Socium Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a founding partner and CMO of a menswear fashion brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FWRD Digital?

We were going through a big organizational shift, moving away from the traditional model (when we were selling to other retailers) to selling directly to consumers. We were looking for a company to help us take our e-commerce model to a new level and develop a digital strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage all of our digital marketing efforts. That includes everything from helping us strategize and target our prospects to running our paid social campaigns. In terms of Google AdWords, we had a rudimentary list of words we wanted to target, but it evolved as they helped us identify what is worth investing in and why.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with their CEO.

How did you come to work with them?

It was a referral through my network.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in April 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get bi-weekly reports as well as Google Analytics reporting, so we can track the progress. We've already seen measurable growth in terms of traffic, conversions, and attributable revenue.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They do an excellent job. They're very organized and have great insights. We usually use Google Docs to keep track of everything. It’s a very collaborative process and I can learn a lot from them (as an entrepreneur and a fashion designer, I don’t have much experience with digital marketing).

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very conscientious and always make sure their client is happy. Also, they have a lot of expertise, so they bring great ideas to the table.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. I've been quite happy overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear scope of work and objectives. As they grow, they'll get busier, so it’s good to stay on top of your agenda.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the executive director of the National Stuttering Association. We provide information and support to people who stutter, in addition to workshops, annual conferences, and family fun days.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FWRD?

Our aim was to increase our visibility on Google, getting towards the top for relevant keywords, and generally enhancing any of the results to do with searches for “stuttering”.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We sat down and created a plan to move forward and increase our visibility online. Since we're a non-profit and we're not savvy in terms of Google AdWords or any other aspect of digital marketing, they were tasked with handling this. They took a look of our website in order to see what we could enhance and what we could get rid of—which pages were dead and what titles could be enhanced to improve their search rankings.

They also helped me implement some online forms to go with various applications and scholarship funds. This is still an ongoing process, as those change monthly and yearly.

What is the team composition?

Sam (Founder and CEO, FWRD) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with FWRD?

A member of the board recommended FWRD when we were looking for someone.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been close to $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Deadlines moved back and forth because of my availability. The work covered a six-week period, but we still have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've gone over a couple of Google Analytics reports with me, and I've seen an increase in traffic, especially for pages onto which forms were inserted. The end-product was great.

How did FWRD perform from a project management standpoint?

They were meticulous and on-the-ball with anything they were supposed to do. Sam was easy to work with—we had a lot of back-and-forth over email, but if there was something I needed to stress the importance of, I could pick up the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their way of explaining the subject matter to people who don’t fully understand it. It was helpful to me, allowing me to inform my board what I’m spending money on and what is being done. I liked that they provided this information in layman’s terms, as well as the fact that they do what they say they're going to do. Attention to detail is important and they certainly have it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It may be because my project was so small, but I haven’t found any downsides to them or the way in which they handled anything.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Enter the project knowing exactly what you want. I believe that this is how I got the best end-result, as I could throw different ideas out there and they caught them all. Once I knew exactly what I wanted, they ran with it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief marketing officer at Shatterproof. We are a nonprofit focused on reducing the devastation caused by substance abuse and addiction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FWRD Digital?

We wanted to use our Google Ad Grant to drive acquisition of new constituents into our database.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FWRD helped us optimize our Google Grant by restructuring our previous keyword focuses to stimulate customer acquisition. They set up dashboards to manage PPC and track ongoing progress.

What is the team composition?

We worked mainly with the CEO.

How did you come to work with FWRD Digital?

I received a recommendation from a past partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $8,000 so far, but our full contract is for roughly $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed a yearlong contract beginning in February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw our highest rates of grant utilization, email acquisition, and PPC conversions after the first month of using their optimization strategies.

How did FWRD Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

The kept an up-to-date and detailed GoogleDoc that allowed smooth communication between our teams. We scheduled a weekly call to discuss progress summaries and key insights.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team showed a passion for constant improvement.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for SEO and PPC assistance.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing director of marketing and communications for an independent private school network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FWRD Digital?

We brought on FWRD as an agency consultant and partner to help us overhaul our paid search and paid social approach. We were seeing that we were generating results from paid search and paid social, but we were not necessarily seeing lead quality. We thought that perhaps our previous partner was not on top of the latest trends in the space, so we wanted somebody who would be a better partner for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When FWRD came on they restructured our entire AdWords account and how we executed our campaigns. They also shifted our paid social tactics to target higher quality leads. We usually attack each campaign by explaining what our goals are before FWRD comes back and gives us some strategy ideas.

What is the team composition?

We work with their founder/CEO.

How did you come to work with FWRD Digital?

A former team member of ours had previously worked with their founder.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with FWRD since May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen an increase in our share of leads coming from paid search at a much more efficient cost per. We are spending less in paid social so we are generating less leads, but have actually seen an increase in qualified leads as a result of better execution, implementation, and tracking.

How did FWRD Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

At first project management was perfectly fine. We talked over email and phone regularly. However, we recently moved to Slack and a shared Google Drive which has greatly increased project management on both my end and theirs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What’s nice about FWRD is that they are true partners and they really care. We are not a very large client, but we demand a lot. FWRD really understands that and delivers us the best possible level of service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It is always helpful when people are constantly coming to the table with new ideas. FWRD already does that, but they could do it even more often. Regardless, they are really top notch.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You will enjoy working with FWRD, but you get what you put in. FWRD wants to feel like your partner, so let them be and truly let them in on what you're trying to accomplish.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Ecom of Greats

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Footwear brand

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Socium Media to accomplish?

• To manage and improve the performance of our paid marketing channels

SOLUTION

How did you find Socium Media?

Referral

Why did you select Socium Media over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Socium Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope of work entailed improving our priority KPI, ROAS, across our portfolio of marketing channels that encompassed paid social and paid search, all while staying within our target budget.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Measurable outcomes entailed traffic increase, improved click rates (lowered CPC’s), and revenue.

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

Socium was incredibly prompt with both deliverables AND communication. Given the line of work we’re in, being in a digital industry, things move rather quickly and it was a huge relief that Socium Media was right by our sides operating as fast as we were attempting to run. They were incredibly curious and eager to deliver results, it felt like we had a true partner.

What was your primary form of communication with Socium Media?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

It’s a mix of a few components: responsiveness (which is also connected to responsibility, but Socium really has reporting and reviews down to a science), kindness (they never make you feel like your questions or ideas are invalid), and lastly, subject knowledge.

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

None.