StrongWP

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder & CEO of a Content Marketing and Conversion Optimization Marketing agency.

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

The website I originally had built was full of errors. The code was written in three languages, there were design flaws and it was given an "F" ranking. The copy also needed to be updated along with a fresh look and feel. My goals were to find and hire the best Web Development and Design agency out there to recode my website, optimize it, fix a large number of errors, and give it a more appealing look and feel.

How did you select StrongWP and what were the deciding factors?

I searched on Clutch and then Googled the company, and I was so impressed that I reached out to them for an initial strategy meeting and overview of their services. The hour-long discussion could not have gone better! StrongWP has a tremendously talented group of experts.

My project has been handled by a co-founder named Dusan, and we get along and communicate so well. He advises me on best practices and always has a solution for complementary services my company requires.

I could not be happier! StrongWP will forever be my partner and I could not be more satisfied.

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

We had a kick-off meeting where they examined my site through a shared screen and pointed out items that were hurting my organic rankings. We discussed a plan to recode my WordPress site in Elementor, making my life dramatically easier.

They take care of my every need and are available for additional integrations like installing plug-ins with my existing partners, migrating my email from Outlook to G-Suite, adding a chatbox, and offering their expertise when I am deciding on different solutions to manage my company.

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

I work mostly with Dusan Illic, with whom I could not be more pleased. I am secure in knowing I am in his very capable hands. Jason has also made some excellent recommendations regarding strategy. Both Dusan and Jason are co-founders.

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

We are close to launching the site, so we can analyze the improvements the StrongWP site has generated. As far as the layout and design, I love how they changed elements to be more clear, concise and created just what I was looking for.

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

I communicate with my partner at StrongWP, Dusan, over email, Google chat, Loom, MeetUp, and Zoom. This way they can share their screen to go through every detail. They are extremely accessible and clear in all communications. As far as project management goes, they are efficient and work tirelessly to get my project up and running.

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

The customer care and communication with StrongWP are excellent. My project manager walks me through every step and explains the process involved. Dusan is a teacher, a friend, and a committed partner.

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

Not a thing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and creative director of a creative agency. We specialize in branding, strategy, design, website development, marketing, and advertising.

What challenge were you trying to address with Strong Digital?

My company is very new, and I wanted to focus on building up one social media channel and generating leads. Having a small team, it was hard to manage the company, the client work, the lead generation, and building up the social media.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had them start on the lead generation campaigns, which involved building up my LinkedIn following. They accomplish this by posting, staying engaged, targeting the right people that are prospects relevant to my industry, and messaging them. Then, they follow up with them and write relevant articles monthly that I can use on LinkedIn. They also handle my blog posts and parts of email marketing campaigns. Finally, they’ve done some of the client work.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been working with 4 or 5 people, not counting Jason (Founder & CEO, Strong Digital). I have a dedicated project manager that handles blog writing. They have content writers dedicated to me to help with that too. There’s also someone dedicated to lead generation, as well as a couple of other resources. They’ve been pretty good about introducing the people on the project and telling us who to speak to.

How did you come to work with Strong Digital?

Jason came across my company on the lead generation platform, and we ended up partnering together. One of their sales reps reached out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter and got me interested their service, which I had already been wanting to look for. It was good timing, instead of having to go out and start searching for a company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $12,000-$20,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019 and the work is ongoing.

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

They’ve been good at sending monthly reports on the lead generation so we can see how they’re doing. December and January are always the slowest month for any creative or marketing agency. It dropped down to about 17 positive leads during the month, but it’s been very consistent for the past year of getting around 31 leads. I’ve been receiving one to two emails every day.

How did Strong Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is good. They send me updates and are keeping track of everything. I rarely have to ask for a status. They usually update me with changes to the lead generation campaigns because they change each month. The content writer is really good about messaging me to ask to review blog articles and provide topics. After I review it and sign off, I need to provide topics for the following month. They’re good at getting on top me about that.

If I had any issues, feedback, or advice, I would talk with the lead liaison or the project manager. If I need anything, they’re pretty quick to respond, usually on the same day. When they’re onboarding, they do virtual calls, and I have virtual calls with the CEO and some of the lead generation project managers once a month. Everything else is through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with how well the content writing has come along. There’s been a pretty big progression from when they started to where they are now. They said initially that the content writers would get better as they become more familiar with our company, services, needs, and target audience. I did see that progression. In the very beginning, I nitpicked them a little bit more. Now, it’s at the point where I’m really impressed with the articles when they come out. There’s not really anything I need to change.

