JourneyEngine Inc

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Workvivo is the beating heart of your digital workplace environment - where employees interact, share feedback, exchange ideas, and easily find all the information they need without having to read endless newsletters or get distracted by never-ending group chats. It brings your people together, wherever they work from, helping them feel included and truly connected to the company culture, values, and to each other. My position held at Workvivo is Sr. Growth Marketing Manager. Where I'm responsible for customer acquisition and helping Workvivo hit the growth targets set out by the business,

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired JoruneyEngine to help us grow our organic unbranded traffic with the end goal of increasing unbranded MQLs that our sales team could start a conversation with.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed several agencies that were rated highly from a company called Advisable which allows you to get access to world-class marketing freelancers and agencies. We ultimately made the decision based on the team (very friendly and knowledgeable), their solid reporting (crucial), and the fact that they were built to service high growth SaaS companies like us.

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

Our engagement started with an analysis of our current SEO setup through a Website Quality Audit, noting wins and pain points. They helped analyze missed opportunities and room for growth through a detailed Kickoff report. From there we had a Project Plan that gave us confidence in hitting our growth targets. The Project Plan at the beginning included milestones such as:

• Find Pillar Page KW's + Data
• KW Research Analysis Report
• On-Page SEO Checklist Document
• KW Gap Analysis Report
• Content Strategy Deck

Once we started building up some momentum, we progressed to being delivered detailed content briefs optimized for the themes and topics we wanted to own as a business when people were doing their discovery in search engines. All of this combined gave us the turbo boost we needed to hit our aggressive growth goals. Organic SEO became a channel that delivered a predictable level of pipeline every month. The team also creates monthly reports based on performance which are incredibly useful to share with executives and for anyone that wants the details.

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

There were a few people working on our account:

• Justin - Lead Consultant
• Andrew - Content Strategist
• Patrick - Account Strategist
• Wyatt - Full-Stack Developer

We felt supported at all times. I could ask Justin for anything and be confident he'd help us figure out a solution

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Here's a sneak preview of our outstanding Q2 results that JourneyEngine helped make happen.

• Organic traffic to content and platform pages increased by 41% -> 21% higher than our target lift for Q2
• Organic MQL's from content and platform pages increased by 123% -> Over 2x our target lift for Q2

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

Mostly asynchronous comms which suited us fine because we've around an 8 hour time difference. (We're in EMEA) That said, Justin always jumped on Zoom calls early in his morning so that we could talk through important stuff on a call whenever needed. I don't have a bad word to say about JourneyEngine's comms and workflow.

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

Their level of reporting is brilliant. I would say JourneyEngine is one of the best in the game in this area.

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

The team over-delivered. We're happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Karelane. We are a marketplace that helps people to set up care groups for their family members or relatives who are going through some type of hardship — it could be a medical condition, job loss, and more.

Then, members of the community including friends, colleagues, relatives, neighbors can help with fulfilling their action items such as running errands, picking up groceries, giving money, and providing products and services. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JourneyEngine Inc?

We hired them to help us with our digital marketing campaigns, set them up, and execute them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a marketing website from scratch. JourneyEngine also set up a number of things such as relationship-building campaigns. They also develop campaign assets and digital content. Moreover, the team spearheads the implementation and execution of our social media campaigns on LinkedIn, Google, and Facebook.

What is the team composition?

We work with Justin (Founder). Then, we also collaborate with their social media manager and content specialist. 

How did you come to work with JourneyEngine Inc?

They were referred to us. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration began in November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been very happy with them. The results so far are pretty good and we’ve met our targets. It’s a little bit hard to give metrics right now because the product hasn’t been launched yet, but we’ve had great conversion rates on our lead efforts. In terms of social media, we also have good results. 

Since we have had a positive experience with JourneyEngine, we’ve extended our contract. 

How did JourneyEngine Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Once they finish writing content, they submit it to me for review and feedback. They are organized and they mostly rely on Google Drive. JourneyEngine also created Google Analytics Dashboards for monitoring. Overall, we have a very collaborative partnership. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Justin is definitely the strength of their company because he’s organized. With him as the coordinator and manager, JourneyEngine delegates duties within their organization efficiently. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear understanding, expectations, and boundaries of the scope of your engagement. It’s really important for everyone to be on the same page. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for a low carb high protein snack food company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JourneyEngine Inc?

