IX Publishing, Inc.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a PR firm. I work with clients and coordinate strategies for positive messaging.

What challenge were you trying to address with IX Publishing, Inc.?

I needed help revamping our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped me revamp my website. The team collaborated with me on language, messaging, and the narrative. They made suggestions and recommendations about the format, design, and depth.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Dan (Author) and a colleague of his.

How did you come to work with IX Publishing, Inc.?

I’ve known Dan’s father for a number of years.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $3,500, which includes a one-year maintenance agreement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020. We had to stop working in December 2020 because my wife and I tested positive for COVID-19. We finally launched in February 2021.

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

They were exceptionally good at making design recommendations.  In three weeks since we launched, I’ve had 380 views on LinkedIn.

How did IX Publishing, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated by email and phone. They were very structured and organized in sending me changes, next steps, and updates. The process was clean, clear-cut, and understandable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their value stands out. The cost of doing a website with another provider would’ve been twice as much. I’m not sure that things would’ve been as structured.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. If anything was overlooked, I only needed to email or text them. They always respond quickly, if not immediately. They’ve been very prompt in answering questions and making changes.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for SARA Roanoke, which stands for Sexual Assault Response and Awareness. We are a community-based sexual assault crisis center for the Roanoke Valley in Roanoke, Virginia. We provide free, confidential, and voluntary services for survivors of sexual violence, as well as those that love and care for survivors of sexual violence. We offer free counseling, a 24-hour hotline, advocacy and support for navigating multiple systems, including the criminal justice system. We also do a lot of education and outreach in the community.

We rely a lot on our incredible volunteers to staff the crisis hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year so people can connect with a trained crisis advocate to help them navigate whatever it is they need help with at the moment.

What challenge were you trying to address with IX Publishing, Inc.?

They helped us build our new website back in 2015 after we decided we needed to rebrand. Essentially, they helped us build our website and now support us in maintain it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been around since 1978 and split off from a larger organization in 2011 to become a standalone 501(c)(3). Additionally, before this website redesign, we rebranded everything, including our logo. The new website had to reflect all these changes.

We really needed the website to be a hub of information for people who were seeking information after being sexually assaulted. People need to know what’s available to them. Not only does it help them connect directly to our services, but it also gives them resources and information and gives them what to expect. I particularly appreciate the ability for people to go in and learn what they can expect when they call our hotline, when you come in for counseling, or if you go to the hospital or the police. Often, people have questions about what those processes look like. Some people aren’t ready to call us or come in yet, so the website is another way to meet people where they are.

It also provides a platform for people to learn more about how to get involved and become more engaged in the work, whether as a volunteer or an intern. People can even apply to work with us online. It also makes it easier for me to coordinate our volunteer process. I can direct people to the website and they’re put right into the interview process. People can also donate directly on the site.

Since the website launched, they’ve continued to provide support, even if it’s the tiniest question related to the website. They really brought the site to life so that it could be used as a service and tool for someone that needs to better understand how to access our services.

What is the team composition?

I’ve only ever worked with Daniel (Lead Web Developer & Director of Marketing). I don’t know if anyone else was involved in building the site.

How did you come to work with IX Publishing, Inc.?

I came on staff shortly after this relationship began.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The website project ran from January until August 2016, and they now provide support.

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

We don’t have any specific metrics that I’m aware of, but, as the person who oversees our hotline, I’ve noticed that our website has allowed us to connect with more callers. We ask people how they learned about us, and a lot of times they tell us that they found us on Google and through our website. For me, that’s a great metric. The fact that we pop up first when people Google “sexual assault services Roanoke” is great. Our website is set up in a way that works to get people connected with us.

How did IX Publishing, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

If I ever have a question or am confused about something, they’re always available. They respond quickly, and they help us keep track of things. If something pops up on their end, then they’re really good about noticing it and informing us. I feel like it’s one less thing that I have to constantly monitor.

If I need to schedule something, I can go into the tool they use and book time. My work life is all over the place, and they make it easy to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very knowledgeable, available, and patient. There’s never been a time where they’ve made me feel like an idiot for not knowing something. Some of these issues can be technical and tricky, and I don’t always understand them. I have a lot of respect for people who are patient with those who don’t understand everything about a certain area. They’re very non-judgmental.

I maintain the site, and I appreciate how easy they’ve made it for me to learn how to do it. My degree is in marketing and public relations, but that was before social media. This industry is so different now, and IX Publishing has helped me learn how to navigate it. If I have a question or a problem, they respond within minutes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. I’ve never had a critical thought about them. They’ve always been very helpful and available.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be willing to listen to their expertise. Share your vision, be clear about it, and then step back and let them work their magic. They really are the experts. We can always trust them to make us look good.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive officer at a nonprofit trade association.

What challenge were you trying to address with IX Publishing, Inc.?

Our website was outdated and we needed something new and fresh that would be beneficial to our members and to the community. We wanted something more current and professional, and we provided them with photos. We also needed it to be easy and friendly to use.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned and redeveloped our existing WordPress site. They added a job listing link, different drop-down boxes, new tabs, and pictures. The site allows visitors to renew their membership, sign up for a membership, or view vendors on our site.

What is the team composition?

We work with Daniel (Author).

How did you come to work with IX Publishing, Inc.?

We started working with IX before I came on board. I’ve stayed with them because they’re easy to work with and they understand our business. If we don’t like something, they always fix it.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020, and we went live in February 2021. We’re still fixing little things here and there.

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

Our partners love the site. IX Publishing listened to us and captured everything we were looking for. It was great how many members liked the site. Before the revamp, it was very difficult to change things on the site. Now, it’s really easy to make adjustments.

How did IX Publishing, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated by email and Zoom, with meetings as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very knowledgeable and they listen to what the customer wants. They’re always able to suggest different options to complete a project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have a vision. Refer to other sites that you like and show them. That’ll get the ball rolling to get to your final product.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a company that makes buildings more sustainable and healthier. We do design, forensics, and diagnostics using a building science approach.

What challenge were you trying to address with IX Publishing, Inc.?

We needed help redesigning our website to be more user friendly. We also wanted to switch our hosting over from our previous provider that wasn’t meeting expectations.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re working on a total redesign of our WordPress site. They help us by providing templates to use and offering basic graphic and security advice.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from their team. Daniel (Author) was our primary contact.

How did you come to work with IX Publishing, Inc.?

They were referred to us through connections in our shared office space. Their pricing was good.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $6,000–$7,000 so far. We pay them an hourly rate for specialized things as well as a monthly fee.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019, and we’re still working together.

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

They make the whole process really easy and straight forward. We get a lot of compliments on our site from customers. Clients mention they read everything on our site, which is impressive. IX makes our content user friendly and to the point.

How did IX Publishing, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email. It’s very friendly and they’re always immediately on top of anything we need from them. It’s pretty nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their “matter-of-factness” and ability to zero in on an optimal solution in a simple way stands out. I’ve dealt with a lot of different companies that have given me numerous options that I can’t tell apart.

 IX Publishing understands that we want to be clear in the most cost-effective way; they’ve helped us deliver with gold stars the whole way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could read our minds and do our content for us too!

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be very clear what your objectives are for your site. I’ve gone through three redesigns so far and I think if I had a clearer sense of my objectives in the beginning, I probably would’ve been happier with the earlier iterations. I wish I had used IX Publishing from the beginning.