REQ

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at a cloud, cybersecurity, and digital transformation services provider.

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

Our company has grown substantially over the past several years and through acquisition. We were at a point where we needed to raise awareness and increase the company's reputation. 

We rebranded in late 2021, launching a new narrative and product positioning. We needed to go out and start telling our brand story more strategically. One of the best ways to do that is through PR, so we brought REQ on board to help us share our story, position us as a thought leader in our industry, and help with general awareness and reputation management.

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ provides us with PR support. First, we gave them a lot of background information, including the brand book, style guide, and past content. They also had scheduled source calls with executives, technical leaders, and myself to get the team onboarded. We gave them our company messaging and branding and information about our product, industry space, and competitive analysis.

Their work includes media relations support, pitching, drafting bylines for press coverage, coordinating interviews, and coaching spokespeople. They also provide social media support; they draft content for our social media channels to help amplify earned media coverage. REQ also does general content writing for content marketing purposes. 

We work on a retainer, so they have a monthly allotted set of hours. They help us with strategy and report on the impacts of our PR efforts. Their reports include the amount of coverage and reach, our verticals, and how often our spokespeople are being used. 

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from REQ: Lisa (EVP of PR), Casey (Account Director of PR), and Samantha (Assistant Account Executive of PR). 

How did you come to work with REQ?

Our CMO had worked with them previously from a content perspective. She connected me with REQ’s PR arm, and we had a pitching process where we looked at them and a couple of other agencies. We decided to go with REQ, given their industry expertise and flexibility. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Before this engagement, we didn’t have a PR program; we had no earned media coverage or thought leadership strategy. REQ has been able to secure a steady stream of 4–5 high-quality monthly placements, which is very good. 

Our internal stakeholders and clients have noticed that our company is more visible. We’ve gained brand recognition for what we’re about, our offer, and our thought leadership opposition. The REQ team has gotten us more in the public eye in a very meaningful way.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

They have solid project management. The team is very organized and responsive. REQ has the logistics of the account management down pat when it comes to weekly meetings, regular tracking, reporting, and monthly and quarterly plans. Overall, they operate very smoothly. 

As a cybersecurity company, most of our systems are fairly locked down, so we use a shared Excel file to track things for simplicity.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because of REQ’s size, we get a lot of senior-level participation and involvement in our account, which we don’t typically see at larger agencies. We appreciate that Lisa is always available and very hands-on with the strategy. Their highly experienced roles balance the creativity and the energy of some of the more junior team members, which is a differentiator. 

Additionally, they work fast. Typically when ramping an agency, it takes 3–6 months to see results because the agency is learning, and teams tend to be a bit more junior. Meanwhile, it took REQ half that time to get up to speed with our business, brand, and what we were trying to accomplish together. The agility and flexibility of the team are outstanding. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When it comes to earned media, they could improve the speed of creative ideas. They should continue pushing for how to creatively tell a story in a way relevant to mainstream media and our vertical audiences. This is the feedback I’d give any PR agency, though, because the media landscape is always rapidly changing, and things that are grabbing headlines happen quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise you to have an internal resource with the time and bandwidth to partner with REQ. When you have an agency like them than can move fast and provide senior strategic direction, you need someone who can help coordinate. This resource should understand how PR works so that the team can spend less time educating and more time executing strategy. 

I would also suggest treating REQ as a partner; they’re there to help executive coaching. The team will provide advice and strategy on what’s trending in the market, so ensure you’re coming at it with an open mind. It would be best to focus on what’s relevant and interesting to readers and viewers, not what’s interesting to your product team. At the end of the day, PR isn’t advertising, and it’s always about the story.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm VP of marketing for a mid-size technology services and SaaS company that serves state, local and federal government agencies.

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

We've been working with REQ for 5+ years. When our firm was acquired by a larger company in May of 2021, we asked REQ to expand our PR and thought leadership strategy to help us promote the acquisition and to help us generate more brand awareness for the larger firm.

How did you select this vendor?

REQ has been a reliable partner for us for 5+ years, so I was confident that they would continue to be an asset for us as a larger company post-acquisition.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

REQ helped us promote the acquisition, securing positive coverage in many important publications in our industry. They've also helped us create a steady stream of web content, bylined articles, interviews/thought leadership opportunities that have moved the needle on our brand awareness among our target audiences.

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

I've work directly with their Executive Vice President and 2-3 Account Managers or Account Executives.

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

We've secured bylines in a number of important publications in our space and seen strong SEO and engagement performance from the content that REQ has helped us create.

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

We met weekly, and the team gave us a detailed report with deliverables, progress, roadblocks, etc. We also communicate via email and Slack throughout the week.

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

Strong writing, great media contacts, and willingness to be flexible based on our shifting priorities.

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

Nope!

Please describe your company and your position there.

