True Market

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a managing editor at Tsuut'ina Nation's communications department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with True Market?

Our website had been severely outdated for a long time, so our Chief and Council directed me to seek proposals for a brand-new website. We hired True Market for web design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

True Market designed and developed a WordPress website for us. Since they hadn’t worked with a First Nations government before, many things were new to them. Therefore, our team created a branding guideline that contained all the information applicable to the website and gave it to them. 

From there, True Market came back with a first draft of the website with all the pages. Once we approved the design, we dove into the content together. We have many departments and services, so we had content such as a directory, a culture and language portion, a historical timeline, and audio files. We provided them with the content, and the team organized the pieces for us. After they built the site, they handed over the domain to us. 

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact at True Market, who was assigned to our project early on. Initially, we worked with another teammate who’s no longer with the company. We also met with the entire team in person. 

How did you come to work with True Market?

We found them through an RFP process. True Market was one of six companies that sent us proposals. They were the company that was willing to write out all the issues and concerns with our previous website; they identified problems and came up with solutions. The proposals went through a committee above the Nation’s administration, and they chose True Market. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent almost $60,000 CAD (approximately $45,000 USD). Our initial agreement was for $49,000 CAD (approximately $36,000 USD); we requested additional things later. We paid the first 50% of the original contract in October 2019 and the rest in December 2021. Then, True Market gave us an estimated quote for $13,000 CAD (approximately $9,600 USD) for the extra work, but we ended up paying $9,600 CAD (approximately $7,100 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2019–July 2022. They’re always available to us if we need help or have questions about items we can’t code through WordPress. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we launched the new site, we've received an enormous amount of inquiries from our contact page, which is great. We average about 15–20 inquiries a day, whereas our previous site didn't receive any, also showing our traffic increased. The site has also received a lot of compliments and acknowledgment for how nice and useful it is. Our executive director and counsel gave us a standing ovation when we presented the new website to them, so we were very pleased with everything True Market delivered.

True Market's design was stunning, and they knocked the content organization out of the park. The Nation is a huge entity with almost 2,400 citizens and 83 departments and services, and there's a lot to go over; even people immersed in it get lost in the information. I was really impressed that True Market was able to put themselves in our shoes to understand and organize the site's content. 

Moreover, they brought modernization to our branding. Now, we create all our media resources to complement the website and its details. Our point of contact has been a pleasure to work with; she's answered all our questions and trained our staff to get familiar with WordPress. When we ventured into this agreement, one of our concerns was that we held all of our information internally and didn't want it to sit anywhere else. The team agreed readily, and now, the Nation's administration completely manages, hosts, and owns the website. 

How did True Market perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was useful and helped us stay on track and coordinate what content was missing. They were fantastic and were on time with the tasks we assigned and the ones they promised. The team was very responsive to us every step of the way. They were great communicators; we were always in the know. If we needed time to do something, they respected that and didn't pressure us. That gave us a took stress points down regarding the website's content.

The only thing that delayed this project was our sensitive content and the departments and committees we needed approval from before we could give them that information. Although the vetting of information took a long time, True Market understood that we needed to cross our t's and dot our i's to ensure we were respectful of our Nation's language, culture, and history. 

They included 25 buffer hours in the breakdown of the first contract. However, as we went through all the content and realized we needed out-of-scope hours, we changed what we wanted to put on the site. For example, the first proposal didn't include the language and culture page. They sent us a quote for the hours they felt they would need to finish the project with the changes, and they came in under budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by True Market's level of professionalism. We do a lot of graphic design, and from the second we opened their proposal, we realized they didn't set the bar; they were the bar. The detail and work that went into preparing that proposal blew us out of the water. They were organized and committed to showing us what they could bring to the table. Therefore, even though they were the most expensive proposal, it was easy to go with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would have enjoyed more in-person meetings with their team; we did most of the project remotely. We only had one meeting at their offices, and they came to our office once. However, I can't judge them harshly because we were working through the COVID-19 pandemic; they would have catered to that request if there hadn't been a health and public safety order. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Which company you hire depends on your needs. True Market was the right fit for us, and they did things at a caliber way above our expectations while being easy to work with. Therefore, I would tell anybody to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director at Camp Evergreen. We’re a children and youth camp. We have guest groups; we also work with schools, do summer camps, have retreats, and so on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with True Market?

