Windmill Strategy

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a global leader in measurement instrumentation, services and solutions for industrial process engineering. We provide process solutions for flow, level, pressure, analytics, temperature, recording and digital communications, optimizing processes in terms of economic efficiency, safety & environmental impact. Our customers come from various industries, including chemical, food & beverage, life sciences, power & energy, mining, minerals & metals, oil & gas and water & wastewater.

I am a Digital Marketing Specialist on our US Marketing and Communications team. In this role, I am primarily responsible for managing our SEO strategy, US website, marketing automation platform, and developing email campaigns.

For what projects/services did your company hire Windmill Strategy, and what were your goals?

We hired Windmill Strategy to help us develop a blog site that our US team could utilize separately from our main company website. The way our main website is structured, we couldn’t easily create localized content in a blog format that would drive visibility of our subject matter experts as thought leaders.

Along with bringing awareness to our local expertise, we were also struggling to influence SEO metrics within our main website. The overall goal of this blog site is to increase local visibility and credibility, strengthen our SEO and content strategy, and grow our contact list.

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

I searched for web developers online who had some experience with more technical industrial manufacturing type companies. I set up interviews with a handful of companies, but Windmill Strategy stood out the most to us because they seemed most confident in delivering what we expected and said something along the lines of "a goal of ours is to become a thought partner who works with you". Those two factors helped us make the decision to work with them.

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

The steps were basically: kickoff and discovery (getting our goals and initial ideas down on paper), presentation of a strategy brief and outline of project direct, handover of visual design proofs (wireframes), web development and content migrations, testing and QA, and then launch. We have a couple rounds of revisions between the wireframes and the web development as well as a good back-and-forth with the developer to get everything squared away before QA.

We also worked together to integrate Eloqua forms on our subscribe buttons and content downloads to we could capture more contacts. The end result was a WordPress site that is very customizable.

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

We worked with 4 primary team members. We kicked off with the Senior Account Manager to get the project going. Then it transitioned to our Project Manager, a Graphic Designer, and a Web Developer.

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

It is too early for us to give feedback on specific metrics, but our marketing team was very happy with the project.

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

The project management was a bit loose at first, but got more detailed as we went on - something that matches our work styles more. We were updated on project timeline with a static PDF calendar every so often, but no digital tools were used with us for status tracking or communicating. We did use feedback tools like Moqups and Bugherd.

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

The web developer didn't have experience working with Eloqua prior to this project, but he was very willing to jump in and help us get what we needed.

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

For a more simple project like ours, a quicker timeline in the beginning of the project kickoff would be better. It took a seemingly long time to get the project actually going, spending a lot of time talking about strategy and goals in a couple meetings - which is good for full website projects but not as necessary for what we needed in this blog site. A project management tool would also be helpful.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Holland Supply Company is a B2B value-added reseller of natural gas products such as meters and regulators to gas utilities. As the President, my focus is primarily on the Sales and Marketing departments in the organization.

For what projects/services did your company hire Windmill Strategy, and what were your goals?

Our website was created over 25 years ago, and visitors had very little insight into the products we offered. Understanding the complexity of industrial distribution and that the industry has been slow to migrate to e-commerce, we wanted to partner with a leading website designer focused on industrial distribution clients who could help us build an intuitive and simple online shopping experience for our customers. Our products tend to have a moderate to high degree of complexity, so our primary goal was to be the first business in our niche to offer online purchasing and tso do it in a way that made purchasing our complex products very simple.

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

We searched online to create a list of several vendors. We short-listed three vendors who all had a focus on industrial distribution, but we ultimately selected Windmill because of their strong customer portfolio, their attention to detail on our requests, and their thorough follow-up and responsiveness. Based on many interviews and calls with Windmill, they became the clear winner primarily because of their strong focus in our niche and the overall quality of their process. It was clear they had a defined process for success, and that put us at ease, especially after having dealt with a separate ERP implementation with a different company just months prior that went horribly.