Jason, the founder, definitely stood out the most. He bends over backwards to hop on calls, give strategy, and answer any questions or needs that I have. He’s become a really good business mentor for me since my company is still really new. I’ve learned a lot from him that’s completely outside of the services I’m paying for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve been happy with their services. There’s a lot of transparency in communication. There are long emails that I don’t even have time to read, but if I need to, that’s available.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’re going to get what you put into it. It’s not about paying someone else to figure out all your problems. What I’ve learned through the partnership is that it’s two parties, not just one person barking orders. I was a little hands-off in the beginning, but over this past year I’ve definitely been a lot more hands-on and communicative. The more that I’m involved with the lead generation, the better the results are going to be. The best advice I can give is to always be involved. I say the same thing to my clients.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of My Business Integrated. We are passionate about developing comprehensive on-demand lead generation and marketing automation solutions. We design, implement and support B2B multi-channel campaign solutions. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Strong Social?

One of our manufacturing clients has invented a new innovative product for the Soil Erosion industry. We have a strong outbound marketing campaign in place.

I needed an inbound solution that would raise immediate awareness about the new industry segment we are creating. I don't have the budget for PPC, and I don't have time for long-term SEO work, that will take 4-8 months before we are ranking for search.

What were your goals for this project?

Confirm the questions that our prospects are asking, and define a Content Structure plan and process that will allow our content (blog posts) to have a dominant ranking position, quickly.

We needed to work with a team who can take our content direction and do the heavy lifting of authoring a 2,500-word article and 4 smaller articles each month. We needed a team that could commit to doing this for the next 6 months.

How did you select this vendor?

I have been in the technology sales and marketing space for over 30 years, and I am blessed to know a number of industry veterans. A group of trusted resources I call on when I am in a jam and Strong Social was recommended to me by Shawn Elledge president of Sales Lead Automation. After my initial conversation with Jason Gordon, it felt like we were meant to work with each other.

Describe the project in detail.

I worked with Jason, to confirm the topics we wanted to dominate in organic search. I can tell you that each post will bring hundreds of new visitors per month to your website once all the articles are written. Most into the thousands per cluster. I usually suggest working on one Cluster per month or more based on budget, which contains one 1- 2500 word article surrounded by 4 - 1000 word pieces.

This is a strategy that brings some of the highest quality traffic we have seen in years because people are clicking on articles they find in search of a topic or question they need an answer for. Intent-based search is always the best traffic. The more targeted traffic you receive will mean more leads, a huge boost of trust and authority, and having the rankings above major publications and competitors in your industry.

Many articles rankings in the top 3 results will help boost your domain in general and drive organic backlinks to your site. We come up with a list of questions for you based on how many people are searching for things around your industry. We then write content for the highest volume searched keywords and questions.

Secondly, the most important part of a Topic Cluster is the Main Topic. So we will want to write a long-form article of 2500 words with a Topic relating to your services. Once we have the topic, then we do the research for questions and get started. The final optimization phase happens once you approve the content.

What was the team composition?

I head up strategy for our client, and we provide direction for a team of writers and SEO team members at Strong Social. Our team has developed a unique ability to find highly qualified prospects for our outbound lead generation, and we have included an accountability factor for our distribution channel.

We do tracking, lead scoring and prospect nurturing with SharpSpring and Nimble CRM. We also provide outbound phone calls to the prospects that meet a specific level of engagement, which includes sending out hand sample to specific prospects.

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

We have developed approximately 1,200 highly qualified prospects, the inbound efforts with the Content Structure from Strong Social is still getting dialed in. It is creating multiple benefits. 1) An immediate position of authority with our content is positioned at the top of organic searches.

The cost for inbound leads is much lower than the outbound leads (although the outbound leads meet a much higher level of qualification). We are learning how to use the Content Structures in a very strategic way.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We are in complete alignment, the culture at My Business integrated and Strong Social is symbiotic. Customers first, have fun, work hard, and when you are in the lead pedal as fast as you can when you are going downhill! We don't "sell things", we "help people buy", and it a complete team effort.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are smart and humble, and we feed off of each other's knowledge and experience. it's not about who gets the credit, and it's amazing what can get accomplished when no one really cares who gets the credit!

