(un)Common Logic

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as the head of marketing for a holding company for six brands. The brand that (un)Common Logic helps us with the most is an online, higher education product.

What challenge were you trying to address with (un)Common Logic?

We hired them from SEO and PPC services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

(un)Common Logic provided us with SEO services for a total of about 25 hours for a pre-website launch. Once the website was launched, we tagged them to build out a PPC campaign on both Google and LinkedIn, as well as on Bing. 

What is the team composition?

I interface with a project manager. 

How did you come to work with (un)Common Logic?

I met them at a digital marketing conference in New York about five years ago. Elizabeth (Former Director of Client Operations) led a session and I got her card afterward. She and her team did a complimentary audit for the company that I was working for prior to this one.

They then came back and told us that what we wanted to spend on Google Ads wasn’t worth it. That was the first time a firm had spent several hours on our data, trained me on how to look at the data accurately, and then told me that they would be doing a disservice by using the budget we had to carry out the work.

When I started working at my current company, we had a bigger budget, so I called (un)Common Logic. They did the same thing again and suggested a plan for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $6,000 every month, plus ad spend. Due to COVID-19, that number has fluctuated, but the total cost is about $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October 2019, and our engagement is ongoing. 

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

I’ve never met a marketing firm that is as diligent, detail-oriented, and customer-focused as (un)Common Logic. If there is an error in the account, they catch it every time within 24–48 hours. They come back to us, tell us what went wrong, and how they’re going to fix it. 

They hold themselves to a very high standard. The team is always prepared. When they say they’re going to do something, they do it. In July, after the first six months of our PPC campaign, our ROI was 3,000%.

How did (un)Common Logic perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is unparalleled. Every week we get a detailed and robust report on how our campaigns are performing. They communicate with us with integrity and knowledge. Their communication is one of the best things about them. (un)Common Logic is very data-driven.

Working with their project manager has taught me, as a director of marketing, so many things that I hadn’t come across in the past. Not only do they run and manage the account, but they are also very communicative about why certain things work and why they’re pivoting. They are amazing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

(un)Common Logic has a type of integrity that not a lot of firms do. The team looks at their clients on a case-by-case basis because what works for someone else may not work for me. They won’t tag in on a project unless they know that their work can drive the needle. 

Additionally, not only did they tell us that they could do the work for this brand, but they also proved it by being data-driven and tracking the numbers that tell us if a campaign has been successful or not.

They leverage data to make decisions, which is a phenomenal approach. They are able to try new things and think outside of the box to meet certain goals. We have seen incredible results from the energy and effort of their team.

The campaigns that (un)Common Logic built were so smart and were tailored on a day-to-day basis, so much so that we continue to see growth week-over-week (WoW). They are a well-rounded firm that drives results and works with the client to give them a product that’s right for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are absolutely no areas for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the opportunity to work with (un)Common Logic because they will do right by you.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're one of the top online prescription eyewear retailers in the US and Canada. I'm the Marketing Director and I'm responsible for all acquisition and retention tactics as well as all the A&P budget management.

For what projects/services did your company hire (un)Common Logic?

They worked with us for over 10 years in multiple marketing channels, but more prominently on PPC (Paid Search, Display and Shopping).

What were your goals for this project?

They were tasked with constant yearly top line growth of 40%+, which they delivered consistently and overachieved in the most recent years.

How did you select this vendor?

They were selected before I arrived, but I believe it was a personal referral since they took the account from almost 0 to over 7 figures per month in spend.

Describe the project in detail.

They were tasked with developing strategies to ensure that we were the leading company in paid search for online eyewear retail. They had 90 day strategic plans and Quarterly business reviews conducted regularly.

They constantly adjusted to google changes and made sure we were included in all beta products of google advertising to ensure we were maximizing our potential. We had to guide them at times, but they were also very proactive and open to feedback.

What was the team composition?

The most recent: Account Director Account Senior Manager Two Junior Account members

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

Just by being able to grow the account 40% YoY with a market growth of 8-15%... shows they're able to outperform other industry players by far.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Quite effective, we work overseas (china vs. austin) and there was little issues with communication, very irrelevant. They were 100% available over phone, sms, email, etc.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Outside of the results, their commitment and their ability to be nimble and adaptable to our requests. They were really outstanding as a team, and, as people, they felt more like an extension of our company rather than a 'vendor.'

Are there any areas for improvement?

They need to be more adaptable to work with big-data and analytics to ensure they stay at the forefront, especially for large clients.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Communications at CASA of Travis County, a nonprofit empowering volunteer advocates in the child welfare system that is a state and national leader in the CASA/GAL network.

For what projects/services did your company hire (un)Common Logic?

We were looking for better recruitment results from our paid social efforts. (un)Common Logic restructured our account and implemented a testing plan to make and keep our efforts data-driven. In the first six months, we had a 55% increase in average weekly results and 2019 ended up being our best recruitment year yet.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to recruit more volunteer advocates for children than ever before.

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us via connections from our Board of Directors, and after meeting with (un)Common Logic, there was no question about wanting to work with them!

Describe the project in detail.

We have drastically expanded our digital advertising budget for the purpose of recruiting new and more diverse volunteer advocates to serve children in the Child Protective Services system. We worked with a creative marketing team to develop a new recruitment message and testimonial campaign, but we needed serious support in the distribution of these great new messages. We reached out to (un)Common Logic to bring in the desperately-needed expertise in targeting and optimizing our digital ad campaigns.

What was the team composition?

