The Source Approach

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of ZiZo Technologies, a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Source Approach?

We hired them for SEM, SEO, and online marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team works with all digital marketing in terms of strategy. It’s a collaborative process. Their goal is to teach and strategize with the team who will be doing the implementation. We come up with the content strategy on our end. Along with SEO, they’ve assisted with PPC and social media marketing.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Tanner (CEO).

How did you come to work with The Source Approach?

I found them through connections in the industry. After I interviewed Tanner, he checked all of the boxes.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested at least $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every expectation was met for our goals. We have goals for search ranking and SEO tactics. Their recommendations were spot on with what I expected. All of the implementations are on us, and it is still in progress.

How did The Source Approach perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack and email for communication. For project management tools, we use HubSpot and Azure DevOps. It’s a combination of these tools. We also use Microsoft planner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The amount of detail with their recommendations and strategies is impressive. They provide a lot of videos and infographics that are geared towards our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they did a little more implementation when we had the need. I wish they had more of that available on their team, but that’s not what their business is about. It would be an advantage for them to have a secondary group that manages and implements the content.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that someone on your team can implement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Fun City Toys. We’re a startup that produces children’s toys—puzzles that snap into places like Legos. We manufacture overseas and are currently selling domestically with our largest client, Amazon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Source Approach?

Initially, I placed my products with big-box retailers, drug stores, and specialty stores, but it was very difficult. I then shifted to selling directly to the consumer and needed to build an e-commerce website. The first vendor I tried didn’t meet deadlines and ended up wasting a lot of my time. I went back online and found The Source Approach.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once they designed my website, they started to manage all of my digital marketing. This included making changes to my Amazon profile and handling my social media and SEO efforts.

Amazon has both vendor and seller profiles, and while I already had a vendor profile, Tanner (Founder, The Source Approach) optimized it. He also created a central seller account for me, which lets me reach back out to customers and remarket to them. He suggested I include inserts asking for reviews of my products to get my listings up and even took over a dispute with Amazon that needed to be resolved. 

Outside of Amazon, he developed and now helps execute my social media marketing strategy. He introduced me to the concept of community managers and helped me hire and train them. When I’m putting out a post on Instagram to advertise an Amazon promotion, 20 managers are posting about it at the same time to their different followings. Tanner has helped with my Facebook ads (we’re doing A/B testing) and trained me how to best use both WordPress and WooCommerce. We’re also starting to advertise on Google.

Finally, he worked with the bloggers I hired to bring them up to par. I wanted to put my first post on a site Tanner wasn’t familiar with, so he researched and familiarized himself with it and integrated it into my ongoing plan.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Tanner.

How did you come to work with The Source Approach?

I found them online.

How much have you invested with them?

My monthly cost varies depending on the current work. It's very much a fourth-quarter business, so I'm doing a lot of advertising right now, and my spend is a bit high. It’ll go down in January, though.

I paid a set fee of $1,500 for the web development, and they haven’t charged me more for the extra dev work they've done since.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site is now much more vibrant than I imagined it could or expected it to be. Traffic and bounce rate have both improved, as well as time on site, and our year-to-date sales have exploded by over 5,000%. On the Amazon side, we recently became profitable in our ad spend, meaning our sales surpassed what we spent on advertising. Further, all of our products are visible on Amazon. The value this brings us is immeasurable, as we started with precious little online visibility.

How did The Source Approach perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve been a product manager my entire career and can’t believe one person can do as much as Tanner can. He handles everything I throw at him and delivers before the deadline. Often, it’s all I can do to just keep up with him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

He has a strong understanding of search engine algorithms and SEO and is equally skilled in design and programming, which is unique. I’ve interviewed many web designers, and he’s the only one I’ve come across with that wide of a skill set.

My previous vendor gave me a fraction of what I’ve received from The Source Approach for double the price. The Source Approach goes above and beyond to hit every deadline and care about my business. I’ve never been happier with a consultant; they’re phenomenal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve been happy with everything they’ve done, so there’s no need to improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Set up a weekly call to touch base with them. I requested we do this and it’s only helped move things forward and keep both sides accountable. They would've stayed on track regardless, but it’s important to have frequent meetings anyway, especially when working remotely.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a wine and liquor retailer. We serve the local Buffalo community and other states that allow it via e-commerce wine sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Source Approach?

