ultraviolet agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I oversee the marketing of two granite producers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ultraviolet agency?

We wanted to focus more on content creation and lead generation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had just launched a new website for one of the granite producers when ultraviolet agency first came in, and they have been working closely with us on content creation ever since. We provide the topics, and they draft all of the copy using specific keywords to boost the site’s SEO. They also assist in writing blogs by reaching out to and interviewing contacts we provide. They upload all those resources into HubSpot to help with our inbound marketing strategies, and they post some of the content to social media.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with about 5–6 teammates so far, but I primarily work with Julia (VP Client Relations), Danielle (Account Director), and Jennifer (Owner). Danielle acts as my client specialist and is my main point of contact. Meanwhile, I collaborate with Julia on strategizing and laying out our yearly plan for public events, outreach, and public relations efforts.

They've also brought in some outside resources when something was out of their scope, mainly when we needed website development and content template creation. 

How did you come to work with ultraviolet agency?

The bigger group that owns our companies was already working with ultraviolet agency on content creation. It was only natural that they would help with our other brands as well. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our retainer for the agency includes their work for several of our brands, so I can’t estimate the spend on this one project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in September 2017, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We use KPIs, along with quarterly reviews and objectives, to measure their success. The team collaborates with us to establish those objectives before the year even starts, so they know what KPIs they need to hit per quarter and per campaign. It's very clear what our expectations are and what they need to deliver. They’ve been great at fulfilling the work we assigned to them; there's no task that I’ve given them that they weren't able to accomplish. If it wasn’t their expertise, they were still able to find me a partner to do it for me on their behalf.

To show the impact of their work, they conduct a quarterly presentation that demonstrates the results of the campaigns they handled. They discuss the pros and cons, the wins and losses, and what we can learn from those as we move on to the next quarter. Overall, we’ve been incredibly satisfied with the work they’ve been doing. Their creativity level is high, and they’re great at utilizing their best practices from other clients.

How did ultraviolet agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very organized when it comes to communication and project management. We primarily communicate through Slack, but we also have a lot of virtual meetings. I speak with them multiple times a day. Danielle is my point person, and she’s excellent at keeping us on target. 

The team is excellent at reminding us of established deadlines. They set editorial calendars based on our quarterly objectives — it’s very easy to get distracted when we’re handling multiple tasks, so their efforts are appreciated. They’re good at sticking to timelines, but they’re also very accommodating and can pivot if we need to modify deadlines or shift our focus to another resolution.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best part about them is they feel like an extension of our internal marketing team. ultraviolet agency has been integral to our success — they’re always on it, whether it's creating an asset for social media, coming up with an e-book to promote an event, or boosting our online presence for a specific keyword. They come up with plans, strategies, and campaigns to help fill whatever void we may have. 

Another thing that impressed me was their ability to adapt. We’ve always had strong KPIs and metrics for setting and delivering campaigns, but this past year has been crazy — everybody needed to pivot and think out of the box about how to move forward. The plans we made had to be scrapped. I can imagine that it was frustrating to change everything mid-project, but they were flexible and handled the situation well. With them, we were able to go back to the drawing board and adapt to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

They’re just easy to work with, and I’ve never felt any pushback from their side whenever we had to reset our goals. I feel like my goals are their goals and that I’m not just a client. They’ve always felt like a partner. I know the team wants my campaigns to succeed as much as I do — they understand that it’s a clear representation of their work as it is mine. They might be a vendor, but I definitely feel like they’re part of my internal team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't say that I have experienced any weaknesses from their team. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go in with an open mind. They are creative, so I think you would get the most bang for your buck if you tell them your goals and ask for suggestions on how to achieve them. Most clients would be surprised what ultraviolet agency can come up with. You should definitely take advantage of their expertise and what they can bring to the table.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing director at a B2B quarry company involved in natural stone, quarrying, and manufacturing for architectural applications and residential interior and exterior applications.