Initially, we needed help with data collection and interpretation for our Amazon sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Selling on Amazon is a black box since you don’t know your customers. JourneyEngine built us a fire-segmentation tool on Google Data Studio to cross-reference our Amazon customers with our website customers. We were able to look at which products were selling better in which locations in the country.

The tool gave us an inner look at what our customers were doing and helped us accurately see which channels were going up or down in sales MoM.

They also worked on our website to create more content, keyword research, backlinking, and SEO.

What is the team composition?

Justin (Founder & Lead Consultant) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with JourneyEngine Inc?

They were hired before I came onboard.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019, and we wrapped up in December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the blogs they wrote for us had 15,000 views. Their honesty and transparency were excellent. They were great at telling us what’s possible and what’s not. The fire-segmentation tool gave us a lot of information we could use in our marketing.

How did JourneyEngine Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re organized and sent us over a calendar and a spreadsheet of what was getting done. We always got updates. They were always responsive to phone and emails.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge base stands out. I know the backend of Amazon pretty well and they know things I’ve never even heard of. They know a lot of things from marketing and e-commerce to Shopify and SEO.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. Everything was seamless.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It takes a little work on the client-side in understanding what you want out of JourneyEngine. They’re a powerful vendor that can do a lot. Understand what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an online business school. I’m the director of marketing and brand. We’re an online highly selective MBA program and business school. We’re a global program and have students from some of the world’s top companies. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JourneyEngine Inc?

We were looking to increase our SEO efforts. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had recently changed brand names and as a result, nobody had heard us before. For that to change, we hired JourneyEngine as a way to help get our name out there and start driving more organic traffic to our site. 

They also took the lead in putting together a content strategy for us and they’re helping with our keyword strategy research. Then, they help us create content that we can publish on our site. In addition to that, they’re advising us on a link building strategy as well as in creating more inbound traffic to our site. 

What is the team composition?

We work with five people, and we collaborate closely with Justin (Founder), as well as their head of content strategy and copywriter. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $40,000–$50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve helped us with some of our top keywords and because of that, we’re now ranking on the first page or close to the first page in a very competitive market. We’ve had some really big wins in terms of search words that were really specific to us and really key for us to be on people’s radar. 

The team provides a high-quality service. They’re also very thorough in everything that they do,. We really appreciate their inputs. JourneyEngine Inc is definitely an expert in their field and we’ve valued their guidance as we launch our new brand while we try to get more organic traffic to our site. Overall, they’re doing a great job in helping us accomplish our goals. 

How did JourneyEngine Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

We receive weekly reports. Recently, they’ve assigned a new project manager to our account. That person has always been on top of things in terms of reporting analytics, how things are, and how the work that has been performed for us. We have a frequently updated feedback loop. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We trust the JourneyEngine Inc team. They’re very strategic in what they do and the value we get from them is huge. We have always had a great working relationship. Furthermore, they make things really easy for us, considering that we’re a pretty small team. They’ve taken on a lot in terms of just managing projects and they’ve made it easier for us to give reviews and agree on what they’ve developed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any criticisms to share. It’s been pretty smooth sailing with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do what they do best. There are times where we pushed back on certain things that they’ve recommending and ultimately, we’ve realized that they were right in their recommendation. Just be open to their feedback and input on the strategy. They’re not just worker bees, they’re very well-trained experts in their field. It’s really good to listen to their strategic input as well as the tactical side of what they do. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Sculpt, a B2B-focused social media agency. We help clients hit brand and conversion goals with paid and organic social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire JourneyEngine Inc?

We hired Justin and the JourneyEngine team to help us build a sustainable, long-term solution for client performance reporting. We're no stranger to Google, ads, and social analytics, but like most agencies, we spend an uncomfortable amount of time customizing reports.

We were already using Google Data Studio and Supermetrics when I discovered Justin and his data pipeline process.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to build a reporting system that would: 

• Identify the top-performing content across LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google
• Chart progress on a MoM and YoY basis
• Allow us to store and aggregate results across all of our clients

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I came across one of Justin's blog posts while scrolling Twitter at 1am and setup an appointment immediately. Can't make this up. He described the exact data platform we were hoping to build and I knew he could help.