We needed to redesign our website and work on our print media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

True Market has taken on our vast website redesign project. They’ve built the site from scratch, working on design and development with Drupal and our CiviCRM backend.

The website is pretty extensive. They’ve written all the content, and many pages have dropdown menus and tabs that users can work up and down. Additionally, they do maintenance and hosting. True Market helps us change anything we need to the website structure. If we need to switch the staff pictures, they do it for us.

We’ve also worked with them on our branding. In January, they did a rebranding for us; we got new colors, logo, and everything else. Now, when they do other design work, everything is in line with that.

What is the team composition?

They’ve brought in a developer, a graphic designer, and a content writer. 

How did you come to work with True Market?

Initially, someone connected us to True Market, so we found them through word of mouth. We’d already worked with them for brochure development and print media, so we approached them for the website redesign. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000 CAD (approximately $7,000 USD) on the rebranding and $20,000–$25,000 CAD (approximately $15,000–$18,000 USD) on the website. In total, we’ve spent over $50,000 throughout the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since March 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get tons of compliments on our website — the design is beautiful and easy to navigate. Also, there’s a lot of information on the website, which is an essential requirement for us. Moreover, everything they produce for us aligns with the character we want to portray. 

How did True Market perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve never been over budget with them; they’re great at pinpointing costs. Most of our communication is via email or phone. Over the last three years, we’ve started meeting on Zoom or Google Meet. All in all, they’re very flexible. We’ve also done in-person meetings to talk about project details.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything they produce is beautiful. True Market has worked hard to get to know us as an organization and deliver outstanding outcomes for us. Our website is fantastic; we’ve had it for years, and it’s aging well. The fact that we don’t have to go back to redesign it or do major upgrades after 4–5 years is massive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just know what you’re asking for. Do your previous work ahead of time so they can work efficiently for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chair of the board at a not-for-profit organization that advocates for positive changes for people undergoing mental health and addiction challenges. We started the organization due to our son’s suicide. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with True Market?

We needed help presenting ourselves professionally as a grassroots organization in a world that we didn’t necessarily understand. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially discussed True Market’s scope of work. Once we finalized the details, they proceeded to execute. 

First, True Market designed our executive report. They used our colors and logo to create the template, and they integrated it into our website.

True Market also refreshed our website’s design. We had a lot of emotional attachment to our original website because my son’s friends created it. We wanted to keep the feel and tone of the site, and True Market was amazing at adding new features while retaining the site’s original feel. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with two teammates.

How did you come to work with True Market?

Another not-for-profit organization recommended True Market to us. We appreciated that they were mindful of the financial challenges faced by not-for-profits. We found them reasonable to work with and were impressed by their work with other organizations, so we engaged with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $18,000 CAD (approximately $14,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August 2021–March 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

True Market’s efforts improved our ability to do our advocacy work. They increased our confidence in meeting with government officials and high-level executives thanks to the quality of the tools they provided. In addition, we were able to present our materials with confidence in a way that we weren’t able to before working with True Market. They brought us to the next level.

We also liked the caliber and quality of their work and the artistic component of their output. Their design abilities were amazing and very thoughtful. 

How did True Market perform from a project management standpoint?

True Market’s communication skills were excellent. They were able to clear up and resolve our issues really well. They were very good at following up with our team and implementing any changes requested. Their turnaround time was quick, and their team was always accessible. We couldn’t recommend them enough. 

In terms of tools, we just trusted True Market’s judgment and deferred to them to deliver what we wanted. We mostly communicated through emails and phone conversations. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

True Market cared about our organization and the work that we did. They understood that their work would reflect on our image. They really paid attention and listened to our team — they got the essence of what we wanted and who we were. 

