Kobe Digital

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the social media marketing manager for an upscale restaurant.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

I hired Kobe Digital to help me in my efforts toward growing the restaurant’s social media presence. I had just recently finished an internship, so I was looking for someone with a bit more experience to guide me.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, Kobe Digital created a few posts that I worked off. They walked me through their process of choosing hashtags, determining the time of day to post, and targeting lunch or dinner business with specific ads. Their team also helped me decide on and edit the copy for Facebook and Instagram posts after figuring out what would appeal to our audience. Together, we created a brand tone based on this information. Eventually, I took over creating the posts myself using the knowledge they passed to me.

What is the team composition?

About three people from the Kobe Digital team worked with me. 

How did you come to work with Kobe Digital?

A former colleague of mine had worked with Kobe Digital, so it was a driving force that someone I trusted recommended their services. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’m unsure of the exact cost, but it was under $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–September 2019. 

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

We definitely saw an increase in engagement, doubling the industry benchmark. Our follower count dramatically grew, also doubling from what it previously was. 

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really good to work with; I was impressed with how well they managed the project. Although I’m sure they had a ton of different work, I always had one dedicated project manager. I didn’t feel like just another client. 

We mostly spoke through email but also Whatsapp because it’s my preferred method. Sam (Client Campaign Strategist, Kobe Digital) was quick to respond and willing to use whichever platform I wanted to use. I’m sure even if I wanted to use direct messages they would have been open to that because of how flexible they were.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team was highly impressive and they worked closely with us to meet our needs. I haven’t worked with any similar teams before, but I don’t know how many other providers would be as adjustable as Kobe Digital was. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask questions. I wanted to get the most out of their services, so I continually asked why they chose to do certain things and how to best change an approach. Make sure you understand the work they’re doing and ask all the questions you have. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a vape shop based out of California.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

Previously, we only had physical locations but we wanted to focus more on online sales.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Kobe Digital to design and develop our website from scratch. The site has an e-commerce component, and we’ll be looking into their services for social media marketing, SEO, and Google Ads in the near future. 

What is the team composition?                        

We had one account manager that was the main point of contact throughout our projects. We reached out to them for anything and they provided our status updates.

How did you come to work with Kobe Digital?

We found them through a Google search. We were looking at reviews for different companies, and after doing an initial consultation with them, they seemed like they would be the best fit. They also had some really great references.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in July 2019, and our engagement ended in October 2019.

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

It was great working with them. They were able to take our vision and bring it to life. They also made sure that the website was compliant with all of the specific vaping laws, which is what we were looking for. We didn’t have any issues at all while working with them, and everything was smooth from start to finish.

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. We communicated via phone and all of the responses between us were taken care of within 24 hours, which was very effective. It was nice to have a responsive ream and not have to wait days to get responses back. They knocked it out of the part, in that aspect.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were most impressed with their quick response time. We were very happy and they went above and beyond for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at this time. I hope they keep up the quality in our future projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to do your research and make sure that Kobe Digital is the right fit for your company.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a marketing manager at a large medical facility that is expanding our core services to include medical devices.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kobe Digital?

Fully custom Shopify design

What were your goals for this project?

We were branching out and starting to sell products to complement our main business and needed help creating a website that would convert well.

How did you select this vendor?

Since we were in a time crunch, they were the first ones who responded and I’m glad they did.

Describe the project in detail.

Kobe Digital created a fully custom Shopify design, installed it, and recommended some other tools that could be beneficial for us to implement.

What was the team composition?

We only spoke with one person. However, I’m sure there were about 4-5 folks working on our account.

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

We have heard nothing but good things from our customers about our website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication is a strong suit of this company. And they used state of the art project management tools that made it really easy to stay on track.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their design skills exceeded my expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Loved the design they created. No issues with communication or their services.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a producer at a media company that makes television shows.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

We were looking for a development house that could build a new website based on our previous, rudimentary version. Because media is such a visual medium, we wanted to enhance the user interface to better showcase our works.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Kobe Digital built a WordPress site from scratch, using our previous site as a template to gauge how we wanted to present our TV shows. Once the team designed the user interface, they imported our provided content, which included a logo, banners, and show highlights. The final result was a simple website that we could update ourselves as we developed new content.