We wanted to be more easily found online by potential customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I built our original site myself and it didn’t allow for online sales. The Source Approach used WooCommerce to create a new e-commerce site. They got all of our liquor and wine products up on the site. They added other functionality such as predictive search results based on our catalog. They added a banner ad to the blog promoting our wine subscription service. They developed a multi-step checkout process with a “Thank You” page that pushes wine club subscriptions after the customer checks out.

What is the team composition?

I work with Tanner (CEO, The Source Approach).

How did you come to work with The Source Approach?

I met Tanner a few years ago when he was with a different company. We kept in touch from time to time, and I followed what he was doing with The Source Approach.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2016 and the site launched in November 2016. I retain them on an ongoing basis to maintain the site and to come up with new tactics.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve seen a substantial increase in traffic to the website by thousands of percentage points. The nature of the business is cyclical, and this spring’s sales were up from last spring. The site loads fast, and seems to be doing pretty well in search rankings.

How did The Source Approach perform from a project management standpoint?

Tanner is great. He was usually ready with his end of things during site development before I was. He stayed on me all the time to get him what they needed but he does it in a nice, non-pushy way. He's always responsive to my emails, even on evenings or weekends. He's always innovating and making changes to the site to make it better.

What did you find most impressive about them?

His focus on strategy development is impressive. He's always coming up with ideas to improve the site and the customer experience. He also knows the latest studies and figures about what's working in the e-commerce realm in order to drive traffic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Tanner is perhaps a little too analytical and focused on the numbers.

Any advice for potential customers?

Listen to what he says and act on his suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the e-commerce manager for Metro Jewelry. I’m with the e-commerce division of a jewelry wholesale company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Source Approach?

We wanted to build a brand that people trust and want to come back to, since right now, most of our customers come from Amazon. We also wanted to increase our conversion rates. To accomplish this, we needed someone to spearhead our rebranding and expand our e-commerce presence past the marketplaces we’re currently in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanner, their founder, has helped us to do some consumer strategy work along with some digital marketing. Their founder and parts of my team had numerous conversations that revolved around what our goals were and how we thought we would achieve them, instead of merely trying to understand how we thought. They came back to us after a few weeks with a three-phase plan: background research, building strategy and finding a fit that worked for all of us, and implementation. We’re currently in the third phase. They’ve also provided e-commerce site advice.

What is the team composition?

Their founder has been our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with The Source Approach?

They were recommended to us.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested around $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There’s definitely been an increase in site traffic since they’ve been with us, though it’s hard to say whether it is because of their work or because we’ve been pushing in other directions to get everything to them. We had product inserts that weren’t very good, so one of his recommendations was to include one that pushed people to our website, instead of the marketplaces, and that’s definitely helped to get our brand out there. The solutions they’ve provided us with have been very reliable so far.

How did The Source Approach perform from a project management standpoint?

From what I can tell, they’re always very dedicated to their clients and very responsive to emails. We have weekly or bi-weekly meetings depending on how much is going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They know their stuff when it comes to brand recognition; they’re the firm you want. I’ve been happy working with him so far, and the founder has been a great resource. Our staff has been impressed with how much they can get done. We didn’t realize how much work it would take to get to the level we’re at, but everyone’s very happy. They go step by step through everything, and nothing they’ve said so far has been bad.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you have someone dedicated to working on the project full-time, because most people that are looking for an e-commerce consultant don’t realize how much work it actually takes. There was a period of a month where I barely got to touch the project because of how busy the rest of the company was. A lot more resources have to go into it than you anticipate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Haunted History Ghost Walks. We’re a tourism company that gives walking tours based on supernatural folklore.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Source Approach?

We needed efficient local marketing to get the word out about our tours.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've helped us tremendously, working on web development and devising a strategy. We never had that before, and it focuses on promoting our brand, and getting our clients signed up and paid.

What is the team composition?

I work with Tanner (CEO, The Source Approach).

How did you come to work with The Source Approach?

