Solutions 8

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a jewelry and high-end merchandise buying company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solutions 8?

We needed their expertise in PPC marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solutions 8 currently helps optimize our marketing pipeline by reducing our ad spend and increasing our revenue through PPC ads. They’ve previously handled other marketing-related work for us, including our SEO efforts.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with John (Senior Project Manager) and Kasim (Founder).

How did you come to work with Solutions 8?

I found Solutions 8 on Google while looking for potential companies to onboard for this project. Apart from their high ratings, I was convinced that they’re the right team for us because of the way they present themselves in our interview.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $150,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our ongoing engagement with Solutions 8 in May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Solutions 8 has met our success metrics by lowering our cost per click and increasing our clickthrough rates. More importantly, our buying volume has evidently improved. We’re overall pleased with their fantastic job.

How did Solutions 8 perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via phone calls and emails. Solutions 8 is on top of their project management game — they’re a proactive team that’s always ahead of schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their thorough understanding of the ins and outs of PPC marketing. They’re a Google-certified PPC partner, and that achievement speaks for itself.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that needs to be improved at this point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Solutions 8 to be the marketing partner you need. They have a flawless process, and you’ll be in good hands with their accommodating team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Section 119 creates high-end licensed apparel and merchandise for music fans - currently servicing the fans of Grateful Dead, Phish, David Bowie, and Pink Floyd I am currently the Head of Marketing for Section 119

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solutions 8, and what were your goals?

We hired Solutions 8 to help structure and execute on our paid google strategy with the goal of scaling our advertising dollars profitably on the platform while earning our company new customers and revenue.

SOLUTION

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

We were referred to Soltions 8 through a reputable Youtube Marketing agency. Our choice was based on knowledge of the platform, an understanding of our industry, clear communication of goals, and cost to perform the service.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

1. Review our sites offerings, customers, and sales data

2. Review the potential paths forward within the Google platform to understand what opportunities our brand had

3. Develop MVP strategy with the initial budget to set baseline goals

4. Meet bi-weekly with co-founder of Solutions 8 to build upon weekly learnings and data

5. Provide Sec. 119 with monthly ad account report with updates and proposed changes for continued success

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

We met with both co-founders prior to making our decision to move forward with Solutions 8. On a rolling basis, we meet with both the co-founder and primary strategist as well as Collin, our account manager, and media buyer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Solutions 8 has helped us double our budget within the platform while maintaining a 3+ Return on Ad Spend during the course of our partnership

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

We stay engaged with Solutions 8 through a mix of email, google data studio, on-platform reporting and bi-weekly recorded google meetings

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

Their level of expertise within the platform. Their constant drive to learn more about this industry is impressive. 

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

n/a

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Northbeam, an e-commerce analytics software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solutions 8?

We needed help with marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solutions 8 helps us with our paid ads on Google and YouTube. First, they conducted an onboarding process to identify our needs and objectives. The team then outlined a plan to improve our Google and YouTube ads, which they now manage.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 teammates, including the CEO, a head strategist, and an account manager. 

How did you come to work with Solutions 8?

I found them through one of our clients. When I got to know them, I saw that they brought great results, so I hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in May 2021 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Solutions 8 has definitely helped us grow. As a result, our revenue has increased.

How did Solutions 8 perform from a project management standpoint?

The team does a fantastic job of managing the project. We typically communicated through Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their onboarding process has allowed them to be keenly aware of our needs. Furthermore, Solutions 8’s in-depth knowledge of Google and YouTube ads is extremely valuable to us. The team is very thorough and knows what they’re doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints — we’re happy with the team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be involved in the onboarding process and dedicate time to it. It’ll definitely pay off.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Veatch Ophthalmic Instruments, a medical optical device distributor. We focus on equipment used in clinics for eye exams, and our products range from exam chairs to the instrument they put in front of your face.

Despite being a small company, we sell our products nationwide — which is fairly unique in our space. We don’t actually go out and install our products often, since we’re able to do a lot of our work remotely — we just support it through technology and other methods through the phone.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solutions 8?

We needed help with all aspects of our website, as one of our goals was to increase internet sales. This could be challenging considering the type of equipment we sell, especially since an individual piece of equipment would cost around $70,000. It’s not the type of product doctors will see on the website and willingly use their credit card for. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our website was preexisting, so they just help us with the different aspects of the design to revamp it. We use AmeriCommers for the development because Shopify wasn’t a good fit for our business model. Solutions 8 is in charge of the landing pages, product descriptions, images, and SEO, as well as refreshing our logo design.

Prior to the ongoing development and design work, they also helped us coordinate any kind of digital marketing for the website, as well as our efforts into print marketing — their work had a very comprehensive theme and look. They also helped us automate quite a few functions in the business, including drip email campaigns. We set up our HubSpot with an automatic tracking aspect to track and manage our leads.