What is the team composition?  

We primarily worked with one point of contact, but there were others working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Kobe Digital?

The vendor selection process was a bit difficult for us. We had gone through several independent developers and received outrageous quotes from some of the larger development firms. After a lot of research, we came upon Kobe Digital and really liked their website. We hired them to make our website as professional-looking as theirs.

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent about $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May–December 2018, but they still help out once in a while.

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

Kobe Digital executed the new website perfectly, and we now use the site as a business card and portfolio for our work. We’ve received many compliments from visitors thanks to the site’s professional interface. Even our peers within the media industry have reached out to ask about our web designer.

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed the project well. Every day, we would have phone calls or video conferences to work through our vision. They would also walk us through their iterations to show us how to use the site.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed that they could get things done quickly and professionally at a fair price.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

It would be nice if they offered post-launch maintenance services that we could subscribe to. After the project ended, it was hard to get a hold of them, and it took a bit of time for them to get back to us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
Have all of your assets and content together so that Kobe Digital can quickly assemble a mock-up. For us, we had a lot of media, so making sure everything was in order beforehand helped expedite the process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Chief Scientific Officer at Precisionary Instruments, a small biomedical devices company that specializes in research equipment for biological laboratories.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Marketing?

We had two main business challenges. First, we needed digital marketing expertise to improve, manage, and maintain our Google AdWords account. Second, as a small company, we didn’t have enough staff to spend significant time on digital marketing so needed to outsource it. We had worked with another firm before but they were more expensive and didn’t understand us well so we ended our contract with them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kobe Marketing fully manages our Google AdWords account including Google Analytics. We have a devoted account manager who set up, optimized, and maintains our search campaigns. We also recently had him start working on our display campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with an account manager.

How did you come to work with Kobe Marketing?

Our CEO found them but I wasn’t involved in that process.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $3,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June and it’s ongoing.

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

We started tracking conversions. Our cost per conversion has gone down by half, from about $400 to about $200. That’s a significant decrease. The number of quotes that come in from page searches has also increased by 10–20%. We’re so pleased with them that we’ve just extended their contract for another six months.

How did Kobe Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email and phone. I reach out to them to request monthly reports and schedule meetings to review them. They’re generally great. The only thing they could do better would be to be more proactive about scheduling those meetings and providing the reports.

What did you find most impressive about them?

First, they’re always responsive, even if they’re away from the office. If I email a question or meeting request, they respond quickly. The level of expertise, particularly of our account manager, is also impressive. He knows how to optimize our Google account. We’re a niche company but he’s able to understand our company, our products, and our audience. Kobe Digital has done a great job in those ways.

What I particularly found to be great is that our account manager not only optimizes and maintains our account, he also educates us. If I have a technical question, he’ll respond with an explanation. I find his explanations of digital marketing concepts incredibly useful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could actively come up with ideas on how to optimize our campaigns. We have the capacity to increase our budget and would love more ideas from them. They have the expertise and we have the money for them to do more for us. We could both benefit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to learn with them. In the beginning, meet with them once a week by phone. Have them take you through the Google account and explain each of the components and how they’re specifically important for your business needs. Keep in close touch with them over time. Meet once every two weeks or once a month.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as a Manager at a cardiovascular clinic that treats lower extremity vascular insufficiency.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

We had a company managing our website and social media outreach, but we were disappointed with the productivity and growth. Things weren’t running as seamlessly as we’d like, so we began looking for another company to take over those services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first thing Kobe did was revamp our entire site. The old version was wordy and contained too much information, so Kobe made it simpler and added more icons for quick access to information. We kept most of the original graphics and only tweaked the colors a little bit, making the new site much more user-friendly and concise.

Kobe also helps with marketing, SEO, and social media posts. They create digital ads, printable ads, and email blasts that help grow our business, especially in social media. I provide them with ideas, photos, and vendor/manufacturer marketing materials, and they put it all together to make the information succinct and match our brand.