Tanner is an author with enormous drive, and he came to some of the writing courses I give. I got to know him as a friend. When he started his company, he thought he could help me and he has.

How much have you invested with them?

$5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2015 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a very good season last year with Tanner’s help. He’s a highly professional person who can help somebody like me adapt to the new climate of social media. I need somebody like him.

How did The Source Approach perform from a project management standpoint?

Tanner works very hard and has never failed me. If he says he’s going to get something done, it’s done perfectly. We meet in-person for 45–60 minutes every couple of months. In general, the project works great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tanner stays on top of the ever-changing climate of digital commerce and social media.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Tanner is young and his business is just starting out. We’ve had to readjust our formula. The same formula you use with a very large company is different to that required for a small company. We had to revisit our financial relationship a couple times, but it’s all been completely friendly and equitable. He’s a wonderful guy to deal with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as on your game as you can because Tanner is on his. Be ready and be sure you have a plan in place to maximize his insights. I’m not tech literate, so I have other people that are in-between my skills and Tanner’s. I made sure I was prepared with other people who could carry through his recommendations. Show up with a team because Tanner has the expertise of five people, and you may need that many to keep up with him.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the MD of a publishing company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Publishing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Source Approach to accomplish?

• Growth

SOLUTION

How did you find The Source Approach?

Online Search

Why did you select The Source Approach over others?

Fit the brief

How many teammates from The Source Approach were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Advice on how to best market

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

More visits

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

Delivery on time. Response time excellent.

What was your primary form of communication with The Source Approach?

Virtual Meeting

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

Professionalism. Knowledge. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Source Approach could have done differently?

No, everything has been great

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Media Coordinator of VIVL Nutrients

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Health and fitness

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Source Approach to accomplish?

• Amazon consulting

SOLUTION

How did you find The Source Approach?

Online Search

Why did you select The Source Approach over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from The Source Approach were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

• Create Amazon seller account 
• List products 
• Build EComm website for products 
• Create product mail list/ customer database 
• Develop social media and blog content

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Created Amazon seller account and successfully listed products 
• Troubleshot all Amazon issues and gave explanations to avoid or resolve in the future 
• Supported the building of an EComm website for our products 
• Helped us collect a mailing list/ customer database 
• Advised on social media and blog content

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

They were always prepared and on time, ready to get started on the next deliverable with a well-thought-out approach.

What was your primary form of communication with The Source Approach?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their dedication to staying on top of so many nuances, rules, and best practices when it came to the ever-changing platform of Amazon.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Source Approach could have done differently?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an administator at a medical sales company called Frontier Therapeutics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Source Approach, and what were your goals?

We needed to get our eCommerce business off the ground. Our goal was to make eCommerce a larger part of our business.

SOLUTION

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

We looked online for the top reviewed consultants for eCommerce and immediately found Tanner at Source Approach

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

Our goal was to create and improve our eCommerce presence. We used several SEO tools and keyword extensions.

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

1 person. Tanner is the CEO of the Source Approach.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales have steadily increased quarter by quarter, and we have seen results that were better than we thought. We have seen a ROAS over 10 for several months.

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

Tanner was flexible, and always on time. There was always a comprehensive list of tasks and optimizations to do for each meeting.

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

Tanner started the Source Approach from the ground up and his frameworks were created from his own research and experience.

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

I can not think of any improvements at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Skate Anytime, a company that sells synthetic ice and similar products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Source Approach?

We hired The Source Approach to overhaul our product copy, SEO, and PPC campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our conversion rate optimization strategies, especially those for Amazon.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After interviewing many companies, we chose The Source Approach. We found that their one-on-one consulting approach and knowledge was best suited for our needs.

Describe the project in detail.

The Source Approach team is completely overhauling our product copy using SEO data as a guide. They are also developing and implementing PPC ads, conversion rate optimization campaigns, and affiliate marketing strategies.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are extremely pleased that we are now gaining traction in many market segments. Within a few months, we saw a major uptick in our sales velocity. We are excited to continue our marketing partnership with The Source Approach.  

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their open communication is quite effective and works well with our staff. We discuss strategies and implementation in biweekly conversations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We are impressed with their knowledge of the Amazon system and what it has to offer.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I have not noticed any areas for improvement.