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

After selecting Windmill for the project, we had a kickoff meeting to align our team and theirs on the goals, objectives, and scope of the website. They then provided wireframes which were ultimately approved prior to beginning the development work. Because we wanted the e-commerce pages tied directly into our ERP to provide the most accurate pricing and products, we knew this would take a long time to develop. We also knew it would involve other software companies that Windmill would need to tie together into a useable solution. The e-commerce website would tie directly into our ERP, which is linked through an integration company who works exclusively with our ERP. Windmill also had to bring in a payment processor, a tax management software, email management software, as well as the setup and refinement of Google Ads.

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

A senior account manager initiated the kickoff meeting and handed the project to a project manager. The project manager brought together the development team of four software developers as well as two Senior Digital Marketing Strategists to build out our SEO keywords and Google Ad Campaigns.

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

We are only one month into the launch, but anecdotally we have experienced a noticeable uptick in phone calls as well as visitors to our site. We are also averaging about two online orders per week and have earned business with three new customers in the first month after our launch.

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

We initially started with bi-weekly meetings, but moved towards weekly meetings as we inched closer to the launch. There were occasionally delays, some of which were brought on by us, some of which were the result of unforeseeable events. Windmill communicated regularly and very professionally, and we felt like they were good stewards of our time and money. Most meetings were accomplished through virtual meeting software such as Google or Microsoft Teams, but we also used Trello towards the end of the project to identify development or design changes we wanted to make.

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

I found two things to be very unique about Windmill. They have such a level of expertise and understanding within the industrial distribution industry that is unmatched. The other really impressive quality of Windmill was their communication. It's clear they have a successful template for gathering information to define the scope of work, they ask clarifying questions, they follow-up, and they really try to understand the "why" behind what you're doing so that they can provide the most useful feedback. In my time owning and operating this business, they are the most professional vendor I've worked with on any single project.

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

We had some delays toward the end of the project, but not all of it was their fault. Some of it was foreseeable in our eyes, but in spite of these delays, they still communicated in advance and suggested alternative actions and timelines based on those delays.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing manager of TPGi, (previously known as The Paciello Group). It is an accessibility solutions provider that supports all phases of accessibility through best-in-class management software and professional services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Windmill Strategy?

We underwent an entire rebrand and refresh. Additionally, we acquired two organizations in the past couple of years. As a way to combine all three of these different organizations, cultures, and services, we wanted to create an entirely new brand and break away from our old brand name.

The objective was to create something that better represents what we offer today versus what was offered in 2002 when the group started. We hired Windmill Strategy to be our partner for developing the new website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we started by getting a basic idea of the wireframes for what we needed to do with the site, content, and architecture. Windmill Strategy was helpful in creating some of these wireframes as well as giving us the opportunity to create wireframes for all these pages.

They worked with us and guided us through the process of reimagining the architecture of a new site. Once we had that down, we worked on the design layout. We had some ideas, and they had some ideas. Together, we collaborated and came to a final decision of what the layouts would look like for the web pages.

A big part of what they did dealt with accessibility. Our old site was on WordPress and the code had been hacked together over the years. Every time we wanted to add a new page or any type of component, we’d have to get someone to help us with that internally, which was time and resource-intensive. 

To address this, Windmill Strategy built ACF modules. Essentially, they’re accessible modules that have different features and capabilities. For example, one module is for forms, another module is for gallery images, one is for a two- or three-column layout, and so on. Windmill Strategy built these different modules and worked with our internal accessibility team to make sure the modules themselves were accessible.

My boss and I can create a variety of different layouts with different capabilities and features without having to know how to code or check that they’re accessible. The new site is also on WordPress, but it was built from scratch. We ported some of the content over when we created the new pages, but there’s no resemblance between the old and new sites.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a developer, project manager, and account manager.

How did you come to work with Windmill Strategy?

