Patchboard

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Sr. Sales & Marketing Manager, primarily in charge of admissions marketing and any digital marketing.

For what projects/services did your company hire Patchboard, and what were your goals?

We had taken ownership of another company and had two separate websites that we needed to combine. On top of that, our websites were designed long ago and regularly re-skinned to look updated, but the underlying code was terribly inefficient, slow, and not optimized with structured data for SEO.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had been partnering with Patchboard for PPC management services for years and built up trust with their team. When we decided to outsource the new site, we began researching and interviewing companies and settled on Patchboard due to their proven success with other local businesses and our previous working relationship.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a meeting to discuss our goals with the site and how Patchboard could help us achieve them. They educated us on the benefits of structured data, streamlined content and website speed as major factors in user experience and SEO. Their team researched prominent questions regarding our industry and helped us create FAQ sections that would help us show up in google snippets and drive more traffic to our site. They then custom built the site and CMS for us to make it super easy to manage and keep up to date. When we launched, all of our team was impressed with how user-friendly everything was.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I'm not exactly sure of their titles, but we worked with the developer, the owner (who managed the entire project), and a content editor/writer.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

It's tough to measure the specific outcomes since we combined two sites into one, but we have seen huge numbers of clicks to our "book an appointment" page.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The Patchboard team was always available, no matter what time of day to answer any questions we have. Whether it was a mid-day email or a late night text, they were there. They utilized Google Suite to facilitate communication and review of progress.

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

Our industry is unique in that we serve two separate types of clients (service guests and admissions prospects) and they were able to balance that impeccably in the new design, utilizing a system of determining the website visitor's intent to serve them content catered to their needs. Their willingness to learn about and understand our industry in order to best solve our unique challenges makes them a great partner to work with.

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

Nothing, I can't wait until our next project!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

PromoWest Productions is a concert promoter. I am the marketing director for our concert venues in Columbus, Ohio and Newport, Kentucky. We also have a venue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and another one opening soon. We also hold a music festival during the summer. I place all of the advertising for any and every show and special event that comes through our venues.

What challenge were you trying to address with Patchboard?

We are working with Patchboard to create a website for our new venue in Kentucky.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a lot of initial brainstorming sessions together to figure out the best way and most accessible way to present our events to the public. We do close to 700 shows a year in our Columbus venues alone so Patchboard is creating a centralized website that could encompass and cater to all of our venues, including the ones we’re planning to open in different cities. They’re building the site from scratch on the WordPress platform and making it easy to navigate for people looking to purchase tickets.

On the other side of that, the team is also working on the backend where we put up so many announcements. They’ve made it possible for us to schedule shows in advance, post at later dates, and ensure that the links for buying tickets actually go to the ticket seller’s website.

The team has also developed two apps: one for the music festival and one for our entire company.

Although we have an in-house graphic designer, the team still gives input about what would look better in terms of readability and other factors. They would strategically place links throughout the website, making the layout accessible and functional.

What is the team composition?

I only directly worked with two people, Nathan (Partner) and Ian (Owner).

How did you come to work with Patchboard?

Our relationship with Patchboard started when we purchased Bunbury Music Festival, an event that normally takes place every June. The previous owner of the festival hired Patchboard to help with the Bunbury website so that’s when the introduction came in. Then, when our core company needed a website and an app, they helped us launch those a few years ago. 

Our current project is quite big, but luckily, one of the guys at Patchboard used to work at a music venue in Cincinnati and knew what we were looking for. They also had a local music website where they could help us pick local bands which made them a natural fit for our website revitalization project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested close to $30,000, probably more.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in January 2016.

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

Our box office person who posts shows loved the backend. It’s very simple and user-friendly, especially seeing as there are only 2–3 of us working on website projects. 

I haven’t gotten a ton of feedback from customers, but nobody has complained about it either. At least, from my perspective, when I go to the website, it’s pretty easy to find what you’re looking for, which is a big thing. Through the website, I could easily find and purchase tickets for any show at any of our venues. 

