Vancouver PR and Marketing Communications agency
Founded in 2009, we are a boutique full-service Vancouver B2B marketing agency known for our creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Our experienced team has built a reputation for consistently delivering the highest results for our clients no matter the project. Among those clients, you can count cleantech, finance, IoT, software and manufacturing companies. It’s these relationships that have fostered longevity in our marcom, vertical marketing and B2B PR work, giving us an undeniable reputation in the industry as the “little agency that could”.
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CREDENTIAL FINANCIAL
Challenge:
As Credential continues to experience impressive growth, the company has found itself on an upward trajectory when it comes to building strong partnerships, establishing a solid CSR reputation and developing its excellent corporate culture.
In 2015, they recognized that sharing their brand story on social media was a “no-brainer”. However, there was little time or expertise within the company to effectively launch and maintain a social media strategy that the entire organization would be proud to engage with. Magnolia implemented a customized social media plan to meet all the company’s requirements and maximize social media presence.
GREATER VANCOUVER ZOO
Challenge:
Seeking to raise brand awareness and build relationships with the local community, the Greater Vancouver Zoo recognized the need to reengage their existing social media channels, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to raise brand awareness and build community relationships. The Greater Vancouver Zoo lacked a clear social media strategy stipulating appropriate account usage related to audience and content. Their goal was to change this and utilize the social channels to grow visitor numbers, improve brand image and raise awareness into the zoo’s commitment to conservation and animal wellness.
BAMBORA
Challenge:
Bambora acquired Beanstream, a leading provider of multi-channel payment solutions, in 2015 and official launched in North America as Bambora. Through this rebrand, Bambora needed to build upon its brand presence and now needed to strengthen its credibility and brand mindshare with its North America customers.
Bambora seeked a better aligned PR and marketing strategy that would ultimately garner wider media attention with both trade and financial technology media outlets. A strategy that not only simply put the company at the forefront with its customers, but also had a carefully crafted message and identity that was unique and integrated with its global status was key.
Magnolia’s task was to build a Bambora in North America and its management team’s reputation as the experts and thought leaders in businesses can rely on for ecommerce and payment solutions.
BLUESHORE
BlueShore was searching for a dedicated PR partner to contribute to their business growth by increasing brand awareness. Despite a stable of experienced spokespeople and a vast range of personal finance topics and breaking news to provide commentary on, BlueShore did not meet with satisfaction the media goals they set out to accomplish in terms of the volume and quality of media placements garnered.
With Magnolia’s differentiator in working with finance and business reporters, Magnolia seized the opportunity to be BlueShore’s strategic PR agency. Magnolia has consistently provided relevant opportunities in recognized consumer and trade media on a national and local scale.
RECYCLESMART
Challenge:
Originally a small Canadian start-up, many businesses were unaware of RecycleSmart’s environmentally friendly, cost saving solution. As such, RecycleSmart aimed to increase their brand awareness and were searching for a PR partner to position them as an industry thought leader to relevant audiences across Canada.
With this goal in mind, Magnolia developed and executed a public relations program to secure targeted media interviews, build valuable relationships with top publications and generate momentum for company growth.
GREENLINES
Challenges:
After Cowlines’ successful beta launch in September 2018, Greenlines was seeking a PR agency to announce their North American launch in over 62 cities including the metro regions of Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, San Diego, Toronto, NYC and others. As one of the most ambitious app roll-outs in recent years, Greenlines was looking for an external communications company to help them extend their PR footprint to new markets in North America.
Despite receiving favourable press in local media outlets in Canada during its beta launch, Cowlines was not a well-known entity in all of its North American launch markets. Not only did Cowlines require an experienced PR team focusing in US media, but they also required a PR partner capable of working within a compressed time frame. Magnolia recommended a media relations program for Cowlines’ NA launch to target both the business and consumer markets in key metropolitan regions.
CONEXIOM
Challenges :
While experiencing strong company growth, Conexiom was looking to maximize their upward momentum by increasing brand and product exposure. Though delivering a ground-breaking invoice and sales order automation solution, Conexiom suffered from “Best Kept Secret” syndrome, with limited brand awareness among target audiences. As a technology company focusing on manufacturers and distributors, in the wholesale, electrical and HVACR industries. Conexiom was aiming to catch the eye of key decision makers in this market, while positioning themselves as industry thought leaders.
