Trace Media Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of marketing at AES NYC, which specializes in providing large and small event spaces. We manage exclusive spaces and we also have a part of our business where we go beyond our own venues to procure the right space for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Trace Media Marketing?

We had a website that was built by another company. It was quite difficult for us to make any edits or changes. It also cost a lot to add new pages, which had to be done through that company. We asked Trace Media Marketing if they could help us revamp our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Trace Media rebuilt the framework of our website. The new website is less complex in terms of making changes and edits. They also instructed us on how to do those tasks ourselves. They continue to provide monthly maintenance for the site.

What is the team composition? 

Chris (Founder, Trace Media Marketing) is our main point contact. 

How did you come to work with Trace Media Marketing? 

We've worked with them before on SEO and other items. They've always been helpful and generous in answering our questions, so we thought that they’d be a good problem solver for us.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We first started working together 10 years ago and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Trace Media Marketing did everything we needed so that we can handle our website in-house going forward. They helped us fix some knotty issues in a quick, concise, and affordable manner. Chris is very smart. He’s helpful with all of our questions. If we have problems that don't pertain exclusively to our project, we can still call and he'll help us out. He really goes above and beyond. 

How did Trace Media Marketing perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their team is excellent. They’re easy to communicate with. Chris always responds quickly to our email or phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Trace Media Marketing is very transparent, efficient, and helpful. They're reasonably priced, and they're just nice people. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nobody is perfect but nothing comes to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Reach out to them and ask your questions. They will get you answers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Union Square Practice, a mental health services corporation and SportStrata, a performance consulting group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Trace Media Marketing?

We hired Trace Media Marketing to rebuild our website so it was more optimized and user-friendly. We also wanted their support with search engine marketing (SEM) and paid-search advertising on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Trace Media Marketing rebuilt our website and helped with the design and architecture of the platform. They helped us formulate the message we wanted to convey and write text that was easy to understand. Their team trained us on how to use WordPress and other user activities.

They also implemented and manage our SEM efforts. Trace Media Marketing edits our content to attract more clients and optimize our materials for search engines.  

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is primarily Chris (Founder, Trace Media Marketing).

How did you come to work with Trace Media Marketing?

A consultant of ours had worked with Trace Media Marketing in the past, so we decided to hire them after seeing the results they delivered.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $20,000–$30,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received tremendously positive feedback from our clients. The UX of the platform is significantly improved and has enhanced the usability of our site. We’ve also seen an uptick in new clients, so the website and SEM efforts have helped our conversion rates, as well. Along with our current clients being more pleased with the platform, potential clients stay on the site longer and find more information about us.

How did Trace Media Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Trace Media Marketing excels at managing the work and stands out from others in their industry. They’ve stuck to the budget and timelines. We’re in contact weekly, if not daily, during the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion and dedication to the work are clear and they put the customer first. Chris goes above and beyond; he attends every meeting and devotes the effort to do a great job. We can tell they genuinely enjoy their job and it shows in the work they produce. To me, they feel like a combination of marketing experts and advertisers because they understand what we need and know how to deliver it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Aside from continuing to expand, there has never been a moment when I want them to do something differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Treat them as a business consultant, and you’ll get the most out of the engagement. Seek their guidance on whatever issues you’re having and allow them to provide clarity. Be ready to dig deep and think broadly with their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours. We do guided bus tours of Brooklyn’s food spots, neighborhoods, landmarks, and movie locations. We work with national and international tourists, travel agents, and third-party sellers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Trace Media Marketing?

After an unsatisfactory experience with another vendor, we hired Trace Media Marketing to execute SEO and Google Ads campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have optimized our website for Google Ads. Currently, the team does maintenance, monitoring, and SEO.

What is the team composition?

I interact with Chris (Founder/CEO, Trace Media Marketing). He has someone that helps with website changes.

How did you come to work with Trace Media Marketing?

We were both working in a co-working space in Brooklyn. Trace Media Marketing was approachable, affordable, and just what we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,500 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have been an incredible asset ever since we started working with them. The team improved our WordPress site’s speed and optimized it to increase traffic and conversions. They’ve also worked with our social media coordinator, which has enabled us to reinvest in our in-house team.

How did Trace Media Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is incredible and their proximity benefits the partnership. They provide detailed updates via monthly calls and regular communication via email and phone. What’s more, Trace Media Marketing is responsive and knowledgeable. They respond to my emails and implement changes within minutes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team explains ideas in accessible language. They always make us feel comfortable asking questions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They feel like part of our team and are worth the investment. We’ve had an incredible experience because Trace Media Marketing makes valuable suggestions and identifies economical solutions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is a marketing agency and consultancy. We predominantly help clients solve technology problems within their marketing stack and tie all activities together to maximize effectiveness of their efforts. I am one of the two founders and partners of the agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Trace Media Marketing?