My boss found them perhaps through a WordPress vendor site or directory. We ultimately selected them because they offered exactly what we needed. Windmill Strategy blew us away because they seemed very competent. They fully understood exactly what we needed to get done. Additionally, they were 100% committed to take on all of the accessibility challenges.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was from November 2020–February 2021.

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

The site just launched. Everyone who has seen the site has been very impressed with its functionality and the way that it looks. This is very difficult in our industry because people in accessibility are very nitpicky.

The website has already been a game-changer for me and my team in creating new pages that have different functionalities. It was very easy to create these new pages given that we had all these templated ACF forms. It was pretty painless to transfer new copy.

We had a developer subdomains blog that we merged into the site. The total number of pages has gone up significantly. The page views for our pages have increased given that we had a lot of press on it. After the launch, we saw a 10%–15% boost in form submissions.

How did Windmill Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly calls through Google Hangouts as well as communicated through Skype and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Windmill Strategy really blew us away with their commitment, skill, and competency. The speed at which they worked and their dedication were exceptional. Everything we could want in a vendor, they did it. Their team was incredibly communicative and every time we had a question they replied quickly. They kept things moving at a great pace and met our tight turnaround time.

Windmill Strategy was incredibly dedicated to the accessibility portion, and a lot of it was new to them and added a layer of complexity. Putting myself in their shoes, I could see it being frustrating that there were all these new things that need to be taken into account that may not have previously had to have been. They were extremely committed and knowledgeable. Their team was absolutely amazing to work with, and I’d recommend them to anyone.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing stands out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront about everything you need. Windmill Strategy is very accommodating and they’ll work to get it done. Whatever we requested of them, they were all too happy to oblige — even if it was something that ultimately ended up not being possible for technological reasons. There was never any hesitation on their part. My advice is to be very open and communicative with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate director of corporate communications at a medium sized pharmaceutical company. We manufacture a broad array of generic and branded medications.

What challenge were you trying to address with Windmill Strategy?

We had an outdated website and we wanted it to be more interactive. We wanted a brand-new look and feel. We recently got acquired by a company in Japan and we wanted to make sure our site had a flavor of their site as well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Windmill was responsible for helping us achieve our new look for our viewers. We started out with a discovery meeting where we hashed out what our objectives were. They helped put together a calendar of different achievable goals and a timeline for each of them, which really helped us stay on track.

Next, they came up with several design concepts that were able to react to. While we have a brand for our company, we needed help translating it for a web experience. The team also helped us come up with ideas for photography and the site map.

They were instrumental in making files that were useable for our internal review team. The team was able to work with our system to make sure that our internal team had what they needed to approve the files in advance.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jackson (Senior Account Manager) and Jen (Lead Developer & Designer).

How did you come to work with Windmill Strategy?

Someone that I worked with closely worked with Windmill in the past for their own website. I was floored by how lovely their site was and included Windmill in our list of vendors we were vetting. We landed on Windmill because they were a good deal, financially. We also just liked their aesthetic. To top it all off, they were local.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019, and we launched in March 2020. We still do updates with their team on an ongoing basis.

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

We didn’t really have a “measuring stick” for this project aside from general reception. The feedback from our employees and viewers has been overwhelmingly positive.

How did Windmill Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. Jackson is responsive and personable. He’s easy to understand and he doesn’t speak with a lot of jargon. They did a good job of being flexible with us, especially since our company tends to get slowed down with internal processes.

They were patient and accommodating with us. We ended up tacking on an extra three months to our original timeline because things took longer than anticipated. They were willing to work with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The ultimate design that they came up with was impressive. It was definitely a process. There was at least one initial design we weren’t happy with but they listened to us and were very open to our feedback. By the second time, we were happy with their design. It was a very collaborative process and they were very open throughout it all.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Now that they have a better idea of our brand, they can express our creative concepts in a way that meets our expectations much faster. Before, there was a bit more trial and error. Now, they’re much better at nailing our brand right out the gate.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, they’re one of the easier vendors I’ve worked with. They can accommodate the design needs of any company.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of 30+ year old distributor of industrial tube and pipe.

