and through the Sitecore technology.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Interactive Strategies’ project management was great, and I can’t speak highly enough of them. They were very responsible, great at execution, and great at being responsive when we needed to pivot as changes occurred throughout the project. 

We used a project management software, and we communicated via email and phone. We also had in-person and virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

For these projects to be successful, you need an agency that has expertise in all areas and has an experienced team. Interactive Strategies had that. They had expertise in all the areas that you need for a website redesign, digital communications, and marketing. 

As the project went along, we were able to tap into their different areas of expertise, and they always worked really well together and collaborated well internally and with us. The team was also strong with strategy. They had data analytics and research capabilities, which not every agency has.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. I was so satisfied with what they delivered, and I’ve been doing this work for a long time. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend them. They’re truly fantastic. Work with them to identify the type of project, and then you can also customize the deliverables to get what you need. Interactive Strategies was great at talking through those needs; they were very communicative.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of marketing, communications, and membership for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. It’s a professional educational society and I was in this role for almost three years. The society’s members are comprised of medical professionals, specifically ophthalmologists and eye surgeons.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

There were two main challenges we addressed concurrently. The first was a full organizational rebrand. The society as a whole went through a marketing initiative which consisted of qualitative and quantitative research. That research then informed a new brand look and feel for the society.

In conjunction with that, we wanted to go through an entire refurbishing of the website. The former website was a one-dimensional, flat platform. It wasn’t user-friendly, intuitive, or contemporary. The challenges were, from a technical perspective, how to get to where we wanted to be while also layering in the new banding as it unfolded because these were parallel paths.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope was pretty expansive. Their team had a very research-based approach. They tried to understand the nature of our organization and who our key constituents are as well as gather insights about the members. Then, they used all that information to determine how they could create a web platform that would serve those needs.

We’re a super complex organization so there are multiple websites we manage independently of each other. There’s one for the foundation itself and another for meeting registrations, as well as various meeting platforms depending on what we are running at the time. There’s also an overall HSCA education site.

One of our objectives was the need to bring all the various platforms together under one tent so there was a seamless UX. This means a user would have the ability to seamlessly register for a meeting, look for continuing education credits, or find how they can support government relations initiatives. Another deliverable was the handling of the site’s architecture. This was a critical facet of what Interactive Strategies brought to the table.

What is the team composition?

We had the same project manager from the beginning through the end of the project.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

Interactive Strategies was a part of a competitive RFP process. They submitted a proposal along with four other firms. Then, they came to our office for a presentation to a cross-functional team with representation from all the various facets of the organization. Ultimately, they were selected because of their proposal. It was very responsive to the RFP in terms of the scope of work.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $470,000. However, there was an incremental for the CMS on top of that; it was a couple of hundred dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from October 2018–March 2020. We had a staged rollout where Interactive Strategies launched the meeting registration site in October 2019. It coincided with the opening of registration for the 2020 meeting.

They launched the annual meeting registration site in September 2019 and then launched the full, multi-faceted website to include the foundation site and government relations components in March 2020.

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

Their strategic guidance and client service helped to really establish a navigation platform that was intuitive, user-friendly, and relatively simple to use even within complex information architecture. They guided our staff’s ability to create concise content that’s also relevant to the user.

Interactive Strategies did an incredible job of pulling our branding in for the site. Their ability to take the branding and fold it into our new website was awesome. The anecdotal feedback we received from all of our members was incredible. They were really impressed by the look and feel of the website as well as its functionality.

Their team resolved some of the complexities and issues we had in terms of video play. Because the subject matter is surgical procedures, those microelements are super important. They helped us resolve some of the challenges we had with that video platform.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

Interactive Strategies did a great job with project management. It’s possible to do things right, on time, or on budget, but rarely is it possible to get all three at the same time — they achieved this. Their team delivered exactly what they outlined in terms of the information architecture as well as the look and feel of the project. They were ahead of schedule and a little under budget.

What’s more, our project manager was incredibly strategic, thoughtful, responsive, and transparent. If any hiccups emerged, she was super attentive. From a client service standpoint, Interactive Strategies was exceptional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their client service was outstanding, and that’s not limited to their responsiveness after they won the project. It really relates to their commitment to understanding and listening to the client’s needs. Like most associations today, we have a multifaceted organization with various functions that need to be represented by the website.

Interactive Strategies took the time to talk through the different stakeholder groups and understand what they needed in terms of functionality, ease of content updates, and video challenges. Their team took the time to talk with each of the stakeholder groups to understand those unique challenges and needs so they could deliver a platform that’s responsive to those requirements.

Their client service is beyond just delivering what the client wants, it’s really helping to counsel the client with respect to what may be the best support of their needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a moment in time when we felt the project manager role was shifting a bit. When we expressed a little trepidation about that, they immediately course-corrected and we had the same project manager for the duration of the project.

It was a game-changer for us to continue to have that project manager. She knew our business inside and out, personalities, and challenges. She was someone I could trust to call and ask for recommendations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them enough runway to learn your business by providing access to some key stakeholders so they get those unique perspectives. These perspectives will help inform the development process.

It’s important to be open and transparent in your communication, both in terms of the opportunities and the challenges you’re facing as an organization. This’ll allow Interactive Strategies to solve those issues before they actually begin building out the infrastructure.

We had a long lead time in terms of development so we used every minute to the best of our abilities. Likewise, make sure you have the time and commitment to provide for the financial and manpower resources. It helped us to have a very specific core management group on this project.

