LyteYear

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the reviews editor at Outside Magazine. I assign and edit stories for outsideonline.com and oversee our editorial affiliate marketing program (along with our senior digital marketing director).

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

We hired LyteYear to conduct an SEO audit of our high-performing (and low performing) stories on our gear channel. Our focus was to strategize the best ways to rank these stories higher in Google search.

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

We previously worked with a UX researcher who referred us to LyteYear. We noticed that LyteYear provided the specific services we wanted (SEO insights) and after an introductory call, we were excited to work with them.

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

Scope of Work (SEO Audit): - Technical SEO Audit - Landing Page Audit & Prioritization - Competitive Keyword Audit and Prioritization - Gear Landing Pages Redesign Template - Suggested Site Architecture Changes - SEO Content Writing for Redesigned LPs - Creation of SEO Editorial Template that includes: Prioritized keywords for posts; Prioritized landing pages for internal links; and Sample template and editing instructions.

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

Two—Co-Founder and Co-Founder.

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

After LyteYear completed their SEO audit and presented their findings, we started implementing new practices in our CMS. With LyteYear's suggestions, we started to see our articles rank higher in Google search.

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

The LyteYear team was communicative and timely, and they presented their findings clearly.

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

We greatly value LyteYear's ability to boil down and explain overly-complicated jargon to our staff—we all left with a better understanding of how SEO works thanks to the team and their patience!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO of the most trusted provider of early-warning risk intelligence for today's leading brands, global enterprises and social platforms.

For what projects/services did your company hire LyteYear?

LyteYear manages our always-on paid digital media, including retargeting, social media and SEM. They manage LinkedIn, Google Adwords, etc.

What were your goals for this project?

Originally we were looking for a partner to assist us with paid search as a vehicle for driving demand gen and achieving a cost-effective cost per qualified marketing lead. Our goals were number of form fills, number of qualified marketing leads and the cost per ML/MQL.

How did you select LyteYear?

LyteYear was a referral from a colleague. However, upon meeting Patrick and Lauren we were impressed with their strong work ethic, digital media acumen, and their pricing model. They acted as a partner to us from day one.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Their scope includes paid search/google AdWords and paid social/LinkedIn. This includes audience targeting, goal setting/measurement, trafficking of ads, ongoing maintenance. They also have been strategic partners as we explored these channels and built our marketing plan.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with Patrick and Lauren, who both divided and conquered on paid search and paid social. As our scope increased they were able to bring on more support to service our business.

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

LyteYear is very data-driven and was able to meet our targeted goals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been seamless. LyteYear operated as an extension of our team day or night.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It's a combination of work ethic and business acumen. They understand the channels and work hard to make sure they perform.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can point to at this time.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Christian Community Credit Union is a financial institution that offers an array of financial products from deposits to loans. We're the largest faith-based credit union in the country with over $800 million in assets.

I am the Senior Web/Graphic Designer who oversees credit union-wide designs, management of our website, and interface with Lyteyear in the strategies they've developed for our digital marketing efforts.

For what projects/services did your company hire LyteYear?

We hired them for our 2021 Digital Marketing initiative for the Credit Union. They developed, activated, and manage the digital marketing efforts for our credit union on an ongoing basis.

What were your goals for this project?

To gain more exposure of our credit union and acquire more members to join.

How did you select LyteYear?

We requested proposals from various vendors and essentially picked Lyteyear because of their professional proposal and reputable expertise.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They have developed, strategized, and launched close to 15 campaigns that encompass both our corporate and individual side of the business for paid search, display marketing, and paid social marketing efforts.

They also manage and adjust campaigns accordingly to ensure budget allocated is used for maximum benefit.

What was the team composition?

There are two main members who work on our account from Lyteyear. We hold bi-weekly meetings but we regularly email almost daily regarding ongoing campaigns, changes, and adjustments.

