Thrive Internet Marketing Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am in charge of Consumer Relations for Image3D. We manufacture and market 3D reels and viewers that consumers can customize through our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing?

We needed to increase our online marketing and social media presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our AdWords, SEO, and keywords, as well as social media marketing. One member of the team creates and manages all of our social media posts. They also handle our paid marketing material over Google and social media campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of three people. We have an overall product manager that also handles SEO and writes our blog posts, another person manages our social media, and the other team member takes care of AdWords.

How did you come to work with Thrive Internet Marketing?

We found them through online research, and after speaking with them, thought that they would be the best fit for our company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $2,500 a month, which comes to an approximate total of $15,000, in addition to our ad spend, which is separate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began talking to them in January 2018, the project officially started in February 2018, and we are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our presence in AdWords has remained pretty consistent with where it was before the project, but we’ve definitely seen benefits from their help with our social media presence. There’s been a huge increase in likes and engagement with our blog posts.

How did Thrive Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Our product manager provides us with in-depth monthly reports, which we discuss during monthly conference calls with the entire team. We go over the reports, the previous month’s performance, and our future goals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are incredibly reliable and responsive. They’re on top of the work, always on time, and make us feel like we’re their only customers. That is completely different from all of our previous experiences.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were initially worried because all of the work was going to be remote, but the project has been great and we’re very happy with them. I don’t have anything negative to say.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’ve made the project really easy. When you work with them, you won’t have to worry or take on unnecessary responsibility.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an office manager and dispatcher at a plumbing and water heater repair company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency?

Business was insufferably slow, so we opted to bring in new customers by improving our online visibility.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The primary objective is to improve our rankings within search engine results so that our website is visible at the top of the first page. Thrive Internet Marketing Agency linked our site with relevant keywords, which makes it easy for new customers to find us when searching for local technicians. Their team continues to analyze the keywords and send weekly reports that measure their impact.

What is the team composition?

I mainly interact with the assigned SEO specialist.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $3,600 for their SEO services over the past three months.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency since May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While it’s too early to measure the full impact of their work, their keywords have already moved our site into the top 10 results on the first page of every major search engine.

How did Thrive Internet Marketing Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We correspond via email at least once a week, usually to review their analytics reports.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s clear that our success is their top priority. They’re attentive to all of our needs, and none of our questions are left unanswered.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to learn about the benefits of SEO before blindly jumping into a project. I came onboard with little understanding of the digital marketing strategy, which occasionally made communication difficult. Fortunately, Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is always eager to explain their methodology.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of marketing and technology at an accounting and financial services firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing?

After starting my position in January 2017, I was basically doing all of the company's marketing myself. I wanted to show the partners at the firm that content marketing could benefit our type of business and outsourcing SEO and PPC would help generate more leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Thrive performed a website audit to see where we could make improvements to the content and SEO on our site, along with some keyword research to figure out what we should focus on and how we were currently performing. Through ongoing analytics reporting, they've offered clear action steps on specific areas for us to improve. They also oversee our PPC campaigns and adjust copy as needed.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with Amber (SEO Specialist, Thrive Internet Marketing). At first, I was on-boarded by another person who's no longer at their company.

How did you come to work with Thrive Internet Marketing?

I searched online for the top SEO firms and looked through recommended vendors on Clutch's website. Thrive stood out for its good reviews and their rates were competitive next to some of the bigger firms on the market. I also liked their consultative approach, since we were looking for advice on how to structure our landing pages and other types of feedback.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $20,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thrive provided a lot of invaluable feedback to help us transform our online marketing strategy. Their suggestions on changing our landing page led to an increase in conversion rates. We've also seen somewhat of an improvement in keywords performance over last few months of working with them and they continue to help us refine our strategy to keep making improvements. 

How did Thrive Internet Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great at communicating and staying on top of tasks, so I don't have to follow up with their team on the status of anything. They've also been receptive to my feedback after expressing a need for improved analytics-driven decision making on our PPC campaigns.