Because we’re focusing a lot of digital, we have worked previously with other providers. Last year one of our main goals was to enhance the quality of our service offerings. I reached out to the agency, and we get along very well. Everything Chris said made a lot of sense to me. They [Trace Media Marketing] are our go-to service provider for SEO and have significantly improved our SEO projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Typically, most of our clients already are already doing some form of Search Engine Marketing, often both SEO and PPC. We typically start doing an audit for the client where Trace Media comes in, and they will audit their ranking, backlink profile, keyword research and take a very close look at their competitors search results as well. They help us to get an understanding of where the client is and what needs to get done to improve results in that channel. Chris delivers a report, depending on the size of the client and the website, that goes in depth on competitive analysis, domain issues, and any issues with SEO best practices on site. This creates an in-depth understanding of why clients’ websites perform a certain way or not. They give us a set of recommendations, and that’s the base for the next round of client discussions and developing a proposal. Trace Media helps in every aspect - onsite implementation, best optimization practices, and content development. Depending on the client we have used them for blog content and link building.

How did you come to work with Trace Media Marketing?

I met Chris years back in 2005 or 2006 when I was still a web developer where my business was mainly focused on building websites.

Chris is driven by best practices and he’s also very much data driven. He likes to do a lot of research and base his recommendations on the resulting insights. He doesn’t give you a silver, gold or platinum package. The solution is always tailored to the client needs and he wants to understand the client first before he gives them a quote. From the very beginning, he was very focused on best practices

How much have you invested with Trace Media Marketing?

We spend $10,000 with some project based and some monthly billed services

What is the status of this engagement?

We are currently working with them. We started working together last year in fall.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had one client that was a very interesting case. They came to us with multiple web properties that they had lost control of, so we did the audit. The client for the first time started to get some clarity where the problem was and why the multi-site structure they had established was not up to best practices anymore. They consolidated everything under one website and it made the management a lot easier. They started to understand for the first time who their real competitors were and what needed to be done to outperform them in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)

There was another client of ours that neglected to blog on their business website, and Chris worked with us on a content strategy. We activated the blog again and got some high-quality backlinks from very authoritative websites that impacted organic traffic almost immediately.

How did Trace Media Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. As an agency providing these services I cannot have any changes in the budget, so it is crucial to have a partner that stays on budget and on time. They deliver that.

What did you find most impressive about Trace Media Marketing?

Often we engage Chris in the new business component and it is great to have a partner that can be involved in every conversation with the client. I appreciate their audit capabilities, and that they’re helping our clients - and us as an agency - to get a much better grip on how competitors are performing and what needs to happen from a content development point and from an optimization point to get our client the top results they are looking for. 

Are there any areas Trace Media Marketing could improve?

No, I’m very happy with them. They’re my go-to provider. We have tremendously increased the quality of our SEO services the agency can offer. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and owner of Midtown Loft. It’s an event space in New York.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Trace Media Marketing?

When I started my business in 2006, I needed help with digital marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Trace Media tried different strategies to bring business. That’s what I like about them. We’re trying Facebook for now. Trace Media created small ads and launched them on Facebook, then tried to track clients to my site.

How did you come to work with Trace Media Marketing?

I met them through a restaurant that managed my venue. The owner is smart and he’s good with people.

How much have you invested with Trace Media Marketing?

In total, we pay $10,800 a month for their services. We spend around $8,000 a month on Google Ads, while his fee is around $2,000 to $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with Trace Media since I started my business. We began in January 2006 and we’re currently working with them. I’ve tried other companies to start changing optimization, but there was no personal touch. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work they are doing is bringing in clients and they’re writing reviews. I have almost 70 reviews and I have a 4 out of 5 ranking.  For the Facebook campaign, a lot of the leads are low budget but it’s not Trace Media’s fault. I think that’s just Facebook in general. Other campaigns were more successful, particularly Google, ad remarketing, and keywords. They did a great job of getting my site on top of Google.

How did Trace Media Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We have meetings once every quarter and we also communicate through email. He’s very responsive. Whenever I've had emergencies, they get things done. I had one this weekend when my server was down. In the middle of the night, they responded to my email and fixed the problem.

What did you find most impressive about Trace Media Marketing?