We have quarries across North America, Canada, and Europe, as well as different business segments that we service like commercial, institutional, residential renovation, memorials, and residential landscaping and hardscaping products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ultraviolet agency?

We needed help with external communications, primarily to our different customer bases and personas. We have a lot of notable projects that we’ve accomplished over the years, and we didn’t have a way to highlight them to an audience outside our industry.

At the time we recruited their services, we had a fairly small digital footprint and following on our various channels.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ultraviolet agency focuses on trying to build a larger contact database through new contact acquisition. There wasn’t much of an email marketing or content creation strategy in place, so ultraviolet helped us kick-start that. This led to them helping us build a lead generation process as well.

In terms of email tools, they’ve built out thank-you emails and marketing automation. Additionally, they’ve onboarded us into a marketing automation tool that has provided more robust reporting tools and data that gives us insight into the buyer’s journey.

They’ve also built landing pages to support conversion paths for us to capitalize on opportunities.

What is the team composition?

I work closely with Julia (VP Client Relations) and Danielle (Account Director), and I’ve worked with Jennifer (Founder & CEO) at times. Julia is my project manager, so I partner with her on strategy, implementation, and campaign development.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $100,000–$130,000 (approximately $80,000–$104,000 USD) per year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our soapstone sales have increased dramatically since ultraviolet assisted us in getting the messaging out about our soapstone quarry. It’s a historic quarry in the United States. Soapstone isn’t considered seriously by buyers as a countertop option, but because of the campaigns ultraviolet has run, the traffic to our soapstone pages has increased over 170%. They’ve driven a lot of new lead generation and contact acquisition as a result of that. Soapstone has become one of the top-selling stones in our portfolio as well. We have a range of granite, marble, and limestone products, and soapstone is one of 50, but it’s now in our top three in terms of sales. When we acquired that quarry, it ranked much lower because the demand and interest weren't there, and now a large bulk of our website traffic is originating from searches around soapstone.

We’ve seen increased web traffic through the content they create as well. If it weren’t for ultraviolet agency, then we would still be guessing at what actions we should be taking. They’ve given us an understanding of the buyer’s journey and where there are opportunities for us to provide more useful content to help buyers make purchasing decisions.

How did ultraviolet agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very thorough. Teamwork allows us to handle project management and share files, and there’s also Google Docs and Slack. They’ve onboarded us into a number of marketing automation tools as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ultraviolent agency’s understanding of our personas and our business stands out. They listen to what we have to say. Our go-to-market strategy is complicated because of all the stakeholders along the distribution chain, as well as our long sales-cycle. The fact that we’re a B2B company adds another challenge, but ultraviolet listens to our pain points and needs. They ask a lot of questions to ensure that they have everything established before they kick off a campaign or a project.

They’re very thorough in their campaign development and execution, all the way through to the reporting. Their content creation is geared toward our buyer personas in every manner; they don’t produce general marketing language. Whether it’s an architect, fabricator, or dealer, ultraviolet agency connects with our customers and understands their experiences when they perform interviews after projects for blogs or to create digital assets like case-studies and e-books.

It’s amazing that we can have a relationship with ultraviolet such that we can put them directly in touch with our customers to conduct interviews about their experiences with our product. This process also brings us new opportunities for other contacts we might not have been aware of previously. When people are approached by salespeople, they might be put off, but if they’re approached by someone with a journalistic background (like ultraviolet) who wants to interview them and talk genuinely, then they will open up more and engage in a dialogue. We trust that ultraviolet agency will conduct themselves in a manner that’s reflective of our business. That trust is very unique, and difficult to come by.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that’s glaringly obvious to me. I can’t really think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust in the process and listen to what they have to say. The experience that they have collectively brings a lot to the table. What may feel a little overwhelming in the beginning certainly pays off in the long-term. Helping them get all the information they need for onboarding and getting you started on the journey may be a bit painful, but trust that the process is going to pay off over time. That’s the biggest block someone may see in the beginning phase working with ultraviolet agency. They have your best interest at heart and want to see you be successful and profitable.