Mighty Citizen

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate director of communications for the University of Texas at Austin’s recreational sports department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mighty Citizen?

We’re unique in that we provide services to students, faculty, staff, and university affiliates; we’re also considered an auxiliary unit, which means we have to generate our own funds to survive. Our attempts at catering to our distinct audiences, while also promoting our services and raising funds turned the website into a decentralized mess. We needed help transforming our dated site into a useful resource for all our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mighty Citizen revamped our website with innovative features according to our needs assessment. The new site has an optimized UX experience, so visitors can quickly search and view content on desktops and mobile devices. Page design and content placement were strategically planned to increase time spent on the website and the number of pages viewed on a single visit. They also

included an online marketplace to generate sales. They continue to help us with minor updates on the website, in addition to side projects like building another site specifically for fundraising and alumni engagement. As a part of our service agreement, they offer educational sessions for our staff throughout the year.

What is the team composition?

We mostly work with our assigned project manager, but we occasionally interact with the senior developers for design advice.

How did you come to work with Mighty Citizen?

Before Trademark Media and Creative Suitcase merged into Mighty Citizen, we had the opportunity to work with both companies.

How much have you invested with them?

We were considered a university department when we commissioned the project in 2013, so the website renovation cost $25,000 with the state contract discount. Over the last five years, we’ve spent between $50,000--$60,000 on annual agreements and ongoing architecture changes. They also built a small fundraising website for us, which was about $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working on the website in the fall of 2012 and finished the project in August 2013. It was a great experience, so we made them a long-term partner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received a countless number of compliments on the sites new look. The update even caught the attention of senior-level staff in other departments at UTAUS. Beyond the aesthetically pleasing design, the website is easier to manage and operate for internal and end-users respectively. Our 18--22-year-old student demographic is benefitting from the mobile-friendly platform and spending more time navigating the website. Most importantly, the centralized site is showing visitors who we are and what we have to offer.

How did Mighty Citizen perform from a project management standpoint?

Our partnership has stood the test of time because of their impeccable customer service. We aren’t their most profitable customer, but they cater to our needs as if we are their largest client. If we can’t make it to a meeting, they come to us. When our main point of contact is out of the office, they ensure that someone is available to help us. Revising our content-heavy website was a daunting task, but they completed the project with ease. No project is too big for them to manage, and no request is too small for them to take on. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Mighty Citizen has grown so large because they make an effort to form genuine relationships with their clients. While they have a standard method of working, the lens with which they develop their content is unique for each project. They visited our facilities, met our team, and made an effort to understand our business needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We updated our logo last year and needed them to reflect the changes on the website. After reviewing their work, I noticed that a few pages still displayed our old logo. Fortunately, they were able to remedy the situation quickly. While these mishaps are rare, it would be productive for them to edit more thoroughly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a designated contact on your team to act as a liaison during the project. Be honest and forthright about your challenges and how you hope to use their services to overcome them. Don’t let a modest budget deter you from working with them, because they have the creativity to make anything work.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for AQUILA Commercial, a commercial real estate company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mighty Citizen?

Our website had become outdated in the 10 years since its 2007 launch. The look and feel were antiquated, but also the back-end functionality. We hired Mighty Citizen to make it more modern, user-friendly and functional on the back end. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We originally hired them to redesign and relaunch our website; we later added copywriting services, specifically for the site’s most important pages. Our partnership has stayed active. Currently, they’re doing tweaks, helping reorganize content, and building out new pages and features.

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with two project managers, a site architect, search engine optimization specialist, one copywriter, and one designer. We worked with a project manager during the initial website project and her colleague took over that role as scope evolved.

How did you come to work with Mighty Citizen?

We hosted an RFP process and interviewed about seven companies. Our in-house selection committee liked their team approach, strong portfolio, and local knowledge. During that time, we met Mighty Citizen in-person and had a good dynamic because their team took the time to get to know us. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we’ve spent $85,000. Approximately, the original scope cost $66,000 and the added work cost another $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in July 2016 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internal stakeholders are happy with the new site. Traffic has increased over 250% since our re-launch in April of 2017. The website has been a useful tool in implementing our content marketing strategy. Our sales team is now generating meaningful leads.

How did Mighty Citizen perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive. We used Teamwork for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their redesign process is effective and efficient. The team sets clear expectations for progress and communicates responsibilities clearly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only think we’ve run into is scope issues. For instance, we only had one round of quality assurance – and it was for front-end design only. We had to pay more to get a second round of QA that included back end. Mighty Citizen is aware of this issue and is currently working on a solution for future clients. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Be involved throughout the process and set clear expectations up front. But more specifically, the copywriting and messaging services have been a huge advantage. While not everyone is willing to pay for those, we’re glad that we expanded the scope. That being said, be mindful of how changes affect budget and timelines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing specialist at PetRelocation, a service that helps people safely relocate their pets around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mighty Citizen?

