Elevate Your Online Presence.
Online Optimism is a leading creative digital marketing agency, with offices in Atlanta, New Orleans, and Washington, DC. We bring smart, 21st century advertising solutions to age-old problems. Using a data-driven approach, Online Optimism achieves the best results for your marketing campaigns so you can accomplish your goals. Our research and expertise, combined with your company’s insight and experience, enable us to produce practical, long-lasting outcomes.
headquarters
other locations
Focus
Portfolio
Decide DeKalb, Truck Driver Institute, St. Thomas Community Health Center, Doctors for America, Xavier University of Louisiana, Technology Policy Institute, First Bank and Trust, RentReporters
Crafting a New Website for Decide DeKalb
Decide DeKalb serves as the primary economic development driving force to attract, expand and retain businesses in DeKalb County, Georgia. By working with partners, stakeholders and the business community at-large to spur capital investments, they encourage job growth and create business sustainability within the county’s target industries as well as the entertainment sector.
Online Optimism worked with their Marketing and Economic Development teams to understand how the DeKalb County community interacts with their organization, and created an easy to use digital experience that reflected Decide DeKalb’s recent rebrand efforts. Our Design and Content teams worked together to craft a website that was welcoming, flexible, and easy to maintain.
A VIBRANT DESIGN LANGUAGE
Decide DeKalb had recently undergone a rebrand exercise which we expanded for a digital experience. Bold type, vibrant colors, and soft details draw your eye to what’s most important.
A HUMAN APPROACH
Behind every service that Decide DeKalb provides, there are teams of experts waiting to provide resources and assistance. Our user journeys look to connect people directly with the best person to help.
ACCESSIBILITY AT THE CORE
At Online Optimism, we strive to make accessible websites for all. For Decide DeKalb’s website we went a step further and integrated an easy-to-use tool that allows users to mix and match functions that meet their individual needs.
DELIBERATE & DECISIVE COPYWRITING
A large part of Decide DeKalb’s rebranding was updating their web copy. Our Content team went through their site page by page to gain a comprehensive understanding of Decide DeKalb and their values. Our team then worked alongside theirs to update all the copy on their site and make it reflective of what DeKalb County offers and why potential residents should Decide DeKalb. In working together, we were able to ensure that information, tone, and style were all clear and concise.
The Truck Driver Institute's Testimonial about Online Optimism
Learn how we increased leads for Truck Driver Institute, a national truck driving school, but utilizing web design, social media marketing, search engine optimization, digital ads, video production, and more.
A Forward Thinking Government Site for NORPC
New Orleans Regional Planning Commission is a board of local officials and citizens who represent the New Orleans metropolitan area on matters of importance such as transportation, economic development, and the environment. They also function as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.
When they approached us, their goal was to overhaul their digital presence by creating a new site that was informative, helpful, and organized. Our Design & Development team worked hand in hand with them to create a user experience that elevated their work and engaged the public.
DISCOVERABILITY AND ORGANIZATION
The NORPC produces dozens of reports, studies, maps, and other important documents that must be in the public record. To help them accomplish this, our team integrated faceted search to create an easy to use resource library. Our team also ensured that updating the library was hassle-free while keeping the site lightweight through cloud-based object storage.
ART DIRECTION & MOTION GRAPHICS
To better showcase the RPC’s work and projects, our team developed a design language that included illustrations and motion graphics.
COMPLIANCE & ACCESSIBILITY
Part of our goal of this redesign was to ensure that the site was accessible to all constituents of the region and conform to WCAG 2.0 AA standards. While it is a standard practice of all of our website development process to design with accessibility in mind, we went a step further for NORPC and integrated an easy-to-use tool that allows users to mix and match functions that meet their individual accessibility needs.
Online Optimism's Video Reel
Nothing makes a brand pop and sizzle like an Optimistic video or animation. From furry friends to sweet rides, we've filmed a lot over the years, and we're just getting started.
How Animation Helps Provide Vaccine Education | Online Optimism
Online Optimism's Meara McNitt explains how animation is an economical way to communicate vital health information, like the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, to a wide audience.
St. Thomas Website Redesign
Our mobile-first redesign took center stage of our marketing campaign. Users on desktop and tablet devices were directed to appointment forms, and users on mobile devices were steered to call St. Thomas directly.
Our website relaunch was a stunning success. Every metric our team reviewed improved in a measurable fashion, from decreasing the bounce rate to increasing time on site.
Patients expressed satisfaction with the easy appointment system, and hundreds of conversions per month were delivered to the organization.
Cutting-Edge New Website for Sentient Digital, Inc
Sentient Digital, Inc. is a national technology solutions provider with offices in Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. SDi does work for government and commercial clients with capabilities ranging from cybersecurity to systems engineering to IT modernization. Following a company name change, an internal brand update, a reorganizing of its main capability areas, and the acquisition of RDA, Inc., SDi was in need of a new website that would incorporate the company’s recent changes and accommodate future expansions, too. Our team got to work crafting a website that represents SDi as a cutting-edge, growing company.
SHIFTING FOCUS TO NEW CAPABILITY AREAS
A major portion of this website build was displaying SDi’s newly reorganized capability areas front and center for potential customers and partners.
