Marcel Digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SVP of a life sciences industry company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Marcel Digital?

We’ve hired Marcel Digital to manage our digital marketing and website development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with Marcel Digital on an ongoing basis. One of the projects they’ve helped us with is website design and enhancement. Their team has added and updated content, given blog suggestions, and supplied SEO services. Marcel Digital also manages Google Ads and conducts budgetary analysis to determine where we spend money. 

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with a project manager. If there’s anyone else we need to talk to, our project manager is responsible for coordinating those services. 

How did you come to work with Marcel Digital?

I’m not sure, but I think it was through a Google search. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2015, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure success through the number, quality, and amount of sales we make from their leads.  

How did Marcel Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver on time and within budget; Marcel Digital supplies great project management. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

We’d like to shout out Grace (Paid Media Specialist) and Morgan (Director of Paid Media). 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been impressed with Marcel Digital's support, specifically regarding website analytics. We’ve also been impressed with how engaged their team is, especially at the executive level. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Any issues we have are addressed, so we think they’re doing a great job. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure when you engage with them that you have clearly defined goals. Tell them your expectations, and you’ll be more successful and see results faster. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director of StreetWise (powered by YWCA Metropolitan Chicago)

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a street paper that elevates marginalized voices and empowers people back to work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Marcel Digital to accomplish?

• Transfer website to a different platform
• Redesign the website
• Allow us to make dynamic content and some structural edits

SOLUTION

How did you find Marcel Digital?

Referral

Why did you select Marcel Digital over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Customer-centric and collaborative

How many teammates from Marcel Digital were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The Marcel team was tasked with redeveloping the streetwise.org website on an open-source platform that allowed us to gain visibility on our analytics and improve our SEO. New website built on Umbraco (allows for internal capacity to edit content and even refine architecture) Use google analytics to assess strengths and refine content Improved SEO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

all of the stated goals were met

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management team was incredible. They heard our concerns and ideas and became true partners in a collaborative effort to meet our goals and deliverables. The team developed sprints, communicated on a regular basis to address any issues between deliverables. They were responsive and fun to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with Marcel Digital?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The culture of customer service, open communications, and transparency. The team looked for the most practical long-term solutions and strategies to set us up for success.

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

Nothing could have been improved in our experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Director of Digital Marketing of Engineering Industries eXcellence

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Consulting

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Marcel Digital to accomplish?

• Assist in website migration
• Mantain and increase SEO rankings for migrated sites

SOLUTION

How did you find Marcel Digital?

Referral

Why did you select Marcel Digital over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Marcel Digital were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of work for maintaining SEO rankings during five site migrations was a comprehensive process aimed at ensuring the seamless transition of each website while preserving our existing search engine rankings and organic traffic. It entailed conducting a thorough pre-migration SEO audit for each site to identify potential issues and opportunities. 

Key tasks include developing a migration strategy, mapping old URLs to new ones, implementing 301 redirects, optimizing on-page elements (such as meta tags, headers, and content) for the new platform, ensuring mobile responsiveness, and addressing any technical SEO concerns. 

Additionally, we monitored site performance and rankings post-migration, regularly checking for errors and broken links, and making necessary adjustments. The key deliverables encompassed detailed migration plans, 301 redirect mapping, updated on-page SEO elements, continuous monitoring and reporting on site performance, and ongoing optimization to safeguard and improve SEO rankings across all five websites.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project yielded several measurable outcomes upon completion. First and foremost, all five websites successfully underwent migration with minimal disruption to their organic search rankings, ensuring a smooth transition for users and search engines. Key performance indicators such as organic traffic, click-through rates, and keyword rankings were monitored closely and showed a consistent upward trend post-migration. 

The 301 redirect implementation resulted in a negligible loss of traffic and minimal crawl errors, demonstrating the effectiveness of the migration strategy. Moreover, the sites' mobile responsiveness and load times improved, positively impacting user experience and search engine rankings. 

Overall, the project achieved its primary goal of maintaining or improving SEO rankings during the site migrations, resulting in increased organic traffic and continued online visibility for each website.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management played a pivotal role in the successful execution of the project. A structured approach was employed, beginning with the establishment of clear project objectives, timelines, and milestones.

Regular team meetings and communication channels were established to ensure seamless coordination among team members responsible for different aspects of the project, from SEO audits to technical implementation and monitoring. Needs and challenges were promptly addressed through agile problem-solving, with a proactive approach to identifying and resolving potential issues during site migrations. 

