VillageFive, LLC

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an assistant Marketing Analyst at an online face mask retailer. We started selling face masks at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire VillageFive, LLC, and what were your goals?

Our company hired Robert Hu in the hopes of developing our advertising campaign to be more targeted toward keywords and target audiences. We were also interested in increasing revenue by raising our rank in the Amazon selling system as a seller of cloth face masks.

SOLUTION

How did you select VillageFive, LLC and what were the deciding factors?

We made a posting looking for short-term consultants and after interviewing several candidates, we decided that Robert was the best choice based on his expertise, experience, and his rates.

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

We had an initial meeting to discuss our goals and objectives. Then we came up with a short-term plan to test run some of the ideas that Robert had in increasing the accuracy of our advertisement. Our long-term plan involved using the data gathered during the short-term plan in order to make adjustments as necessary.

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

Only Robert Hu worked with us directly but he also had a colleague helping with sales analysis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching our advertisement we saw some initial limited success but our sales began to quickly plateau.

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

We had weekly zoom meetings with Robert and he was responsive and attentive through email communication.

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

We were impressed by the professionalism and expertise that the company showed throughout the process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Although the performance interpersonally was excellent and all of our objectives were met, we were unable to meet our sales goals. It was unfortunate that our customers did not respond to our advertising strategies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a dog treat manufacturing and sales business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VillageFive, LLC?

We just started our sales a few weeks ago and need to get on board with Amazon Listings and PPC, so we are working with VillageFive.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VillageFive provides us with consultation, advising us on things that we need to be aware of for our startup. They are making sure that our product is well-presented on Amazon and are specifically working on PPC target ads. We have delegated keyword optimization to their team, reviewing back what they finish and giving recommendations accordingly. 

In the future, we may expand to other ecosystems such as Google Ads and social media. 

What is the team composition?

They have a team that works on all aspects of the project, but I’m working directly with Robert (CEO & Founder) right now.

How did you come to work with VillageFive, LLC?

I interviewed a whole bunch of different providers from Upwork and from personal recommendations. It was valuable to us as a startup that VillageFive really listened to understand our needs, unlike other companies that gave very canned solutions and charged money right off the bat. We needed a consultative partner and not a standard program since we’re just getting started, so we decided to hire VillageFive.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re paying them less than $10,000. We kind of worked out a unique arrangement where their services cost us hardly anything but we both get the benefit and more sales.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working just last March 2021. The project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s early on in the project, but we are happy that we’re getting sales. The feedback and reviews for our products have also been very good. I think the way that our business is represented online looks well, so it was just the right thing to start this project off with. VillageFive has been very helpful in all of that.

How did VillageFive, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We utilize a regular calendar booking system and Zoom calls. For the most part, we’re all working on a very small list of what we need to work on, so the project management is nothing too complicated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s impressive that they listened at the beginning and understood where our business is at. VillageFive didn’t give us a one-size-fits-all solution and instead tailored an approach that is very helpful for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t say anything too positive or negative about them at this point. I will know more once the results of our campaigns start coming in.