Stavridis Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a road safety training company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stavridis Group?

Most of our work in 2013 was contracted to the government, but we wanted to start improving our public profile because we were offering programs to the public as well. We brought in Stavridis Group to help us with marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stavridis Group does social media and website marketing for us, giving us advice on strategies based on their market research. They mostly use Facebook Ads and Google Ads as those are what we want according to our budget. They do SEO as well but the keyword research is a collaborative effort. 

Stavridis Group manages our social media pages and responds to inquiries and comments. Just recently, however, we’ve instructed them that we’ll be taking over by responding to clients ourselves while they continue to do everything else. They still notify us if there’s anything that occurs on our social media pages that we need to be aware of or if there are any complaints. 

On top of that, their team does a lot of graphic design work. They have created and designed 20 web pages for us, even linking our website to our booking system. They also help us with radio advertising, overseeing filming and voiceover productions.

Whenever the team comes up with a concept, they present it to us for approval. We work quite closely, so they understand what we’re looking for. They don’t post any ads or significant content without our approval. 

What is the team composition?

I work with Chris (Managing Director & Owner) and one other person.

How did you come to work with Stavridis Group?

I encountered them when I was working for another company. When I moved into this company and was looking to increase our profile, we contacted a few different agencies including Stavridis Group, who had what we needed. I reviewed what they had done for other clients and was quite pleased. I liked their approach, so I decided to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2014 and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our core business’s engagement on Facebook shows up to about 5,000 fans, which isn’t bad for a business that people don’t usually engage with. We now have a couple of competitors, but we’re well ahead of them in terms of response from the public.  

In 2018, we decided to open a motorcycle training business, relying solely on the marketing from Stavridis Group. Today, we’ve become the third largest motorcycle training provider in Australia. We went from having zero customers to having about 3,000–4,000 customers a year, generating an annual revenue of around $1 million AUD (approximately $772,000 USD).

How did Stavridis Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They always meet deadlines. We communicate mostly by email but we do have meetings and discussions over the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Stavridis Group’s commitment to building our business has been outstanding. That is why we’ve stuck with them. They do a great job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the guys doesn’t communicate as well as he should on issues. Occasionally, he’s a bit too quick to jump to an answer and we’ve sometimes had to calm him down. He should think a bit more before coming up with solutions. The other person, however, is much more measured and communicates very clearly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having regular meetings is a good thing, whether it’s conference calls or Zoom calls. Give clear directions on what you’re looking for in terms of outcomes and strategies.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the lead developer of an Integrated Development Environment that accepts definition of application requirements and then generates 99% of the program code.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stavridis Group, and what were your goals?

I have no time to spend on marketing while working on the development. The Stavridis Group were hired to look after all the web site and Internet promotion activities to market Enigma.

SOLUTION

How did you select Stavridis Group and what were the deciding factors?

This group was selected because they offered a "one stop" service where other suppliers offered costs for various bits: none of which I understood. From my perspective I needed the marketing looked after completely.

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

From an initial discussion with Chris Stavridis a plan was developed to secure Domain Names covering the name of the company (of six alternatives five were secured and one is on hold) and then register them with an ISP. Various mailboxes were set up. A web site was created and populated with information about the project. Chris created an advertising video suitable for Google and Facebook and we made a short video highlighting the advantages to be gained by using the application.

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

Initially I worked with Chris: the owner. More recently I have also been working with George .

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web site generates good traffic even though the Internet advertising was suspended last March due to the COVID-19 crisis. Since that suspension there has been little change in our SEO rankings. For most of the keywords Chris has set, the web site ranks second to IBM.

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

Most of our communication is via email with face to face contact as required to set plans for improvements and future activities as necessary.

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

They take all of the promotion activity off my shoulders. Just what I wanted.

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

I don't think so. They are working with a constantly evolving product that causes different facets to become apparent as it evolves. They keep up with changes very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Legal firm with offices in Canberra and Sydney

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ! STAVRIDIS GROUP?

Branding Ongoing digital marketing Social Media Marketing SEO

What were your goals for this project?

To achieve high prominence online and build a respectable social media audience for my companies

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The Stavridis Group was referred to me by my IT Support company

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The Stavridis Group assisted us from the very beginning of my companies. They built an excellent corporate brand for me and multiple websites. They performed ongoing SEO work to achieve the high ranking and online prominence I was looking for and they work with my team on an ongoing basis for building further brands for other companies I am involve in.

What was the team composition?

The Stavridis Group is a friendly team that worked closely with my staff to achieve our corporate objectives

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fantastic work and great outcomes, as planned. The Stavridis Group delivered everything they promised plus more. This is why we have engaged them to work with us on an ongoing basis.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great communication and teamwork. No issues there.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They think outside the box. They have come up with solutions we were not aware of.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far so good. Highly recommended.