What is the team dynamic?

We work with a team of three at Kobe Digital.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working in March, and it’s still ongoing.

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

We haven’t received any specific feedback from patients, but our staff has reviewed the site and likes it. They say the design is easier to navigate than before, and they enjoy how intuitive and user-friendly it is.

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

When we first partnered and I had questions about what they could offer, they were very clear in outlining what they could do. The project manager and I exchange emails or phone calls about two or three times a week. They’re responsive and make necessary corrections or additions within 24 hours. Before they post anything, they send it to me, and I’ll usually edit it or add hashtags that are more industry-specific.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their accessibility and independence has been wonderful. We’re busy and often don’t have time to educate ourselves about their process or technology, and they understand that. They make things run smoothly and don’t require much oversight to get them done correctly and on time. They’re willing to answer our phone calls or explain something when needed, and they share information and explain concepts in a way that a layperson can understand. They communicate clearly and adjust to make corrections or implement a new, better approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At first, it took a while to understand the jargon of the other’s field. Being more aware of that barrier and actively seeking ways to overcome it could be helpful. Now, however, we don’t have the issue anymore.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a restaurant.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

I needed to build a new website. The old one was very simple and lacked many of the features that I wanted.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kobe designed and developed my WordPress website from scratch. It needed to have a number of features such as the ability to make reservations, inquiries about our banquet facilities, and gift card purchasing. They also designed a logo for me.

What is the team dynamic?

We communicated through email and phone, but I also visited them a couple of times in order to convey exactly what I wanted. I worked with 2 of their members directly, but there were more people involved.

How did you come to work with Kobe Digital?

I heard about them from friends and got in touch.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was around $2,000. I was given a very good price given how elaborate the website is.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2017 and the website project finished in May. We’re currently discussing other services like pay-per-click and search engine optimization.

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

Many friends and customers have seen the website and appreciate its design. The feedback has been very good.

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

I had to provide details like food ingredients and descriptions. Being in the restaurant business, I don’t have a lot of time, so I appreciated their willingness to look after me and tell me what to do. One of the reasons for the project taking so long was that I was late in delivering content to the team. If it was left up to me, it most likely wouldn’t be finished yet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did what I wanted and were flexible with the scope of the project instead of charging me more for certain features.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m happy with their work and I don’t think there’s anything to improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Knowing what to ask for will help, but most clients aren’t web designers. Doing more homework myself would have made a difference, but people in business don’t have an idea of what they want. Once we started the project, I took some time to look around at other websites and find ones that I liked.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Beyond Vision Music Foundation is a non-profit which provides music lessons to blind or visually impaired people. I am a member of the board of directors and help the founder run the foundation.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

One of the reasons I came to the advisory board, at the request of the founder, was my background in social media and the digital and technology side. We had a fairly outdated website and wanted to redo it, in order to prepare for applying for grants.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The new site was done from scratch, starting with new designs. We kept some of the content, but the design was brand new. WordPress was used as the base for the website, and we incorporated a donations module, embedded multiple YouTube videos, and included the ability to have a blog on it.

The redesign included marketing material, as well as SEO items to make it more searchable on Google.

What is the team dynamic? 

I believe there were 2 main members in the team, and a third came in occasionally.

How did you come to work with Kobe Digital?

We looked at a few options. They had done some work for our founder, in one of his other businesses, and had a fairly good understanding of the overall scheme, as well as a familiarity with the music industry. I looked at the other websites they had done and the expertise they brought in; one of the key factors which made a difference was their work with Google on applications for non-profit organizations. Google provides search credits for non-profits, which is very important to us. They were familiar with how a website should be designed in order to attract Google’s attention and get their approval.

How much have you invested with them?

They get a monthly payment for maintaining the site. As long as we agreed to stay with them for one year, they would provide the main development as part of the minimum monthly fee. Our deal also involved applying to Google for funding. They would get a percentage of that grant, once we got to the last stage. 