Risk assessments were conducted, contingency plans developed, and adjustments made as needed to ensure project alignment with established goals. This rigorous project management approach not only facilitated effective teamwork but also enabled us to adapt to evolving requirements, ultimately contributing to the project's overall success in preserving and improving SEO rankings across the five migrated websites.

What was your primary form of communication with Marcel Digital?

Virtual Meeting

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

What I likely found most impressive and unique about Marcel Digital was their exceptional ability to seamlessly manage multiple site migrations while maintaining or even improving SEO rankings. Their rigorous project management approach led by Taylor, attention to detail by all, and Joe's proactive problem-solving demonstrated a high level of expertise in the field. 

Moreover, their commitment to continuous monitoring and optimization post-migration showcased a dedication to long-term success. This combination of technical proficiency, strategic thinking, and a results-oriented mindset left a lasting impression, making them stand out as a trusted partner in ensuring the success of our site migrations and SEO efforts.

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

They were great partners to have on the project and I have no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director, Digital Properties of Promethean

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Creates hardware and software to aid in collaboration in the K-12, Higher Education, and Corporate workspaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Marcel Digital to accomplish?

• Migrate all digital properties to GA4
• Establish new dashboards in Looker Studio using GA4 data

SOLUTION

How did you find Marcel Digital?

Referral

Why did you select Marcel Digital over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Marcel Digital were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Marcel assisted us in migrating several digital properties from Google's Universal Analytics product to their GA4 product. This involved creating custom events across multiple web properties, and cleaning up years of legacy cruft for a lean installation. Marcel also performed an audit of our consent dashboard to ensure we were compliant with all relevant privacy laws.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The successful implementation of GA4 across all digital properties, plus the ability to slice/dice data and display in Looker Studio dashboards.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Marcel Digital's project management is top-notch. We had a dedicated project manager who would share regular status reports. They made it clear when the ball was in our court, and were very transparent about their own timelines. All items were delivered on time, except for items that we had to delay on our end.

What was your primary form of communication with Marcel Digital?

Virtual Meeting

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

I've worked with Marcel on several projects now, and will continue to reach out to them first with my web development and analytics projects. Marcel is loaded with niche experts in GDPR compliance and analytics, and they can crack open any CMS for customization. Their subject matter experts are always impressive, well spoken, and great at converting complex ideas into easily digestible conversations. Everyone at Marcel is also very friendly. They're great people that I enjoy being on calls with.

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

Nothing that I can think of - I've enjoyed all of our engagements!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Communications Director of (a/an) Non-profit

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're a membership-based, biblical solution to paying for healthcare costs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Marcel Digital to accomplish?

• Increase impact of website traffic
• Improve overall website experience
• Receiving recommendations about new features available

SOLUTION

How did you find Marcel Digital?

Referral

Why did you select Marcel Digital over others?

Referred to me

What was the size of Marcel Digital’s team?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Marcel Digital provided website maintenance support and assisted with upgrades or web development projects to serve organizational needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• CrazyEgg to identify improved experience

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Marcel team was great about asking questions to best understand the purpose of a request. Additionally, they gave recommendations and advice when requested. The majority of projects were delivered on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Marcel Digital?

Virtual Meeting

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

I appreciated their structured sprint process. This gave a clear indication of how soon a project would be taken on, though they would do what they could to make minor adjustments outside of the sprint cycle and/or worked into the current cycle.

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

At one point, we noted that we wanted site improvement recommendations to come from Marcel on a regular basis. However, the majority of recommendations came from our internal team, rather than the agency.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Product Officer of (a/an) Hospitality & leisure

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

PerkSpot provides employees benefits they cannot find elsewhere and merchants get an excited audience of leads.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Marcel Digital to accomplish?

• Implement a Content Management System

SOLUTION

How did you find Marcel Digital?

Referral

Why did you select Marcel Digital over others?

• Pricing first our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Other

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We had a strong need for a CMS but a couple of difficult challenges. We had a series of priorities we were not willing to forego and we didn’t really have a group ready to “manage the content” outside of Product Development. We asked Marcel to help us with the development needed to handle #1 and they were brilliant. Smart, focused on our success and aware of the challenges that #2 presented.