We highlighted these five capability areas in the main portion of the navigation menu, centering them as the primary content on the website, and we built an engaging grid showcasing them on the site’s home page, giving users two immediate paths towards these pages. Each of the capability areas is color coded, a subtle design feature that helps users differentiate between them. Using custom templates, we built five capability pages perfectly suited to the content they needed: each page has, among other features, a testimonial from a past client and a related blog post feed, as well as customized sections that include further information on that capability area.
ATTRACTING TOP TIER TALENT
Another priority for SDi in this website build was a built-out Careers section that would help attract potential candidates to apply for open positions. We included content on SDi’s company culture, benefits, commitment to hiring veterans, and diversity & inclusion efforts—all important points to hit for potential employees.
An Elevated Rebrand for Florman Tannen
Florman Tannen is a national consulting firm that works with healthcare providers to optimize their payer contracts and relationships. They serve a wide variety of providers, facilities, and vendors within the healthcare industry. Florman Tannen is a widely respected firm; however, its brand and website did not reflect its high level of expertise and professionalism. Florman Tannen approached our Design & Development and Social Media teams at Online Optimism for a complete visual rebrand, new sales collateral, a new website, and a LinkedIn audit.
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CREATING A NEW BRAND
Florman Tannen needed a new visual brand that would reflect the company’s professional, modern, relationship-based approach, and its status as a leader in the healthcare consulting field. After a few rounds of review, our Design team built a new brand that was professional yet warm, displaying a conservative sensibility moderated by a sense of modern dynamism.
BUILDING A NEW WEBSITE
We got to work building Florman Tannen’s new website, which, like its new brand, needed to display the company’s high level of professionalism and expertise. We focused on keeping the site simple and straightforward, matching Florman Tannen’s value of a no-nonsense way of doing business. We also strove to get the website as evergreen as possible, minimizing the need for Florman Tannen’s busy team to update the site. Finally, with their team spread across the country, few existing company photographs, and an inconsistent set of headshots, we worked intentionally with stock photography, custom iconography and graphics, and photo editing to keep the site-specific, consistent, and visually interesting.
Increase E-Commerce Revenue & ROI with Google Ads
As an industry leader in automotive lighting and accessories, ORACLE Lighting enjoys a strong online presence. However, resellers have used their products to muddy the waters on Google search, taking up valuable advertising real estate. While their previous agency produced profitable results, ORACLE Lighting was looking to get a higher ROI from their investment in digital marketing.
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STRATEGY & FEEDBACK
When we kicked off our campaign with ORACLE Lighting, we added Google Search ads with a strong focus on branded search, and this tactic significantly increased ROI and helped cut into reseller impression share. ORACLE Lighting now appears at or near the top of search results pages with text and product listing ads, in addition to organic listings. This gave them a much stronger hold over the search landscape and helped establish the company as the primary source for their products.
Additionally, the new Google Shopping campaigns utilized ten segmented product groups, compared to three in the company’s previous campaign. These groups were created based on more specific groups of products. As a result of the difference in bidding structure, more products are being shown for relevant searches.
RESULTS
When ORACLE Lighting approached us, the company’s previous campaign provided them with a 588% return on ad spend (ROAS). After just six months with Online Optimism, ROAS reached 933%.
Our dynamic branded search campaign funneled interest in the brand directly to the source. Core products and product groups also had their own campaigns to capture users that were higher in the funnel.
And in March of 2020, when the economy hit a downturn due to COVID-19, ORACLE Lighting’s sales dropped and had a ROAS of only 650% over a full month. However, our work before and during the crisis helped them to bounce back quickly with ROAS exceeding 1200%—the company’s best month yet.
Pivoting in a Pandemic
Central St. Matthew came to Online Optimism looking to fill their pews, choosing to reach new people through social media. However, the world shut down as their campaign was preparing to launch.
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SOLUTION
With less than two weeks until launch, the Online Optimism Social Media department pivoted the strategy and campaign for Central St. Matthew’s plan. A new page on their website was created to inform potential parishioners about their church and livestream services. Ads directed users through a funnel, with a final conversion to “attend” church on Facebook Live.
As Central St. Matthew wanted to push users to think and encourage safe behaviors, the posting strategy was re-assessed. Relevant posts about COVID-safe behaviors, the value of still attending church online, and reassuring messages about isolation and distancing became the focus of their pages.
Using Animation to Share Vital Health Information
Access Health Louisiana needed to share digestible information about services and health measures with their patients and community, but they didn’t have the internal bandwidth to create live-action videos. Online Optimism was able to step in and provide animated videos, even creating 2D versions of AHL’s doctors to star in two videos, and share them across social media.
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SOLUTION
With the Design and Social Media Departments collaborating, Online Optimism produced 17 animated videos in both English and Spanish over 15 months. Scripts were communicated through text animation or voice overs recorded by Access Health Louisiana’s own doctors (with Spanish recordings from a hired voice actor).
Once complete, videos were distributed across social media platforms as organic posts and advertisements, drawing awareness of the brand, their services, and health safety throughout the pandemic. Animations can also be formatted for television, which Access Health Louisiana chose for an animation featuring Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. MarkAlain Déry.