Right now, they’re currently focusing on Google Ads. We’re quite aggressive, so we started ramping our marketing spend on Google Ads in January 2020, and with the COVID-19 pandemic still prevalent, we’ve ceased going to any face-to-face conventions and stopped advertising in the trade journals.

What is the team composition?

I don’t know how many are behind the scenes, but there are about four people that we interact with. Our main point of contact was the owner, but now we connect with their Google Ads technical specialist.

How did you come to work with Solutions 8?

We found them through online research. I wanted a local company that my daughter could meet face-to-face with, so she can accomplish what she wanted to.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent under $500,000. They charge us a flat fee for literally anything they do for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2016 and our partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They exceed our expectations in all areas and we’re very impressed with their work. We probably gain more revenue through their marketing than we do through the website, but it still helps bring in the leads. The vast majority of our sales require an individual to be involved with the prospect to help them understand all the detailed aspects of the product.

We spent $75,000 in Google Ads, and we back $275,000 in revenue — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, we’ve brought a lot more than that. YOY, our revenue Increases up to 80% for people that haven’t engaged with a human, but placed an order directly on our website. We get about a 300% return on ad spend. 

Our off-internet sales are very difficult to gauge, so we don’t know how much of that is the direct result of what we’re doing with Solutions 8. Google Ads is our only method of advertising and our sales are growing nicely.

How did Solutions 8 perform from a project management standpoint?

If we give them a project, it’s as good as done, and we don’t have to follow up on it. They engage with us when they have questions and need more input, and they’ve never let us down on any kind of project timeframe that we’ve ever had. We use Zoom and the phone to communicate, as I don’t think my daughter physically meets with them very often anymore. We used to have a weekly meeting, now we meet monthly to see how our Google Ads are doing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like that they listen, and the fact that there’s a breadth of talent that we’re able to tap into. I’ve never been able to experience that kind of accommodation with any ad agency in the past, as most ad agencies I’ve engaged with never delivered for us — Solution 8 cares about our company. It’s complicated to learn the language in our space, so if you can’t talk the talk, the doctors won’t respect you.

However, their staff has mastered our industry with virtually no background at all — I’d put the writers of Solutions 8 right up there against any of the writers in our space. They really learned about our industry and they do an extremely good job of writing content for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been some times when they may miss the mark of what we’re trying to convey. We already know what we want and sometimes, it’d take 2–3 times for them to get what we want to convey. Other than that, I don’t have anything critical to say about them at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should know what your objectives are and have a preliminary meeting to discuss them. They didn’t ask for a huge engagement upfront, so we don’t have a long-term contract with them — our risk was very little. This is exactly what I love about working with Solutions 8. We’re not making a huge capital investment, but we’ve grown together quite well. We crawled before we learned how to walk and eventually, run.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the VP of Marketing at Briden Solutions. We work with the emergency and outdoor markets providing delicious freeze dried food products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solutions 8?

We hired Solutions 8 to help us break out of the small business rut in Google Adwords. We had been advertising with Google Adwords for many years previously, but with the myriad of options and checkboxes and this and that inside of the Google Adwords system we knew we were missing a massive amount of our own market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Solutions 8 was referred to us by another trusted vendor. We did compare them to several others we were looking at, but after speaking with them, we felt they truly knew their stuff, and would be able to help our situation.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We started with some discovery meetings, where Solutions 8 learned about our business, goals, and future needs. From there they set up several new Google Ad campaigns, ad sets, and applicable creatives for those ads. Then launched those campaigns and continued to monitor and adjust over time.

What was the team composition?

We work closely with our account manager at Solutions 8.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen constant, steady and controlled growth across the board with ripple effects across all our channels, not just Google. In terms of statistics, I don't have numbers in front of me, but we have had several goals from the beginning it terms of ROI, spend, etc that Solutions 8 has helped us to continually met or exceed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We get weekly reports in video format, that are amazingly helpful. We can watch the reports whenever we have time - usually at midnight! - and we are able to follow along in our account and see exactly what is happening along the way. Questions, improvements or suggestions go back and forth very quickly, and are acted on quickly and efficiently.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

That they are truly human and care. We have dealt with several ad firms in the past where we were just a number on a paper. We were handed to offshore managers who didn't communicate, didn't extend themselves, didn't care. We feel that Solutions 8 cares about our progress as a company, and truly works in our best interests. If an update takes a few minutes longer than was expected, there is no paperwork to write up, no extension of scope to renegotiate, the work just gets done and done quick.

We operate on honesty and trust and caring, and Solutions 8 shows those qualities and we love that.

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

If anything, we'd love to see a longer term plan set up. The 6 month or 1 year "this is where we are going to be" plan.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an independent technical SEO consultant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solutions 8, and what were your goals?

I have partnered with Solutions 8 on about a dozen client projects over the past 5 years, where I provided the organic SEO services, and Solutions 8 provided paid search marketing services. Often we'd work together on keyword research. For many clients, Solutions 8 would implement my technical recommendations on the client's websites.