We've had wonderful conversations with the CEO, the Director of Sales & Marketing, and the Director of Client Operations, and we work regularly with their SEM & SEO Analysts.

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

Since (un)Common Logic restructured our social media campaigns, we’ve had a 55% increase in average weekly results. We reached our highest volunteer recruitment rate of all time in 2019, and numbers are already looking great for 2020. We saw a 32% increase in the diversity of our volunteers which was a specific goal of our advertising efforts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We meet via Zoom every other week to check in on our ad campaigns and make adjustments. The team is incredibly responsive and wonderful to work with.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Beyond all of the great results we've seen since turning over our digital advertising to (un)Common Logic, we really enjoy the people at this company. They are generous, fun, and all-around lovely to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that we've seen!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and chief creative officer of a full-service strategic design agency.

What challenge were you trying to address with (un)Common Logic?

We’ve worked with them in a variety of different ways that we didn’t originally plan. They eventually became an agency partner and sister agency of ours.

What was the scope of their involvement?

(un)Common Logic handles SEO and SEM services for us and some of our clients. Within this search space, their team provides organic SEO and PPC efforts. They handle digital strategy and a fair amount of upfront planning all the way from auditing to technical, architectural, and content strategy. Their team also provides conversion rate optimization and ongoing optimization for some of our clients.

What is the team composition?

I personally work with their leadership when I get involved, this includes Barbara (CEO) and Dave (Director of Sales and Marketing).

How did you come to work with (un)Common Logic?

Our CTO heard about them through a mutual connection.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in October 2017, and it’s ongoing.

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

In addition to physical KPIs resulting in increased traffic and a higher rate of return, I measure the impact on a happiness meter. When we work with partners who get what we’re trying to do and achieve maximum results for our clients, to me — that’s the true reward. (un)Common Logic is a pleasure to work with as a client partner as well as an agency that supports our business. Overall, they deliver great quality of results.

How did (un)Common Logic perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a variety of tools but mostly use Basecamp to communicate. Their team meets or exceeds every deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re true data geeks who get it. They’re excellent at looking through spreadsheets and finding the little diamond in the rough. I really enjoy working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any areas.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to know what success looks like because they can’t help you achieve it if you don’t know.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director for a Manufacturing Operational and Safety Excellence Consulting Company.

For what projects/services did your company hire (un)Common Logic?

We hired (un)Common Logic to build and manage our SEM efforts, sponsored social media advertising, and optimize our SEO.

What were your goals for this project?

The initial goal was for UCL to audit our current PPC account structure and provide recommendations for this channel. As we have continued to grow our partnership, our goal is to increase brand awareness and generate new leads.

How did you select this vendor?

UCL was a vendor of mine at my previous company.

Describe the project in detail.

Upon working with UCL, they audited our current PPC account structure to determine if best practices were in place and optimize the account. From there, they helped to restructure the account, implement proper tagging, build out conversions, and manage our ads.

With the success garnered in this channel we expanded to sponsored social posts on LinkedIn utilizing their knowledge of our offering and best practices. We have since grown our partnership to include SEO content reviews, content development recommendations, and other SEO tactics.

What was the team composition?

Initially we had 1 account director and an SEM specialist. The team has now expanded to include an SEO specialist and CRO specialist. Each member is responsible for implementing different actions for each of the projects we are running. Our daily communication happens with our account manager, however, the team is very flexible and always available.

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

From 2018-2019, we increased our spend by 44% and saw an increase in leads by 59% and a 10% decrease in CPL. On the SEO standpoint, we saw an increase in traffic of 24%, a 200% increase in form fills, and visibility was up 44%. These results far surpassed our expectations and given UCL's consistent performance, we have been able to steadily grow the channel.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have a standing meeting to review weekly performance and discuss any recent or upcoming actions. It is a 1 year phone call each week. Outside of this, we communicate over email as needed throughout the week and they are always available my phone if anything comes up.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

UCL feels like an extension of my team. They took the time to understand our business and how we work. They are respectful, responsive, and thoughtful in their recommendations. Before implementing any changes we thoroughly review and UCL always gives us time to discuss and ask questions and ensure that we understand what is changing, why, and what we can expect to see. They are open and honest about where they are spending our marketing dollars and the results we are seeing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Due to the nature of managing tasks over email, there can sometimes be a delay or miss in communication. It would be nice to have a better tracker for action items coming out of meetings. We have worked to implement Google docs which has certainly helped!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the in-house Ecommerce and Digital Marketing manager for a variety of SaaS and B2B solutions for construction companies.

For what projects/services did your company hire (un)Common Logic?

We have worked with them for several years for the management and maintenance of our Search Advertising efforts.

What were your goals for this project?

Outsource the day-to-day optimization and maintenance involved with Bing, Google Ads, etc.

How did you select this vendor?

It's been quite a while, but I believe it was a referral.

Describe the project in detail.

It's an on-going relationship, so there's not as much of a beginning/end to our work together. We communicate with them regularly to monitor and adjust campaigns based on seasonal initiatives and performance.

What was the team composition?

We work with an account manager and also have an analyst that attends our weekly meetings.

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

They provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise around trends and best practices related to SEM. There's very clear communication and detailed reporting so that we have a comprehensive understanding of where our spend is going and the ROI.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are essentially an extension of our team, and we work together very well. Their level responsiveness is one of the great benefits of working with them. We have random one-off reporting requests from internal stakeholders and UCL has always exceeded expectations around responsiveness and completeness of their responses.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Eventhough we work with them in a specific capacity, they are always willing to loop in their subject matter experts around analytics and technical issues we encounter from time to time.