Our team’s animations have saved the Access Health Louisiana time and money that they otherwise would have spent producing in-house video clips. Adapting to animated videos on social media allowed their staff to focus on improving the health of Southeast Louisiana and stopping the spread of COVID-19, while we focused on spreading their message.
Bringing Headline Studio's Website to New Heights
Headline Studio is a content-first studio specializing in multi-platform strategies, from in-house content creation to high-end publication design and production. As part of Advance’s family of companies, Headline Studio puts their clients in front of millions of readers and consumers. Using their digital expertise, they help clients tell their stories in creative and innovative ways.
We were tasked with telling Headline Studio’s story by creating a new website that also put their clients and work front and center.
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Building a Business from Scratch
Mid City TMS wanted to bring in patients to their new clinic, drive traffic to their site, and establish themselves as a thought-leader in the medical community, all while starting without the benefit of an existing online presence.
Mid City TMS was a brand new medical facility offering treatment for depression. They had no website, social media presence, or online credibility. Mid City TMS had to build trust with potential patients if they ever wanted to get them in the door. Furthermore, their clinic is located in New York City in a region that has large, well-financed hospitals and medical groups vying for the same patients. How can we help a startup medical organization gain traction in a competitive market?
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SOLUTION
Our weekly blog posts on the Mid City TMS website helped embed long-tail keywords into the site that boosted the clinic’s relevance in the eyes of Google and other search engines. Searchers could now find Mid City TMS first if they looked for “Manhattan TMS Doctors” and other key terms.
Mid City TMS was featured in over a dozen high-value online publications including Huffington Post, Reader’s Digest, Bustle, and Thriveworks. These links boosted the clinic’s authority and increased organic search traffic to the site.
Web searchers began not only finding Mid City TMS through Google, but eventually converting to become recurring patients as well.
SEO on Display for Ogden Museum of Southern Art
While the Ogden Museum already had a recently redesigned website, our team performed an audit to help the museum use its site to its fullest potential. Following SEO best practices, our content team made technical and on-site changes to increase the visibility of the Ogden Museum’s website on search engines like Google and Bing. Our team focused on adding important website metadata, making adjustments to increase page-load speed, and setting up behind-the-scenes code that helps search engines more easily understand the content on the museum’s pages.
Their team was highly excited about the results, and potential, of their search engine optimized site.
Reviews
the project
Social Media Management for Healthcare Organization
"It is always easy to get in touch with a member of their strategy team or content creation team."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Access Health Louisiana is a 501c3 healthcare organization that provides services to underserved and underinsured communities in the south and central part of the state. Over the past 20 years, our organization has grown significantly with most of the growth happening within the past 5-10 years. Currently, I serve as Vice President of School Health and Strategic Media for Access Health Louisiana.
For what projects/services did your company hire Online Optimism?
We needed someone to manage our social media accounts and grow our brand recognition. We began focusing our efforts on Facebook and Instagram, and later expanded to LinkedIn. In an effort to engage our patients and the community, we took advantage of Online Optimism's animation services developing :15 second animations to promote specific service lines and events within our company.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We decided to outsource our social media marketing due to limited staffing and internal capabilities. A co-worker suggested Online Optimism as a great resource that could add value to our current marketing strategy. We contracted with Online Optimism in the early years of their company and have renewed our agreement each year since.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
After a kick-off meeting, Online Optimism helped us develop a strategy to best build our online presence. We chose to only share content from reputable health sources and to highlight individual team members on their successes with patients and health outcomes. Each week, Online Optimism develops a social media calendar and shares it with our marketing team for approval. We collaborate on posting ideas, as well as images to tell our story. Once the calendar is approved, Online Optimism handles the rest. They also monitor our social media channels for feedback from the public and respond with pre-determined answers. If a question needs more explanation, one of their strategists reaches out to me directly to formulate a response.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Over the years, we have worked with the CEO - Flynn directly, as well as other members of his leadership team and strategists. It is definitely a team effort to ensure the highest quality of online presence.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Hurricane season is unpredictable in south Louisiana. When a storm hits, you are never 100% sure of how the information will be distributed to patients. Online Optimism develops an emergency plan with the company. They have members out of state who can assist with posting important information about clinic closures, pharmacy deliveries, and more. During Hurricane Ida, we didn't miss a beat. We worked as a team with Online Optimism throughout the entire process both leading up to the storm, during, and after recovery efforts. Our patients stayed informed and appreciated the open lines of communication during a very difficult time in our state.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The workflow is streamlined. It is always easy to get in touch with a member of their strategy team or content creation team. In fact, every email or phone call I ever made to Online Optimism was returned promptly.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Everyone on Online Optimism's team is creative, supportive, and professional. You definitely get the feeling from working with them that it is a team collaboration. Their casual vibe makes creativity thrive. In fact, I love how they even implemented a bring your dog to work policy. For in office visits, you are always greeted by four-legged members of the team.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
We appreciate their monthly reports and data which help us determine what platforms and areas to focus on. The data also helps us see which types of posts resonate best with our followers to further engagement.
the project
SEO for Screenwriting Platform
"They have a scientific approach in their work, and they also write engaging content."
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 founder of a screenwriting platform where screenwriters or screenwriting enthusiasts can sign up, upload their screenplays, and receive feedback from their peers.
