The Old State

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales and marketing for AmeriPac, a secondary contract packaging firm; we serve a variety of markets, including consumer goods, healthcare, pharmaceutical, medical device, non-perishable foods, and animal health. We help companies with products that need to be packaged and put out into the market. Contract packaging services includes everything from the packaging to shrink-wrapping, poly-bagging, and blister packing. The markets we

We help with everything from packaging design to packaging production to fulfillment including point-of-purchase displays, cartons, etc. We also handle fulfillment and pack out itself. Sometimes we even do assembly of products for customers. We get everything prepared to ship to consumers or retail stores. We also do warehouse and distribution services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Old State?

When I started working here in November 2016, there was no effort being put into sales or marketing. The company was founded 30 years ago and the owners had never focused on branding or marketing presence. We had a strong initial brand but it needed a refresh. I sought out companies who could help us re-brand as well as the development of a new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a website and social media sites, but we couldn’t find the person that had helped with that many years ago. The first thing they did was help us rebrand. They gave us a new look for our logo and we came up with a couple of marketing documents with them. They also helped us with branding designs for a new facility. They designed the glass door image for our new conference room. They did a mockup design for our entryway. They did a design of a timeline which we ended up using on the website, but we’re also going to be using a timeline on one of the walls at the new facility.

The existing website was cluttered and wasn’t informative of who we are, the history of the company, or the depth of the quality of what we do. We shut down the old site, and The Old State helped me put together a splash page while we were building a new website from scratch which was launched a couple of weeks ago. They helped to develop specific forms that enhanced the functionality of the site. Previously, we didn’t have a cost quotation request option, or even a very useful ‘contact us’ form. They build those within the site. We wanted to feature white papers and eventually create a blog, which hasn’t been done yet, but we now have the functionality to do that. In addition to the web development side, they also provided photography including our corporate head shots and photos of the facility and products. The site is hosted within their Governor software platform which I now use to manage the site. 

We have not tackled SEO except for migration from the splash page over to the new website. They do that internally but it’s through partnerships with other people.

What is the team dynamic? 

The relationship started out through discussions with the leadership team of The Old State, including Travis, Will, and Curtis. They have people who then took over the development including Shawn Ivie and David Swan. Kate is the account manager who I first met with. She then brought in the rest of the team. They contract out some of the things that are needed for the website like the content development and writing.

How did you come to work with The Old State?

We went through an RFP process that took over a month. I found The Old State through a Google search and liked the style of how they represented themselves. We’re a formal industry, and the people we deal with are also formal. I wanted to find a firm that looked sophisticated and The Old State communicated that well in their website. I contacted them and they responded very quickly. They wanted to do a discovery meeting, and I liked the way they communicated and the confidence they had in their IT knowledge.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2017, and the site was launched in July 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did a soft launch to be sure the site was functional. We’re still working on some of the request forms. In the last two weeks, I’ve gotten six client inquiries as a result of the website. They found us through a Google search, liked what they saw, and called us. Our site is now more robust and has more searchable content, which has drastically improved our visibility in the market. It’s a beautiful website. It really demonstrates through photographs and content what we do. 

How did The Old State perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. They performed better than I did.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good communicators. You have access to everybody if you feel you need to elevate something. They’re professional and respectful. It’s a very intense job they’re doing, and clients that they deal with are expecting a lot out of the results. I think they do a good job of managing expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When they use outside contract vendors as partners for different components of the work they’re doing, I think there should be more communication between those parties. I’ve already communicated this to The Old State. We hired them and didn’t know there would be others involved. They should either bring all the services in-house or manage those relationships more seamlessly so the client doesn’t have to manage multiple vendors.