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's always room for improvement, and we will continue to review our workflow efficiency. Jason Gordon and I are hands-on, and we are learning/earning the trust of each other's team members.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Higher Yields Consulting is a vertically Integrated cannabis consulting firm. We work both domestically and Internationally, offering clients support through permitting/licensure, construction management, branding and growth services. I am the CEO of Higher Yields and am in charge of the development of our brand.

For what projects/services did your company hire Strong Social?

We hired them to help us have a social media presence that did not exist before and in an industry with major compliance issues surrounding this sort of digital marketing.

What were your goals for this project?

To utilize LinkedIn for a lead resource. Specifically we were looking for very targeted leads for specific service offerings.

How did you select this vendor?

We Interviewed three companies after hiring 4 other "social media experts," and haven't regretted it since.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Target marketing of specific roles, titles, experiences and locations around the world. They have reported data updates to us weekly regarding the interactions that have taken place and the positive responses that help our sales team better qualify leads.

What was the team composition?

It is nice to have everyone on the calls from each team. Our monthly meetings really drive innovation and cut down on communication issues.

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

We have received at lead 5x ROI since working with Strong Social.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great. It goes both ways and busienss owners should know, you get out what you put in too. These guys have been great at delivering "our message" and offering insight of how to improve our message.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Group meetings, quick results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Keep pushing innovation!

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the CEO of the Consolidated Business Servicers Association, a buying association focused on B2B sales, marketing, and consulting companies. We figure out the best systems for these industries, integrate them into the best stack, and then provide it to our membership at a significant discount.

What challenge were you trying to address with Strong Social? 

I originally hired them for B2B lead generation on LinkedIn.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Strong Social started by connecting with and generating leads through LinkedIn. It was going well, so I expanded their scope to include social media services and writing blogs. They curate and create original content for social media posts. They also monetize and follow up on posts for us. Everything they do is ultimately part of the top end of the sales or marketing funnel. 

What is the team composition? 

I work with 6–7 people, including Jason (Founder, Strong Social). 

How did you come to work with Strong Social? 

They were a referral. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

I can't remember when the project began, but the engagement is ongoing.

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

Our engagement rate from social media has tripled. Strong Social generates five appointments a week from LinkedIn, and we're converting one of those leads. That brings down our cost per acquisition for the channel to half of our average. 

How did Strong Social perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their team does pretty well. We have a dedicated account manager, but we can raise issues up the chain of command as needed. The owner is always available. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, not that I can think of. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Strong Social runs a completely integrated system. You’ll see a higher conversion rate if you let them handle more of your services and marketing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of Marketing Massive, a company that specializes in animation whiteboards videos.

What challenge were you trying to address with Strong Social?

We wanted a partner who could improve our social media presence and get us more business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Strong Social initially started by working on our accounts for LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, and Twitter. They mainly focused on Twitter, though, because that’s where we’d previously had the most success. Over a relatively short time, they were able to greatly increase our following across the various social media accounts, so we then hired them to build our website. They wrote content (e.g. blogs and daily posts) and optimized the site to rank higher on Google.

What is the team composition?

We mainly interacted with three people.

How did you come to work with Strong Social?

They found us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership lasted from 2014–2018. 

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

They did such a great job on Twitter that we still get about 10 inquiries a week. We’re still living off the residuals that they did from over a year ago. They’ve essentially built the majority of our client base, accomplishing the exponential growth we wanted. We gave them our entire marketing budget, and they’re the only marketing team we’ll probably partner with in the future.

How did Strong Social perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided monthly reports on our progress and used a CRM to manage the project. No matter when we contacted them, they responded quickly and accomplished most tasks within a few hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike many other agencies, they provided a consistent team that optimized our relationship. They regularly under-promised and over delivered, which we appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They charge premium pricing, but they're worth it.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Do what they tell you to do. They're the experts, so listen to them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former CEO of WECAN Canada. The company helps small business owners by providing consulting and coaching services, specifically to women in business.

What challenge were you trying to address with Strong Social?

I initially hired Strong Social to manage our social media presence and expanded to include their LinkedIn lead generation services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Strong Social managed our social media accounts, including Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Their team handles content creation, blog writing, and dissemination of materials. They ran LinkedIn lead generation efforts for us, as well.

What is the team composition?

I worked with multiple people throughout the project, but Jason (Founder & CEO, Strong Social) was my main point of contact. There were 2–3 others involved to support the content writing and managing efforts.

