Social Diva Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company that I worked for previously is called Spring. I was the intern CMO overseeing all the marketing and communications aspects of their go-to-market strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Diva Media?

We wanted to rebrand the company. We also needed a social media strategy that would get us to market and help us eventually transition to an internal team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Social Diva Media developed a strategy across Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Aside from managing those, they also developed all the original content and the communications calendar. They worked closely with our editorial and merchandising teams to make sure the content that appeared in both the app and desktop platforms was consistent with what they were promoting on social. They managed and maintained the outbound communications on each of the channels. Then, they trained our new team on how to manage the social media channels.

How did you come to work with Social Diva Media?

I was referred to them by a mutual friend who had worked with them on another project. When I met them and explained our needs, it seemed to fit in their area of expertise. They were really flexible with us and spent a lot of time working on the proposal to make sure it lined up with our needs. It was a very collaborative effort, with the team attending our meetings so that they were more like a part of our team instead of an outside agency. They went above and beyond what the scope was, which was a no-brainer for us.

How much have you invested with Social Diva Media?

Our retainer with them was $10,000.  

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was completed in March 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They leveraged our brand strategy to continue the original tone that we had established. They did a great job in increasing our visibility. Thanks to their management, our awareness, and our channels also grew. They helped us streamline and become more efficient. We also did some paid social media tactics which helped increase our visibility. The content was aligned with everything else that we were doing across all of our marketing channels.

How did Social Diva Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed great. They were able to meet deadlines and kept us updated.

What did you find most impressive about Social Diva Media?

Peg is a lovely person. She’s very open and hard-working and I loved her team. She is someone that I would definitely hire again.

Are there any areas Social Diva Media could improve?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a marketing intern for an e-commerce website when I worked with Social Diva Media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Diva Media?

As a startup, we just didn’t have the bandwidth for social media so they provided those services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Social Media Diva came in and did a complete audit of all the social media services. They provided a presentation and fixed all of our channels. From there, they came up with different execution ideas for partnerships. After that, we trusted them with engagement and growth. What makes Peg different is that she doesn’t just do social media. She also integrates PR and different things into it. She goes above and beyond what’s in the initial scope of work.

How did you come to work with Social Diva Media?

I met Peg through the industry, through word of mouth. Someone that I met said, “You need to meet this woman. She has an agency and she’s a professor at NYU. She’s done social media for the Grammys and the Olympics. You should get to know her.” I decided to bring her in and introduce her to the CMO at the time. We brought her on board to do a lot of the social media.

How much have you invested with Social Diva Media?

We paid $10,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started at the beginning of this year. It was a 3-month contract, January through April.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We saw growth. The visual content strategy and the voice were definitely amplified and simplified.

How did Social Diva Media perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was great and they were able to integrate with various parts of the marketing team. We would call them or send emails at 9:00 PM and need things changed by the morning. They were really adaptable and were always willing to make changes. They offered us suggestions in terms of streamlining which was something that we needed help with at first because we had so many meetings all the time.

What did you find most impressive about Social Diva Media?

I liked their [Social Diva Media] team; they were incredible and had great personalities. It wasn’t like you were working with a machine. You were working with someone that really cared about what you were doing. It wasn’t only in the beginning when they were trying to sign the contract, it was throughout the process. I built a relationship with Peg through that. I really respected and admired her. She went out of her way to build relationships with people on the team which is not in the scope of work but part of who she is. She came with great ideas. What’s different about Peg is that she doesn’t just create a strategy and pass it on. She creates a strategy and then leads her team to make sure that it happens, from conception to execution.

Are there any areas Social Diva Media could improve?

They did a pretty good job considering we were the ones always changing things. We made it difficult for them a lot of the time. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are in the business of future-proofing. If you want your company to succeed in 2017, we'll perform an audit of your company in terms of your digital marketing footprint, and we'll analyze your website, ecommerce, and social media. Then, we'll come up with a plan for what you have to do in order not only to be relevant still in 2017, but actually to go beyond your competitors and be at the top of your industry. In addition to that, for a limited number of clients who need the service, we go beyond our normal offerings and handle their social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I'm the director of digital marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Diva Media?

