RSO Consulting

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO/Founder of a nonprofit company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a nonprofit organization that builds beautiful homes and futures for global orphans. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire RSO Consulting to accomplish?

• To help build a strong online presence by utilizing Google As grants

SOLUTION

How did you find RSO Consulting?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select RSO Consulting over others?

• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from RSO Consulting were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

RSO manages PPC and SEO strategies to drive targeted traffic and improve online visibility. Their PPC efforts focus on efficient ad spend, high-quality lead generation, and continuous optimization for Google Ads. On the SEO side, RSO emphasizes technical health, keyword strategy, and content development to strengthen organic rankings and authority. Together, these approaches ensure GiveLight.org captures both immediate and long-term growth opportunities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Organic Traffic,  Keywords rankings, CTR, Bounce rate and conversion rate.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They are proactively managing our Google Ad grants. Rob was able to mobilize his team to deliver consistently.   He recruited his students to volunteer for our cause and help create a stronger online presence.

What was your primary form of communication with RSO Consulting?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their willingness to do pro bono work for a cause that resonates with them stands out. In our case its helping create bright future for orphans globally.

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

to create a system/process that will help us optimize our resources for greater impact.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Global GTM of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help organizations manage all of the SaaS that exists within their business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire RSO Consulting to accomplish?

• Generate Demand
• Boost SEO
• Optimize Digital Experience

SOLUTION

How did you find RSO Consulting?

Referral

Why did you select RSO Consulting over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from RSO Consulting were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

RSO has been responsible for driving our paid media strategy, optimizing our search performance, and analyzing our site performance.  They are responsible for audience building, campaign ideation, media buying, and performance optimizations.  On the SEO front they are responsible for mapping content themes and asset generation.  Additionally, they mange our reporting to ensure we have a unified view across organic and paid channels.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Consistent and dependable lead delivery worth >$350K in pipeline.  
• Improved search rankings and growth in organic traffic
• Improved site performance and sticker visitor journeys. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The folks at RSO are equally as passionate about growing our business as our internal team.  From an agency perspective, they lead the most productive meetings and communicate about achieving real outcomes...not BS.  I love their passion and their ability to pivot as our business heads in new directions.  They are a tremendous partner. 

What was your primary form of communication with RSO Consulting?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

From top to bottom, the team oeprates at high speed and are experts in their craft.  With other agencies, I am always skeptical how much focus I really recieve...I never feel that way with RSO.  They are dedicated to our success.  

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

I'd like for them to add more creative resources to the team for even faster testing and experimentation.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal product marketing manager for a software company’s K-12 education team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RSO Consulting?

RSO Consulting was hired to manage PPC and SEO campaigns for our K-12 strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I came in, many legacy campaigns ran across various audiences and cohorts. I needed RSO Consulting's help to streamline our strategy with a limited budget. I articulated our business goals to them, and they created a comprehensive plan to best achieve them through PPC search and digital optimizations across our paid media strategy.

At present, they manage our media buying campaigns and create assets for the campaigns and landing pages. Moreover, they’ve created a microsite for us to own and manage its content. They’ve assigned a full-time copywriter who helps write copy based on our objectives and keywords. They also design pages. 

For SEO, they’ve defined our target keywords and helped our microsite and landing page rank for those keywords.

What is the team composition?

We work with Rob, Candice, Lucia, and Sheila. 

How did you come to work with RSO Consulting]?

RSO Consulting was already hired before I joined the company. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2022, and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

RSO Consulting has helped redefine our entire paid media strategy, which has been extremely helpful. They’ve consistently provided extreme value to our team, enough to unlock budgets that the team has never been able to secure. We’ve only been able to do that with their guidance, performance, and execution of our campaigns.

They’ve exceeded our CTR target by 30% while keeping the cost per click lower than 30% of the average. This has been consistent over the past year, so they’re exceeding industry benchmarks and driving quality traffic to our landing pages. They’ve also increased our unique visitors by 200% year over year.