What challenge were you trying to address with Online Optimism?
Since launching our platform, most of our growth was organic — people found our site through word-of-mouth. We wanted to increase our users, so we were looking for someone to help us in marketing.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Online Optimism is managing our SEO efforts. They’re conducting keyword research, monitoring our Google Analytics performance, and handling our backlink campaign. They’re also creating blog posts that are aimed at our target audience.
What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with a content provider and an account manager.
How did you come to work with Online Optimism?
I found Online Optimism on a marketing aggregator website. The site asked me to enter my email and describe what I was looking for. After that, several marketing companies contacted me. I talked with several agencies, including Online Optimism. They were confident that they could help me reach my goals and grow my site, so I hired them.
How much have you invested with them?
I’ve spent between $7,000–$8,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve been working together since August 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Online Optimism has done a consistent job throughout our partnership. They have a scientific approach in their work, and they also write engaging content. We’ve received positive metrics regarding site engagement, click-through rate, and session time. Their blogs organically lead audiences to our site, and we’ve seen good results from their work.
How did Online Optimism perform from a project management standpoint?
Online Optimism’s project management has been reliable. We talk every Friday, but they’re available to meet any day. They’re very flexible and quick to respond to any questions or requests for changes. They’ve been on top of everything.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Online Optimism’s promptness is impressive — it’s difficult to find that reliability from providers nowadays.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Know your business and goals well, and believe in your ability to grow organically.
the project
Social Media Marketing for Nonprofit Organization
"We were impressed with how prompt Online Optimism was with their communication with us."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA) is the statewide coalition of 22 organizations providing direct services to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Our vision is of a South Carolina free from domestic violence and sexual assault and we work towards this from our foundational values of humility, leadership, credibility and collaboration
For what projects/services did your company hire Online Optimism?
We needed someone to help promote our sexual violence prevention website, Level Up for Change, through targeted ads and messaging aimed at youth, community educators, and parents. We needed a social media campaign that incorporates rick and protective factors, that most influence the beliefs and behaviors related to the prevention of sexual violence.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We posted our RFP, and after reviewing the candidates we were drawn to Online Optimism. Their proposal was expertly crafted offering us examples of other youth campaigns they had conducted, a firm timeline of when we could expect launches and updates, and finally they worked with some of our existing images and messages to show how their voice to be paired with ours.
Overall we felt confident that Online Optimism would be capable of providing a high quality, engaging campaign-we were right.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
After selecting Online Optimism, they were quick to send us onboarding materials to give us information on what they expected from us and what we could expect from them. We had an introductory meeting where we discussed the project, audience, and how we envisioned the project turning out.
From there we had bi-weekly meetings (this worked for us but they offer a variety of meeting schedules) where we would view the upcoming monthly ads, provide feedback, and review how active ads were performing.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Stephanie, Senior Social Media Strategist, Katherine, Digital Designer
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
In January the campaign we saw impressions on Snapchat rise over 50% and on Instagram nearly 80%. We saw a 69.7% increase in engagement for Snapchat, and overall reached nearly 100,000 people during the month. They also perfectly targeted our main audience of teens, and brought over 1,600 new users to the Level Up for Change Prevention website.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Throughout the whole process Online Optimism was providing us updates and information about the campaign. They were quick to make adjustments to ads when given feedback, and we never had to ask for anything. They lead the way for the project, and we were able to be engaged without feeling we were producing the project ourselves.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
We were impressed with how prompt Online Optimism was with their communication with us, and their ability to edit and create new ads based on our feedback. Prevention is a difficult topic, and we really appreciated their ability to understand and adapt to ensure messaging was geared towards sexual violence prevention.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
No, we were very happy with our services.
the project
Web Redesign for Nonprofit Organization
"They went above and beyond and have met all of our needs."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Operations Coordinator for the Technology Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization based out of Washington, D.C. I’m responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization, including the maintenance of our website.
For what projects/services did your company hire Online Optimism, and what were your goals?
We hired Online Optimism to redesign our aging website. Our goal was to have a website that showcased our work in a professional and innovative way. We also wanted to make sure the site was easy to maintain and made it easy for our users to discover content, events, and new episodes of our podcast.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We interviewed several potential developers, but a colleague and I really enjoyed Online Optimism's customer service, passion, and feedback loop. They were in constant communication throughout the project.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
We wanted a website that had the ability to add new publications and categorize them according to our key focus areas. We also wanted to integrate a calendar that allowed users to RSVP to events. The project also included audience persona creation, sitemap buildout, wireframing and prototyping, and development of the website. Their team even threw in some 3D animation to bring the website to life. We were provided with a timeline at the onboarding meeting, which included all milestones and expectations. Their team delivered a great-looking website that works beautifully!
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We worked directly with 3 people. Juan Pablo Madrid, Design Director, Sam Olmsted, Search & Content Director, and Flynn Zaiger, CEO.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
The outcome of this project was a well-crafted website that is easy to manage and maintain. It was built with future growth in mind and empowers our team to do their job and publish it with ease.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Their team was attentive and quick to respond to any questions. They were prepared during meetings and quickly sent follow-ups, and did not hesitate to communicate any challenges they were facing. Working with them felt very collaborative and straightforward.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
We were very happy to have direct communication with the team members that worked on our project and never had to go through an account manager or someone unfamiliar with our project. They brought our vision to reality and we're so grateful.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
No, not at all. They went above and beyond and have met all of our needs.
the project
Web Dev & Digital Marketing for Psychiatric Practice
"I feel like they’re my partners and are part of my team."