I've hired many digital strategists over the years and each has advanced our capabilities. It wasn't enough. Justin was well-versed in visualizing organic and paid social media analytics which is an uncommon skill, and exactly what we needed.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

JourneyEngine has documented their agency data pipeline process well and made it simple. The discovery and production process is straightforward like any consulting engagement. The deliverable was sophisticated.

After assessing our reporting goals, they gathered our data sources with a combination of ETLs, setup our data warehouse, modeled the data, and built us custom Data Studio dashboards for the reports we need. It's powered by the most complex Google Sheet I've ever seen.

What was the team composition?

Justin was our lead consultant and point-of-contact. He was assisted by a small group of data scientists and consultants to complete the more technical steps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Long term I suspect the operational time savings will be significant. From a new business standpoint, our enhanced reporting capabilities have helped us impress prospects in our pitches and close deals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Justin was easy to reach. We primarily spoke through email, Loom videos, Google Sheet comments, and texts. When more input was required he willingly jumped on Zoom calls. Justin continues to answer questions over email after the project was delivered.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They know marketing analytics inside and out. There are no shortage of analysts out there but JourneyEngine's experience with social media reporting stands out. Justin's always coming up with clever solutions to problems, and therefore we have a number of future projects in discussion.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's a learning curve to this work and and now a new platform to maintain. The offboarding and knowledge transfer phase has become more of an ongoing process rather than a one-time handoff. However, their comprehensive documentation and accessible team has eased the transition.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and lead brand strategist for Map & Fire, a brand and marketing strategy consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Journey Engine?

We brought on their assistance with paid advertising campaigns for some of our recent clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Journey Engine helped us formulate the strategy for the social campaigns on Facebook and Google. After fleshing out the campaign strategies, they targeted audiences and set up ads. They even offered some creative advising as well.

What is the team composition?

I’d say that there were 2­–3 people working on the project, but I worked primarily with the owner, Justin (Owner, Journey Engine).

How did you come to work with Journey Engine?

Justin is a personal acquaintance of mine, who I’ve known for quite a while.

How much have you invested with them?

Across multiple projects, we’ve spent under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first engaged them in August 2018, but we worked on another project last year in early 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They really came in and executed the exact scope of work that we needed, in an effective way. We’ve analyzed the cost-per-click and cost-per-acquisition rates for our clients, and compared them to the past campaigns that they’d run. In both cases, we were able to reduce these costs by about 25–50%. Our clients were very pleased with their work.

How did Journey Engine perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. In addition to always being on top of things, they’re proactive about making effective suggestions and recommendations. They also make sure that all communication is transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d highlight their attention to detail. They truly emphasize data and analytics in making decisions. Instead of relying on gut feeling, they make data-driven choices to ensure the highest success rate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get them on board, and commit for multiple months so that you can take advantage of all that they have to offer. While their field of work requires your patience in seeing results, they make sure that you get what you’re looking for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a growth accelerator – an entity focused on growing our clients’ businesses by any means possible, whether through brand consulting, advertising, PR, innovations, influencer marketing, experiential activations, or cultural performance marketing. Our approach is based in Cultural Strategy, the discipline of building iconic brands. I am the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire JourneyEngine Inc?

We recently worked with JourneyEngine on a digital audit for a client of ours, delving into target insights, competitive whitespace, and clear opportunities where the brand could win.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to look good in our pitch meeting!

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend!

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We recently worked with JourneyEngine on a digital audit for a client of ours, delving into target insights, competitive whitespace, and clear opportunities where the brand could win.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with the founder of the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work was thorough, insightful, and buttoned up. It made us sound much smarter than we were for our meeting, and I'm proud to say we've capitalized on many of the opportunities identified by JourneyEngine. Definitely recommend and will partner again, and again!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective workflow. Very responsive, collaborative, flexible, and with integrity!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their integrity!!!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Perhaps more team members could help.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a software company, Capture & Convert.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire JourneyEngine Inc?

We hired JourneyEngine to help with link outreach services to promote our website.

What were your goals for this project?

To land high quality, high authority placements on relevant websites.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have known Justin for a while, he's a stand up guy and great marketer.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Find and contact relevant bloggers and PR websites with a pitch to include my website there.

What was the team composition?

Justin and his team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have received a good number of placements on high quality websites.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Perfect.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Communication and quality of work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I have seen.