Their strategy in helping to solidify and refine our PPC and paid media overarching strategy has significantly impacted our business. They support our KPIs by driving unique traffic to our destination points and ultimately getting educators into the product. They’ve been astronomically impactful by helping to increase awareness and traffic to our services at an efficient cost.

How did RSO Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been excellent. They’re communicative and always provide a detailed and thorough review of the project plan. We discuss at a biweekly cadence. They provide us with a recap of our campaigns, showing their end-to-end thoroughness. We communicate using Google Data Studio and Google Meet. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Through RSO Consulting’s refinement, strategies with structured tests, and positive outcomes, we’ve secured a budget we’ve never attained for many years. We wouldn’t have done that without their holistic approach to targeting and driving platform engagement, ultimately aligning with our overarching business KPIs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. Their team is highly comprehensive, and their communication is on par. They have a full employment relationship with us, so they have all the resources we need. Overall, they’re quick, fast, and adaptable. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell RSO Consulting your goals, and let them create a comprehensive plan. Don’t be afraid to lean on them for that high-level thinking, and they’ll get it done. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the creative director of a company that specializes in cultural exchange programs. We work with the government, families, and individuals who participate in cultural exchange programs. I work heavily on content marketing, social media marketing, and data analytics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RSO Consulting?

We needed someone to help us with our data analytics to understand the customer journey better. We had some tools implemented to look at the data, but we needed someone to help us clean up some of that data and analyze it to better understand any pain points the customers might be experiencing or any inefficiencies in terms of marketing strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RSO Consulting has helped us clean up our data and better understand it. The team has also helped us strategize to remove any inefficiencies. They largely use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Microsoft Clarity. They can take the GA4 data and put it into a platform called Looker, which organizes the data into a much more digestible presentation. Initially, they set up a recurring meeting every two weeks with different marketing teams within our company. We had conversations and data reviews, during which we also reviewed the customer journey and discussed ways to improve it. 

They also do executive summaries. After reviewing the data, they make high-level recommendations on changes we can make within the company to improve things. For example, if they see that people are having difficulty getting to our sign-up page, they might recommend we apply more call-to-action buttons across our website to help people find it more easily.

What is the team composition?

We work with Rob, our main point of contact, and one other person. 

How did you come to work with RSO Consulting?

I wasn’t involved in bringing them on; my boss brought them on.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The websites and the customer journey have been vastly improved and tightened, which has increased our conversions. The RSO Consulting team works really well together to support our needs.

How did RSO Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is top-notch. They come to every meeting fully prepared and on time. They have a set agenda and very clear communication. They’re always able and willing to indulge us if we want to steer the conversation to a different place or if we need to talk about something other than what they had planned. They’re very accommodating.

They bring a lot of expertise and tools. They’re always very communicative and knowledgeable. Whatever questions we have, they always have data to support them and answer them. We typically communicate via email and have our biweekly meetings on Google Meet.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Rob and the other point of contact do a great job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with their ability to draw conclusions from the data they’re looking at. There’s a lot of analysis paralysis when you’re looking at all of this data, and it just starts to look like numbers on a page. RSO Consulting can take the numbers and create a narrative of what people are doing on the website, why they’re doing it, where they’re having success, and where they’re having trouble. I haven’t met anybody who does it better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they need to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them. They need access to specific platforms like HubSpot and Google Analytics. We trust the team with access to those specific platforms, which means giving them admin-level access at times. The reason we do that is that they need access to that data. They’ve been 100% trustworthy. Because of that trust, they’ve collected the data and created customer narratives to help us out. It can be hard to hand over or create new admin accounts on specific platforms, but I encourage you to do that. Trust them, and you’ll get the best results that way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Web Marketing Manager of ADLINK Technology Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

ADLINK Technology empowers industries with cutting-edge edge computing solutions, combining high-performance hardware and intelligent software to drive AI, IoT, robotics, and 5G innovation worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire RSO Consulting to accomplish?