We were also impressed by True Market’s collaboration skills; they were very patient with us and surpassed our expectations. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. The whole experience was really positive. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to engage with them. They’re worth every penny.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the partner of our accounting firm. We are a full service chartered professional accounting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We recently rebranded, which True Market helped us with 2 years ago, and needed a better website that was branded to our firm and had the opportunities to grow. Our goals were to have a professional, yet informative website that allows clients and future prospects to understand what we do and how we can help them.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

As True Market was involved in our rebranding we did not obtain quotes from the market place and we were very impressed with their professionalism so we decided to trust them with this very large project

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

Where do I start, we had multiple meetings to discuss our brand and our messaging, as well as reviewing of multiple markups and 'feel' of the website. This including messaging and our overall vision for the website. We deferred a lot of the design and look to the team as we just weren't up to date on the modern looks and just aren't that creative in the process so very helpful they took a solid lead in this project. In our website we incorporated online webpayments, joining a newsletter as well as various blogs and online resources

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

We were switched project managers mid-way through the project, which does make things a little more challenging as dealing with one person throughout the project would have been helpful. But the new manager was caught up to speed in a relatively short time. basically that was our main point of contact with the company

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

we haven't yet generated the results we wanted to see through SEO or anything yet - but it has only been one month. the website itself is what we expected, and then some.

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

we had online virtual meetings several times throughout the project to stay on time.

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

The site was professional and it was different, we didn't want a cookie cutter site and was impressed with the custom nature of the site we were provided

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

On the file product there were a few typos, incorrect address/phone numbers, etc. but these were quickly fixed. I feel these little errors should have been picked up on their QC side.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Allenbrook Homes. We build houses and do large-scale renovations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with True Market?

We wanted to have more volume and inquiries to the website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our website three years ago. On our current project, they’re handling all the investigating and giving me findings. We’re updating the website and implementing SEO practices so we can get more hits. True Market is looking at our competitors and analyzing which keywords we should target.

Out of those keywords, they gave me a lot of findings of the numbers in relation to the word that was being searched by our local community. They’re helping us narrow down those keywords to best utilize the top words that are related to our business. Their team also handled our branding and company logo design.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with the owner and two other team members.

How did you come to work with True Market?

We met them at a trade show.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $10,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in 2017. This new project started in March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The response anytime we engaged with True Market is immediate. They’re always there to help.

How did True Market perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m very happy with project management. There are certain people who take the lead for certain parts of the project. When I need to engage with them, I’m put on to those people and it all goes very well. We primarily communicate through Zoom and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they’re a smaller organization. I’m also a smaller organization. True Market caters to me and wants my business even though they have my business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s only been one incident where a team member was looking after our project and left. They dropped the ball when they passed our project onto the next person. I don’t know how True Market could have avoided it. It was more due to the person not caring about what was happening with the company after they left. It was a small, misfortunate circumstance that I certainly wouldn’t hold against True Market.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to True Market’s ideas and suggestions. As much as I thought I knew what I wanted, once they explained how things work and best optimization practices, I learned a lot from them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of Reembody. We’re an education company focused on mental and physical health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with True Market?

We wanted to figure out how to advertise a new product that we never offered before.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

True Market first validated our market. Although we had an idea of who would want the product, True Market had the idea to run preliminary ads to give us a better sense of who we should target based on the responses.

I gave them a lot of information about our app, including our user stories. Their team then designed ads. They came up with three separate audiences to target. Their team then ran campaigns on Google Ads that targeted the audiences. They reported how many interactions the ads received. When the product finally comes out, we can target the groups that gave us the most feedback.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Greg (Brand Strategist & Founder) and two others from the True Market team.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $2,500–$3,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in January 2020 and still exchanged emails through October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wanted as much engagement as possible with our ads. In the early reports, the reactions to our ads exceeded our expectations. True Market clearly crafted and positioned the ads well enough that we received the reactions we wanted in three months in just under two months. As a result, I was able to expedite the product’s release.