For what projects/services did your company hire Windmill Strategy, and what were your goals?

We hired Windmill with the intent of re-organizing our website to optimize it for aesthetics, usability, SEO, and future ecommerce. We wanted to streamline both the flow and content available to our customers while maximizing SEO value.

How did you select Windmill Strategy and what were the deciding factors?

We selected Windmill based on the value we perceived with their bid. We compared them to other leading industrial web designers and ultimately concluded that Windmill's offering provided the most value for our company. They delivered a high-quality product at a price point that was advantageous for us.

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

1) Client Review / Needs Review / Scope Development - Reviewed wants / needs of the new website and established deliverables throughout each stage of development. Compared site to other industry leaders and competitors to hone in on wants / needs for our company.

2) Timeline Development - Developed a timeline for the entire scope of the project including milestones throughout.

3) Site Analysis / SEO Prep - Windmill analyzed current site and SEO profile to determine what was working / wasn't working well and to determine best SEO course of action based on competitive landscape. Windmill also did competitive SEO research to determine how are competitors / customers were ranking for certain items. Specific tools used unknown.

4) Mockups / Feedback / Mockups - Windmill developed wireframe mock ups based on our input and was receptive to design changes where needed

5) SEO Finalization - We worked together with Windmill to finalize the SEO strategy for each page / subpage

6) Content Development - Windmill loaded our wireframe mockup into a tool called Gathercontent. This helped us visualize where content would land on the website and helped minimize back and forth. Previous developers relied on dropbox and / or e-mails with attachments so we found the tool they utilized to be very helpful.

7) Content Synthesis - We loaded our content into the development version of the website. Windmill reviewed the content for tone and voice and did a good job suggesting edits where needed.

8) Beta - Development version of the website was completed in WordPress and tested extensively.

9) Final Review / Feedback - Windmill did a final QA review of the website including testing of all links, plugins etc. We did our own internal review of content, imaginary, etc before approving the final launch

10) Launch - Winmill launched our new website and moved it to a new host as part of our agreement.

11) Post Launch - Windmill supports with monthly updates, plugin updates, and general support where needed. They also did a 30 day review of heat maps, SEO strategy, etc and made tweaks where needed

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

Our team consisted of the 5 following visible roles: Account Manager Account Project Manager Marketing Coordinator Digital Marketing Manager Developer / Designer

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

Since launch we've seen an uptick in visitor traffic and we've also acquired several new customers. We credit this to the SEO work of the Windmill. We've also received several calls from customers congratulating us on the look and feel of the new website.

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

Strong communication on a daily basis. Tools utilized included Google Docs, Gather Content, Word Press, etc.

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

I've managed 3 web designs in the last 3 years. Windmill felt more organized and on top of things than any of the previous firms we utilized. They also did an excellent job controlling both cost and quality throughout the project. They delivered on what they promised.

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

No actionable feedbac,

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business transformation manager of The Bainey Group. We’re a general construction management firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Windmill Strategy?

When we initially reached out to Windmill Strategy, it was strictly for web design services. Our former website had been built in 1999 and hadn’t been updated since. Windmill Strategy was tasked to provide a full website refresh.

What was the scope of their involvement?

After revamping our website, we worked with Windmill Strategy on rebranding and marketing strategy efforts. Their team maintains our website as well as provides training on how to maintain the site on our own.

Most recently, they did a marketing video shoot for us. They captured indoor and outdoor drone footage for one of our recently completed buildings. Our website is on WordPress, and we use Gutenberg. We’re also integrated with HubSpot.