• Enhance Organic Search Visibility & Traffic
• Strengthen Lead Generation & Conversion Optimization
• Optimize Global & Multilingual SEO Performance

SOLUTION

How did you find RSO Consulting?

Referral

Why did you select RSO Consulting over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from RSO Consulting were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

1. Technical SEO improvements, including site architecture, mobile-friendliness, and AMP implementation
2. Keyword strategy and metadata updates to maintain search relevance
3. Off-page SEO execution for increased brand authority and reach
4. SEO and website performance reporting, including rankings, traffic, and KPI analysis
5. Google Analytics and Looker Studio insights with monthly recommendations
6. GTM setup and adjustments for better tracking and event measurement
7. Regular communication and strategic meetings to ensure continuous improvement

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1. YoY Organic Traffic Growth: +10%

2. Keyword Ranking Improvements: 176 keywords rank top 10

3. Increased conversions from organic search

4. Enhanced Website Performance

5. Optimized Analytics & Reporting

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

RSO managed our project effectively, delivering key SEO and analytics tasks on time. They maintained clear communication, provided regular updates, and ensured monthly deliverables met as scheduled. Their responsiveness to our needs was strong, proactively addressing technical issues, refining strategies based on performance insights, and making necessary adjustments to improve results. :)

What was your primary form of communication with RSO Consulting?

Virtual Meeting

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

RSO’s proactive approach and deep technical expertise stood out the most. They didn’t just execute tasks but continuously analyzed performance data and adjusted strategies to maximize impact. Their responsiveness, attention to detail, and ability to adapt to SEO trends have made them a valuable partner in improving our search visibility and analytics capabilities.

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

RSO communication has been consistent and reliable throughout the project. However, one area for improvement would be providing more in-depth insights and strategic recommendations focused on increasing conversions. While their SEO efforts have driven growth, a stronger emphasis on actionable insights—such as refining user journeys, identifying high-converting keywords, or enhancing content strategies—could further optimize results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Marketing and Communications of La Scuola International School

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

An independent private school, serving the Bay Area with three campuses, PreK - Grade 8, and the only International Baccalaureate, Italian Language Immersion, Reggio Emilia-inspired school in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire RSO Consulting to accomplish?

• SEO Consulting
• Website efficiency
• Social Media efficiency

SOLUTION

How did you find RSO Consulting?

Referral

Why did you select RSO Consulting over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from RSO Consulting were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Ongoing digital marketing and SEO work to ensure our school maximized opportunities for paid and organic search.  Our market is a very competitive one, and the help of RSO helped to make us stand out in a large sea of schools.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• High rankings for organic search
• Stayed within budget and maximized results within it
• Readily available for discussions/meetings/and quick response to emails
• Came to the table with suggestions/recommendations, and follow up on all action items in a timely manner
• Provided data reports, which could be filtered and run by the school

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Quick follow up to any outstanding items
• Kept a list of action items that were addressed in a timely manner
• Email response within 24 hours at all times
• Brought in experts from their team when new requests were made outside of the normal contract

What was your primary form of communication with RSO Consulting?

In-Person Meeting

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

• Listened to our needs, and acted appropriately
• Willingness to work with us on our schedules and timelines
• Researched "out of the norm" requests
• Provided additional reports for us to use whenever asked
• Highly knowledgeable team, who came to the table with ideas, suggestions, and options

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

None

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on May 29, 2020.

Director of Admissions, Independent SchoolEducation

San Francisco, California

51-200 Employees

May 2017 - Ongoing

$10,000 to $49,999
Project summary
RSO Consulting provides comprehensive digital marketing services to a nonprofit school located in California. They handle SEO and organic search efforts, social media marketing, and PPC ad management.

Feedback summary
As a result of the work completed by RSO Consulting, attendance at the school has increased and engagement online has improved across the board. Their team is dedicated to the client’s success, committing time and energy to understanding how to communicate the mission of a school online.
BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a nonprofit school in San Francisco.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RSO Consulting?