How did True Market perform from a project management standpoint?

We spoke via Zoom and email. I was pleased with the collaborative nature of our partnership. When I had trouble, they helped me come up with language for assets. Their team also came up with lots of ideas on their own, and I appreciated that.

Planning was one of their strengths. True Market had organized protocols, so they always knew the project’s next steps. There was never a sign of confusion on their end. That was important because there was a lot of confusion on my end.

It was easy to talk with Greg because he was an excellent communicator. I never felt rushed or judged when we connected to discuss either my goals or his processes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with their communication and patience. It always felt like they had exactly the amount of time I needed, which I really appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. It was my first time using a service like this and it felt like it worked exactly as it was supposed to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Cooperation is important because it’s a partnership. Although they work independently, their team also needs assets. I created a bottleneck because I needed to produce assets. When I was struggling to create an asset, I contacted them and let them know. Their team routinely had good advice for getting around any roadblock. Stay in communication with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Humanitarian Aid Organization. My role at the organization is growth awareness.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire True Market?

Needed help growing our social media and making it more enticing to follow.

What were your goals for this project?

Create templates for feed uniformity, promote posts to the best audience, create social media advertisements, learn how to pull reports to see whether the ads are working or need to be changed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Recommendation from friend

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

True Marketing created a specific packet for us including each month's layout, what they would teach our team, what we would change, and specific suggestions for our profile. We then had weekly meetings. We have grown our following significantly and our profile aesthetic has absolutely transformed.

What was the team composition?

1 main point of contact and a secondary point of contact if needed

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our engagement has grown significantly and we are on the path to hit our lofty goal of reaching 10,000 followers in under 1 year.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are great at keeping you on-task and pushing you to the next level.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by their willingness to help and cater their program to our unique organization's needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Operations Manager and Part Owner of Costen Insurance. We are a family run insurance brokerage in Calgary, AB, servicing clients across Alberta for any of their home, auto, and commercial insurance needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire True Market?

We hired True Market to help us with our online marketing strategies. We had a fairly decent online presence already but wanted someone to help us get to the next level primarily through SEO and online ads.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to increase our online presence specifically in the commercial and business insurance space and generate more qualified leads.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had been dealing with a great online marketing company for several years but were slowly feeling like we needed to make a change to get some fresh eyes and input on our strategy.

We hadn't actually fully started the process of looking for someone else, but I had run into one of the True Market sales reps at a trade show and he'd also been a long time family friend so we started the conversation at that point.

We were impressed at the thoroughness of the discovery process with True Market which was bolstered by the quality of their branding and website, including the past projects and reviews displayed.

After reviewing their proposal in full and taking some time to consider our options myself and Crista Costen, President of Costen Insurance, made the decision to sign up with True Market.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The initial stages of work included the following: Reviewing overall scope of project which included the design and creation of a commercial insurance landing page, updating some of the basic design of our website, and creating search and display ad campaigns.

We were involved in the review and approval of True Markets designs and change suggestions and were also given a list of credentials and other documents and materials to provide to them.

Over the next couple of months we were in communication with them on their progress and they would send us drafts of the content they were working on for our approval.

Once the initial projects were complete and launched, the scope of work shifted to maintaining our website with security and plugin updates, broken link monitoring, maintaining and tracking success of online search and display ads, creating new ad campaigns to target more specific segments per our requests or their suggestions, and tweaking performance issues on our website as needed.

We receive a monthly report which highlights the work being done as well as the results and analytics, concluded by a list of recommendations and suggestions to be reviewed. We then also have quarterly meetings with True Market to review results and suggestions in more detail.

What was the team composition?