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

On the corporate side, our sales pipeline has more than quadrupled. On the consumer side, where paid search was non-existent at the end of 2020, it has shown a steady increase and is top 4 in terms of incoming traffic into our site.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is efficient and transparent. They always keep us in the loop and are ready to assist with any recommendations we may ask and communicate any changes they feel are needed to maximize learnings and conversions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their willingness to explain, instruct, and share their expertise when I have questions about strategy, reporting in Google Analytics, and SEO. I'm amazed at how responsive they are given the varying accounts they manage.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's not much to say here. Perhaps email communication can be more summarized in one email rather than in multiple emails. But again, they communicate and are accessible, which is key.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder at HLTH Code, a nutrition and meal replacement company that sells exclusively online. 

What challenge were you trying to address with LyteYear?

We needed better and more reliable service for our paid search and paid social advertising.

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a multi-month project to assess the current state of our paid search and social ads and look for opportunities to enhance them. LyteYear made recommendations on ways to improve our spending in paid search and social ads. They also suggested ways to enhance our creative so that we could get better response rates. 

Their team guided us both from a copy and design standpoint, but they didn’t necessarily do those specific tasks. They also provided some technical help for our site to work better with search engines, even if this was outside of their scope. There were SEO and SEM components, but the scope was primarily focused on paid social ads on Facebook and Instagram. 

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with Patrick (Co-Founder) and Lauren (Co-Founder) almost on a daily basis. They brought in a couple of other partners, too. One of them was a social media expert who helped in auditing. There were a couple of other people, but they only did short-term work. 

How did you come to work with LyteYear?

We worked with a partner for our Amazon marketing campaigns, and he recommended LyteYear. He had worked with them and was really impressed by their service. They ended up doing an unpaid audit for us, which was really impressive.

Based on that and the recommendation of our Amazon marketing partner, it was a no-brainer for us to work with the LyteYear team. We were super impressed and immediately started working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested north of $20,000 for their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from July–December 2020. 

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

LyteYear made immediate and sustained improvements over what we previously had. The return on ad spend was 300% better than what our previous agency was able to help us with. We measured several things, but the two main metrics we looked at were the cost per acquisition of a new customer and the return on ad spend.

We're a startup and not an established company. Our team started working with them three months into the business, and we’re not even nine months old yet, so they were with us during the most painful part of a company's life cycle. 

How did LyteYear perform from a project management standpoint?

LyteYear's project management was excellent. They did a brilliant job communicating with us and instructing us. Even though the contract ended in December 2020, they continued to be in contact with us.

For instance, there was a new Facebook feature that required an update, and we received a note from Lauren letting us know about it. She went ahead and decided to help us. She then told us to do some things so that we could be fully compliant with this new Facebook update. 

LyteYear was very thoughtful and communicative. They didn't just catch fish for us — they were teaching us how to fish at the same time. The team constantly went above and beyond. They did that so that we could ask better questions and be better informed. 

We had weekly calls with them that were supposed to be only half-an-hour long, and they typically went much longer than that. They were unafraid of giving us additional value above and beyond what they were contracted for. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

LyteYear was really professional, and they cared about the brands and people they worked with. They communicated well and were good and kind people. When talking to their two co-founders, we felt that they treat our money and dream as their own. As a result, should our circumstances change, we absolutely would work with them again. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they had more experience working with startups. LyteYear did what we needed them to do, but they weren't as familiar with a startup as with a corporation. I sensed that they’d worked with more established brands. However, I wouldn't even call this a criticism or an area of opportunity, since I don't know anybody who’s great with startups. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on objectives and what success is. LyteYear and our team had a lot of clarity and upfront buy-in, and we used that as a touchpoint instead of micromanaging all things. We were clear on what success looked like, and that was what we focused on — it was our North Star. If there were questions or potentials for misalignment, our teams knew what to look toward as a success factor. 

They were excellent once they understood what we were looking for. As they helped us, they asked good questions. Not only could they perfectly understand our goals, but they also helped us understand the downstream impact of those benchmarks or what specific analytics really meant. That sense of clarity and shared objectives is vital, and they were excellent at it. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director of digital for a set of YMCAs in Chicago.

What challenge were you trying to address with LyteYear?

