Striventa

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the president and CEO of Encompass Inspections. I typically handled IT, advertising, and any other web or technology related tasks related to business development. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Striventa?

Initially, I’d handled some of our SEO-related activities. We also worked with several SEO companies throughout the years. Our PPC company gave Striventa a strong referral as organic SEO experts. We reached out to them for support with building up our organic web presence. We were already doing well with PPC and wanted our SEO results to be just as strong.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From our very first meeting when Striventa took us out to dinner, they were clearly invested in us. After taking over our project, they encouraged us to consider our business from a variety of perspectives. They found 20-30 different ways to improve through SEO-type activities. Other services included PPC analytics, call tracking, and development. They also developed a new custom website tailored specifically to our customers. Even for aspects of work they didn’t execute personally, they provided consultation we could take to our other teams.

Striventa supported our content and email marketing campaigns. As we produced copywriting for our blogs, they suggested beneficial keywords with low domain authority. They rapidly built up our SEO presence using specific, targeted blogging and content. We found an in-house employee who was good at this type of work. He wrote materials based on topics Striventa suggested and adhered to their guidelines for length, structure, and keywords to include.

What is the team composition? 

They assigned us a great team. Three specific people helped us out on any given day. We interfaced with Ryan (President, Striventa) and Mike (Content Director, Striventa). Another employee helped us manage communication and everyday tasks.

How did you come to work with Striventa?

After trying to work with a few different organizations, we were ready for a change. Striventa came highly recommended and really seemed to care about us individually. They've done projects like ours before successfully and showed a real desire to learn about our business. The few other companies we interviewed were national agencies who seemed much less invested. They're local, experienced, and knowledgeable. From the onset, hiring them was a natural choice. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $40,000–$50,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2017 and have had an ongoing monthly contract since then. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Striventa has improved our business in so many different ways. Our organic leads tripled in one year's time, which was a massive success for us. We went from having one organic lead per month to a couple per week. We’ve secured several new customers and established a stronger presence on first-page results. 

The business had been relatively stagnant, but after they came on board, our results started to take off. We might have even scared some of our larger competitors, who suddenly wanted to buy us out. We sold our company in April for a very high price, and Striventa was critical to that success. They felt more like business consultants with an SEO flair than a standard agency. Keeping the big picture in mind, they supported us from every angle.

How did Striventa perform from a project management standpoint?

Striventa offered excellent correspondence. At our request, we’ve used the Google suite of tools. Those chat functions make it easy to ask quick questions. They sent us weekly e-mails for reporting functions and provided a lot of useful feedback. Whenever we send them a message, they respond right away. Through Trello, we could see precisely what activities they were working on for any given day or week. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best thing about Striventa was their transparency, which is very important to us. They kept everything out in the open. It's hard to find companies in the web advertising space for organic or paid search that are committed to providing your money's worth. Unlike so many teams we've worked with in the past, they indicated how they were building our web presence. To me, that's what separates a great company from just an average one. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have anything to suggest. Striventa is such a positive company. Everybody who works there is caring and supportive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure they truly understand your business from the inside and out. If necessary, hold an hour-long conference call to explain who you are and how you operate. Doing so will help them design the best product for your needs and form a multifaceted plan of attack to maximize your success. They'll take an all-encompassing perspective on your business and offer a variety of ways to help you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a parent company consisting of five companies, mostly related to real estate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Striventa?

We needed marketing services to attract new clients. We'd worked with many vendors in the past, but weren't completely happy with their results. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Striventa has worked on many digital marketing projects for us over the years, overseeing our entire online presence, from social media to creating content for our website. They continue to manage our online advertising strategy and SEO.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with Mike (Content Director, Striventa) and James (Digital Marketing Director, Striventa), as well as Ryan (President, Striventa) on occasion.

How did you come to work with Striventa?

Over my 25-year-long career, I've worked with over a dozen marketing companies. After finding and interviewing Striventa, I was blown away by their approach, dedication, and ability to generate results. Unlike other vendors, they focus on generating leads, as opposed to clicks and impressions. They understood better than anyone else that our priority is to ultimately attract more customers to our business at the end of the day.

How much have you invested with them?

We've consistently spent about $60,000 a year on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around April 2011, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our company has grown significantly since we started working with Striventa. By generating leads, their efforts allow us to hire more agents, which helps generate even more customers. It's hard to say how much of our 300% growth over the last five years is attributed to their work, but they've certainly played an important role. Compared to other marketing companies I've worked with, Striventa's approach has provided the highest ROI we've ever had.

How did Striventa perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is phenomenal on all fronts; they never drop ball and have excellent follow-up. They're proactive when it comes to putting any of our ideas to work, keeping all of their tasks very organized through a project management system that I can access at any time. While we meet regularly in-person, I've never had any issues reaching them by phone or email. Without even asking for it, they provide monthly reporting to show us the results their work is generating.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're ultimately focused on growing businesses at the end of the day, which differentiates them from most vendors more concerned with other measurements of success.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With any marketing company, the first critical step is to help the vendor understand your business and audience. Many entrepreneurs don't invest enough time in this phase, but it's critical to the success of any marketing efforts. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former Marketing Manager at Arrowhead Health Centers in Arizona.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Striventa?

We were trying to address two challenges. The first was that our initial website was built using black hat tactics that we knew Google was going to penalize us for, so we needed someone to help us build its organic SEO and improve the site structure. The second challenge was to assist us in ranking locally, as the business was rapidly expanding at the time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Striventa reorganized our website, created content such as blogs, and implemented a plan for organic SEO. The content they created was often very specific for our area, which helped us to grow in local rankings as well. They also assisted us with directory cleanup to help us keep our information consistent.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with their president, an SEO lead, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Striventa?

We initially met them because their office was located across the street. When we decided to look into hiring an SEO agency, we took a look at the platform they had built for a local real estate company and really liked what we saw. They were very transparent about what they could do and how long it would take, and they clearly knew what they were talking about.

How much have you invested with them?

They are paid a retainer of $6,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Striventa has been working with Arrowhead since February 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of Striventa’s work, we increased our web traffic from 7,000–8,000 sessions a month to 20,000 sessions per month through organic growth. The team itself was amazing to work with and never pushed back against a single request I made. They helped us triple our web traffic, and they really served as a true partner for my team.

How did Striventa perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. They never took longer than an hour to get back to you, and if it would take them longer, they told you why and when you would hear back from them. They almost always met our deadlines unless we didn’t give them enough lead-time, which is hardly their fault. They really have an amazing level of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing that distinguishes them is that they are the only SEO agency I have worked with who really got to know our business. They went out of their way to learn the nuances of communication and language we use with our customers. This allowed them to always use the proper terms during content creation and meet our keywords. I never had to worry about what they were writing because they knew as much about the business as I did, an experience I have never had elsewhere.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While I was working with them I felt that their creative team working on infographics, landing pages, etc. was not that strong. However, I know they have almost entirely divested from those areas to focus on their strengths, so I no longer think it is an issue.

Any advice for potential customers?

It is important to really understand your customers so that they do not have to figure out your customer base for you. If you tell them a specific customer you want to target, they will do everything in their power to make sure those people are targeted. I would also suggest that you be as transparent as possible about how your business operates. This will allow them to really understand your company and move from being just a vendor to a real partner.