How did Patchboard perform from a project management standpoint?

Nathan and Ian are fantastic. Especially with COVID-19, we’ve had to put so many different messages out. They’ve been so great at getting things up as soon as possible during the early stages of the pandemic. There is always a clear deadline, and they’re forthcoming when they’re unable to meet it or if there are any issues. There hasn’t been a task that their team has not been able to do.

I find them to be very patient. I’m not a web person, so I’ve had to go to them with a lot of questions. The communication between us is always great and has become simpler now that Patchbord knows what we’re looking for. They respond to our emails within an hour or two every time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Building a new venue in the pandemic put us in a unique position, and Patchboard has been helpful with trying to get messages across. They know our business inside and out. They’re very understanding and offer to brainstorm or talk us through any problem.

I could not think of better partners to have, and I wouldn’t want to give them up. It doesn’t seem like I’m working with a company; I look at them as a part of my own team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything. I’ve been super pleased with our relationship. However, I would suggest that they simplify terms for people who aren’t technologically savvy. This is a very minimal thing, and I suppose I could educate myself a little bit better on those topics.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend Patchboard to anybody. They’re very understanding, patient, and super easy to work with. They really give their 110%  and are experts in what they do. If you’re going to start a new project with them, I would suggest you adopt a partnership mindset. Listen to their advice and take what they have to say into consideration.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Publisher of Cincinnati CityBeat and Organizer of many themed weeks in Cincinnati, OH.

For what projects/services did your company hire Patchboard, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a mobile app that would allow users to visit participant locations while earning points along the way. Also - the app allowed consumers to browser the offerings, plan their routes and engage with sponsors thus earning more points and increasing ROI for our partners.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We've worked with them for many years on other products. It all comes down to trust, expertise and execution. They were passionate about our success, and really it showed.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had numerous discovery meetings sharing our goals and expectations of how we wanted this app to look, feel and ultimately work. We had a tight window of time to turn this around ( 1 month ) and they pulled it off. We are already exploring 5 more event apps in market.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2 - Co-owners and operators.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We went in with a hope of a certain amount of app downloads. We increased that expectation by 100%. Consumers enjoyed downloading, entering contests and being able to notify them with push notifications if a client was out of a specific item, had a 2 hour wait etc.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The communication and responsiveness is unrivaled.

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

They were fast, responsive and an absolute pleasure to work with. You truly feel is if they are a part of your team and vice versa. Our success is their success.

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

With everything new - there are always things to be learned along the way. We discovered and held a post event feedback meeting in order to add new elements in the future and make the experience even better going forward for the user.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Marketing for a Music Promoter.

For what projects/services did your company hire Patchboard, and what were your goals?

We had a brand new venue being built and needed a website that was aesthetically appealing, but easy to navigate and presented a lot of information in an easy to read manner.

How did you select Patchboard and what were the deciding factors?

We have used Patchboard for several other of our venue websites in the past, and their knowledge of both the programming side as well as their in-depth knowledge of the music/entertainment industry make them our go-to web developers.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had an initial meeting to go over design ideas and what our ultimate goals were, and we definitely looked to them for guidance on making this website as technologically up to date as possible. The next step was getting the initial design schemes and layout and then tweaking as needed.

How many people from the Patchboard team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Two. The head developer and head partner of the company.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have received lots of positive feedback from users of the website and we could not be happier with the final product.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I cannot say enough good things about their communication, response time to questions and their flexibility when it vcame to making slight changes to the initial design. I have worked with other companies in the past and it would take days to get a response, that has never been my experience with Patchboard.

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

They are a locally owned company that is invested in their clients. They took pride in the products to produce quality results.

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

None!

Please describe your company and your position there.

DiaZam is a SaaS company with software to help the event industry rapidly diagram event layouts. I'm the founder of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Patchboard, and what were your goals?