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, I met with their sales team. Then I met Jackson (Account Manager), Trevor (Marketing Coordinator), and other individuals who’d work on the content deliverables. At this stage, we worked with 5–6 individuals. After the website deployed, worked directly with Jackson and Trevor.

How did you come to work with Windmill Strategy?

They were recommended by the CEO of our company. I looked at several agencies and eventually brought in three firms with very different price points. I interviewed each firm and ultimately selected Windmill Strategy.

They were organic, and I felt we were on the same page right away. From that point, I knew they could deliver. Even though they were one of the more expensive firms, I knew they were the best one for us and for our product.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement was from February–August 2020.

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

They successfully achieved our desired look and feel of the website. We’re amazed when we look back at where we started and where we are now. We’ve received positive feedback from long-term clients who’ve been with us for the past 25 years. These clients express that our website is now an accurate reflection of our construction quality.

Windmill Strategy drove and coached us to great results. We put a lot of trust in them, and they didn’t let us down. Our team was extremely happy with the deliverables in the end.

How did Windmill Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management went very well. Their communication is fantastic. There was never more than 30 minutes between when I sent a message and when I got a reply. At the beginning of the engagement, they laid out the entire project in detail. Their team followed up with me to ensure I provided the needed content. They walked me through every step.

This was a very easy project because everything was so organic. There was never a time when we missed a deadline or when we had to push back. Everything flowed extremely well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their attention to the market. Their team helped us understand how the website should feel and how it should best serve our clients and customers; all without being pushy. It was clear that we were in a true partnership, united and working together to build this project. They enjoy doing their work and would get excited about what we were working on. It wasn’t just a paycheck for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. They were top-notch.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as transparent as you can be from the get-go. Clearly define what you want out of the project while being open and honest with them. Don’t feel like you can’t reach out to them or that you need to hold back. There’s no such thing as a stupid question; ask for help. They’re always willing to jump in and help; they’re a fantastic team so have fun with it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of Symtec. We design and manufacturer of heated and electrical components for power sports and medical companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Windmill Strategy?

We need to update our web and marketing presence online. Since we first updated the website, our focus had shifted from a B2C company to a B2B company. We needed them to rework our site to reflect our current business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a whole new website for us so we could generate content ourselves. They simplified it and made it more manageable. They transitioned us to WordPress and gave us some training on how to update content on our own.

They refreshed the logo and made a few changes to the look and feel of the site. We gave them some guidance on the look and feel of the site. We didn’t want to toss what we created, and wanted an evolution, not a revolution, when it came to branding. They made some subtle tweaks, but retained a lot of what we had before. They created an overall framework and layout for the site.

What is the team composition?

There were three primary contacts, including a project manager and designer.

How did you come to work with Windmill Strategy?

Kathy (Principal) is a member of an entrepreneur’s organization. So when I started looking for an agency, I reached out to them directly.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and it lasted until July 2018.

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

We received some anecdotal feedback from our customers about our products, and that told me that they were looking at the site. It clearly conveyed the message we wanted to put out there.

How did Windmill Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. I’ve done a lot of projects with other vendors, but Windmill Strategy was great from a communication standpoint. They kept things on schedule, and if there were any delays, it was because they were waiting on us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very realistic about what level of investment we should be putting into our website based on the size of our business. Their suggestions were aligned with what we were looking for. Overall, they were great communicators, good listeners, and fantastic collaborators. That made the project run pretty smoothly because we could have honest conversations about what we wanted to do, and they were able to steer us in a direction that made sense.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing that stands out to me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open with communication and be open to their recommendations. Tell them what you’re trying to accomplish, and they’ll provide guidance and feedback. At the end of the day. They’ll execute.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the business development and marketing manager at North America’s leading manufacturer and purveyor of three different product lines. The main product line is luggage carts at airports all over the US and Canada as well as countries in Europe and Asia. I didn’t work in that division, but the other two product lines that I did work in were massage chairs at airports, malls, and theme parks, and then strollers that are vended primarily in malls and amusement parks.