Having that core group of experts minimized the number of personalities involved on a day-to-day basis. We started with a broad group which gave everyone the opportunity to have some input into the ultimate selection of Interactive Strategies as well as the overall process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing director of marketing and communications for Accordion Partners. We’re a technology consulting firm that targets private equity firms, and serve as an extension of the office of the CFO after they acquire companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

We’d taken some initial steps in refreshing our brand by creating a new logo and updating our print collateral. There was a missing component in terms of implementing the new brand on the website. We were looking for someone to help us take the foundational brand elements and extend them across the website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Interactive really got to know our company through a series of interviews with key stakeholders. Then I went down to D.C. with one of my colleagues for a full day session with their team. They fleshed out their learnings from the interviews and broke them down into key insights and takeaways. We also discussed ideas for the website navigation. After the working session, they came back to us with 2–3 different options for the overall look and feel of the site. We made a few tweaks across various pages and there were some decisions we needed to make internally about the sub-navigation.

Once we finalized the design and approved the comps, they developed it with their engineers. They did a training session for our staff on WordPress so that we’d be able to manage content. They built master pages for us to use as templates. We then tested our site for a few days before launch at the end of April 2018. They continue to make changes and updates, and we are already planning to use them for the next version of the site. We’re also using Interactive as our overall design agency.

What is the team composition?

The main person that we speak with on a regular basis is our project manager. We also work with a web designer, a designer for non-web-based tools, a frontend developer, and a few other people for strategic direction and marketing strategies.

How did you come to work with Interactive Strategies?

A member of our marketing team used to work at Interactive. We still went through a full agency review, interviewing around 7 firms. They came out on top across the firm.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Our team is incredibly thrilled with the results. We've been able to use it as a business development tool, which is a major shift from the old site. It’s all been great feedback so far.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

We couldn't have asked for a better project manager; she’s fantastic. I feel like she’s an extension of our marketing team. She serves as our conduit to the rest of the agency. She's an excellent communicator; very thorough and detail oriented. We have weekly check-in meetings. She uses an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of budget, hours, and the status of initiatives.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We couldn't have picked a better partner. They've exceeded all of our expectations. I have high hopes for the new site and how it will move the needle for the firm. Everyone at Interactive is super impressive and down to earth. They’re a very likeable group of people. They’re easy to work with, and very skilled at what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Only change I would recommend is for them to do the WordPress training on our actual website. That would’ve been helpful to really maximize our experience. We’ve given that feedback to Interactive.

Any advice for potential customers?

The weekly update calls are key. Interactive really drives the process and they're good at what they do. Trusting their process will ensure success.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the social media manager at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a global, member-based society of over 40,000 oncologists. Our department oversees corporate and member communications, as well as marketing with inorganic membership recruitment and retention. The society houses several projects, including our non-profit foundation, patient-focused resources, academic journals, a clinical trials database, and our own clinical trial program.

What challenge were you trying to address with Interactive Strategies?

ASCO wanted help developing and maintaining a social media presence when they initially hired Interactive Strategies (IS) in 2010. By incorporating social media, the ASCO team also hoped to prove the importance of having social channels to ASCO’s leadership and board.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They help us plan and run our social media campaigns. They have a lot of institutional knowledge about how nonprofits and digital technology work and interact, which allows them to break down our campaign goals into specific strategies and procedures. In addition to strategy, IS also helps us determine our budget based on our campaign forecast. For example, if we’re expecting a certain amount of mobile engagement and desktop conversions, IS predicts our financial needs.

Though much of their work for us is strategy assistance, they also guide us through asset creation for campaigns. They create the video, animation, and infographics in which we unpack complicated terms and concepts in order to explain scientific initiatives and abstracts.

Interactive Strategies also conducts research so we can make educated strategical decisions. Rather than trying something different just because it’s a new idea, they show us how we can interpret results to measure potential campaign success.

What is the team composition?

We work with our account manager almost every day. He usually manages our day-to-day progress, but he’s starting to incorporate long-term strategy. Other members of his team help us with implementation and planning.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the last eight years, we've invested around $600,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership with Interactive Strategies began in 2010.

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

While we have seen an increase in social media followers, a better indicator Interactive Strategies’ success is the response from our members. We've had stakeholders come to our team and ask to work with IS, which speaks to the quality of work they do and the guidance they provide. In 2013 we gave stakeholders the option to work with IS, and as a result, we brought them onto projects that our team wasn't overseeing. That they've had organic brand growth within our organization speaks highly of them.

How did Interactive Strategies perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is very responsive, and our account manager keeps us updated on planned work or a project’s status. The bulk of our communication happens over email and we use Box to share documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

A lot of the information we work on is confidential, so we require multiple iterations of an infographic, for example, before we release it to the public. Interactive Strategies has always been patient with us, despite our atypical process.

They also understand that educating their clients can be part of managing projects, particularly when they explain their strategy to stakeholders, who don't always have the knowledge my team has.

Overall, IS’s honesty distinguishes it from other providers. I've worked with of agencies that have their own underlying incentives, so even if they ultimately help us achieve a goal, their work is still motivated by their own self-interest. IS, meanwhile, strategizes and conducts research that aims to benefit ASCO. They don't guide us in a direction that's going to benefit them unless there's a clear benefit for us. Their transparency allows us to trust them to provide solutions that consider our best interests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had one incident of miscommunication as a result of staffing changes, but that was addressed quickly. That was over a year ago, and since then we haven’t had any problems. The only upset in two years was a slight miscommunication, and I'd be lying if I started listing things I didn't think they were doing well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring your own ideas to the table. IS knows how to strategize, think big picture, and utilize the digital space, but it's unrealistic for any agency to be an expert in their client's entire business. If the potential client can provide a basic idea or simple vision, it gives IS more creative freedom because they don’t need to worry whether their idea fits the client’s needs.