We mostly communicated through video calls and email in the beginning, but they've now transitioned to using our project management tool, Twist, and our meetings are becoming less frequent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their overall SEO services and ability to convert keyword research and analysis into actionable plans has been very good from the start. I also enjoy working with Amber, who's been instrumental in moving projects along swiftly and learning about our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they can make decisions regarding PPC campaigns more strategically by focusing more on data and analytics-driven decisions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Woven Art. We sell woven specialty items and gifts, such as tapestries, wall hangings, and blankets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing?

I was looking for a company to help me drive more traffic to my website via social media channels.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had an information session where they learned about my company. Then, they developed a marketing plan and educated me about it. They also helped me set up my Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts. That is very important to me because that gives me an opportunity to run ads on those accounts in the future. They've provided valuable recommendations in terms of social media, but we've been creating all the content ourselves (we're doing this project on a budget).

What is the team composition?

I work with Alissa McKenzie (Social Media Specialist, Thrive Internet Marketing).

How did you come to work with them?

I found them through an online search. I was impressed with them during our initial phone call, so I signed a contract.

How much have you invested with them?

I've spent about $1,400

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in May 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm very satisfied with what they've done for me. It has only been a couple of months, so we don’t have any metrics yet to demonstrate the results.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been very attentive and timely in their responses. There were some delays on my end, but they've stayed on top of everything. We mostly use email and phone to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always try to make sure what they're doing is working for me. As their client, I feel I'm getting my money's worth. They genuinely care about the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know your goals and be ready to give them the information they need. They charge by the hour, so you can save money if you prepare beforehand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at the law firm Sizemore LLC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency?

Our previous provider wasn’t achieving good enough results, so we began looking for another partner to handle our PPC.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Thrive Internet Marketing Agency did background research to determine what our previous partner had been doing and what we could do better. They then proposed a budget and list of keywords that would improve our PPC. We wanted to get more clients because the market we’re in is highly competitive.

What is the team composition?

We have one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency?

They contacted us and did an introductory call to showcase their services. They looked promising, and we were in the market for a new partner, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $5,000–$7,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s too early for comprehensive analytics, but we’ve definitely seen an increase in click rate and conversions. Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is also cheaper than our previous partner.

How did Thrive Internet Marketing Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They provide regular reports on our success, and we have monthly calls to strategize and make plans. They’re consistently available and responsive; I can call or text our project lead and get a response quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our project manager is amazing. He’s knowledgeable and gets amazing results in a competitive market. They also have great communication. At our old agency, multiple people worked on our project. With Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, we have one main point of contact who knows the ins and outs of our business. They’re incredibly transparent, so we know exactly how successful their work has been.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took us a while to get the great project lead we have now.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a manager at Legacy Antiques. We are an antique retailer based in the design district of Dallas, Texas. Mainly, we sell French, European, and Italian antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency?

We do a lot of our business through our website and we are always looking for ways to improve our visibility, so we wanted a partner to help us with our SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since we didn’t really have a lot of experience in this field, we collaborated with Thrive to determine the best direction to take for both paid and organic marketing. Their team analyzed our site, highlighted areas where we could improve, and helped adjust our content to align with their SEO strategy. They evaluated our website’s usage and engagement through more focused Google AdWords and Google Analytics efforts. They continue to manage these campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We work with two representatives from Thrive.

How did you come to work with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency?

After my search process, I was left with three potential companies. We ultimately chose Thrive because we got along well with their team and they seemed competent in our first meeting.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of Thrive’s efforts, our search rankings for multiple keywords substantially improved. Our website isn’t strictly e-commerce, but we have experienced increased traffic rates, as well as more incoming phone calls.

How did Thrive Internet Marketing Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

As the main point of contact with Thrive, I have been impressed with their management skills. The team provides diligent reports that detail the work they’ve done and the progress we’ve made. We communicate mainly through email, with video chats when necessary, and they are always responsive and accessible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very knowledgeable and competent in the skills we require.

Any advice for potential customers?