With the first of the two problems out of the way, largely because of Marcel’s excellent work and the way they inspired confidence, we were able to focus on the second of the two problems. While we didn’t really solve it, the effort to make management of our content so simple that even our colleagues could do it, paid off in other ways. Specifically, even though Product Dev still manages content, it’s now so simple and takes so little time that it’s not the albatross I had assumed it would be. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Ability to post and edit a page through the CMS
• Ability to make a series of different kinds of pages, fairly easily

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were great, organized, transparent, and communicative — their project management was stellar.

What was your primary form of communication with Marcel Digital?

Virtual Meeting

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

Any company that does what they say and says what they do is great. Marcel is certainly that. But what’s even more impressive is the rapport that we were able to build with their team - rapport that has clearly survived some of the team members taking new jobs at different companies! Really, an extraordinary partnership.

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

If anyone anywhere knows how we could have gotten our content/marketing folks to publish content, I’d love to hear the solution - none of us figured that out and I’m convinced that no one could have done that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former manager of web operations at Rush University System for Health’s marketing department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Marcel Digital?

We needed assistance with our university’s marketing efforts, especially for SEO and search engine marketing (SEM).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Marcel Digital has managed the SEO and SEM strategies for the university and hospitals. They manage the SEO and SEM campaigns for our university and hospitals, targeting students and patients as needed. Although I’m no longer involved in the project, the university has an ongoing agreement with Marcel Digital, and they’re responsible for looking for backlinking opportunities and researching keywords that could be used for content and articles. 

As our relationship evolved, Marcel Digital later assisted us with our website’s conversion rate optimization (CRO). They’ve advised us on web development improvements and UX best practices for different sites of our organization. Marcel Digital has worked with our in-house web developer on web improvements. They also set up our Google Analytics and gave us reports about our site’s performance.

Lastly, Marcel Digital manages the university’s PPC campaigns on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google. They create ads and manage ad spending. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Marcel Digital’s account manager, SEO manager, analytics manager, PPC manager, and account executive. 

How did you come to work with Marcel Digital?

Marcel Digital had worked with the company on a past project, and we contacted them again. However, I wasn’t involved in that initial project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $400,000 yearly with Marcel Digital, including ad spending and service fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Marcel Digital in December 2015, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had year-over-year (YoY) growth in website traffic throughout our engagement with Marcel Digital. I can attribute that increase to Marcel Digital’s SEO and PPC campaigns’ reach. 

Marcel Digital’s SEO efforts have contributed greatly to our web traffic and revenue increase. 

How did Marcel Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Marcel Digital is proactive and organized. They’re good at managing ad spending and providing monthly performance reports. We’ve communicated through email and Zoom meetings, and they’d come to our office before the COVID-19 pandemic started. 

Marcel Digital uses Trello for project management and has a dedicated staff that works collaboratively with other companies. They always have a positive attitude.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked in marketing for more than a decade, and I’m impressed with Marcel Digital’s deep knowledge of SEO and PPC — they’re experts in their field. 

Moreover, Marcel Digital is easy to work with and understands the limitations and pressure we have on the client’s side as well. They’re dependable and always have the client in their best interests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I can think of for Marcel Digital to improve is that it took them time to understand how the university created their written content and how they could get involved to suggest ideas to our writers. However, once Marcel Digital understood this, they were very good at pitching the right content ideas for our SEO strategy. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend potential clients make an effort in order to take advantage of Marcel Digital’s work. They’re an endless source of ideas, but you have to understand your company’s possibilities and resources to decide which ideas are right for you. Decide the number of work your team can actually execute to have realistic expectations on both ends.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former VP of global sales for WorldPoint. I often oversaw the marketing efforts as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Marcel Digital?

We needed assistance with our SEO and search engine marketing (SEM).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started working with Marcel Digital, we provided them with a brief about our project. We were a big seller for a CPR mannequin manufacturer. There’s a lot of competition in mannequin sales, and Marcel Digital created an SEO and SEM strategy to boost our sales.

Since then, Marcel Digital has managed the company’s SEO and SEM strategy, including keyword research and backlinking. They use mainly Google Ads and Google Analytics. 

Additionally, Marcel Digital assisted us with the migration of two websites to ensure we didn’t lose the technical specs like metadata and old tags. 

What is the team composition?

During my time at the company, I worked with about 10 team members from Marcel Digital, including the VP of strategy and the CEO.

How did you come to work with Marcel Digital?

I had worked in the advertising industry before and asked for a referral. Other agencies recommended Marcel Digital. 