Our organization didn’t have any in-house people working on digital marketing, so we brought them on board to pretty much run that in collaboration with our marketing and communications department.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us to strengthen our online presence so that it was easier for communities in the wider US and internationally to find out about us. We focused on organic search methods but have also used Google and Facebook ads. They’ve performed a wide variety of SEO support, PPC on multiple platforms, and A/B testing on our website.

What was the team composition?

We actually worked with several members of their team throughout the project, and they’ve all been great so far.

How did you come to work with RSO Consulting?

There was someone at the school who had worked with him in another business, and they recommended them to us. They have been very accommodating of our status as a nonprofit as well, which helped us to be able to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We have a relatively low monthly fee but have spent somewhere between $10,000–$25,000 in total over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in May 2017 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Applications for the school are definitely up over the time we’ve been working with them, which is exactly what we were hoping for. There has also been positive improvement in a lot of different numbers, from time on site to click-through-rates and everything.

How did RSO Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

We have monthly meetings to update our goals and set new targets, and then we use email in between to ask questions, provide updates, and clarify anything that needs to be decided for an ongoing campaign. All of our communication with them has been very personal, organized and effective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s clear from the attitude they bring to their work that they care and are interested in understanding our business. We’re not a business, we’re a school, so they have put a lot of effort into understanding what our families looking for and how to present a school in the best light. It’s been really nice to have that kind of curiosity and investment in what we’re trying to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is obviously not relevant during social distancing, but it would be nice to implement quarterly meetings where we actually get together in person just to really make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would really recommend it, especially for nonprofits that might not budget for it even though the world is moving increasingly online. Even for people who might think it is not absolutely necessary, I think t’s actually very helpful and can be included as a line item in the budget.
Star Ratings
Overall rating: 5
I think we could be more effective together with them, but I don’t think that’s due to anything particular they are doing.

Quality: 5

Cost: 5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a full-service payroll and HR outsourcing firm. We handle the payroll and benefits of small businesses nationwide. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RSO Consulting?

RSO helps us with our marketing and brand awareness initiatives. They create new business opportunities for us through marketing campaigns. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our engagement with RSO started with redesigning and revamping our website. Then, we tested some marketing initiatives, such as PPC and SEO. 

So far, the team has also helped us with blog content creation and social media management. They create content and set up regular social posts, which are published on all of our social media channels. The blogs are written and posted on a monthly basis. Moreover, we have strategy calls once a week with RSO resources. We talk through our initiatives and review the content we’ve created. Our teams also make revisions to improve our social and blog content.

RSO has also helped us with one of our primary means of growth since late 2020. Specifically, we have a program where we develop partnerships nationwide. Our partners then refer business opportunities to us. The team creates the process and materials for our partners, including co-branded marketing materials and co-branded landing pages. RSO’s resources also create monthly emails with HR-related content, and we send them to our partners. The team manages these emails through MailChimp and HubSpot platforms. 

What is the team composition?

We have three primary contacts from RSO. Sometimes, we talk to a fourth or fifth person depending on our needs, such as updating our website. 

How did you come to work with RSO Consulting?

We had an extensive evaluation process until we narrowed our vendor choices down to about five marketing firms, including RSO. After a few months of phone calls and reviews, we decided to work with them because they were a bit more direct and honest with us compared to other firms. 

To elaborate, the RSO team didn’t simply agree with everything that we said or asked during the evaluation process. They didn’t have issues with pushing back and taking a stand — they were the experts, and they promoted their suggestions. Our team appreciated that since we wanted a team that could truly guide us through the process. 

Apart from that, Rob (Founder & Web Analytics Consultant) was involved in the process, too, and that made a difference. We had access to all the right people in the organization. They also assigned multiple people to work with us, and we had regular access to them. By contrast, other firms simply wanted to push us through one account manager, who would then relay things to the rest of the team, making for a slower process. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $4,500 per month since the beginning of the relationship. The total is about $80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with RSO in December 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

RSO has been a huge help in creating our partnership program, which we started with literally nothing but an idea. Now, we’ve taken this idea to 28 partnerships nationwide over the past year. Around 11 of those partnerships have referred business or opportunities to us. From those referral partners, we’ve gained eight new clients. That translates to $160,000 of recurring annual revenue for us. All of these are connected to the strategy that RSO has helped us establish and manage. 

