LKF Marketing

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing communications manager for an environmental consulting company in Kalamazoo, Michigan. We work mostly throughout the Great Lakes region. 

What challenge were you trying to address with LKF Marketing?

Our company didn’t have a dedicated marketing person for a long time. When we did, they simply came and went. As a result, LKF served as a constant help in our marketing efforts. When I started working with this company, they became an extra set of hands and experts in marketing areas with which I didn’t have any experience.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Under my tutelage, LKF does graphic design. They’ve designed our website, and we’re in the middle of updating it. Their team also provides infographics, analytics, video production assistance, and direction around what’s new in the marketing industry. I bounce many of my ideas off of them; marketing is part of my job, but it’s everything that they do, so they answer all my questions when I don’t have time to research. 

They’ve done extensive research in the past. After coming on board, I’ve provided as much upfront information as I can to make their job easier and to save us money. For instance,  as we develop the new website, we’ve provided plenty of information, writing, and content that their team puts into place for us. They’ve also designed print ads for us in the past, but we no longer focus on that.

Moreover, while I do all the actual social media marketing work by myself, they do support me by providing ideas. For instance, they tell us if we should be a part of a particular social media platform. If we agree, I’ll institute their advice. For content marketing, we sometimes send content pieces for them to fix. However, they don’t create content from scratch. 

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Lisa (Account Executive & SEO Specialist) and Kristin G. (Account Manager). 

How did you come to work with LKF Marketing?

Our company’s owners knew Heather (President, Owner & CEO). Because of that personal relationship, they chose to work with LKF.

How much have you invested with them?

From 2014 to the present, we’ve spent around $85,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in January 2014, and the partnership is ongoing. They’ve been working with our company for around 20 years, however. 

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

Our company’s owners are happy with LKF’s work, and our clients are appreciative of them. Whenever I need them to design something, they come up with designs or plans that work for us. Even if they don’t get it the first time, they’ll make it right the second time. Overall, we wouldn’t be in this partnership if we didn’t appreciate their work. 

Further, they’ve rebranded us at one point and brought us a whole new level of branding — the kind that lasts a long time. We’ve been truly happy with it. Meanwhile, our company has worked with them for a long time, and they already know what we’re trying to accomplish. They can step in whenever we need them, and that’s a great benefit for us. 

How did LKF Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

LKF stays true to their cost estimates. They do a great job of estimating deliverable costs, and they’re highly project-focused. To communicate, we use Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, phone calls, and emails. We meet in person when we can since we’re in the same community. Whenever possible, we sit down with them at least once a year to reconnect face to face. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like the LKF team. They’re honest and authentic in what they do. In fact, I feel like we’re their partners and not just their client. They have a responsibility to our company because of the longevity of our partnership.

We’ve been working with our clients for a long time, and they know our staff. This dynamic is the same with LKF; they have longevity in their staff, which is important to us. We’ve been working with them and the same people for many years, so everybody here knows them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

One thing that doesn’t always stick in their work is the timeline. As a result, they can improve their communication around timelines. 

On top of that, they’re used to doing all marketing work for their clients, which are usually small businesses like us. They often take over and run the whole marketing campaign. As a result, our company has been a different animal for them. I work in-house, so they have to work with me on our company’s campaigns. It’s a good thing, but it’s also a new way of working for them, and they have to adjust. That being said, we work well together; our setup is simply different from what they usually have. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Share your vision with them, and be clear on what you want. That’s what I do in our engagement; I know what I want because I’m in the business. If you have ideas, put it out there — the more they know about what you’re looking for, the better they can do their job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

633 Group owns, develops and operates commercial real estate within the Kalamazoo and Portage Markets. We also own a private 18-hole golf course and provide residential management services for numerous associations within Woodbridge Hills. Our company operates utilizing EOS and I serve as the organization's Integrator. I am accountable for the execution of business plans, removing obstacles & barriers to goals, communication warrior and Right-Person-Right-Seat Coaching.

For what projects/services did your company hire LKF Marketing?

Our team was formerly part of another organization where Partners determined it was time to pursue different objectives. All marketing and branding established was to remain with one Partner which meant we had to re-establish all of our own marketing materials and messaging.

What were your goals for this project?

We were very integral in developing our former marketing brand so it was important for our new materials to uniquely reflect who we are and what we're about. The LKF team was a huge part of leading us through the process of letting go and thinking fresh.

How did you select LKF Marketing?

Our experience with LKF Marketing started with a recommendation from our EOS Facilitator. Their marketing knowledge was clearly evident in our initial meeting. They were thorough and thoughtful in the questions they asked regarding our objectives as an organization. We knew immediately that we'd work with them as our Marketing Partner for our knew company.

Describe the project in detail.

All branding/communication materials plus website design and video production.

What was the team composition?

We had a point person or account manager as main contact yet were fully aware of all LKF team members involved on our projects. Relationships are really important to us so knowing the "behind the scenes" players made the work we were doing feel particularly collaborative.