SOLUTION

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

Kasim originally found me--he was looking for technical organic SEO help for one of his clients. My experience working with him and his team on that project has led me to partner up with him with some of my other clients as well.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

Solutions 8 was responsible for anything to do with paid search and online marketing. In many cases, they also took care of the implementation of my SEO recommendations on the client's website as well. We've also done some webinars and training sessions together for some of our mutual clients.

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

Chiefly I've worked directly with Kasim Aslam (CEO) and John Moran (Senior Client Strategist).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Without exception, my clients have been very happy with the advice and results from the paid search campaigns run by Solutions 8.

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

First class all around, whether it's responses to emails or phone calls. They simply never drop the ball.

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

Very smart people, and very experienced. I appreciate how they've communicated realistic expectations to our clients--sometimes, it's in the best interest of the client to NOT put money towards a particular keyword or campaign.

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

Nope.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company installs cabinetry, countertops, flooring and design center services primarily for new homebuilders across five states. My position is Chief Marketing Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solutions 8, and what were your goals?

Solutions 8 is my marketing team as I have no direct reports. Kasim and his team of experts have provided a full funnel marketing services for me from web design, maintenance, digital content, design and artwork. My goal is to deliver interesting, compelling and up-to-date B2B content to keep ahead of our competitors with our digital offering.

SOLUTION

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

Solutions 8 was the incumbent digital marketing support when I joined my company. I did not have to stay with the team but they proved quickly that they were enthusiastic about changing what had gone before and delivered 100%.

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

Solutions 8 has delivered an enormous range of tasks - website re-platforming and content refresh (multiple times), full digital strategy and content, creation of new employee newsletter (Mailchimp), integration of design center appointment system and management, and Google Ads. This has been over an 8 year period, where the team has been responsive to my every need.

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

I have worked with many members of the team over the years - including owner Kasim, technical website managers, digital content managers and account managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All projects have been delivered on-time. This has meant that I've never had to worry about my accountability for delivering marketing projects within my company. Over the years, the company has won many awards: most recently an award for our design center and the website content greatly contributed to this.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Most projects have been generally collaborative with ideas flowing between myself and Solutions 8 - this has always been seamless. I have often needed to rely on Kasim's expertise in the ever-changing world of website rankings and digital marketing trends - he's always spot-on! Recently, I have been working with an account relationship manager and this has worked well too.

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

Solutions 8 will always go above and beyond to help deliver a project and for it to succeed. The team is incredibly responsive 365 days a year! Solutions 8 makes you feel like the most important client in the world and that is special.

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

Never.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Director of a group of Montessori schools serving 500 children from infancy through the 6th grade.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solutions 8, and what were your goals?

After years of trying working on my own and through other consultants, we needed a talented and reliable partner to manage our digital marketing spend on both Google and Facebook and improve our SEO.

SOLUTION

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

I interviewed four different digital marketing firms before choosing a vendor. Solutions 8 was, by far, the most professional and relatable solution. After meeting with Kasim and his team, and speaking with previous clients, I made the decision.

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

Solutions 8 started with a comprehensive audit of my Google and Facebook ad accounts after a meeting to set goals. I wanted our investment in the ad spend to have results that I could understand in both metrics and the bottom line. We determined essential KPI's so I could easily monitor results. In addition, they introduces me to various marketing software/CRM's, from Ontraport to Active Campaign and helped me choose the right solution for our business.

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

I worked directly with Kasim and John who were both extremely knowledgeable, relatable and likeable - a trifecta of traits that built our relationship quickly. All other members of the Solutions 8 team have been excellent as well (Ivan in particular).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our total spend on digital marketing decreased by 40% within a few months and our inquiries (and subsequent business) increased dramatically. I was able to focus on other aspects of my business, knowing that our online presence was solid.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The entire team and Solutions 8 is ridiculously responsive. I get responses to email in minutes. Problems are solved quickly.

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

It's difficult to find a digital marketing company that is trustworthy and reliable, as the industry can be somewhat transient. The integrity of this company and the leadership is, by far, the most impressive feature.

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

I could not be happier with Solutions 8.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO and Founder of Simplero, an all-in-one platform for information business owners to simplify their life by getting everything done using one tool. Our mission to enable teachers, coaches, and consultants raise the maturity level of humanity all over the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solutions 8, and what were your goals?

We had very little visibility in the US market. We wanted to fix that.

SOLUTION

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

The skill level, intelligence level, and customer service level was off the charts.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

The team implemented SEO optimization and a very ingenious PPC campaign to address our core issue.

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

We worked with the CEO, a PPC specialist, and an SEO specialist as our primary contacts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were extremely happy with the results we saw.

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

There were weekly updates, very clear and detailed, always metrics-driven and to the point.

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

Their level of care and attention to detail was outstanding.

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

I can't think of anything.