How did RSO Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m happy with RSO’s project management. Much of the engagement has been driven by us, but they’ve been great in terms of executing the ideas and strategies that we’ve wanted to put in place. They’ve also done well in terms of designing our website and creating materials for our partners. 

Moreover, the team has done a good job of creating content for our email campaigns and social media channels. They’re more proactive in the social media aspect of the engagement since it falls inside their comfort zone. 

To communicate, we use Slack and email on top of our weekly phone calls with their team. Their resources are super responsive. There’s no delay when we need to get things like landing page assets or materials — they work quickly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have great access to their team, and they’re highly responsive. RSO’s standard process is to have one call per month, while the rest of the communication is done through Slack or email. However, that won’t work for us; we want to talk to them more frequently because our strategy changes so often — they don’t have any issues with that. 

Overall, they’re truly efficient in doing things for us even though we’re not a huge company. We only have about 20 employees internally. Put another way, we’re not a huge account, but we still get plenty of attention from them. This isn’t the case with other larger firms, where we won’t have the same level of access and open communication as we do with RSO. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be better if RSO could provide more proactive ideas and guidance. To elaborate, we’re a little outside of the norm in terms of their client base. Our sales approach and strategy have been different since we’re a unique marketplace. Given that, it’s challenging to deal with us, plus we’ve shifted directions before. 

Moreover, there’s been a learning curve for them in terms of understanding our business. The same is true for us because we’ve shifted our strategy a couple of times since the beginning of the relationship. Now, we’re committed to what we’re doing, but there’s still a learning curve for them. 

Overall, we’d like more feedback from them on how we can identify larger groups of audiences and potential partners. There hasn’t been much feedback from them in that regard. To be fair, that’s a tight spot to put them in because that’s not their everyday business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be specific about your expectations. The more details you can give them about your goals, the better they’ll execute your strategy. Inversely, the vaguer you are with information, the longer it will take them to deliver results. If you do that, there’s going to be plenty of revisions and testings — these things may not be what you’re looking for, and they can lead to frustration. 

For context, we’ve experienced that problem early on, but it was our fault — we initially didn’t have any idea of what we wanted to accomplish. However, once we zeroed in and indicated we wanted to focus 100% on the partnership program, they picked it up and executed the strategy well. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of an electrical accessories company. We have four brands under our roof, including a laser products company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RSO Consulting?

We’d purchased our laser products brand two-and-a-half years ago and wanted to grow it and its customer base.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This was a ground-floor operation in that the existing website looked like it was from the 1990s and only saw a handful of transactions very month. It was practically on its deathbed. In speaking with Rob (Founder), we decided he would take over growing every aspect of the company, from the website design to SEO, PPC, and all other digital marketing avenues.

Since signing on, they’ve been testing strategies in every area of e-commerce to see what customer are looking for in terms of laser pointers.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been working with about 5–6 people. There are others in background, however.

How did you come to work with RSO Consulting?

I reached out to several marketing companies, and many of them weren’t interested in our brand’s smaller web presence. When I had an initial conversation with Rob at RSO, however, I laid out where we were and where we wanted to go and he was receptive to going on that adventure with us. He used the analogy of tending a garden, and I deeply connected with it. You have the plant the seed, tend the soil, water it, and then wait for it to grow. It’s a journey.

I also appreciated that RSO was local — being in San Francisco, they’re only a three-hour drive away from me in Reno, Nevada. I connected with Los Angeles and New York City companies, but they were only interested in brands over $1 million dollars.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $30,000 at this point with RSO Consulting.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since December 2019, though we had to stop service when COVID first hit for a few months. Business restarted with them in October–November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a single-digit conversion rate when we started with RSO and we’ve increased that by over 300%. Online monthly revenue has doubled or tripled from when we started as well. Visitors coming to the site and the amount per purchase has also grown tremendously. These metrics really tip the boat for us in continuing to work with RSO.