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 medical director of Mid City TMS, a psychiatric practice that provides a treatment for depression called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
What challenge were you trying to address with Online Optimism?
I needed help generating patients and increasing our brand presence. I also wanted to educate people that TMS was a good treatment option for depression and provide information to potential patients and medical practitioners that could refer people.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Online Optimism created our website. They asked for my input, and they built and hosted the site. They also helped us send mailings to referral sources, doctors, and therapists to inform them about our practice.
In addition, Online Optimism is writing 2–3 blog posts a month for our site, and their topics are primarily about depression and TMS. They also have contacts in the media, and they refer me to provide quotes to journalists writing about mental health and psychiatry.
What is the team composition?
Savannah (Content Associate) is our primary contact, but we’ve also worked with Sam (Managing Director) and Allyson (Content Specialist).
How did you come to work with Online Optimism?
I found them right when I was opening up my practice through Tulane University’s alumni magazine. There was an article about Online Optimism’s CEO who also graduated from my university. At the time, I was looking for a digital marketing partner, so I contacted him.
I like that I’ll be working with a company based in my hometown and headed by a Tulane University alumni. Their CEO was very receptive, and he seemed smart and dedicated — he had a team of people that all seemed great. They also had experience working with doctors and other medical practices, so I decided to work with them.
How much have you invested with them?
I pay them $2,600 per month. Their monthly fee includes everything such as website hosting, blog writing, and exposure to journalists.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in October 2017, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Online Optimism’s work positively impacts my goal of spreading the word about different treatment options for depression and educating the public about mental health issues. They’re also instrumental in helping me grow my practice.
With their help, we’ve been able to sustain the continued growth of our patients. Half of the people I treat have found us through our website — it’s an important part of maintaining our patient flow and business. The traffic on the website has progressively increased over the years.
How did Online Optimism perform from a project management standpoint?
Online Optimism is outstanding at project management — they’re receptive, available, and they proactively reach out for staffing concerns. They’re also swift with turnaround times and very responsive in getting back to me whenever I have a question or concern. We’ve consistently never encountered any delays, as their team is always on top of things.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Online Optimism has been genuinely engaged and interested in the project. They’re personable, and they demonstrate that they really care. I’ve never struggled to ask them to do what I needed them to do, and I also don’t have to hold back when they suggest an option that I disagree with. I feel like they’re my partners and are part of my team.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything. They’re outstanding.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Communicate your specific needs, and educate them about your niche. Feel comfortable expressing when you disagree with them.
the project
Social Media Marketing Service for Educational Organization
“The engagement feels more like a true partnership than a working relationship.”
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 state director for The Education Trust in Louisiana. We’re an organization that focuses on policies and advocacies in education as they relate to students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.
What challenge were you trying to address with Online Optimism?
One of our top priorities was dual enrollment in Louisiana. A government task force was created to understand the experience of our students and determine the barriers preventing them from accessing dual enrollment. We were a part of that conversation, and one of our goals was to increase our target audience’s knowledge about dual enrollment. Given that, Online Optimism helped us with a social media campaign around this type of enrollment.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We provided Online Optimism with general directives. Our team produced a one-page policy brief that captured all our priorities and recommendations for dual enrollment. We also provided student testimonials based on our interviews with students who had benefited from such an enrollment. On top of that, our team gave them a couple of research papers that were already on our website.
Then, the Online Optimism team used all of these to create social media content for us. Specifically, they created Instagram content and stories, pictures, and animations. They also produced content for Facebook. While Instagram and Facebook were our primary channels, the team also created content for Twitter.
At present, they continue to do these things for us. We also have one-on-one conversations with them around analytics and the results of what we’ve been doing.
What is the team composition?
My primary point of contact is Stephanie (Social Media Strategist). Apart from her, we’re also in touch with 3–5 team members.
During the kickoff meeting, I talked to 5–7 people from their team.
How did you come to work with Online Optimism?
I inherited the engagement from our previous director. That director had already engaged Online Optimism because she had done previous work with them. Then, I picked up the relationship from where we left off.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested between $6,000–$12,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in October 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve seen increased impressions on our Instagram content, along with an increase in the number of our followers. People not only from Louisiana but also from California have come across our content and inquired about the hows, the whys, and the whats of our work. Overall, the campaign has been well-received by our partners and stakeholders, thanks to the quality of Online Optimism’s work.
How did Online Optimism perform from a project management standpoint?
In terms of project management, the team is detailed, accessible, and invested in our project. Since they’re invested in what our organization is doing, the engagement feels more like a true partnership than a working relationship.
What did you find most impressive about them?