Macro Solutions is a woman-owned information technology and management consulting firm that helps government organizations select, implement, modernize, integrate and maintain critical end-to-end business solutions. I am the Marketing and Communications Manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire REQ?

We are continually needing to develop a better web presence. We also needed a firm to help with content creation, blogs, capability briefs, whitepapers, website content, and graphics creation. Basically, all things digital marketing.

How did you select this vendor?

REQ has been a consultant of our starting in 2015.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

REQ runs a full-service marketing operation for us. We consult them on almost everything from editing, content creation, rebranding, graphics creation. They also help us with advertising and SEO/Web presence. We really lean on REQ for most everything marketing.

What was the team composition?

We have a few contacts at REQ but Katie is our main point of contact. There are a handful of other folks who work on various projects, depending on the project.

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

Anything and everything we have given them has been completed on time and better than expected! They have come in above the bar, every time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Effective! We have bi-weekly meetings with the team, as well as email updates throughout. Communication is impeccable and we have all become really close, co-workers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are on point with our company, who we are, what we are trying to do, what we stand for, and what we need. They are a great partner!

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

I miss having our own creative person. Before the pandemic, we were assigned our own graphic artist named Jenna. She was BRILLIANT! She totally understood everything we were looking for and knocked it out of the park every time. This is not to say the creative team now isn't good. I just prefer to have a working relationship with someone and it seems to take a bit longer for creative outcomes.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the vice president for digital media and PR for Carahsoft, an IT distributor that focuses on the public sector market. In 18 years, Carahsoft has become the fastest growing, most respected IT solutions provider in the nation. Our 2021 bookings crossed $10B and we now employ 2200 team members.

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

Carahsoft works in an incredibly complex market, that involves supporting a robust and growing ecosystem of thousands of reseller partners, system integrators, IT solutions providers and a deep portfolio of contract vehicles. We hired REQ to help position and promote Carahsoft's brand and to be able to provide their expertise and services to our vendors as well.

How did you select this vendor?

We have a long-standing relationship with one of their executives and REQ has a great reputation in the business-to-government market.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We've worked with REQ for 14 years, expanding the scope of their efforts year after year. In the past year alone, we worked with REQ on 100+ projects, supporting 24 vendor programs plus multiple projects for Carahsoft. The REQ team also runs our awards program and last year, we applied for 73 awards and won 60%.

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

• Elizabeth, EVP
• Katie, EVP
• Pete, Editor
• Lily, Assistant Account Exec.

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

The number of projects grows every year, and each year we have more vendors that are interested in partnering with REQ on award programs, content creation, contributed articles, etc.

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

Pre-Covid, Katie and Lily actually had office hours biweekly at the Carahsoft Headquarters building. They provide detailed monthly tracking reports, and are available by phone as frequently as we need them.

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

The REQ team truly functions as an extension of Carahsoft's PR/communications team. I've been impressed with their commitment to high-quality work, their ability to understand and translate complex technology topics, their responsiveness, and especially their strong writing skills.

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

I keep trying to talk Katie into moving into our office, but I haven't quite gotten her there yet!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing operations manager for Inova Health System, a healthcare system with five major hospitals and many outpatient studies. We serve the DMV area and have over 20,000 employees.

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

Our marketing team was about 30 people, so we really needed some help with our service line campaign to get our information out to the public.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we partnered with REQ for one campaign, but we worked so well together that we started bringing them into others. For instance, we had a big cancer center opening and ongoing services — such as our new movers program so people new to the area can know about us — that we needed the public to know about.

To start each project, we provide a creative brief for the campaign. Also, they talk to the marketing managers leading the service line to understand more about the program so the creative is aligned with the needs. We have kickoff meetings, and then we have weekly check-ins.

In general, they focus on advertising and branding services. Most of the initiatives are for lead generation — we try to get patients into the door. Additionally, they do channel creation. If we run a radio ad, they develop the script; if we do digital advertising, they create the ad from the creative concept to the content and what it looks like. On the other hand, we have a media buyer, so they just develop what’s placed.

What is the team composition?

Katie (VP of Client Service) is our senior account manager; we mostly work with her. However, since we started to engage them in most of our campaigns, they brought in Megan (Account Executive) as a second account manager.

We’ve also worked with high-level leadership, such as Avelyn (EVP of Strategy & Development), and some designers and people on the creative team. In total, we’ve been in contact with 5–7 people.

How did you come to work with REQ?

A member of our team randomly began to search agencies in the area. We didn’t have contact with REQ before, but we looked at them online and saw that they met our needs and had good reviews, so we reached out to them. On the first project, we actually talked to three agencies, but we selected REQ.