We were looking to overhaul our website to better highlight our destinations and global reach. We also wanted to make the site more user-friendly, so visitors could easily figure out how to relocate their pets by accessing our expert content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mighty Citizen completely redesigned our website and transitioned it onto a new CMS platform, incorporating SEO-friendly content and making changes to existing content for improved optimization. They also manage our online advertising campaigns.

After the website launched, they've continued to make improvements and adjustments as needed. We're also working on presenting our content in a new way, which we plan to rollout in the next year or so.

What is the team composition?

Our two main points of contact are Carly (VP of Client Services, Mighty Citizen) and Laurena (Project Coordinator, Mighty Citizen). An expert is also leading each specific part of our project, including Mike (User Experience Director, Mighty Citizen), Patrick (Digital Marketing Manager, Mighty Citizen), Polly (Senior UX Designer, Mighty Citizen), and Kristine (Senior Developer, Mighty Citizen).

How did you come to work with Mighty Citizen?

We worked with them in 2004 on one of our very first websites. Then in 2016, through a local RFP process, they proved to be not only the best provider of content, but our team really loved theirs. It was a bonus that it ended up being the same company we hired over a decade ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We've probably invested a little over $35,000, and we're continuing to invest in their services on an ongoing basis.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together again in 2016 and launched the website in March 2017. They continue to provide support and work on other projects for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We continue to be impressed by Mighty Citizen's work. We're seeing a lot of conversion from the optimized content they've helped us create. Our overall web traffic continues to increase and our pages are consistently ranked in the top 10 search results on Google.

How did Mighty Citizen perform from a project management standpoint?

They are the most impressive agency I've worked with. Their level of responsiveness is second to none; they're extremely on top things. Carly and Laurena manage projects well, so I don't have to worry or micromanage at all. We meet on a monthly basis and correspond through Teamwork, which we find to be very effective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by their level of responsiveness. They treat our work as a priority, even during slower, maintenance periods. They truly value their customer relationships and stay on top of tasks, no matter how big or small the request is.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come into the relationship armed with ideas. Their team is great at collaborating, so keep an open mind and engage them on their input and expertise. They're very receptive to customer needs and goals, even if you decide to shift direction at any point.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the vice president of marketing and innovation for the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), a leading trade association that represents food services and restaurant business in Texas. We provide advocacy, products and services, and access to discounts within the industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mighty Citizen?

We needed to redesign and launch two websites and transition them to a Drupal CMS. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mighty Citizen did an audit of our current websites and made improvements on the overall design and information architecture, adding new features as requested. They also transferred the sites from HTML and CSS to Drupal.

What is the team composition?

My main contact person is Valerie (Project Manager, Might Citizen). I'm probably in touch with her once a week, but I spoke with her daily earlier on in the project.

How did you come to work with Mighty Citizen?

We were already working with them when I came onboard, so I wasn't part of the hiring process, but I know we selected through an RFP process.

How much have you invested with them?

The original scope of work was for $95,000, but I'd estimate that we've invested an additional $25,000 since.

What is the status of this engagement?

I'm not sure when the engagement started, but I came onboard in December 2016 and I believe the websites launched that October. They continue to help us with different development work as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Mighty Citizen, our websites have successfully been transitioned over to an improved CMS. The types of edits and updates they've made have been invaluable. One of the greatest impacts of their work is how much time they've freed up for our own employees to focus on other tasks besides making edits to the site. 

How did Mighty Citizen perform from a project management standpoint?

They respond to my calls immediately or within an hour—we rarely have to use email. They're organized and keep track of project milestones in Teamwork.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a business that supports local businesses, we love the fact that Mighty Citizen is local. It would be cheaper for us to work with another vendor elsewhere, but we enjoy being able to support our local community. Their team, especially Valerie, is also wonderful to work with all around.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're not overpriced, but I wish they offered more competitively priced packages for ongoing support. We're currently paying by the hour because we ran out of hours so quickly within our current budget constraints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It helps to try to define the problem your user is facing before talking with their team—they can't read your mind. I also recommend communicating honestly with them. I was very blunt with them about what I liked and didn't like about our sites and they've been very receptive to that feedback. I think we're stronger partners as a result of that kind of open communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is called the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. We’re a statewide nonprofit formed by the Texas legislature to facilitate the creation of more affordable housing in Texas. My role is the director of communications and development. I coordinate and oversee all of our marketing and communications activities as well as our fundraising efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mighty Citizen?