This isn’t my first time working with a communications consultant for a social media campaign, but Online Optimism has been beneficial to us in that they’ve been extremely flexible and invested in our campaign.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Online Optimism can simplify the data about the impressions and analytics they send us. The broken-down data is understandable for me because I understand social media. However, when I send it to other people in our organization, they usually have a lot of follow-up questions about the data. If Online Optimism can find a better way to present the data for beginners, that will be great.
the project
Google Ads & TikTok PPC for Internet & TV Association
“Online Optimism checked all of our boxes, and they were a joy to work with — I was so happy that I found them.”
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 Senior Director, Industry & Association Affairs at NCTA, the primary trade association for the Internet and TV industry in the US.
What challenge were you trying to address with Online Optimism?
NCTA runs a website called FamFriendly.com to promote online safety and parental controls that are offered by their member companies. We wanted to have new users on the website and create awareness for it. Specifically, our group wanted to get 75,000 new users to the site; we also aimed to create awareness among our target audience and policymakers.
What was the scope of their involvement?
In the beginning, Online Optimism and I discussed a number of ways in which we could reach our goal. We talked about doing Facebook, Reddit, and YouTube; however, keeping our budget and goals in mind, we decided that Google and TikTok ads were our best options.
To elaborate, Google Ads was our first obvious choice, but we wanted to try something new. As a result, we dug deep and evaluated each proposed option. The team gave me information about each platform’s users and metrics. After all that, we landed on TikTok.
Moreover, Online Optimism developed the ads’ copy and imagery. I sent them the materials we’d done in the past, including the colors and the assets we had on our website. From there, they put together all the creative materials on their own. For TikTok, they identified popular people on the platform who helped us in our campaign. They also scripted and produced the ads.
What is the team composition?
I worked with 4–5 people from Online Optimism. I talked to their CEO in the beginning, and after he passed me on to the entire team, I worked with Esteban (Digital Ads Director), Ariel (Digital Ads Associate), Meara (Social Media Director), and Shika (Social Media Strategist).
How did you come to work with Online Optimism?
I was looking for smaller agencies that had a deep understanding of the changing online platforms for advertising, especially among social media networks. It was something I didn’t have time to keep up with, so I decided to outsource it. With that in mind, I searched for teams with a DC office. I interviewed four agencies and narrowed my list down to two. Online Optimism was one of them, and they were highly transparent. They also understood what I was trying to do; our personalities were a good match.
Their ad spend proposal was what truly put them ahead of the other company. The team dedicated a significantly higher amount of budget to the ad spend than the other company. Moreover, their CEO made himself available to me. As he handed me off to the team, he made me feel confident that I could easily call him and expect a response if I needed something. That was how we started the partnership.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested around $25,000 in this partnership.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project lasted from August–November 2021. Our initial conversation started in August, and we kicked off the project in September; it was wrapped up in November.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
With Online Optimism’s help, we reached more than 100,000 users through Google Ads; about 3% of them stayed on the website for longer than two minutes. For our DC-specific campaign, we had 5,633 sessions, and about 2.41% of those were longer than two minutes.
Moreover, TikTok was also a success, but our money was much better spent on Google Ads. As a result, we stopped running TikTok campaigns after one month and pivoted all of our money into Google Ads.
How did Online Optimism perform from a project management standpoint?
Online Optimism’s project management was awesome. They were on top of everything, and the team paid attention to detail. Their resources were transparent and responsive, and they listened to me. Overall, they were incredibly communicative throughout the whole process.
Moreover, the team was highly goal-oriented and quick to respond to any questions I had. They explained topics that I was unfamiliar with, such as TikTok and how it could drive traffic for us. Simply put, they did an excellent job of helping me understand what I didn’t know.
In terms of tools, this was one of the few projects where I didn’t use any project management tools. We did use Google Documents, but we only talked every other week, and they sent me the results of the campaigns in PDF format. We communicated mainly by email and calls. In any case, they’d be willing to use any project management software if I wanted to use one. If I wanted to have weekly meetings, they’d also be willing to take that route.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The visualization of Online Optimism’s reports was highly polished. They weren’t just numbers; everything was visual and laid out nicely. Moreover, the team was willing to explain everything to us and gave us plenty of opportunities to ask questions. On more than one occasion, they offered to present the campaign’s information in any way I wanted or to someone else within our organization.
Overall, Online Optimism checked all of our boxes, and they were a joy to work with — I was so happy that I found them. I was also happy with the details they provided from the beginning to the end; everything they sent me was second to none.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They provided us with a lot of information. Sometimes, I didn’t want to read through seven pages of information. To be fair, they probably would have given me one-page reports had I asked for it.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be willing to ask questions about anything that you don’t know. Online Optimism has a lot of people with different expertise, so be prepared to come with your questions. They’ll answer them, and you'll have the opportunity to learn a lot from them.
the project
Content Marketing & SEO for Tech Services Provider
"It’s not unusual for them to go above and beyond in their work for us, just to help us out even more."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Business Development Manager for Sentient Digital, Inc., a technology services provider based in New Orleans, Louisiana, with offices across the US. I am the main contact for all marketing and design services from Online Optimism.
For what projects/services did your company hire Online Optimism?
We first approached Online Optimism with the goal of using content to educate potential clients and job candidates about our services and expertise. We needed content that could clearly convey our value to a sophisticated audience; at the same time, we needed to get our name and expertise shared online in order to expand our reach and web presence. Online Optimism’s team developed a content marketing and SEO campaign that predominantly involves blogging, custom infographics, and link building, as well as social media, which we added on later.
