Ironistic

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President/CEO of McKenna Marketing Network

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

McKenna Marketing Network is a marketing and advertising firm that combines "what you know, with who you know" to accelerate growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ironistic to accomplish?

• Build A New Website
• Create a professional online presence
• Communicate strategies and services

SOLUTION

How did you find Ironistic?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Ironistic over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Ironistic were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

McKenna Marketing Network is a newly formed company that launched in March 2023. As the founder, I’m a seasoned marketing professional with nearly 40 years of experience in the financial services and other diverse industries. The new company needed a well-designed, easy-to-navigate site that represented the company's depth of experience, strategies, and scope of services. 

The Ironistic team was able to deliver a detailed website strategy and implement the project within a 60-day window. The project was built in WordPress and offered an easy-to-use backend CMS allowing for quick edits on our side. We were extremely pleased with the result.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• The new site is relatively new so initially the primary requirement was to get it live. As we move into the next phase of new content, creating measurable CTA and conversions we will be able to better understand and measure results. We are also in the midst of integrating a CRM and Automated marketing platform.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Ironistic was extremely easy to work with. Their team is knowledgeable and communicated well via a variety of tools and with online meetings a needed during the phases of the build. The project remained on schedule as promised. They also provided follow-up training on using the CMS and their team is prompt to reply when additional support is required.

What was your primary form of communication with Ironistic?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They do fabulous work and are easy to work with. Friendly, helpful employees when you have questions. Being a person with a deep knowledge of marketing and creative, but not necessarily a super-technical person, they were easy to relate to and guided me when I had questions.

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

I am extremely happy with the website and really do not have anything that I was not pleased with. I'm looking forward to continuing to tweak and maximize our new site.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of myOwl, an education technology (edtech) platform that aggregates homework assignments for students and their parents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ironistic?

I needed someone to build our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ironistic has helped us create our entire website from scratch with minimal input from our side; they’ve taken the initiative on various parts of the project. They’ve built it in a way that it passes certain certifications that allow us to work with school districts and other edtech platforms. Additionally, they’ve built API integrations with those edtech platforms and other companies.

The core functionality of the site is that students can create an account and log into it, and the platform will automatically pull in all of their assignments from the hundreds of different edtech apps that a school district uses. This will allow students to avoid login into multiple apps because everything will be placed in a centralized dashboard.

In addition to web development, Ironistic has also provided us with SEO, and they’ve created different marketing materials and documents for us to promote our site and service. For example, we’ve done some videos and demo reels, for which they’ve created the scripts and handled the graphics completely on their own. They’ve also designed a couple of infographics and helped me create my pitch deck, integrating various visual assets and images.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with around 10 people from Ironistic, ranging from their two co-founders to web developers, project managers, and graphic designers. 

How did you come to work with Ironistic?

I had known one of their founders for a number of years, even before he started Ironistic. Thus, I approached him to see if he would be interested in our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $175,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Ironistic around October 2020, and the relationship is ongoing. We still have a lot of work to do.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very pleased with everything that Ironistic has done. They’ve done a remarkable job building our platform and gone above and beyond their line of duty. The feedback we’ve received from the people who have seen our site is very positive, and parents and teachers have asked us if it is already available to use. Overall, Ironistic’s work is of very high quality, so we couldn’t be happier. They’re amazing, and I’ll continue to work with them for as long as I need them.

How did Ironistic perform from a project management standpoint?

I would give Ironistic’s project management perfect ratings all around. We’ve worked with three different project management, one of which was a replacement after another one left town. Still, it was a seamless transition. The two project managers in charge of the project respond immediately to our questions, and they reach out to me when they have questions.

Overall, Ironistic makes me feel confident and comfortable with them, and they even take the lead on some of our calls with other companies, which I wouldn’t allow if I didn’t trust them. We have weekly calls over Google Meet and communicate regularly via email and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ironistic has treated me and my project as their own, and we’re working together as a team. It doesn't feel like the usual vendor-client relationship I’ve experienced with other providers, which speaks about the confidence I have in Ironistic’s abilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The challenges and delays we’ve experienced have been caused by the third-party companies we’re trying to integrate with, so I wouldn’t change anything that Ironistic has done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire them! You should have no doubts in trusting them with everything you need to get done for your business. If you put your trust in them, they’ll take care of you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of global communications at a government relations services organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ironistic?

We needed to rebuild our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ironistic has helped us rebuild our website on WordPress from scratch. Initially, I told them what I wanted and provided them with the content, and they were in charge of designing and developing the new site. Now, Ironistic is in charge of hosting and providing maintenance to the site. It is a general site where we can post our filings and share our recent publications and news.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with four people from Ironistic, including Kelsey (Digital Project Manager), who is my main point of contact, and Chris (Co-Founder & President).

How did you come to work with Ironistic?

I’ve worked with Chris for over 20 years. He has built websites for me in various companies throughout my career.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project in February 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site built by Ironistic works well, and its functionality has exceeded our expectations.

How did Ironistic perform from a project management standpoint?

Ironistic’s project management is excellent. We communicate via email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ironistic is extremely responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as transparent as possible, and they’ll make it happen.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Development Essentials is a US veteran owned small business based out of Alexandria Virginia. It works with new, emerging and growing organizations that want to bid and win a US foreign assistance grant or contract. It does this through organized training on the bidding process and contract and grant award compliance. It also provides consultancies and tools bidders need in developing a proposal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ironistic?

My company didn't exist before I met the Ironistic team. The process of working with the Ironistic team help me think through my business plan and build my business model with state of the art web site. I asked Ironistic to make the web site do everything: advertise, accept payment and market and Ironistic hit a home run for me! I even got a marking & branding plan for the web site, brochures, cards and banners.

What were your goals for this project?

Design a company web site to include: company information, course advertising, payment system with tracking, newsletter and embedded google analytics. This was the first company web site & it did everything so my company didn't require me to immediately hire staff. Later modules included an e-commerce site to sell products.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I contacted the Alexandria Small Business Development Center for a list of small businesses. I met the Ironistic team & I was immediately impressed. The rest is history.

Describe the project in detail.

Design a company web site to include: company information, course advertising, payment system with tracking, newsletter and embedded google analytics. Because it was the first web site, Ironistic offered a color and branding plan, which I still love today. Later modules included an e-commerce site to sell products.

What was the team composition?

Generally one person that was the program manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I started in page 24 for google search of key words. In a few short weeks I was on page 1 and ranked in the top 3 and even higher than competitors that have been in the business for 20 years. Its all about the search and the web site brought it home for my business.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great! We set a timeline and each party committed to it. It really help for planning after the site launch.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ironistic was an emerging small business just like me — they knew what I was thinking and could complete my sentence. Ironistic was also a great business adviser helping me think through challenges of launching a business.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. I still excited every time I open the web page!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the principal of three organizations: Career & Life Management Consulting Services, Choose Courage Publishing, and The Schimel Lode

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I have a continuing developmental consulting relationship with Ironistic regarding my inter-related enterprises. The goals are to promote their growth, new customers, and quality of services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I sought a creative, flexible, savvy source that is alert to changes in the field and my current and future needs.

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

Typical of web design and maintenance. Linear and nonlinear processes using appropriate software.

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

Over the years, worked with a variety of team members who were always responsible, capable, creative, and caring.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My work involves three interactive activities and processes not appropriate for measuring outcomes and deliverables. Yet, I would not be working with Ironistic all these years if I were not delighted and grateful for their services.

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

Well organized and timely, as well as flexible.

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

I continue to be impressed with their willingness to support and adapt to our changing and deepening needs.

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

None.