It is hard to say because every business is different, but I would recommend companies look at different agencies before choosing Thrive so they can see how the team’s level of knowledge stands among others in the field.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-owner of a custom fabrication shop. We do water jet cutting, metal screens, and inlay work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive?

We wanted to increase our online exposure, so we were looking for a company to manage SEO for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We showed them our competitors' websites and explained our business and our goals to them. After that, they did some research and came up with the keywords we should target. 

They currently produce content for our website – writing about our products and areas of expertise – and provide SEO services for us. We're also considering adding PPC campaigns and redesigning our website. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with a project manager, who handles our SEO.

How did you come to work with them?

We were in touch a few years ago, but at that time, we were a small company and didn't have the resources for this kind of work. When I started looking for an SEO company again, their website came up and I remembered them.  Since they could reach high SEO rankings for their own company, we decided they're well-equipped to help us.  

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in August 2017 and the relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every month our keyword rankings get higher and more people visit our website, which means we're getting more exposure.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver on promises. They're very organized and thorough about reporting what they've done and what they plan to work on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're keeping track of what they do during the hours they allocate to the project and report everything back to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to have a better idea of how long it'll take to achieve specific results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of Lawn and Landcare, which is a landscape contractor and maintenance company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency?

Most importantly, we wanted to increase our internet search rankings through search engine optimization (SEO), but we also needed to update our website and add new sections for promoting our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After our initial meeting, we decided on a direction and they assigned us first one direct contact and then a second one. We have two people from Thrive with whom we work now, and they were in charge of examining our current website, learning about our company, and exploring how we were currently ranked in online searches. Together, our team made a plan for how to proceed and what we were going to add, with the end goal being to increase our ranking in search results and for us to be able to determine how many people found our site. To help achieve these aims, they modified everything about our website. Some of the specific features they adjusted include: Building in better search functionality, adding new pictures, providing more refined search criteria, and creating a section dedicated to new services, among other changes. Now that they have completed all of the above, we are fine-tuning the search keywords for our site and focusing on improving our placing in those search results.

What is the team composition?

We have two account managers, although I am not sure if that is their official title. They are the ones with whom we work directly, and they take care of everything involving both the technology and strategy.

How did you come to work with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency?

I believe I got a reference from someone to look at Thrive, after which we conducted interviews with them as well as a few different companies. Once that process was complete, we made the decision to engage Thrive’s services.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested around US$8,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in October of 2017 and it is an ongoing process. Right now, we are paying for a set number of hours of work from them every month, and we plan on doing that at least through the end of 2018. Once we start getting consistent, concrete results in all of the areas where we really want to focus, then we will likely cut down on the amount of hours.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are beginning to see more activity on our website than we had before, with a particular uptick in the past two weeks. This is still early days in terms of implementation of their strategy, so the results are just beginning to show. Hopefully, we will reach our goals for increased traffic in the next six months.

How did Thrive Internet Marketing Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management performance was very good. Once a month, we have a telephone call to discuss the site’s status in more detail, but we communicate through both email and telephone on a regular basis whenever we need to share information.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listened to what we wanted to accomplish and worked to help us achieve it. Instead of just forcing us into a cookie cutter approach to SEO, they actually built something specific just for our business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your due diligence up front. Have them make a presentation using ideas based on your company, and see where they take it from there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a manufacturer and seller of a piece of lab equipment used for rub testing. I am the senior partner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive Internet Marketing?

We were running into problems with overseas companies using our name with their product. The overall goal was to become more Internet-friendly for our customers.

At the time we had also not done any Google advertising and so our sales had dropped down. Since going with Thrive, our sales have gone back up and then some.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve done pay-per-click advertisements and SEO with Thrive.

They also rebuilt our website and they have been in charge of the “Latest News” section since then. We've discussed creating a blog, but we haven’t had the chance to get started yet.

How did you come to work with Thrive Internet Marketing?

I reviewed several SEO firms that had good reviews by other customers. From the conversations I had with Thrive, we decided to go with them for a trial and it worked out really well.