How did RSO Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

I love this part of working with them. If I have a problem, I can send an email and get a response very quickly; if I need a phone call, Rob is open to that.

We have scheduled meetings on Zoom where we go over metrics each month and see how everything is tracking. RSO also discusses what they foresee as next steps and invites me to share my thoughts, as well as any areas of concern. They address everything; it’s a very through process. I know where we are at any moment.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They seem less interested in making a quick dollar than everyone else. Rob is up for a challenge and wants to cultivate our business. RSO wants to see us grow and takes pride in their work, which very much correlates with our business — being faithful that small things grows into larger things.

Are there any areas they could improve?

That’s a hard one because I see a lot of good things. I don’t know if I have any specific critiques, but there have been some issues Google, which are out of RSO’s control. They’ve even been able to address those, however.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront with where you are and where you want to go. Know what your vision is and lean into RSO’s expertise. They can offer things you might be missing and opportunities that could be out there. Don’t be afraid to take those steps with them. Sending money is scary, but you can’t make any if you don’t spend it first.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an education campaign manager at Adobe. We have offerings in the Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, and Experience Cloud. I sell to K-12 and higher education institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RSO Consulting?

I’m doing vertical marketing in a company that isn’t structured for vertical marketing. This means that we’re a small but mighty team in an organization that doesn’t offer general marketing services in North American education. There isn’t any internal SEO, SEM, or PPC support in our vertical, so we needed a partner who would work specifically with our education team to help us with all the campaign goals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked on many projects over our two years together, collaborating closely quarter by quarter. At the highest level, RSO Consulting helps in two areas – driving traffic to campaign sites and establishing site authority. These sites aren’t on adobe.com, so we don’t gain any site authority from our major brand.

We’ve refined our SEO and strategy progressively each quarter to improve traffic to our campaign sites – quality not quantity. The targets are superintendents, principals, and education technology directors.

What is the team composition?

Rob (Founder) manages the account and Candace (Digital Marketer) does the PPC and Sheila (Writer) does SEO. It’s a nice balance between having someone who can go deep on SEO and PPC and someone who balances the overall plan.

How did you come to work with RSO Consulting?

They were recommended by a member of another team here at Adobe who’d worked with them before.

We’ve kept them on because they’re small enough to be flexible but large enough to have a broad enough skill set to handle everything that comes under our umbrella.

Even if our internal team provide support for our campaign goals, we wouldn’t have the ability to pilot and test so many ideas like we do with RSO Consulting. They empower us to find the optimal copy and images so we know exactly where to put our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $1,000,000 so far with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started with a brand-new site with an authority of zero and now we’re in the 30’s. There’s a long way to go, but we wouldn’t have been able to do any of this by ourselves. We know our message, but we wouldn’t have been able to implement it effectively with Google. The number could be higher if we were focused on quantity of traffic rather than quality, but that’s not our goal.

In terms of cost per impression (CPI) and click (CPC), we’re performing at a high level. CPI is 17 cents and CPC is 77 cents. Both numbers are well below the industry benchmarks.

How did RSO Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re perfect; we’ve never had an issue. Everything is done through Google — documents, analytics, etc.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When they have a goal, they are incredibly detailed-oriented and thorough. They test it and let the data lead them, constantly monitoring and tweaking all our campaigns. The collaboration between SEO and PPC leads to the fast turnaround and optimization of possible headlines, copy, and images. They truly practice what they preach when it comes to experimentation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t communicate well with our own management the first year because of the detail in RSO’s work. it was hard to communicate their value because of how granular they go in their work. Now, I’m much more able to effectively communicate their work to my boss.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them run the tests they recommend, as it will help them hone the right strategy. Allow their expertise to define the testing and pilot phase.