About two years after beginning our partnership with Online Optimism, in the midst of a company name change, an internal brand update, a reorganizing of our main capability areas, and our acquisition of RDA, Inc., we were in need of a new website that would incorporate our recent changes and accommodate future expansions, too. We hired Online Optimism’s Design & Development team to build our cutting-edge new website, sdi.ai, which launched in November 2021.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We were already using Online Optimism for blog writing and support with our corporate LinkedIn account. We had a good idea of the quality of technical writing and saw examples of other websites they had created. It was an easy decision to choose Online Optimism when we decided to revamp our website.
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
Our partnership with Online Optimism began with a combination of blogging and link building; with time, we’ve added custom infographics and social media marketing, too. Our campaigns run in 6-month blocks, which the OO team optimizes based on the results we’ve gotten from past campaigns. The content that Online Optimism’s team develops for our blog and social media rotates between a variety of topics appealing to our different audiences, and they’re always flexible with including content that may be more timely or become a priority for us.
They often interview our team members to help produce content even more effectively. Part of their deliverables include detailed monthly reporting on the results of their campaigns, with which we have always been satisfied. The deliverables for our website project included audience personas to represent our main users, a strategic sitemap to organize our site’s content, copywriting and editing across the site, wireframes to establish a design direction, and the final developed website.
At launch, we received a website manual detailing how to update our site, which the OO team walked us through at our virtual website training, as well as a year of complimentary support for the site. The site launched at the exact budget that we received in the proposal.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Lauren Walter, Search & Content Director Shika Lakshman, Social Media Strategist Claire Escobedo, Digital Designer Amanda McCrea, Content Associate Flynn Zaiger, CEO
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
As our business has grown, so have our marketing needs. Online Optimism has been the perfect fit to help us adapt our strategies and expand our online presence. In our most recent 6-month marketing campaign, we had over 48,000 visits to our website, a 143% increase compared to the previous 6 months.
84% of our website traffic came from organic search, and 17 of our blog posts had a #1 ranking on Google, with many appearing in Featured Snippets as well. We are over the moon about our new website! It has the striking aesthetics we were looking for that reflect our exciting, innovative, and sophisticated work.
At the same time, it balances a wealth of new content we want to share with prospective clients, partners, and job candidates, prioritizing intuitive and easily navigable user paths for each audience. Not to mention, several years’ worth of blog content we had built on our old site was seamlessly migrated to the new one, and along with it, the valuable SEO gains we had achieved. Our team couldn’t be happier.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Online Optimism’s team has been incredibly communicative throughout our partnership, with a strict attention to detail and a clear commitment to meeting our goals. We receive monthly marketing reports—including data from Google Analytics for website performance, Moz for keyword performance, and LinkedIn for social performance—to keep us informed of our marketing campaigns’ gains.
Throughout the website project, we had weekly calls with the OO team to discuss our progress and approve deliverables, followed by emails with action steps for both their team and ours. They created a website progress tracker to keep track of all content and developed pages for the site in one place, so we always knew exactly where we were in the process, what was ready for our review, what we had approved, etc.
Even with some delays on our end in gathering content for the site, their team stayed on top of our project, adjusting our timeline as needed and always keeping on the right side of deadlines.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The OO team is not only capable, knowledgeable, and efficient. Everyone we’ve worked with on their team is friendly and positive, and it’s clear that they really care about us as a partner. It’s not unusual for them to go above and beyond in their work for us, just to help us out even more.
We love that we can work with a single digital marketing partner for services ranging from SEO to social media marketing, web design & development to long-form blogging. Online Optimism’s team is incredibly responsive, sending us regular updates, maintaining open channels of communication, and always responding promptly to more immediate requests.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Nothing! Project went incredibly smoothly.
the project
SEO & PPC for HR Company
"It’s almost like they’re my in-house employees doing work under my direction."
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 Canal HR, a professional employer organization that provides big business benefits to small businesses. Our services include workers’ compensation through payroll and ancillary products such as medical, dental, vision, and other insurance that people need in addition to 401k.
What challenge were you trying to address with Online Optimism?
We had been pushing our marketing efforts online, and we needed help in SEO. We wanted to make sure that our website was ranking high and generating leads.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We gave Online Optimism a history of what we’ve been doing. They found that our previous vendor only did Google Ads and didn’t work on our SEO performance.
Online Optimism then started implementing improvements to the entire website. They hosted our site and added new content on all its pages. We meet every two weeks to keep tweaking our platform. Additionally, they’ve taken over our PPC campaigns.
What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with six teammates.
How did you come to work with Online Optimism?
I looked around for companies doing SEO. Whenever I mentioned Online Optimism, I always heard positive responses.
How much have you invested with them?
I’ve spent around $80,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in December 2019, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our website’s search engine ranking has improved, and we’ve even placed first for multiple search terms. The amount of leads from our website has increased by 25%.
How did Online Optimism perform from a project management standpoint?
Online Optimism is very good at project management. I always praise them during our meetings because they fill us in on their plans and thoughts. They pass everything by us before doing anything — it’s almost like they’re my in-house employees doing work under my direction.