There was little out-of-pocket money involved, which is good for our organization. If we do bring in money as part of advertising or donations, they will receive a capped portion of it. As a non-profit, it’s a good deal for both our parties.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June or July 2017. We had some design discussions before this time. The majority of the work was done in a span of 2 months, then we went live at the end of August.  

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

I was the one driving the project, and the rest of the board was somewhat impartial. They really like the site, as have the visitors who’ve seen it. We had zero dollars in donations prior to this, since the site didn’t give off the image of a safe and secure platform. Now we’ve started to see donations coming in already, even though we haven’t even officially launched the site yet.

We are cleaning up some other items and putting together an email list in order to send an introductory message. Some of these things had never been done prior to me joining the board, but we’ve started to slowly move forward.

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

I was happy with how fast they could turn things around. They worked directly with me and were very responsive in terms of project management. I provided guidelines over what we were looking for, as well as some suggestions for the implementation, but much of the work came from them. They managed the ongoing communication and we had almost daily calls, particularly towards the end. I presented a series of items to them and worked on those. Some things were left completely on their plate, like moving hosts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of experience and know-how. They are a group of young people, but age can be deceiving. They have good ideas about technology and how to layout the design, taking what I had in mind and making it real. Their work ethic and ability to turn things around quickly was great. It was simply pleasant to work with them. Their levels of professionalism and knowledge were very important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think anything stood out. I had a good experience with Kobe Digital, and there nothing I could mention at this point.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Stein Music and Arts Center is a music and art school and teaches music and art classes, as well as language classes in the community. I am part-owner.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

People go online to search for music schools, and we needed a company strong enough to spread the word for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our website from scratch and gave us suggestions on how it we should create it and how to target everyone. They also recommended where we should advertise and whether we should do so 24/7 or only at a certain time.

They work and manage our social media, though we collaborate on what we post, and always send out messages on Facebook and Instagram. They're helping us to get people to know our business. We're moving away from traditional advertising on the radio and newspaper, as we now get most of our clients online.

What is the team dynamic?

We have 3 people from their team working on our project.

How did you come to work with them?

We initially found them via the radio. The owner is my husband’s piano student from when he was young. We knew him and his ability and that we could trust him. We interviewed a few companies, but Kobe seemed to be the best one to go with.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested about $12,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016, and the work is ongoing.

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

Everyone says they love the website and how it easy it is to navigate. Kobe added a page where clients can input their name and phone number so we can contact them right away. Everyone likes how easily they can get in touch with us.

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They have performed excellently. We mostly communicate over email, as well as in person, and they're always available. We're constantly in touch with them. They ask us what they can do to improve the site, and make recommendations on what we can do to improve it as well. Working with them has been a nice experience .

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are quite modern and up to date. People who previously created websites for me wouldn't even consider looking at the site. Kobe really knows what they are doing and understands the market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They are always there and respond right away. When we've asked them to do something, it gets done immediately.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at a medical office that specializes in venous insufficiency in the lower extremities, or circulatory issues with the legs.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kobe Digital?

We were relatively new in the area, so we wanted the local populace to know who we are and what services we offer by expanding our digital presence.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kobe Digital helped tech-savvy people locate, identity, and contact us. They increased our digital presence by creating and maintaining our website and social media, and developing and executing campaigns and email blasts. We later noticed a need for a Spanish version of the website, and they helped develop that as well.

What is the team dynamic?

We usually had around two people working on our site.

How did you come to work with Kobe Digital?

They were referred to us and, after seeing how modern their own site was, we decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in November 2016, and it’s ongoing.

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

Our office staff and clients all really like the site. It’s clean and easy to navigate.

How did Kobe Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They let us have a lot of input into what they built. The whole process was interactive, but they managed the bulk of the work.

We communicated via text message, emails, phone calls, and some face-to-face meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They not only know their craft, but they also love their work and know how to make their clients happy. They’re always willing to work with any crazy idea we came up with, but they also let us know what they don’t think will work. They’re incredibly responsive; I can text the project manager on a Sunday night, and he’ll reply right back.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the team members aren’t native English speakers, so the Spanish translation was a little difficult.