The entire team at Social Diva Media, but Peg [Samuel, founder, social media expert & digital leader] specifically, is good at looking at the big picture – looking at all the little parts and putting them together, and then thinking about where that's going to go. This is a rare skill. I'm the type of person who narrows everything down to the tiniest, most minute detail, and I can get so sucked into that level of detail that I lose sight of the big picture. Having someone who looks at the bigger picture, and who analyzes how everything is going to come together, is refreshing and useful for me.

Beyond this, Peg is good at specific community management at the day-to-day or limited events. We've done a couple one-off events with Peg and her team, and we were impressed at their ability to understand the brand and respond as needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Social Diva Media was involved with community management especially in terms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Beyond that, Social Diva Media was responsible for overseeing business development and strategy. Specifically, in that regard, we worked together for Movado Watch, and Peg was integral to that project. Before I joined the team, I know that Social Diva Media worked with our company on a Consumer Reports project, in what was more of a business digital audit.

At times, it almost seems like Peg is a board member of Firebrand. We actually don't have a board, but Peg has been someone with whom we can we bounce ideas around. We bring her in for special projects, especially if it's something that we know can benefit from her expertise.

Liquiteria is a juice company in New York for whom we worked on brand development, and Social Diva Media was part of that. This client started with one store, and now I believe they have five stores in New York City. We worked with them on what colors to use, how to expand the brand, and what their social media presence should look like. That was a big project.

Firebrand also did theme work with Watermelon Water, a company that works with Beyonce. I would have to say that this was probably the pinnacle of my career, and I'm sure it was a highlight of Peg's career as well. Together, we helped launch a brand with a project that was mainly event-focused. This involved doing a lot of live social. There were a number of summer pop-ups right in New York City, including a strong presence at Whole Foods. This was all when the brand was just getting started, so we worked together on everything from handling the social end of it to the brand look and the brand messaging.

How did you come to work with Social Diva Media?

Firebrand's involvement with Social Diva Media dates back to before I started with the company. I actually connected with Peg personally in a social networking group on Facebook. I believe Peg had previously worked with Jeremy Goldman, the CEO of Firebrand, and that is probably the origin of the connection between Firebrand and Social Diva Media. 

How much have you invested with Social Diva Media?

The majority of our investments with Social Diva Media have been between $10,000 and $50,000. If I had to put them all together, I would say it probably amounts to a total investment of more than $200,000. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The two biggest successes of our relationship with Social Diva Media are definitely our signature products. Everyone can see that. You can see the stores popping up one by one, and then follow our digital plan. You can see our work if you visit their website since they redesigned it with us. You see it all rolling out and, obviously, it's working. I had the numbers for the first product at one time. The other is now sold nationwide. We started with them when it was only available at Whole Foods in New York, and now it's everywhere. 

How did Social Diva Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Social Diva Media did very well. Peg is usually ahead of schedule, actually. I don't think she's ever been late. She's always been early with the deadlines, which is extremely rare in working with other companies.

What did you find most impressive about Social Diva Media?

The first thing that comes to mind is certainly the fact that they're always ahead of schedule. You're never waiting on Social Diva Media for anything. The other thing that stands out is the personalities involved. I have the privilege of working with five of their people, and despite working remotely from one another, I find that we collaborate extremely well – through our phone calls and just sheer organizational skill. Peg is a master organizer. She's taught me new things about Google and how to make the most out of it. She is clear when it comes to what she needs done.

I would also have to say that the Social Diva Media team understands brands and brand sensitivity. Sometimes, you find yourself dealing with an agency that just says, "No, we're not doing that." In those cases, you need to do a little bit of a coddling, especially when it comes to smaller brands. In this regard, the Social Diva Media team is masterful. They coddle to a point, but then they help the company to see the light. They don't come across as harsh. That's why clients like working with them.

Are there any areas Social Diva Media could improve?

We're still working with them, so I would say no. There are obviously things that fall outside of their skill set, but I don't think they ever suggest that they can do those things. I know that Peg just co-wrote an SEO [search engine optimization] book and, prior to doing that, I don't think SEO was in their expertise. Now, it might be. In the past, we had never worked with them on SEO, but I'm assuming Peg's work on the book is an indicator that they have added this to their skill set. Also, because our team has pretty extensive background in doing ads in-house, we've never explored Social Diva Media's expertise in that regard.