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

The unveiling of our site and video took place at a year-end company meeting which was especially meaningful. The site has proven successful in helping us re-introduce ourselves and the projects we're involved in. We have 0% occupancy within our commercial developments and an established reputation for proven quality within the area.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We really like working together so our experience is positive. We're kept up-to-date on the status of projects in development and deliverables are executed in a timely manner. We're rarely aware when there is an issue mainly because it's known and remedied in advance. If there is an issue or misunderstanding, we've always successfully working through in a positive, professional manner that's mutually acceptable.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

LKF Marketing aligns their goals and objectives with ours, truly working alongside us to fully understand, develop, and execute marketing strategies that enhance our business operations. They are thoughtful and thorough in their approach, understand how to deliver the best options which significantly helps us navigate the best decisions. We view LKF Marketing as our partner vs just a service provider.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In any relationship, communication is always key and we're always striving to improve in that area.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Marketing and Communication for JM Wilson, an insurance managing general agency serving independent agents in 40 states.

For what projects/services did your company hire LKF Marketing?

We began a project internally to update our website and move it out of Lotus Notes where the current one had been created. I realized that it was much more than I could expect someone on my team to take on so I reached out to LKF Marketing who has been our marketing partner for over 20 years. I recognized that I should have called them in the first place.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a modern website that would be of value to our customer, the independent agent. To serve not only our existing customer, but also attract potential agent customers.

How did you select LKF Marketing?

I have worked with LKF Marketing on other marketing projects for the past 20 years and they have always handled our ad creation and placement. Over the years, I tried to take more on internally and was able to with some things, but the website project should never have been one I thought could be done without them!

Describe the project in detail.

In June of 2019, I made the call to LKF Marketing waving my white flag, having failed to build a website internally. My team handed them a mess of what we'd already been trying to accomplish. Through a series of very focused meetings and questions, they quickly put us on a path to a new website.

Their team and our team worked incredibly well together to build and launch the site by my original deadline of Nov 2019. That was our Phase 1.

We have since completed a phase 2 which involved creating a secure agent portal and have just begun phase 3 to make some tweaks and look into more resources we can add to the users' experience.

What was the team composition?

LKF had their team of Martha overseeing the project, Sarah who was the architect of the website and Jeremy who was and still is our tech mastermind. These three really took the time to understand our business, our language and the specific details needed to deliver the website we wanted. T

hey worked easily with me along with our technology architect - as we continue to do.

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

Because our old website was in Lotus Notes, we did not have any real data to make a comparison to. With this new website, we now have the capability to track all aspects of traffic and use to make decisions on future modifications. This in and of itself is a monumental improvement.

We asked for the site to be created with a combination of shared maintenance. We didn't want to rely on them for every little change we might need or want so we are able to make updates to information on our own. However, they maintain the more complicated aspects of the site and provide us with quarterly reporting.

This has worked very well as there are a number of things we want to keep fresh on the site and the admin area that Jeremy created for us makes it easy to do.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was smooth. We met in person throughout 2019 to build and launch the website and as we've gotten in to Phase 2 and 3 during Covid, our zoom meetings are just as effective.

Martha is great about providing us a summary of each meeting and the action items we each had before meeting again. Jeremy has always been good with status updates on his end and asking detailed questions as needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I may be biased since I've been working with LKF Marketing for over 20 years, but that itself tells you something! What was most impressive to me is how they were able to take the mess I handed them with my failed website project and run with it. And then, to have us launch within our deadline.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The team at LKF is exactly that. A team. They work together well with each other and that is evident to me as a client. Each has their own skill set and respect for their teammates area of expertise. I have no recommendations for improvement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President & CEO of an Executive Search and Professional Recruiting Services firm in Kalamazoo, MI.

For what projects/services did your company hire LKF Marketing?

We worked with them to revamp our website, help launch our blog KzooConnect, manage all of our social media platforms and manage our podcast program.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to increase our brand awareness and improve SEO as well as drive more traffic to our website and improve lead generation.

How did you select LKF Marketing?

We selected LKF Marketing based on their experience with working with companies like ours in the Southwest Michigan market and also because of their reputation and strong leadership.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We held a discovery meeting prior to launching our blog and our new website.

Our social media programs and podcast have developed organically over the years as we have worked together, meeting on a quarterly basis to review what we are doing, what is working and what is not and considering how are marketplace has changed and how we should respond accordingly.

What was the team composition?

We have working with Heather and Martha since the beginning of our project and recently began working with Kristin too.

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

Our social media drives good traffic to our website and our branding is top notch. We are very pleased with the recommendations and execution of our plans.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has always been very good between our team and theirs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are highly creative and know how to drive results. They have continually pushed us to consider and try new things in order to produce the results we are looking for. We've never "missed" under their marketing direction!

Are there any areas for improvement?

none.