They gave a bid, as did the other firms. We put a pencil to what we were looking for and chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our budget is $2,000 per month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June or July of 2016, and our relationship with Thrive is ongoing. I have no plans to stop.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're seeing an improvement in contacts, leads, and also in revenue. We’re satisfied with the performance so far, and Thrive’s work has been extremely helpful in achieving our goals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The current gentleman that's handling my SEO, Mike Wice, has come up with personalized ideas. He seems to have studied our product and what opportunities for other markets are available.

He's had some great suggestions and is continuously in touch, just reaching out with an email to see how things are going. The personal touch has been really great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I’m aware of.

Advice for potential customers?

Just to go with a moderate budget and let them do their work, because they're very professional at what they do. They're good and they get results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a smaller company focused on commercial property development and leasing. We also have some higher-end residential lake developments that we’ve done. Our portfolio is in the $30 million-dollar range, and our properties are as diverse as an industrial facility in Dallas to a 300-acre lake development in Alabama. It was that lake development that got us involved with Thrive. We wanted some exposure for that project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thrive?

Since we were starting a residential development from scratch, our goal was to get the plans of that development disseminated to the proper audience in that area of Alabama. We were really trying to get the information out about what we’re doing and what we have to offer. But the bottom-line goal was to sell lots in this residential development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went to Thrive for the design, architecture, and hosting for our website. They also did the standard SEO package, but we did most of the copy and images ourselves. We haven’t really delved into the SEO too deeply at this point, but we’re extremely happy with that they’ve done for us so far. I have enough of a systems background that I could help with some of the pieces, but I couldn’t design. That was the big thing they did for us.

How did you come to work with Thrive?

We certainly looked on the Internet to see who had done similar projects, who had done sites that caught our eye. The thing that really sold us on Thrive, once we had determined they were capable of the project, was that their office is close enough to ours that Matt, their president, was willing to come over and visit with us for a few hours. We’re kind of old-school, so if we’re going to spend this kind of money we want to look someone in the eye.

How much have you invested with Thrive?

It was under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This relationship is definitely ongoing. But I want to say we started working with Thrive in July 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I’m not easily pleased, but I have been very pleased with what they’ve done and how their people approached it. If you follow their process, you will end up with the deliverables that they committed to delivering. I find them to be very straight-forward. Every individual that I’ve worked with seems to care about what we were getting and how we were getting it and that we were satisfied with it. They were extremely prompt responding to issues. We almost became friends with these people.

I’ve had individuals we do business with comment on the professionalism of the site. I thought that was a positive. We’re handling most of the social media marketing ourselves and right now most people come to our site via our Facebook page. Thrive could provide that service as well if you want to pay them, but we didn’t opt for that. 

How did Thrive perform from a project management standpoint?

I am really impressed with the process that they’ve established and the automation of that process, which allows you to stay on track to ensure that you meet your deadlines and your goals. I can’t say enough about all of the people that dealt with this project: they appeared to have a sincere interest in getting us what we wanted. That, to me, means a lot. Usually you’re fighting to get what you want, and in this case, I felt like we were on the same team.

What did you find most impressive about Thrive?

We’re responsible for maintaining the website now that it’s live, so I had to learn some Wordpress. They have a training course as part of their product and that helped a great deal, but it’s still sometimes hard to remember all the information. I’ve gone back to them for some guidance in technical areas, and they’re still extremely responsive in helping me out. I really have nothing bad to say about them at all. Our company has a wholesale automobile business, and I would definitely use Thrive if we ever decided to make a site for that.

They’re not the least expensive company in town, but you’ll get exactly what they promise you if you follow the process that they’ve got. We knew that there were situations where we might ask for something above what was in the initial scope, and when we broached those situations, I found their people to be very helpful in getting around that and not having to increase the cost. They were very cognizant of our needs.

Are there any areas Thrive could improve?

I fall short on trying to critique what they could do better; obviously, I’m pretty pleased.