With Conexiom’s goals in mind, Team Magnolia designed a highly targeted PR program, including media and analyst relations, to drive sustained brand awareness and lead generation for the company.
Reviews
the project
PR Services for Financial Institution
"We secured exceptional local and national exposure since partnering with the Magnolia team."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
We are a boutique financial institution based in British Columbia, Canada that offers a full range of personal and business banking, wealth management, insurance and commercial lending solutions. We pride ourselves on helping clients achieve financial wellness by providing expert advice and personalized solutions delivered in our unique Financial Spa environment. As the organization’s Communications Specialist, I lead the execution of our PR strategy and serve as the primary point of contact with Magnolia.
For what projects/services did your company hire Magnolia Marketing Communications, and what were your goals?
We selected Magnolia as our PR partner to contribute to our business growth by increasing brand awareness, building on our positive reputation highlighting key differentiators including financial expertise and thought leadership, as well as contribute to attracting top talent.
How did you select this vendor?
We were looking to take our PR program to the next level and evaluated several PR firms to find the right fit for our organization. Magnolia Communications’ stood out based on their well-thought out strategy and deliverables to reach our goals, as well as competitive pricing. In addition to their standout proposal, the head of the Communications department at the time had previously used Magnolia’s services and could speak first-hand about the quality of the team’s services, delivery and reputation.
Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.
- Providing strategic PR counsel
- Developing pitch topics to attract media attention based on timeliness and relevancy
- Conducting media outreach to target outlets
- Developing media briefs for spokespeople
- Building relationships with journalists to secure interview opportunities
- Conducting media spokesperson training
- Conducting bi-weekly meetings with BlueShore Financial and providing quarterly progress reports
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We work with the founder of Magnolia and our main point of contact is the Digital PR and Content Team Lead. We also sometimes work with a few other Magnolia team members that support our account
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Before partnering with Magnolia, we were limited to local news coverage and rarely secured Tier 1 publications. Once we began working with Magnolia, our local coverage increased substantially, including print, television and radio, and we are now regularly featured in national media.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Magnolia Communications is professional and keeps to deadlines. We mainly communicate through phone and email. We also have bi-weekly meetings with our main point of contact to ensure we are on the same page, Magnolia provides quarterly status reports of all PR coverage, and we have annual planning sessions as a larger group.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
For an organization of our size and geographic reach, we secured exceptional local and national exposure since partnering with the Magnolia team.. What we find impressive is that they are a small firm, but achieve large results.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Not at this time.
the project
PR & Marketing Strategy for Retractable Screens Company
"We’ve won some industry awards thanks to Magnolia’s work on the media side."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the VP of marketing for signs and screens for a manufacturing company in British Columbia. We manufacture home improvement products, specifically manual and motorized retractable screens for doors, windows, and outdoor spaces like porches and patios.
The main audience we’re after is builders, architects, interior designers, and remodelers who mention our products to their customers. We also go after homeowners.
What challenge were you trying to address with Magnolia Marketing Communications?
First and foremost, we were trying to structure and improve our PR strategy. After our in-house marketing communications person left, we had a gap, so we decided to bring Magnolia on board to manage that area of our business.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Magnolia has worked with us on defining our strategy and understanding our target audience. We began the process with a discovery meeting, and they got involved from a planning perspective. They worked with us to understand who our target audience was and our corporate goals. Then, they made specific recommendations on what they could do to help us meet those objectives.
One of the key things they’ve done for us is putting together press releases. We participate in the International Builders’ Show, and Magnolia put together a communication campaign for our attendance in 2019 and 2020.
They also did some event coordination when we partnered with other vendors to host some of the top builders and architects in the country to showcase our products. This was one of our key projects, and they helped generate traffic to our booth. Additionally, they’ve supported us with customer relationship management, setting up our HubSpot platform.
Finally, we’ve used them to coordinate a distributed conference. We had to make it a virtual event in 2020 due to COVID-19, and Magnolia’s team was instrumental in helping us define the event, build the virtual platform, coordinate the content, and make it available to our network.
What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with Phoebe (Principal) and Megan (General Manager), who acted as communications manager.
How did you come to work with Magnolia Marketing Communications?
When the need came and we had to find an external agency to support us, I enlisted someone on my team to do the research. I can’t remember how she found Magnolia, but she came back to us with three options.
How much have you invested with them?