We liked their personality, creative input, and content related to healthcare. It was important to be clear and concise so patients could understand it. We gave them creative briefs, and they listened to what we asked for. Also, they acted like we were part of the team, so it felt super comfortable to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

We have impression numbers for each campaign, but I don’t have them offhand. However, our executives and team members are super happy with the quality of the work, which is a big deal. Moreover, we haven’t stopped using them. We only anticipated working with REQ for one campaign, and now we have six campaigns running. 

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

We love their project management — it’s one of the main reasons we like them. Not only do they hit timelines, but they actually remind us if we’re running behind internally. They help us stay in line and speak up like they’re part of the team on the weekly calls. At first, they were very respectful, but as we got to know each other, they began to make suggestions if something didn’t fit the campaign.

They’ve been willing to jump into our project management tool, which has been really helpful. We’ve never met in person due to COVID-19, so we’ve done all our meetings via Zoom. They show their face and are super engaging with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their engagement at any level is outstanding. For example, we’re currently doing a nursing recruitment campaign, and Avelyn has made herself available. If they know we need a bit more face time from their team, they dedicate that time. Also, sometimes we have last-minute requests and same-day meetings, and they always make sure that at least one person can join the calls. Overall, they feel like they’re part of our team rather than just an agency we’re working with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, they were a little less vocal. We had a project where they had alternate views; they could’ve spoken up, and we could’ve saved some time. However, we needed to grow our relationship first. Other than that, we don’t have any issues. Working with them is great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Making them part of the team is the best way to go. The more inclusive you can be with your agency, the better. That way, they can really get to know who you are internally so they can be a better partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of communications for Mattermost.

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We needed help with our public sector and government relations.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They engaged us with a focused PR program to increase our visibility within both the federal government and public sector agencies. REQ has taken the lead on creating press releases, blog posts, and promotional videos. Their other specific products are customer case studies and award submissions.

What is the team composition?

Katie (Senior Vice President) is our main point of contact, and I also work with Samantha (Public Relations Assistant Account Executive).

How did you come to work with REQ?

They were referred to me before I started at Mattermost by a former co-worker.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2021.

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

Their writing is very powerful and has received high marks from our CEO and executive team. Their efforts have increased the number of earned media placements within government technology publications, and they’ve also helped scale our marketing and customer engagement activities across our government customer accounts.

Their writing contributions have helped boost our overall thought leadership as well. There isn’t a direct correlation there, but we make the case that by driving more PR placements and article coverage, they’ve increased our overall web and social media traffic across the board, but, specifically, in government employees.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent at project management, and especially setting strong agendas for meetings and scaling activities across multiple internal and external stakeholders. We communicated over Google Docs, Zoom, phone calls, and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have deep expertise working with government, technology, media, and publications, so they have a strong awareness of the means required to increase visibility across the government technology landscape.

Secondly, REQ has incredibly strong writing skills. They also have a team of writers that support the core folks that I work with; their writing is very persuasive and powerful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They very much rise to the occasion in every session and do what we ask them to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

View them as a strategic partner and bring them into the fold as much as possible regarding planning meetings, customer conversations, and other strategy-oriented conversations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the regional manager responsible for all sales and marketing at Copare. We’re in the health and wellness industry —  we focus on creating customized programs that help people lose weight and gain lasting health.

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We wanted to do a better job differentiating ourselves from our competition and "telling our story" more effectively. We also wanted to elevate our brand, generate more brand awareness and ultimately grow our revenue.

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ started the engagement by doing a lot of competitive research. Their discovery process also included interviewing key stakeholders as well as conducting their own surveys. Based on the feedback they received, they were able to gain a better understanding of our business including our key differentiators. From there, they formulated and recommended a brand framework/strategy that included a name change.

Once the new framework was approved, REQ developed a brand-new website utilizing Word Press.  The new website was more streamlined and had a modern look and feel that better reflected the new brand. REQ also assisted with marketing campaigns including e-mail and social media campaigns.  They helped develop content in keeping with the new brand and brand guidelines and assisted with the new brand rollout.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with their senior brand strategist as well as their creative team and one of their VPs.  Their VP served as the primary liaison and project manager, keeping the overall engagement on track and coordinating all parties. We also worked with their web development team.

How did you come to work with REQ?

We researched and interviewed several agencies prior to deciding on REQ.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $175,000–$180,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with REQ in January 2021. The bulk of the project was finished in December 2021, but we were still utilizing their services until the end of March 2022. 

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

Whenever you roll out a new brand, it takes time to get traction. The overall feedback on the brand has been extremely positive. REQ was a pleasure to work with. They were professional, responsive, creative and did a good job adhering to the project timelines. Their design team and brand strategy team exceeded my expectations.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall REQ did an excellent job managing this project.  With weekly status calls, emails and in-person meetings we were able to adhere to the project timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creative/design team and their brand strategy work were top-notch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a couple of communication issues. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask a lot of questions, and make sure that you communicate with REQ. This ensures that everybody is on the same page. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Under my remit, I was responsible for all performance marketing campaigns driving measurable growth across our portfolio of financial products and services.