LyteYear was brought on to get our digital presence ready. We needed to launch some of our major initiatives, including summer camps and our January membership campaigns, so we hired them to facilitate our online efforts for those.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us manage our digital presence across social media, paid search efforts, and email campaigns to prepare for these initiatives. Since then, they’ve continued to support us, working primarily on Facebook and Instagram. For the paid search efforts, they’re utilizing Google Ads and Bing Ads. 

What is the team composition?

Lauren (Co-Founder, LyteYear) oversees the relationship and Lauren (Digital Marketing Consultant, LyteYear) and one other person work on the project.

How did you come to work with LyteYear?

LyteYear was brought on before I joined the company, but I believe there was an existing relationship that led them to be chosen for the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $5,000–$15,000 per month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019 and our relationship is ongoing. 

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

Their support has helped us exceed one of our company’s major goals. 

How did LyteYear perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very good at communicating and meeting our deadlines. We speak through email and weekly phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very open to exploring work from new and different angles. They’re receptive to testing things and are very helpful, overall. They’ve fit in really well with our needs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

One part of the email onboarding process took longer than we would have liked, but it eventually worked out. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront about your needs and constraints.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a digital marketing agency.

What challenge were you trying to address with LyteYear Group?

We do similar work to LyteYear Group and brought them on for a client who has a really large PPC lead generation spend that we just didn’t have time to manage.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage an Adwords account as well as a Facebook account with paid advertising for our client.

What is the team composition?

I work with the two owners, as well as an account manager that they brought on more recently.

How did you come to work with LyteYear Group?

We have shared clients, and I met the owners in that capacity. When I didn’t have time for a couple of channels on this project, I reached out to them and asked if they would be interested in helping, and they said yes.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little less than $10,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2019 and the work is ongoing.

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

I don’t have the exact number off the top of my head, but we’ve definitely increased our client’s overall lead gen by a significant percentage, and they deserve some of the credit for that. They’re clearly very skilled at what they do with regards to PPC on Adwords and Facebook, and they’re constantly learning and constantly trying new things, which is really important in this industry.

How did LyteYear Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been really good in that regard. My points of contact are always very responsive in getting back to me over phone or email. We also meet over Google Hangouts a lot of the time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have just been a really excellent asset to help drive results for this client. That’s all we could have asked for from them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind in terms of improvements they could make.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the tools and the media spend, and the freedom to do whatever they think is best. A lot of clients in this industry try to micromanage and try to drive strategy, but we’re the ones who have been doing advertising for a very long time and sort of know what works and what doesn’t. When agencies like them are able to freely do what they think is best, it has gotten results every time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager at a money transfer company.  I'm responsible for our white label business line. 

What challenge were you trying to address with LyteYear Group?

We needed a vendor to help us with digital marketing. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have our own branded app, so we can take our technology and put different brands on the same app for other companies that want to do something similar. LyteYear Group did an assessment of our branded app and made suggestions for improvement. They also develop our digital marketing strategy for Google/Facebook and manage our paid search and Facebook ads.

What is the team composition? 

I work with both of their founders. 

How did you come to work with LyteYear Group?

Our former head of marketing had worked with them previously, so she recommended them. They're a small shop, but they have the experience of a big company. Also, their rates are affordable, so we decided they'd be great fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $7,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in June 2019 and the relationship is ongoing.

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

LyteYear Group became an extension of our company, and we're impressed with their team and their flexibility. They go above and beyond to meet our needs. We haven't seen many results yet, but we expect the engagement to be very impactful. We can already decide which display ads we want to come up for each search, instead of building on the same 60 different search terms and the same algorithm. 

How did LyteYear Group perform from a project management standpoint? 

They're responsive and easy to work with. Also, they make themselves available when we need them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a small company, but they can always provide all the resources that we need and find other ways to add value. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would have liked them to go further into the specifics when they did their audit, so that they could show off everything they could do. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to set up the scope and the expectations from the beginning. They're very flexible, so you can certainly make adjustments along the way. But if you tell them everything you're trying to accomplish, you're more likely to make use of their full potential. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of digital marketing at Tiege Hanley. We're an e-commerce company that sells skincare products to men.