Trace Media will visit you personally and they will even talk to you via Skype. They’re [Trace Media] very stable and you have the same people working on your project. It’s not new faces all the time, like when you deal with a bigger company. You can get lost in those. I can attribute a lot of my success to Chris because of his service. I can trust him. He’s a workhorse and pretty professional. He’s always on top of things and you can visit in his office.

Are there any areas Trace Media Marketing could improve?

No. They’ve done everything I ask them to. I have no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We're an IT [information technology] firm based out of New York City. We specialize in infrastructure, so we're private and public cloud providers. We also offer a help desk. We like to think we offer Level 1 through 5 in IT, which is first response, emergency dispatch for cloud servers and/or desktops. We go from the desktop to the cloud. Most of our jobs are moving people to the cloud, private or public. We pride ourselves in what we call a "warm embrace," where we dispatch people onsite often. We treat not only the symptoms and the problem, but treat the relationship.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the general manager and the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Trace Media Marketing?

Our goal was for Trace Media to become the back of our marketing department.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We wanted to increase calls and click throughs and focus on social media marketing and SEO [search engine optimization]. We wanted to improve our online presence and lead generation. They also did pay-per-click and AdWords.

What was your process for selecting Trace Media Marketing with which to work?

We researched them a few years back, and they were highly rated. I met with them and decided to give them a chance to work with us.

We paused the work for now, since we ran into some challenges with our website. We may restart our work with them. SEO is tricky. Sometimes the system changes and you have to give people time to adapt. We're experiencing those issues now and trying to stay on top of it.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The cost range was about $2,000 a month for a couple of years on and off.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

That was part of our struggle. It comes and goes. Sometimes, people will call and set up appointments. On the other side, we're struggling with getting appointments and getting visibility. We were struggling with the click-through rates. We don’t have any metrics right now.

Are you satisfied with Trace Media Marketing's performance?

They were okay. I’m satisfied with them, and they were good people with a lot of integrity. I think he really tried to help us as much as he could. As Google changed their algorithms, we were playing catch-up. We did the best we could to catch up. The results weren’t ideal, but the effort was there. IT in New York is a highly competitive field. I know it's difficult.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

SEO companies typically are slow to respond. I think that Trace Media makes an effort to be responsive and put a face on the relationship. Most SEO professionals are remote, and there is no warm embrace. The reporting was cut and dried. It would take a while, but I could get a report on progress every so often.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I would love for them to take an approach to the website and treat it as an extension of SEO at a cost and just keep it in-house. They’re not a web design company but, because SEO is so reliant on the Web, that is something that I would suggest that they embrace.

Also, social media and new content creation would be beneficial because there is nothing like new content. Even if you pay someone to write new content on a regular basis and publish it at three or four targeted social media sites, and maintain a dialogue with a potential community, that would be hugely beneficial for them and their clients.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your firm.

Imperial Moving and Storage was founded in 2005. It’s transportation of household goods inside New York City, in other states as well as some international business. Mainly, we focus on New York. I hired Chris [Dawkins, founder] of Trace Media to do my marketing inside New York, which is the most important market. I would say 70 to 80 percent of our customers are from New York. We also do storage, packaging supplies, and everything that has to do with relocation.

What is your role?

President, so I run the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work?

The goal was to have stability online, to show up online correctly on Google cleanly. He’s been helping me with my online image.

SOLUTION

Can you please describe the scope of work?

I did pay per click with another firm. I do it through somebody else that Trace Media recommended. I’m very happy with that person also. Trace Media has become my go-to firm for anything to do with Google and the Internet. I just trust them because they are very professional. You can tell by everything they say and their work that they are true experts. I’m very happy with the results.

What was your process for selecting Trace Media with which to work?

It’s a no-brainer. I searched for SEO New York City. He’s one of the first.

Can you give us a sense of the size of the initiative with a general cost range or a personnel work hour figure?

I’m not really sure how many hours they dedicate, and the cost is confidential.

Is it ongoing work?

It’s unlimited, the things I could do with Trace Media Marketing. He’s right now helping me with blogs and things like that including email marketing. As long as I see that we are receiving results, then we’ll just keep on working together forever. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics that you could share about their work?

Not really. I just know that I’m showing up on the front page. He probably has data. I’m not good at keeping track of it.

Are you satisfied with the work so far?

Yes.

Can you assess their performance?

I have several people on their team that I can deal with. I feel like every time I ask a question, I get an answer back, and it’s a very detailed answer. If I’m curious or interested in some kind of marketing campaign, they’ll give you their total feedback on whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea. I just need somebody to help me with this whole online presence. I keep on having ideas, I went straight to them with it, and Trace Media has been helping me with it immediately.