How did you come to work with Strong Social?

I found Strong Social’s twitter account and was impressed with them. Jason reached out to me to see if I was interested in their services, and we set up a meeting. From there, we had a good discussion, and I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $1,000 a month, so I’d say the cost was roughly $30,000 for the entire engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between 2013–2016.

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

My social media following grew considerably from Strong Social’s support. The most important result was the influx of engagement I experienced because of the LinkedIn lead generation efforts. I had more face-to-face meetings and online interaction, so the project was a success from that perspective.

How did Strong Social perform from a project management standpoint?

They were communicative—it was great to be able to contact them whenever I needed to. If something had to be tweaked, they were available and flexible. I had no issues with how the project was managed, especially because my time was limited and they were efficient.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They knew exactly what I needed and helped me achieve my goals. Because of the success with Strong Social, more opportunities opened for me and my business. I was able to build a presence and get more online engagement, which is what I wanted.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The personalized service is a great aspect of working with Strong Social. They educate customers on the right approach and help guide the project along.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a sports tech company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Strong Social?

We hired Strong Social to manage all of our social media platforms, from content development to marketing. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Strong Social overseas posting and marketing campaigns for our social media pages, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. They create content calendars, write and post blogs, source images, and perform title and leads searches on LinkedIn. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with two to three people at any given time, including an account manager and a writer. We also have access to the owners as well. 

How did you come to work with Strong Social?

I read an article they posted on Twitter and reached out to them from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested almost $30,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since June 2016.

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

They provide regular analytics reports each month which continue to show consistent progress on all of our pages. Thanks to their efforts, our engagement online continues to improve. 

How did Strong Social perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great to work with overall. They respond quickly when we reach out and give a lot of great insight to help us continually improve our social media performance. They also provide regular reporting and discuss our overall strategy with us quarterly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and readiness to strategize new opportunities have added a lot of value. If progress ever slows down in one area, they're proactive about getting in touch with us and going over ideas for ways to improve engagement. 

They're also very knowledgeable in their field, staying on top of the latest changes in social media marketing and open to trying new things. If we pushed them harder, I know they'd be able to step up their game to the next level–I have complete confidence in their abilities. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our account managers have changed a few times. It's always a little rattling for a client to have to adapt to a new contract, but they have made it seamless. I like that they are constantly promoting their managers internally and challenging them to learn new tricks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's easy to put the relationship in autopilot mode, so I suggest staying as involved with their team as possible so they have more to work with and can provide even better results. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Artdex, a hybrid software and social media platform. We provide online art management and archiving software for the art community and also allow our users to network on the website.

What challenge were you trying to address with Strong Social?

We needed someone to take over our social media marketing. We had an internal person who was in charge of it, but it wasn’t working out well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Strong Social worked closely with our internal team to figure out who we are as a company, what our goals are, and what kind of content we wanted to focus on and produce. From there, they started managing our social media accounts, creating content for different platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Strong Social?

They approached us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in June 2017, and the work is ongoing.

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

People can easily find us when they search for our company through social media. Our followers have increased since working with them, reaching about 10,000 followers. I plan to be partners with them for a long time.

How did Strong Social perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve worked with the same project manager during the entire engagement. The team is always available to answer questions, and they’re aware of our account and our needs. They help with whatever they can, even if it’s outside the official project scope.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They cater to our needs and care about our success, almost like they’re a part of our internal team. The founder is incredible and one of the most honest, genuine, and brilliant people I’ve ever worked with. The entire team is creative, responsive, and hardworking. They create excellent content and have a streamlined and efficient workflow.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're a great team; I don't know how they could improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Let them take charge of your social media marketing. It’ll make your job much easier.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CFO of the film festival, runs day to day operations, marketing, etc.

For what projects/services did your company hire Strong Social?

Marketing for festival through online media, facebook and Linkden.

What were your goals for this project?

Increase visitors to website, increase connections and follow up also to increase submission.

How did you select this vendor?

Scheduled and interview, spoke with owner and he created a custom package for me to review and I gave them a shot.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They sent me a review list of custom contest of my images they asked me to send, along with article links and quotes from relevant business techniques.

What was the team composition?

They keep in touch with me via email and monthly phone calls.

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

Since working with them our submissions have increased.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very. They always respond quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Personal connection and time spend investing in making my company a success.

Are there any areas for improvement?

none.