We had done some internal development, but parted ways with our developer. Patchboard was able to come in, update the software, and get some buggy features working. We had a tight deadline for an investor meeting and they wrapped up the work quickly.

How did you select Patchboard and what were the deciding factors?

I've known the guys at Patchboard for several years. They've done some other development for me in the past. When the company had and internal issue, I knew they were the company to call.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The were able to update the server to the latest version of drupal, make sure all the code worked with the newest version of drupal, fix the map integration with Next, and take care of a few other bugs in the software.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked with Ian who is the project manager and Nathan who is the lead developer.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Within a very short time period, Patchboard was able to get our SaaS up and running again. We've had no issues with the software as we beta test.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

The guys at Patchboard are easy going and we initially discussed what needed to be done over the phone. After that, we used email to work through things in detail.

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

I think the quick turnaround was the most impressive thing. I did talk to a few other companies so I would have a benchmark and most developers said it would take a couple weeks and cost twice as much.

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

Based on this project, no.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager for Fountain Square, a Civic Space that hosts events and is located in Downtown Cincinnati.

For what projects/services did your company hire Patchboard?

Display ad campaign on Facebook and Google.

What were your goals for this project?

Drive traffic to our website and ultimately book a session at our ice rink.

How did you select Patchboard?

I've worked with Patchboard on a handful of campaigns across the entities I work for and have been happy with their pricing and processes.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Patchboard helped to run very successful Display Ad campaigns across Facebook and Google for several entities I work for including Fountain Square and the Fountain Square Ice Rink.

They made things easy and turnkey for us and we saw great results and great timely reporting. We created the ads and they handled the targeting, placement, reporting, and more. Highly recommend!

What was the team composition?

I've worked most closely with Ian who is always happy to answer my questions, offer advice and talk me through anything I don't understand.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We saw great reach and click throughs on our campaign. We had a very successful ice rink season and I think the ads Patchboard ran greatly contributed to that.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Since this isn't a huge project, it was just Ian and myself working together. I let him know our goals, he made recommendations and let me know what elements he needed from us to make it happen.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were easy to work with, friendly, and delivered great results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None I can think of!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own and operate an independent music venue and events center.

For what projects/services did your company hire Patchboard?

We host concerts and other events multiple times per week and had hit an impasse with our onine advertising campaigns. Patchboard literally came to our rescue, overseeing the campaigns and getting much better results than we had been.

How did you select this vendor?

I had previous professional experience with the Patchboard staff.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They specifically worked with us to get more attention for our online ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.

What was the team composition?

I've worked closely with Ian B. to direct and manage our ad campaigns for the best results.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've seen a dramatic increase in online interest in our events and that has transformed into increased ticket sales for our events.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very efficient and effective. We had one in person meeting and were able to manage the remainder of the work online. Their communication is strong and responsive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The ease and timeliness with which we are able to discuss and implement the campaign are outstanding.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

I look forward to working with Patchboard for many years to come.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director Client Development for Tremor

For what projects/services did your company hire Patchboard, and what were your goals?

Digital Marketing and SEO Audit

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We've worked with Patchboard on other projects and appreciate their knowledge, transparency, and efficiency.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

We asked Patchboard to work with a monthly budget and run all paid media accounts including Google and Social Media for 4 months. We also asked him to take a month and perform an SEO audit on our client website.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Ian Bolender - Lead

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The SEO audit resulted in an impressive level of insight and detail, as well as very actionable next steps. The paid media spend increased conversions/awareness month over month.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Patchboard works through email, phone, and text and are easy to reach. Patchboard created a timeline at the beginning of the project and met every deadline and milestone.

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

Patchboard's expertise and consultative approach were valuable and integral to each campaign we run. They consistently provide great work even across the different industries we serve and never hesitate to fully understand each of our client’s businesses. We appreciated the knowledge, transparency, and efficiency of the team.

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

n/a