Studio Brand Collective

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Discount Power is a retail electricity provider. We service retail electricity to residential and commercial customers in the deregulated areas of the state of Texas. I’m the marketing and sales director.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Brand Collective?

We were looking for a provider to help us come up with effective digital marketing, SEO, SEM, and graphic design that's on track with the current marketing trends.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our initial meetings involved telling Studio Brand what our company is about, what our vision is, and what kind of marketing materials we were looking for. We wanted something a little bit edgy but not controversial. They showed us different marketing materials and collateral, which were very nice and exactly what we were looking for.

They were our partners throughout the marketing process. They helped us create ads that we placed in the newspaper. We found an ex-basketball player through those ads and Studio Brand did all the creative behind it. They came up with the videos and the storyboard. They also came up with ideas for t-shirts for every season of the year.

What is the team dynamic?

Our main point of contact was Karee [CEO, Chief Brand Motivator, Studio Brand Collective]. We also worked with different account managers and different graphic designers who understand our needs.

How did you come to work with Studio Brand Collective?

We researched a lot of companies and came across Studio Brand. We looked at their website, their portfolio, and their reviews. We didn’t want a conventional marketing firm that had been working with 20 different energy companies. We wanted a fresh set of eyes to look at our marketing goals and initiatives. We have a good synergy because I’ve worked in the energy field for about 12 years and I can offer them my experience.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2014 and the work is ongoing.

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

We were a small company and now we are a lot bigger. Last year we were Inc. Magazine’s 80th fastest growing company. This year we were Inc. Magazine’s 52nd fastest growing company. We won the Better Business Bureau’s Pinnacle Award.

Every time we launch a campaign and use their graphics, we create a promo code. Depending on the signups that we get from digital sources, it’s a good cost of acquisition per customer for us. Using digital marketing and SEO costs way less than what it would just to go out and get a customer.

How did Studio Brand Collective perform from a project management standpoint?

We would have constant meetings with them. Our relationship with them has grown and they understand what we’re looking for. They come up with different ideas and they’re very punctual. They deliver on time and keep us informed. They go above and beyond to help us with certain projects. Sometimes we need something over the weekend and they come through for us. It takes time to build that kind of relationship, but I can call anybody on Karee’s team and they will work with me on rushed project needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When we first started working with Studio Brand Collective, we were a bit scared because they were small. They have always come through for us to the point that we no longer have that fear. We’ve been able to build a really strong relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re doing everything well. If there is anything we need them to learn, they go out and train themselves.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and owner of a private investigation company that performs background screening for employment purposes. We are a boutique firm located in Houston, Texas that services organizations nationwide.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Brand Collective?

We decided to outsource our marketing needs after our internal brand manager left to pursue a new opportunity. This was a chance to expand our market base by improving our social media presence and creating automated systems for attracting leads through our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Brand Collective first ran a thorough evaluation of our website and various social media marketing strategies. They looked at our SEO and Google Analytics, checked to ensure our images were tagged properly and caches stored correctly, and determined whether web crawlers were able to find our site. They evaluated our blog and various email marketing campaigns, and then they presented suggestions for improvement.

One of their big suggestions was that we improve brand recognition by ensuring any e-mail or proposal to leave our office has a cohesive look. This included applying our logo, but also maintaining consistent font sizes and layouts.

They also created a new website for us.

What is the team dynamic?

I work with a team of four, including Karee Laing [CEO, Studio Brand], Kathy [Gonzalez-Rubio, Assoc. Creative Director, Studio Brand], and Michael [Self, Director of Digital/Strategy, Studio Brand].

How did you come to work with Studio Brand Collective?

The owner was a recent graduate of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program, which I used as a baseline when searching for marketing and ad companies. I interviewed several firms and ultimately decided Studio Brand was the best fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We currently spend roughly $3,000–$4,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2016 and our relationship is ongoing.

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

Our website now has a higher SEO number and has seen a demonstrable increase in traffic. More people are visiting our site, and, more importantly, this has translated to an increase in leads and clients.

Our social media has also seen significant gains. Facebook traffic has increased by 600%, Twitter by 200%, and LinkedIn has also increased dramatically.

As a whole, our company has grown by 20% since hiring Studio Brand Collective.

How did Studio Brand Collective perform from a project management standpoint?

They have very detailed methods to ensure a project stays organized. They use shared online folders and notify me of any updates so that I can give feedback or make any necessary edits. They also maintain a thorough checklist that allows me to monitor their productivity.

There's constant electronic communication. I receive e-mails every Friday that recap the week’s assignments, which allows me to prioritize tasks for the following week.

We also have biweekly, face-to-face meetings, from which they produce detailed bullet points about the details discussed. Their project management methods are very tailored and forward thinking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer good value for your money, and that’s because of their talented team members and their ability to allocate those assets. I’ve had to complain to other ad agencies in the past that simply didn’t manage their talent appropriately, but this isn’t a conversation I’ve ever needed to have with Studio Brand. It’s something that goes on behind the scenes, but it really affects the quality of the work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Studio Brand Collective is a growing company and understandably going through minor growing pains as a part of that process. This expansion is indicative of the quality of their work, but by diversifying their portfolio, they have less focus on our specific industry. Their content writers, for instance, must be well-versed in 17 different industries, and require more feedback on my end for the specifics of our field.