I don’t remember our budget for 2017 because we started halfway through the year. However, our yearly budget beginning with 2018 has been $60,000–$70,000. Overall, we’ve spent $240,000–$300,000 with Magnolia so far, excluding expenses.
What is the status of this engagement?
The partnership started around June 2017, but our first full year was in 2018. We’ve been with them since then.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We use several KPIs to measure the effectiveness of their services. Regarding press releases and content, we look at pickups in awareness, impressions, and engagement. For example, Megan was able to sign us on to a big project with an industry magazine, which gave us a lot of exposure.
Additionally, we’ve won some industry awards thanks to Magnolia’s work on the media side.
How did Magnolia Marketing Communications perform from a project management standpoint?
We have weekly meetings with the technical staff and monthly meetings to keep track of our activities and performance. The team also takes part in our quarterly meetings, where we decide where we’re going. I’ve invited Magnolia to join our strategic planning team, where we coordinate with many other vendors.
We use Monday.com internally to track projects, and Magnolia’s team contributes to our monthly KPI reporting. We have some specific metrics to report, which must be done by particular times of the month. All in all, we’ve maintained a regular communication schedule to make sure they deliver things on time, and any changes in the budget come specifically from us.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Communication is key. All aspects of my professional career are about communication, and it’s effortless to maintain it with Magnolia. As the company owner, Phoebe is very accessible and easy to talk to, and she always has something to contribute to our discussions. They’re always a phone call or email away, and I really appreciate that about working with them.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
Treat Magnolia as an extension of your in-house marketing team. Keep them involved in the decision-making — Magnolia should be given as much information as possible so they can deliver to the best of their abilities.
the project
Digital Marketing for Industrial Tech Company
"Their team is extremely knowledgeable, executing campaigns quickly."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
ACR Systems Inc is a manufacturer of industrial technology (Data Loggers). Since 1986, we've sold over one million systems globally across a range of highly regulated industrial markets. I'm the Territory Manager, responsible for the Reseller channel, OEM customers and Sales.
For what projects/services did your company hire Magnolia Marketing Communications, and what were your goals?
We needed to find new customers and generate leads for our reseller channel. We had a tight budget, so raising our brand awareness online would be the best method. Social Media Marketing (SMM) was something we had never done before. We had to "step up our game" to start marketing with Facebook & LinkedIn pages.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
Magnolia Marketing Communications came with an excellent referral. After discussing our Company's objectives and marketing goals, their roster of creative and knowledgeable talent proposed targeted digital campaigns that we could collaborate and execute together.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.
There is so much more that goes into SMM than just posting. Phoebe and the creative team at Magnolia Marketing Communications were essential in helping us create our company's social pages, then define our audience, create SEO-rich content and foster community engagement. For the targeted campaigns they developed Educational & Promotional videos and Carousel-format ads (Facebook) Along with SMM, Magnolia has helped us polish our marketing collateral, including our Specification sheets, Product Sell-sheets, and Application stories. They created highly targeted landing pages on our website featuring industry-specific case studies for targeted personas in our highest value industries/verticals.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Phoebe Yong, the Principal of Magnolia Marketing Communications is very hands-on especially in developing strategy, objectives and goals. Depending on the project, we've worked with her roster of creative & knowledgeable talent that include: a General Manager, Campaign Manager, Digital Campaign Director, Demand Generation Associate and Digital & PR Marketing Specialists.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
After our first campaign, we had a 61% increase in New Visitors to our website with confirmed sales. Organic traffic has been increased by 18%. Magnolia Marketing Communications were vital in producing relevant content both online and in our marketing collateral. They understand the intricacies of optimizing your website so your customers can find you online better.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
We meet weekly via Zoom where they present the analytics of current campaigns. Between those meetings, they respond in an extremely timely manner if we have any questions.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Their team is extremely knowledgeable, executing campaigns quickly.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
They were instrumental in our company to start marketing in the digital age.
the project
PR Services for Motor Equipment Manufacturer
"They are responsive, friendly, helpful, and skilled in digital communications."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Digital Marketing Manager for Somfy North America. We manufacture motors and controls for motorized blinds, shades, and other window treatments.
For what projects/services did your company hire Magnolia Marketing Communications, and what were your goals?
We were having trouble keeping up with publicity for all the new products we were rolling out, so we hired Magnolia to help us keep our products and our brand in front of trade publications as well as consumers. We were also looking to capitalize on the outdoor dining trend of 2020/2021 and wanted to approach it comprehensively with both PR and digital ad campaigns.
