MediaSmack

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a managing partner at a law firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with MediaSmack?

We were looking for a company to redesign our website and make it mobile responsive. We also needed SEO and social media support.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've redesigned two of our websites, provided content, and managed SEO for them. We had an existing website, so we already had some information they could use. We also gave them the information about our attorneys and partners, but they wrote a lot of the content themselves, incorporating specific keywords. We had meetings where we discussed what topics should be covered on the website, and we worked collaboratively on colors and formatting. They were mostly a design partner, but they also managed some functionality of the website. In addition, they've supported our social media presence by posting on Facebook.

What is the team composition? 

At first, we worked through a project manager, but now we work directly with various team members – about five in total.

How did you come to work with them?

They were recommended to one of our owners. At that time, we were looking for a new company to manage our website and they seemed to be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $70,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working together in January 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

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

We get monthly reports from them, showing that people are spending more time on our website, which seems to be improving all the time. Our internal team is very happy with the new design.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been phenomenal during the last month, catching up quickly after we had a short breakdown in communication. They work fast and get everything done in a timely manner. We primarily use phone or email to communicate, but we also meet in person when needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're open to feedback and suggestions for improvement. If we want to make any changes, they deal with that right away. I appreciate the relationship we have.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront and open with them about your goals and any changes you want them to make. They will strive to meet your expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of community relations and marketing at a family law firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with MediaSmack?

We were looking for the right SEO provider and media partner. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with them almost on a daily basis. They do SEO and AdWords for our website, develop strategies on keywords to make us more visible online, and manage our social media. Currently, we have Facebook and LinkedIn as well as a blog on our website, so they handle all of that – either producing their own content or using the content that I provide. 

They've supported and updated our website, creating pages and adding new functionality, and, recently, they completely redesigned it. It's a WordPress website, which we're about to launch. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with four people – a sales person, the president of the company, a design contact, and a campaign manager, who overviews the production and keyword strategies. Whenever I send an email, it automatically goes to all four of them, so I always get a response.

How did you come to work with them?

They were referred to me by another law firm, which is the same size as ours. It took us about nine months to interview different vendors and review all the proposals. I liked that MediaSmack was able to offer us exclusivity and personal attention. Also, they have a legal background, so they understand our industry well. They're authentic and caring, and not too pushy when it comes to selling their services – our contract has flexible terms.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working together in July 2015 and the relationship is ongoing. 

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

The percentage of online consultations that come to us through Google jumped from 3% to 30%-40% and the quality of these consultations has dramatically increased. When we saw a big increase, we worked with MediaSmack to make small adjustments to get the best results. Now, when we do get the leads, they're higher quality.

It took my partners a while to get comfortable with spending this amount of money per month, but now they also are very happy with the services MediaSmack provides.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

Their response rate is incredible. They're on top of everything and push us when we're dragging our feet. In case of an emergency (if the website is down or if there is typo on the website), I can text them any time of day and night and they fix it immediately. Usually, we communicate via email or meet in person. I brought their sales representative into my networking group, so we see each other very often.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have great interpersonal skills and I'm impressed with their expertise and effectiveness. Even though they're not a huge company, they're very responsive and professional. I recommend them all the time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a try and you'll see very effective results.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing attorney at a small criminal defense law firm in Alameda County, California.

What challenge were you trying to address with MediaSmack?

To have greater internet exposure and for them to run an SEO campaign on my website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They made changes to my website. They added all the landing pages, more photographs and video. They added detailed information and search terms that they thought would be helpful for search engines. I provided them with the designs and they helped develop them with me.

They took over our PPC work. We decided that we were spending too much on PPC so, when they took it over, we reduced our spend. We haven’t done much social media marketing except for some on Facebook.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked primarily with 3 people including the 2 co-founders.

How did you come to work with MediaSmack?

One of the co-founders had been working with LexisNexis [a legal research tool] before he went out on his own and formed MediaSmack. I met him originally when he was working for LexisNexis.

How much have you invested with them?

I pay them about $2,000 a month plus about $1,000 – $1,500 on the PPC that they administer. I’ve probably spent about $50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2015 and it is ongoing.

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

Clients come in all the time that have found me on the internet. One of the reasons that I have given as much authority to them as I have is because I trust them. I trust them to get my website out there and get business.

How did MediaSmack perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate by email and phone. We get together every once in a while, and have lunch, talk about things. They're available. I don't have trouble getting a hold of them if I need to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They seem like good guys that I can relate to and that seem to know what they’re doing. I certainly know lawyers who have been very unhappy with their SEO companies. I’m happy with the relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. They seem to do a good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think you need to be really clear about what you’re trying to market and your audience. You need a picture of what you’re trying to accomplish. You can certainly tweak that as you go but having a clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish is helpful.