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

We needed a complete digital transformation of their marketing program; the site was antiquated and wasn't serving the needs of the members and the digital campaigns were languishing under poor management by a former agency.

My initial engagement with REQ was for a website redesign and build. One of my key goals was to ensure that we captured internal stakeholder requirements to ensure that business goals were achieved. REQ's approach to discovery, design and building the site was methodical and well thought out and the site was well received by our membership, internal stakeholders and the executive team.

Based on their site work, I eventually chose REQ as our agency to manage our digital performance campaigns. REQ's engagement, expertise and active management of our campaigns was also excellent. They regularly came to the table with recommendations to drive increased performance and were responsive whenever needed. I've always insisted on access to the campaigns, but with REQ's management, I didn't have to spot check to ensure that they were being managed effectively.

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

When I RFP'd for the site work, I developed a standardized ranking sheet and included representatives from all the major internal stakeholder groups to participate in the selection process. REQ's response and presentation raised them above the three other agencies I brought in.

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

As our digital marketing agency, REQ's scope included search, display, social, SEO, as well as some limited IT resourcing. REQ is an integral part of our efforts, providing a deep bench of expertise and working as an extension of my team.

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

Between the site work and campaign management, I had numerous teams from REQ engaged; creative, IT, SEM, SEO, social, account management. All were high caliber and provided solutions to move projects along.

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

When we launched with REQ's campaign management, I saw an immediate increase in reporting visibility. Of all the improvements, that was the foundational element that allowed us to make smarter budget allocation decisions, and in turn, improve performance in all facets of our program.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was always excellent.

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

REQ has grown significantly, expanding its footprint and capabilities, but despite that growth, they still have somewhat of a boutique agency feel and attention to detail.

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

Not necessarily an area of improvement for REQ, but my recommendation to anyone would be to be an active client and engage with REQ on the campaigns or project. You'll get out exactly what you put into the relationship.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Evolution Healthcare is an integrated healthcare solution that moves employers from a fully insured acquisition strategy to a partially self-funded one. I’m the company's EVP.

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

Our prior digital marketing firm had great brand awareness and recognition strategies. However, we were trying to take it to the next level with targeted employer and insurance broker campaigns. As a result, we were looking for somebody that could help us grow our lead generation. In the end, we reached out to REQ.

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ created the scope of work and jumped right in. They started by managing our website development overhaul project, and they spearheaded the automation of our sales funnel with our current CRM. They now assist us in writing blog pieces, and they provide social media strategies and lead generation ideas. In addition, the team is responsible for implementing search optimization strategies, creating a brand calendar, and more.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with 10–12 people from REQ.

How did you come to work with REQ?

They had experience in our industry and that was helpful because they already understood what we were doing. We found them through a competitor in our industry that used them. After that, we reached out to REQ, and we picked them because they already had existing materials that we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $600,000. We invest around $275,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration started in April 2020.

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

Our lead generation click-through rate (CTR) has increased by 30%. We’ve also been pleased that they’ve created a multi-strategy, so we expect our CTR to increase by another 10%.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

REQ is always on time, and they’re always prepared. Our weekly calls are concise, and their schedule is always flexible. There are times I get pulled into other meetings, and they’re able to accommodate and move things around my schedule. We communicate through video calls, and we schedule several conversations on different topics rather than trying to juggle everything all into one meeting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen, and they have an understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish. On top of that, they’re willing to research in order to help us execute our vision because we’re doing some things in marketing that are outside of the norm.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think I have any negative feedback about REQ.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you’re looking for before hiring a company. If you don’t have a clear direction of what you’re trying to accomplish, it can be very hard to communicate with a potential vendor.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for a technology solutions provider.

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We enlisted REQ to help us with our media and content strategies, as well as our awards and speaking programs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ serves as an extension of our marketing team, by providing us with branding and digital marketing strategies to increase our brand awareness.

What is the team composition?

My main contacts are Katie (EVP), Kaylee (Account Coordinator), and Pete (SVP).

How did you come to work with REQ?

We went through a competitive RFP process and chose REQ for their deep experience with the public sector.

How much have you invested with them?

We have an ongoing monthly retainer as well as contracted them for several smaller projects outside of our scope.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with REQ since the beginning of 2021.

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

REQ has been instrumental in our content development, awards program, and thought leadership campaigns.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re amazing from a project management standpoint. We’ve never had an issue with communication because Katie is always available — there have been no hesitations and I never felt that I couldn’t reach them. They’re an extension of my team and I talk to them as often as I would with my own team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their expertise and ability to understand highly technical content.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, at least nothing that I’ve noticed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re not communicating your priorities or needs, then they will not be able to support your objectives. I suggest keeping constant communications with them, to make sure that your goals are aligned.