What did you find most impressive about them?
We’re delighted with Online Optimism. Everything has been going well with our partnership.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything. Whenever we have issues, we can discuss them during our meetings.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Make sure you’re having constant meetings, and you’re checking their work.
the project
Web Dev and Design for World Trade Organization
"They treated me like I was their most important client in every interaction."
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 am the vice president of marketing and communications for the World Trade Center of New Orleans. We are a membership organization with about 200 company members and close to 1300 individual representatives of companies who belong to our membership. A lot of what I do is related to event planning and coordinating programmatic and educational events for our members.
What challenge were you trying to address with Online Optimism?
We had a really outdated WordPress website. I was looking to modernize it and increase functionality on the backend. We also needed frontend improvements focused on UX. I had a vision of making the website more modern and cleaner with larger fonts.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They were instrumental in the creative process of building our website. There are over 300 world trade centers, and we had to match their branding guidelines, but I also wanted our website to have its own twist and highlight and showcase New Orleans. I gave Online Optimism the branding guidelines from the World Trade Center Association, and I told them about my basic ideas, but as far as the design went, I didn’t have a ton of ideas of what exactly they should do.
Their team came up with the fonts that fit the guideline, would look the best on the website, and would be the easiest to read. They helped us decrease the number of pages from 100 to about 30 on the website, and they helped to showcase our three main focus areas: education, connection, and advocacy. I had sent them some samples of other World Trade Center sites that I liked, and they took some of the elements of those other sites and implement them in ours. For example, the World Trade Center of Denver is known for the mountains. Their website has a mountain outline on the homepage of their site and every other page. I wanted something similar, and one of their team members, JP (Design Director, Online Optimism) created the city skyline silhouette by hand.
We were concerned about having to pay for stock images and related art, as we didn’t have a ton of photos in-house that were good enough to be on the homepage of our website. Since Online Optimism is a social media company and has a lot of clients that work in downtown New Orleans, they used some stock imagery that they already owned for our site, which I felt was really helpful. They took my simple vision and went 100 miles past that.
What is the team composition?
JP did the majority of the work and was our main point of contact. Flynn (CEO, Online Optimism) was helpful as well with business-related questions.
How did you come to work with Online Optimism?
I knew Flynn from my previous position.
How much have you invested in them?
We spent under $5,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project went from August 2018–January 2019.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our members and board love the website. They were really excited about the increased functionality because they need our website for event registration. We are really thankful it is where it is now. When the website launched in August, the number of users increased 1,468.2% just in that one month, and we continued to see steady improvements. The bounce rate decreased by 71% in that first month.
We saved $300 a month thanks to the functional backend they delivered, as we used to pay for maintenance each month. Those savings have been helpful for us, since we’re a nonprofit, and being able to make those changes in-house has saved us time as well.
Flynn came in and met with me. He looked at the backend of our site and the integration and realized that WordPress integrates with our CRM the best, although I was more comfortable with Squarespace. I expressed major concerns that I had with him about personally having to learn WordPress and having to use it when I wanted to make small edits to the site. Although I tried to convince them that Squarespace might have been the best, they took a holistic look at our situation and advised us on what would be best while still meeting my need to make edits easily on the backend. They implemented a WordPress plugin called WPBakery, which functions as a frontend editor. I can now edit right on the page if I am logged in. It’s really easy.
Once we launched the website, Flynn included two hours of website maintenance a month as a service from his company for a year. One of my worries was that the website would launch and that I wouldn’t know how to use something on the backend or would have questions, but having that support made us comfortable letting our previous maintenance vendor go.
How did Online Optimism perform from a project management standpoint?
They were fantastic. We were the ones holding things up because we had several events that delayed our response time. They were great and weren’t pushy about following up as they understood our situation. They met every deadline.
We had a short delay on our end when we had to decide whether to change our hosting service. Online Optimism went above and beyond on that issue as well and even offered to pay the increased hosting fee for us just so we could try it out. They never pressured us to switch back, and they said they were willing to do that for as long as it took us to get an answer from our board as to whether or not we could switch over to the more expensive hosting service. They were really helpful.
We mostly communicated over email or we met in person. There weren’t too many people involved, so I don’t think we needed to use a project management tool.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re highly responsive. I never waited for more than a couple of hours for an email response even at night, and they always had a very thorough answer. We never had to explain ourselves too much when asking a question. It didn’t take much for me to explain what my vision was for the website in terms of design or even functionality. It was nice to work with people who just understand what we mean.
They are very technical people. Some of the other companies I met were definitely not as sociable and spoke at a level that could be above people’s heads. Online Optimism doesn’t do that. No question is a silly one, and they are able to explain things in a way that anyone could understand regardless of their technical background. It made a huge difference for us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, we’re very satisfied.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Don’t be afraid to ask for anything. With Online Optimism, you don’t have to be afraid to ask. If it is possible, they will make it happen. We had a really tall order for them, but they handled it with class and professionalism and never made it seem like it was overwhelming for them. Even though we weren’t their highest-paying client, they treated me like I was their most important client in every interaction. I would tell a potential client to not be afraid to ask for exactly what you are looking for. Send them some samples of websites you like, and they will make it happen if they can.