Initially, we approached Mighty Citizen in 2012 to redo our website and modernize it. Since then, we’ve expanded their role to encompass a variety of web services. As a nonprofit, we’re always conscious of our budget, so we generally spread out our larger projects throughout the year.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with them consistently over the course of the engagement, completing 2–3 projects per year. In the beginning, they redesigned our website, updated the look and feel, and added a few specific functions. One of the features they implemented was a 15-second eligibility quiz that consisted of four questions. The quiz helped users quickly determine if they qualified for our homebuyer programs.

After launching the site in 2013, we proceeded to use Mighty Citizen for multiple web services, including Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and site usability testing. Their team also oversaw our SEO efforts for the site. They conducted some exploratory research before meeting with us to discuss our organization and its objectives. Based on both their understanding of what people search for and our own understanding of our audience, we defined a list of keywords to target.

Recently, we contacted them to do a website refresh. Although the site’s architecture still worked well, we had them update the visuals to be more modern. We plan to continue to work with them on additional web-related projects going forward.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a couple of different project managers along the way who serve as our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Mighty Citizen?

At the time, I wasn’t the director of communications, so I didn’t manage that process. However, I believe we did an RFP, and they responded to it.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $150,000 total with Mighty Citizen since 2012. We typically budget about $20,000 to $40,000 per year for website-related expenses.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work began in 2012 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their services have been invaluable to our organization, and we’re consistently impressed with their work. In particular, they were instrumental in developing the eligibility quiz and ensuring that our site was user-friendly.

We’ve also seen significant success with their SEO campaigns. When we first launched our site, we had low search rankings didn’t even place on the first page of Google. However, within a few months, we saw tremendous returns on their SEO work. We now rank second or third on most of our keywords.

How did Mighty Citizen perform from a project management standpoint?

They use a software called Teamwork to track all communications and milestones, and they trained us on how to use the platform. Beyond that, they’re transparent about what they’re working on and the hours that they’re entering. If we start to reach the high end of an estimate or our budget, they typically let us know so that we can determine if we need to increase the budget or scale back on some of our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Beyond their professionalism, they’re responsive and easy to work with. Moreover, they’re knowledgeable about every aspect of web development. They’ve handled everything for us, from SEO and AdWords to usability testing. With every project that we do with them, we become more and more impressed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest with feedback at all levels because it makes the project better. When people aren’t as direct in their feedback as they could’ve been, they might get too far into a project before realizing that it’s not what they wanted, which can be expensive. Mighty Citizen’s team excels at taking feedback and making adjustments to match our vision.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of marketing and public relations for Cisco College. We're a medium-size community college in West Central Texas and we serve about 3000 students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mighty Citizen?

Our website needed a major update. It wasn’t reaching prospective students, their families, and community members. Our goal was to completely redo the website to make sure it was easy to find our programs and resources we have to offer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mighty Citizen took us through the whole website redesign process. We had an idea of what we wanted and communicated our goals to them. They came up with a few different design ideas for us to pursue and explained the reasoning behind them to decide which ones fit best.

They also provided additional suggestions to enhance our website through tools and specific language that help individuals get familiar with our organization. Then, they developed the website itself using our feedback and implemented SEO best practices.

They continue to provide IT support, develop additional features as needed, and answer our technical and navigational questions.

What is the team composition?

We work with a couple project managers, who are our two main points of contact. In the beginning, we worked with a web designer and an SEO specialist as well.

How did you come to work with Mighty Citizen?

We found Mighty Citizen through an organization in Texas that investigates vendors and pre-negotiates contracts. We contacted them and found them to be the right fit for our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $55,000–$60,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in July 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We receive positive comments daily about our website's user-friendliness and how easy it is to find information. It functions wonderfully and the members of our organization are pleased with the change. It has been very beneficial for us in communicating our message to prospective students and other individuals outside the organization.

How did Mighty Citizen perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is very effective. Mighty Citizen tracks progress and sends messages through a project management tool called Teamwork. Their team also sends us weekly emails to update us on what was accomplished and what their expectations are—always responding within 24 hours to our questions. We call each other regularly using GoToMeeting to iron out any details.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really personalize the experience. We don’t feel like just another client. Might Citizen listen to our feedback and really care about our project. They make sure to fully understand our needs, conduct outside research themselves, and tailor their work to fit our organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we haven’t experienced any issues so far. It was a surprise in the beginning how involved we had to be, but they prepared us for that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hold back on your ideas and questions. They will investigate anything you ask them about. They really make you feel like a partner and will take care of your needs.