Of course, this is true of any client-marketing firm relationship. Keeping a finger on the pulse of the industry is my job as much as theirs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the principal designer of Pamela Hope Design (abbreviated as PHD). We’re a boutique firm in Houston, Texas, that provides a mix of residential and commercial work, with the former accounting for 60–65% of our total revenue. I have two interior designers working for me.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Brand Collective?

When I started working with them, I was using a DBA [doing business as], and had a slightly more casual approach to design. As I continued to build my skill sets and get larger jobs, I wanted our online presence to reflect that. My goal was to reach the next level of the target market, from DIY and HGTV enthusiasts to people who engage designers to work on their properties over a lifetime. I wanted to rebrand, remarket, and launch a new website.

Although marketing was a strength and an interest of mine, I didn’t have enough time to do everything myself, so I decided to outsource marketing and PR.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Brand Collective reviewed and modified a website I had built. We then started to create collateral for media and speaking events. We worked to align our fliers and publicity more closely with the image we were creating with the new brand launch.

They’re heavily involved in my social media presence. We’ve mostly worked through Facebook and Instagram and may transition to Instagram completely.

What is the team dynamic?

I initially worked with Studio Brand Collective's principal, and, as she started to build her team, I also interacted with project managers. The principal continued to participate in many of the meetings, which I appreciated, but her staff handled the day-to-day work.

How did you come to work with Studio Brand Collective?

I had worked with another agency for multiple websites that provided full-service marketing with an emphasis on inbound marketing and website development. I had also met with various levels of marketing firms in Houston. Many of those were a bit too large, designed for bigger companies than my own.

Studio Brand was a small firm when I started working with them. Another design insider had referred the principal to me, and I met with her. Her background included in-house marketing for interior design firms, including a successful Houston designer whose brand I had watched grow nicely, so I felt she would know what needed to be done.

How much have you invested with them?

The average cost is $25,000 per year. My monthly social media and staff work is around $1,700, including some boosting and posting on social platforms and stock-photo sourcing. If I engage a photographer from their team, use their printing services, or have design work done other than social media, there are additional fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first met with Studio Brand around 2011. My brand was launched in 2012, and I believe I received my first invoice from them in January of that year. The collaboration is ongoing.

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

Studio Brand Collective is heavily focused on social media and constantly sends me informative reports. I’ve been added to lists from third-party social media outlets, and being picked from a large metropolitan area as a top-level designer is fantastic. I feel that my social media presence and online image, along with my newsletters, made me easier for other parties to find.

I was included in a top-10 and a top-20 list of designers, in part due to my website. I consider that a big win. Studio Brand is partially responsible for the site, along with a previous developer. Our business also started to increase fairly significantly after the website launch. We were already poised for growth and continued success. Studio Brand helped position the company more securely and made us look even better.

I used Studio Brand on a recent site redesign, and I received positive feedback on it as well. Overall, everything is concise and consistent. The website looks nice and is functional.

How did Studio Brand Collective perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve grown a lot since the beginning, and I’ve had numerous project managers. I generally have a single point of contact, who handles most of the reports. This is very helpful since they have specialized people for copywriting, website editing, photography, etc.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve done a very nice job on my graphics, particularly fliers and anything that includes photography. I enjoy Studio Brand’s style—they’ve helped me develop more of a unified image and do well at maintaining my look. They also do a good job keeping up with social media. While it’s a lot of fun, I can’t afford to spend a lot of time on Facebook. They can, and they’ve done a good job of posting consistently.

My initial Instagram growth has been good, but I would like it to grow more. I’ve done most of this myself organically, but Studio Brand has been strategic about boosting it, and I’m interested to see how it improves.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on the timeliness of projects.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in programs and marketing for Zeus Mortgage Bank and Zeus CrowdFunding. We provide traditional mortgages, reverse mortgages, hard money loans, as well as real estate crowdfunding.

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Brand Collective?

We needed a new website designed for our Zeus CrowdFunding launch and an update of our Zeus Mortgage Bank website. They are also working with us on reputation management activities, SEO, social media, and collateral.

What was the scope of their involvement?

For our website, Studio Brand Collective created graphic design and content. We are just thrilled with the website designs.

They also created content for press releases, articles, newsletters, and blogs. We have had others that we worked with on social content and SEO before, but Studio Brand Collective's work has given us better results.

What is the team dynamic?

We have direct access to the owner, Karee, as well as an account manager, Sarah. We also have access to the main writer for our content as well as the graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Studio Brand Collective?

Studio Brand has been our go-to for graphic design and content since before I joined the company.

How much have you invested in them?

Between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2014 and the work with them is ongoing.

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

We closely follow Google Analytics. The success of our Google and Facebook ads and other online marketing efforts are very easy to measure. We also get a marketing source from all of our customers when we’re working with them, and we keep a close watch over our spending and the results from that source.

How did Studio Brand Collective perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of project management, they do a very good job. Our account manager manages all the different aspects of our relationship with Studio Brand Collective since we handle multiple projects at a time. She does a great job of tracking all of those projects. We have regular meetings and receive very regular reports from them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creative work is really outstanding. They are also very flexible and accommodating. When we have something urgent, they deliver it to us in remarkable form. The people working on our content really know our voice now, so it’s really easy to work with them. There is less project management on my part because they do such a good job of covering all the bases for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re quite satisfied with their work. There are always little things that can be improved upon, but there are none that stand out to me.