How much have you invested with them?

During the time I worked with them, the company had invested around $1 million with Marcel Digital — around $250,000–$300,000 yearly. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Marcel Digital in May 2018. Although I don’t work at the company anymore, their engagement with Marcel Digital continues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales doubled during the first project we worked on with Marcel Digital. Moreover, we had our best year in 2021, when we outperformed ourselves by 30% thanks to their contribution.

How did Marcel Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Marcel Digital meets deadlines and stays on budget. Their project management skills are fantastic, and they’re great communicators. We had monthly Zoom meetings and kept in contact through emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Marcel Digital’s technical knowledge. They’re approachable and accessible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for Marcel Digital to improve — I wouldn’t change a single thing about their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We’re a family business that provides freshly prepared meals to people that need to lose weight for health reasons or just wish to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. Nationally, in any state where we do not have a franchise, we serve our customers directly via UPS.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I am responsible for most of our Web needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Marcel Digital?

Initially, all we wanted to do was maximize our SEO [search engine optimization] capabilities and get help with the general Google search population. But, we were not surprised when Marcel Digital suggested that we needed to rebuild our entire website. We knew we lacked a lot in terms of functionality.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Marcel Digital helped with Web development, SEO and our search campaign on Google. We had lots of conversations with them about what we wanted our site to look like. We had to balance our interests with our need to be sure that Google and other search engines could read our site.

The only other constraint we were working under was that we had no leeway on the color scheme because we have an established brand, which we needed to reflect.

What was your process for selecting Marcel Digital with which to work?

Although I must have contacted at least 30 companies, many were either unresponsive or overly aggressive. I liked Marcel Digital because they responded immediately, which was very important to me.

Another part of the decision was that we’re not a huge company, and we didn’t want to get lost in a big Web development company. We felt that we could get the kind of individualized attention we wanted from Marcel Digital.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms?

We’ve spent something in excess of $200,000 in working with Marcel Digital, and we believe we have received very good value for our money. Marcel Digital also put in a lot more hours than they billed us for, which we really appreciated.

When was the work completed?

We just launched phase one of the website in December 2014. We have other things we want to add to the website, but at least right now customers can order directly from the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How satisfied are you with your work with Marcel Digital?

We’re very satisfied. With having both franchises and a national home shopping network, we could not use an out-of-the-box management system. So, Marcel Digital had to build our site from the ground up, and they really worked hard to understand how we operate. So, there were a lot of moving parts to address to get a functional website up and running.

We probably launched earlier than was ideal because our old site was really falling apart, and we needed to make a December deadline because January is always our busiest time of the year. Marcel Digital was great in helping all of that happen. They actually pulled in some additional hands on the team in order to make the December deadline. They really stepped up to the plate and worked with us to get our site done before the early 2015 rush.

I’ve been involved in many other Web launches in my previous job and I’d say, overall, this was one of the smoothest launches I’d ever experienced.

Is there anything unique or special about Marcel Digital that really makes them stand out compared to other online companies?

They are a small company and, as I mentioned, that’s one of the reasons we went with them. Their availability to the client is really what makes them stand out.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

In the beginning, we under communicated or forgot to communicate a portion of our needs to Marcel Digital, which required that we needed to spend more time and money than we really should have.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a marketer and manufacturer of socks and headwear.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the director of product development and also e-commerce and Web.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Marcel Digital?

We were looking to increase our organic traffic on the site.  

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

It’s basically been SEO [search engine optimization] work. They audited our site and gave us recommendations.

What was your process for selecting Marcel Digital with which to work?

They came as a referral from one of the other vendors we utilize on the social side. We looked at a couple other companies that offered SEO but, when it came down to it, they were very familiar with Umbraco, which is one of our main platforms so that was one of the high points and benefits of selecting them.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

[It was between] $50,000 and $200,000

When was the work completed?

It’s ongoing work. We started a relationship with them in January and the work started in February of 2014. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

The work they did drove up newsletter signups, retailer look-ups, contact us submissions, and increased online revenue. We saw strong growth and traffic on the landing pages and increased traffic to internal pages.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

We are satisfied with their work. They service our account very well.

Is there anything unique or special about Marcel Digital that really makes them stand out compared to other online marketing companies?

They are very easy to communicate with. They are well versed in weekly changes with Google, which I think provides a great advantage. They know how it actually applies to our specific business. Their customer service is excellent.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

At this point, I would say no.