Everybody has been great. Kerry [project manager at Trace Media Marketing] has been great with the communication. For me, that’s enough. The communication showing that they care about what I need and my goals is vital. They’re being professional about it. What they say makes sense. Also, me being first page on Google, I have to have somebody to secure that organically. They’re really secure. I feel like they are doing it correctly. If something goes wrong, they’re going to get me out of the lurch.

Are there any areas that you think Trace Media Marketing can improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I want to get more likes on Facebook. I need to work on that. That’s all that comes to mind. I want to show up on Yelp, on Facebook, on every important outlet. That’s something they can do, but it’s not something that I have been focusing on. It’s on my list for them to start.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

A.G. Williams is a painting company, a third-generation family-owned and operated painting business serving Westchester County and Fairfield Counties as well as New York City.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the director of marketing and business administration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Trace Media?

Our goal was to increase traffic to the website, increase conversions in terms of appointments being made for estimates, and online presence. We also needed to clean up our website and make sure that everything was the way Google and the other search engines wanted it to be.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

When we designed our website, we already had a Web designer and Trace Media was guiding it. It was Web design, and we originally hired them for SEO [search engine optimization]. It became more of our marketing strategy overall in terms of social media, email marketing, capturing clients on the Web, and getting their information into our database. What started as SEO is really part of our entire marketing plan.

What was your process for selecting Trace Media with which to work?

We monitored them for more than a year because I had an SEO firm that I wasn’t happy with. Rather than just jumping into it, I Googled them to see how their own firm was ranking for search engine optimization. I had several conversations with them in the course of a year before ultimately deciding to sign off with them. I started with them between 12 and 16 months ago. This is ongoing work, and we keep it going on a monthly basis. To stop would be like shooting ourselves in the foot. We need to continue with them. A lot of the work they do is cumulative, such as the email blasts, collecting names, and managing the pay-per-click campaign and the remarketing campaign for us. They also do monthly reporting.

I have a marketing associate who is a nationwide provider for different painting companies and small businesses. I reached out to people that were nationwide, and I also looked into overseas outsourcing, but I didn’t seriously consider that. I preferred looking at someone local in the New York market, but I was not limited to that.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I don’t know the exact number of hours they spend but, in terms of budget, it is above $10,000 a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How has Trace Media Marketing performed so far?

Their work has been successful. In the first three to six months, there was a learning curve. They had to fix some of the previous mistakes that were done, so we didn’t see their efforts at that point. From the second half of the first year, we started to see some strong results, and then Google made a change in their algorithm after about 12 months.

We saw a significant drop-off, but the main thing that really pleased me about Trace Media, and the reason I stayed with them is that they changed their business plan. They hit the brakes and told me that Google made a change. They told me they needed to change their business model because SEO was different than it had been. I told them to take a month or two and return with a plan. They came back with a detailed plan for the next 12 months, created a new reporting source, and outlined what they would focus on each month. They became part of a full marketing plan, rather than just an SEO firm. They do the email blasting, helping with the Web design, landing pages, Google remarketing, and manage our pay-per-click. I agreed to the plan, and we’ve had more conversions in the last two months from the Internet than we’ve ever had in my eight years at A.G. Williams. I’ve been very happy with the most recent success.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We're getting 20 to 30 conversions per month. In years past, we would have five to 10 conversions. Conversions for me are people who submit an online request for an appointment for an estimate. That is a significant increase. The quality of the leads varies, and they can't control that. I try to analyze that at the end of the month. I usually throw away 30 or 40 percent of them. Many of those are things like a color request or things that we advertise on our website that are not bread-and-butter jobs for us. Any activity to our site is good. I don’t count sales pitches where someone submits a request, trying to sell us paint.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Yes, and this is important. Trace Media is the third SEO firm I've worked with. SEO firms have the reputation of taking your money and running. They are great in the beginning, but fall off. I’ve experienced it myself, I’ve researched it online, and I’ve seen other firms experience it. Trace Media came to a point where their work wasn’t as effective as before. Instead of abandoning us as a client, they stuck with it and stayed in communication with me. They are large enough to handle a client like myself, but small enough where I’m dealing with the owner. I get the personal touch from the company as well as constant communication and reporting. They’re a smart team of people that know what they’re talking about. For me, that was very important.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I would have had a face-to-face meeting in the first month, rather than waiting. I didn’t have my first face-to-face meeting for six months, but that was just based on logistics. Looking back, I think I would have forced the issue and had a face-to-face meeting before signing off. That would be the only thing I can think of right now.