Seriously Creative

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Harbour Digital Media, a group of 12 business consulting professionals. We work with manufacturing companies across several industries in British Columbia. Our learning and training solutions help businesses improve their efficiency and productivity. I'm a serial entrepreneur, having bought and sold companies since the mid 1990's. Much of my work was based in the Southeast U.S., especially Florida. I became deeply involved in technology while I owned an e-learning company from 1999 to 2011. This experience taught me how technology can facilitate and improve a company’s communication strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Seriously Creative?

We needed a development team to create multiple websites and generate social media campaigns. Seriously Creative is knowledgeable about both business strategy and software development. That combination of skill sets is a rare attribute for web design and digital communications providers. Before even mentioning specific technology, they cultivated a thorough understanding of my primary business challenge. After we conducted a goal-setting process, they formulated a strategy to achieve those objectives. It was fantastic that they took such an initiative.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Seriously Creative built our tech solution around a strategic framework of business objectives. I was consistently involved to prevent the technology from being built in isolation of the solution. They hosted our site on WordPress and integrated a dozen additional apps. We specifically requested they use that platform. I take an active role in content management and have found it works best for our purposes. Once the first draft was complete, I provided input to help them maneuver the product towards its final iteration.

Most of my clientele is based in the manufacturing sector and hold an old-school mentality of social media. Believe it or not, many of their companies don't use Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. We limited our campaign to appealing photos and videos showcased on those three basic platforms. Using additional channels didn't seem like the best ROI for our work with these clients. We held a one-day conference and series of online daily forums to facilitate topical discussions about the manufacturing industry. I usually write copy for Seriously Creative to post on our blogs and social media channels. They focus on the "virtualization" process and have crafted visuals like graphics, pictures, and videos that showcase our branded content.

What is the team composition?

Kelly (Owner, Seriously Creative) was my main point of contact. I also worked with Brianna (Marketing Manager, Seriously Creative).

How did you come to work with Seriously Creative?

We actively sought to outsource all tech-related work. I found Seriously Creative in an online directory of relevant providers. During our interview, Kelly (Owner, Seriously Creative) impressed me with his insightful business perspective and adept social skills. Our previous vendor has been a complete and utter disaster. I've worked in this field for quite a while, and it's hard to find business-savvy developers. I hired them shortly after our first meeting.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve paid a total of $25,000 for their services. That figure really doesn't accurately reflect the scope of their work, because that price would have been drastically higher 10 years ago. They've built six sophisticated websites and conducted multiple social media campaigns.

It doesn't seem fair to base the value of their work on the dollar amount I paid. Spending $25,000 where we’re based in Canada is vastly different than $25,000 worth of development work in D.C. or Florida. It's a small business pricing model.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in Spring 2012. Our engagement is ongoing, and I regularly refer clients to them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My business is exclusively relationship-based, so our websites are informational rather than for e-commerce. I constantly use Seriously Creative’s deliverables to bolster my client relationships. The nature of my clientele makes it hard to provide substantial metrics on our partnership’s success. Since they rarely use digital technology, they might not consider the new sites beneficial. At every given opportunity, I encourage them to use these digital assets, which include blogs, pictures, and videos.

All six sites they’ve built for us were far more challenging to create than a basic WordPress platform. Most recently, they developed a new site for a collaborative learning association. The team integrated multiple social media profiles and about a dozen complex add-ons. Related communication functions include forums, memberships, and two kinds of blogging specifically tailored to content and events. Most importantly, it has cross-platform and cross-hardware functionality. It’s very tricky to make a site look exactly the same on a large desktop screen, laptop, or mobile phone. On top of all that, I can edit content myself. 

How did Seriously Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job. Project management with digital assets usually hinges on a vendor’s ability to comprehend their client’s needs. Most of my requests are very easy for them to execute, but they’ve never responded in a way that felt rude, arrogant, or condescending. I consistently feel listened to and understood. Their communication style is easy to follow and makes me feel good. That’s a hugely important and rare skill.

They consistently strive to move the project forward based on my preferences. They might use project management tools internally, but I don't work that way. I prefer speaking through phone calls and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When choosing from 1,000 comparable web developers, I always select the team who interacts most positively with me. The one word or phrase that best describes Seriously Creative wouldn't be related to digital tech. They're highly skilled developers, but plenty of local vendors offer comparable work. All things being equal, their customer service and knowledge of the business process distinguish them from the pack.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have a wide variety of skills, and they're aware of that fact. As they become a major digital communications agency in North America, which they clearly will, they should continue focusing on their areas of expertise, rather than providing countless new services. Digital communication encompasses an exhaustive range of potential service offerings.

When they gain more traction, it might be challenging for Seriously Creative to stay within a narrow range of specialization. That's an easily identifiable value proposition for a business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise any client who works with a digital company to formulate a somewhat detailed understanding of their ultimate goals. Vaguely requesting something like “a better digital presence” will not serve you well. Even if it’s drawn on a napkin, having a clearly defined objective is critical. Comprehensive guidelines help teams like Seriously Creative create better quality products.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Generations Family Care Finder, a service that helps individuals, families, and employers find care (e.g., doctors, dentists, home support, etc.).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Seriously Creative?

Originally, I'd been manually maintaining lists of service providers within a given area. In order to reach a larger audience, and empower customers to search for service providers based on their needs, I wanted to build a mapping tool for our website. The tool would allow users to search by provider type and location, pulling up information and relevant links for various businesses. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Seriously Creative commissioned the entire mapping project for our website, using PHP. I provided the basic guidelines on how I wanted the interface to look, and they built the map from scratch. They also integrated a payment system, using Stripe.

They continue to update and maintain the mapping tool as we add providers to our network.

What is the team composition?

I primarily communicate with Kelly Darwin (Director of Accounts, Seriously Creative), but a handful of resources work on our website behind scenes, including a lead programmer.

How did you come to work with Seriously Creative?

We've been working together so long that I honestly don't remember.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested over $50,000 thus far, with more projects to come.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with Seriously Creative for about five years. They continue to do upkeep and quality assurance work for the website, and we're about to start some more projects with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The map they developed for our website is an invaluable tool for our customer base, which includes over 1,200 business entries thus far. We haven't had any issues with loading times or received negative feedback from users. It's also a great tool for businesses, who can access information on their page's performance and include links to their social media accounts.

How did Seriously Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

For a constantly expanding system like ours, Seriously Creative's team has been great about consistently meeting deadlines and staying within our budget.

They've been receptive to feedback and easy to communicate with through email, phone, and in regular meetings. Our relationship continues to strengthen each year.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide high-quality work for a reasonable price.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Although, I'm sure they could use a bigger office considering how much they've grown.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you've got everything well documented on what you want to do; provide them with more than just basic sketches if possible. Sit down in-person and have their team put together something on the screen before they go into production.