What challenge were you trying to address with LyteYear Group?

We were working with another agency on paid search campaigns, but our account was not growing. I wanted to see growth at least quarterly, if not monthly, so I started looking for a new company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they did an audit of our website and a competitive landscape. We're a unique e-commerce company, so they went above and beyond to understand our business model. They run our Amazon, Twitter, and Quora paid search and also manage our paid search campaigns in Google and Bing. They also do social media analysis for us. In addition, they help us with advertising on Google Display Network, Facebook, and Instagram.

Unlike other vendors, they do 360 degree marketing. Every week, we talk about what they're doing for awareness, top of the funnel, and mid of the funnel, so we’re constantly discussing how we feed the funnel.

What is the team composition?

We work with Patrick  (Digital Marketing Consultant, LyteYear Group) and one more member of his team.

How did you come to work with LyteYear Group?

I worked with Patrick at another company, so I knew that he does great work.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them between $2,000–$4,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

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

Within six months, our account has grown three-fold. Our paid search campaign in Google is delivering around three times the revenue that it used to. Other campaigns have also been very successful.

How did LyteYear Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Patrick has really taken ownership of our account. He’s an exceptional listener and asks great questions. They're very accessible despite having to juggle multiple accounts. Patrick is very responsive and dependable. He was even working on our account when he was traveling.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do high-quality work. I can give them any kind of project and be confident that they can do it. Also, they bring excellent ideas to the table and recommend new platforms we can use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not at all.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and founder of a behavioral marketing agency.

What challenge were you trying to address with LyteYear Group?

We sought a digital partner to market our client accounts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They identified digital marketing strategies for our clients and did SEO for those accounts. They also managed Google Ad campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Lauren (Co-Founder, LyteYear Group).

How did you come to work with LyteYear Group?

We did an online search. LyteYear Group’s competence and experience impressed us during interviews. They inspired confidence and demonstrated strong communication skills.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000—$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

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

LyteYear Group’s innovative approaches have resulted in a satisfying relationship.

How did LyteYear Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They have excellent communication skills and the team is easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is accessible and knowledgeable, and they take a lot of pride in their work. We have established a strong rapport with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t seen any issues.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and owner of Eyeful Media, a consultancy focused on e-commerce strategy, SEO strategy, and paid search. We work with both B2C and B2B companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with LyteYear Group?

OUr challenge was that I needed additional paid search expertise to support several of our consulting clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

LyteYear Group helps with strategic projects and sometimes with execution. They’re currently helping one of our B2B clients with paid search and paid social strategy. Patrick (digital marketing consultant, LyteYear Group) analyzed initial paid search opportunities and is now also executing their campaigns.

We also worked together in the past when we were hired by a large advertising agency out of Dallas. I worked with Patrick to audit the work that they were doing on behalf of their clients, and we also built a playbook that their team could execute off of to ensure consistency. We have worked on several projects together over the course of the past nine months.

What is the team composition?

Patrick is the only person I work with from Lyte Year Group directly. I know that he has other folks behind the scenes that assist him and have spoken with them. But I don't interact with them day to day.

How did you come to work with LyteYear Group?

One of my other colleagues and Patrick worked together in the past. He introduced us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in March 2018 and continue to work together; I plan to continue working with Patrick for the foreseeable future.

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

It's hard to speak to specific metrics, but several clients have started implementing LyteYear Group’s recommendations. Overall they've exceeded my expectations in terms of expertise in paid search. My clients are big fans of Patrick's, and I never hesitate to put him directly in front of clients. Because of the success with our initial engagements, we’re continuing to work together on bigger and bigger deals.

How did LyteYear Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Patrick and I speak or text nearly every day. We're in constant communication because we are working together on multiple client engagements at any given time and even pitch clients jointly. It’s critical that he has strong communication skills, and he has delivered. In, general, I think of him as a key partner that I can lean on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Patrick has the ability to think through things strategically and can also distill complex topics down in a way that’s easy for clients to grasp. It's always nice to work with someone that is smart and kind at the same time, and that matched with a deep knowledge in an ever-changing area is the most impressive thing.