How did you select this vendor?
We'd worked with Magnolia previously on standalone projects and always enjoyed working with their team. They are responsive, friendly, helpful, and skilled in digital communications.
Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.
Their services have included writing press releases and pitches in addition to release distribution and pitching. They have also come to us with additional opportunities for featuring our company in a wide variety of publications related to restaurants and outdoor dining as well as typical trade and consumer publications in our industry. They have even helped us find social media influencer and television opportunities.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We have worked directly with the owner as well as a Digital Campaign Manager and a Digital PR and Content Team Lead.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Since working with Magnolia, our business has been covered in several high profile outlets, and we have been consistently visible to the trade audience; it's extremely important for us to stay in front of them, so this has been a big benefit for us.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
We have bi-weekly meetings where we review the status of all open and pending projects. Their team communicates with us frequently via email as well, and they provide a PR tracker document that lists all coverage.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Their PR expertise is one of the most impressive things about Magnolia. It's an area where our team has knowledge but not skill (or time!), so working with Magnolia truly complements our company. They are also very consistently on top of our product release schedule and attempting to be as proactive as possible.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Nothing I can think of!
the project
Ongoing Public Relations for Risk Management Company
"They have a clear commitment to learning about our business and respective industry."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Director of Marketing for North America at an international payment and fx risk management company.
For what projects/services did your company hire Magnolia Marketing Communications, and what were your goals?
Our business has been rapidly expanding over the last few years and we wanted to better manage our existing reputation and continue working on increasing our brand awareness across the international payments space. We hired this vendor to provide general PR support.
How did you select this vendor?
We went with this vendor because of their price point, communication skills, and general expertise within the realm of PR. They also proved to be very adaptable to our needs as the space we are in is constantly changing.
Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.
Their services include writing press releases, pitching various outlets for features, and writing industry-related content. As part of their outreach efforts, they’ve helped us spread awareness for events we’re attending/hosting and successfully gotten us featured on popular industry podcasts and magazines.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We work with their digital campaign manager. Their general manager and other PR executives also help support different stages of the work.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Since working with them, our business has been covered by several high-profile outlets, including multiple magazine bylines and podcast episodes for members of our executive team. Our social media engagement has increased with the help of these outreach opportunities. Overall, their PR and outreach efforts have been very effective.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
We have bi-weekly meetings with multiple members of their team to go over each part of their outreach strategy at the time and any next steps that may come. We communicate frequently over email and receive updates whenever an outreach opportunity goes lives.
They always keep us updated on outreach opportunities and any outlets that are on the radar for the future.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
They have a clear commitment to learning about our business and respective industry. They take the time to conduct in-depth research that helps facilitate outreach efforts and aligns with our business goals.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Not at the moment as our project is ongoing.
the project
Web Dev & Digital Marketing for Tech Startup
"Their creativeness and attention to detail are two traits that stand out."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am vice president of marketing at a technology startup. My company provides a cloud-based service that enables streaming video to be accessible at difficult-to-serve locations such as trains and planes.
For what projects/services did your company hire Magnolia Marketing Communications?
Magnolia Marketing Communications handles all of our marketing and PR activities, including web development, social media, digital marketing, content development, event management, etc.
How did you select this vendor?
We looked at a number of firms to determine which would best satisfy our needs. I have worked with Magnolia in the past and found them to be the ideal size, responsive to our needs, and mindful of our budget.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
The engagement with Magnolia is very broad-based, It includes implementation of our sales/marketing tech stack, development of our website, development of our strategic positioning and messaging platform, etc. It also includes execution in all of these areas; Magnolia handles all social media (primarily LinkedIn), PR, editorial outreach, advertising, content development (including videos), event management, SEO, etc.
What was the team composition?
I work closely with individuals at all management levels. Since we have no internal staff at all in marketing, I rely on 4-6 people at Magnolia; some on a daily basis, others on an as-needed basis. Magnolia has the required resources in a number of disciplines to bring in at the appropriate time.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Magnolia has met or exceeded all of our objectives, including a more than 100% increase in web and social media engagement in a very short time, the launching of a new website and social media presence and successful execution of several advertising campaigns.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Very effective. Magnolia allocates a dedicated program manager to oversee all aspects of our engagement and ensure smooth execution across a number of domains.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
Their creativeness and attention to detail are two traits that stand out.
Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?
Nothing comes to mind.