We have dealt with two reps as well as a couple of people from their team on specific ad designs and other things. They are a smaller, tight knit team so we've been able to get to know them well personally.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen a significant increase in traffic to our website since we brought True Market on, both by organic search and ads. Our commercial and business insurance leads have increased exponentially. We expected these kinds of results from True Market, but not in this short of a time frame so it is great to see!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow has been simple and straight forward. We receive regular contact by email and our in person meetings on a quarterly basis are great as well. For any projects or items that require our review, we have been using Google Docs to review and approve designs as well as add in any comments or questions we may have.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The main thing that makes True Market stand out is their friendly and regular communication with us. We are regularly in contact with them and they check in to see how things are going. The monthly reports are very beneficial and easy to decipher. They have a great team of people who clearly love working together, and that extends to how they deal with clients.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None come to mind!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president and owner of ESC Project Management Inc and we provide professional construction management services throughout Alberta, CA. We are a smaller agile company that can adapt to meet the client's needs and wants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire True Market?

We hired True Market to refresh our brand, update our website, and create proposal forms and letterheads as we felt our brand needed some updates and fine-tuning.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to create updated branding that resonated with our current and future clients. We wanted the branding carried across our entire company from letterheads and website to all marketing materials.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met Greg Hatch at a golf tournament and we had lunch together. I appreciated Greg's professional approach to marketing and was looking for an alternate marketing agency. I set up a coffee meeting with Greg and he was able to explain marketing in a way that made sense and I could understand.

True Market gave us a proposal for the work we wanted to be done, and that was the clincher. The proposal was professional and detailed and laid out all the steps and the price was very fair.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

True Market listens. They started the process but getting our story. They have a great way of asking the right questions and bringing your story out. Once they knew our story they set to work on creating some updated branding to match our story. This branding was then used to update our website, and create proposals and letterheads. We used this same branding to create some mail out advertising.

What was the team composition?

My initial contact was Greg Hatch the company owner, and after I signed the contract he handed me over to his project manager. As the owner, Greg always followed up to see how things were going with my project!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We receive lots of compliments on our website and branding. Our branding is something we are proud of! This gives our team confidence in presenting ourselves to current and future clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was great. Ryan their Project Manager kept things flowing. He was great at giving updates and also keeping ahead of things by making sure I was getting them the needed materials before his team actually needed them. This led to a smooth-running project that wasn't starting and stopping.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Greg, lead a great team. Their design capabilities are top-notch! They have a talent for making things look impressive while looking after the little details. True Market listens, they want to understand your goals before they start any work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything at this point. As a growing company, don't lose your great customer service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Director of a Non-Profit Foundation that helps families that have children battling cancer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire True Market?

We needed a new website. The guy who used to do our old website got out of the business and left us with no way to really keep our website updated. I used to have to wait forever to get basic content put on. That's when I knew True Market.

What were your goals for this project?

Our website was so outdated, no longer trendy and really didn't function in a way that made sense. True Market came in and gave us a new innovative layout. Something that I could maintain myself so changes could be instant. They took their time and showed me how to use it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were given their name from a trusted friend. After looking at their personal website and some of the other websites they designed, I knew they were the right fit for us.

Describe the project in detail.

We needed a completely new website. A eye catching home page. They created a section that highlighted our upcoming events. They added a blog section that allows us to go into more detail.

The website was a complete overhaul. They then taught me how to use it. I can do most changes myself, and if I need something complicated or something added, they are always there for me! We wanted to add a section where artists could sign up for our Art Exhibit Fundraiser, they created something really cool looking!

What was the team composition?

We met with Greg Hatch who heard our concerns with the old website and what wasn't working. He then highlighted ideas and missed opportunities that we never thought of. He laid out a design plan and his team executed exactly what they said they would do. They were always there for me if I ever have a question or need something altered.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website is now formulated to be engaging and informative in real time. We never had that with our old website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were wonderful. They met deadlines and communicated through the entire project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

That they care. They were very attention to detail, which is needed for website design. Every link has to work, everything needs to flow well and make sense. I highly recommend them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. They did a bang-up job!