What challenge were you trying to address with Windmill Strategy?

Our products weren’t marketed to the end-user. We were mostly doing B2B marketing to our customer base, and our customers were different than the end-users of our products. We were looking for something that had an impact on our customers and that was different from what our competitors had. Being in business development, I traveled to a lot of our customers. It can be difficult to set up a meeting with a mall GM ahead of time, so it was important that if I wasn’t able to talk to somebody in person, I could leave something impactful enough for them to want to reach out to us.

On the luggage cart side at the airports, there really weren’t any competitors, so I worked with Windmill Strategy on B2B marketing, our website, and social media on the stroller and massage chair side. Our challenge was coming up with ideas to properly market to our customers; my former company is privately-owned with around 100 people at headquarters, and we didn’t have any internal marketing whatsoever. I was the closest thing to that. My main experience was in contract negotiation, account management, and business development, so what I couldn’t come up with in-house went to Windmill Strategy.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Windmill Strategy ran our website for us. They optimized it and made updates to the format and visuals. They also helped us develop grassroots B2B marketing materials, like handouts and flyers. We gave them direction on taglines and what we were looking for, and they handled the design aspect of a lot of our print marketing materials. 

We relied on them a little bit for assistance with social media, but we primarily ran those – Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn – in-house. I took projects we’d come up with to Windmill Strategy and asked them what they thought of them and how they could bring them to life.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people: James (Lead Developer) and Kathy (Principal). I almost exclusively worked with James. When we first started working together, I thought he was more on the web side, and I think they moved him into a joint account manager-web design role. He ended up doing a really good job on the account management side; he was very thoughtful and had good communication skills.

How did you come to work with Windmill Strategy?

My company was already using them when I came on board. I went through the process of vetting a few other marketing organizations and decided that, based on our experience with them and their experience with us, it would just be easier to continue working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May 2013–December 2019.

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

They were always available and very easy to work with. They were local, so we went to their headquarters, and they came to ours. They were quick to respond and pivot to make adjustments. Their pricing seemed fair, although I didn’t have a ton of experience before that working with other marketing organizations. It was pleasant working with them.

How did Windmill Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good. I do have a lot of experience in project management, and they seemed to handle our projects in-house well. They had project managers and coordinators who were on top of it. They tried to sell us a couple of things that weren’t in our budget or roadmap, but they didn’t constantly try to pitch me. I liked that it was more collaborative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their bread and butter was definitely the online aspects of marketing. They seemed to be more heavily involved in the web design space of marketing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I understand as a small business, they’re probably looking to be really good at 1–2 things in the marketing realm versus everything, but as far as something they could look into more, it would’ve been nice to have a one-stop-shop. They did do physical marketing materials, but that seemed to be a little outside of their comfort zone as compared to the web stuff. When I left the company, I think they were starting to move in that direction.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would say we got the most done when we went to their headquarters and had our quarterly in-person meetings. James is really good to work with, and Kathy is very engaged and involved. They have a great team there.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a custom plastic extruder, which is primarily B2B-to-manufacturers and focuses in a few different markets: window and doors, lighting, and refrigeration. Those are the ones we target, but we also service just about every other industry.

I am the sole marketing person at the company. I work with the sales team very closely, as well as the VP of sales and marketing. We have around 40 people in the front office and more than 160 people in the manufacturing plant for all three shifts.

What challenge were you trying to address with Windmill Strategy?

We had lots of different challenges. We needed a revamp of the website to make it more user- and SEO-friendly. We also needed the site to be informational and allow us to gain credibility; if people went to our site, we wanted them to see that we’ve invested in our brand and image. Another challenge was driving sales and leads, as well as converting some of those. 

A big thing was that we didn’t have a CRM application. We have a really robust internal infrastructure, but we had lots of different systems, and none of them were really on the CRM side. With that, everyone just used their own Outlook. We had no continuity, centralized database, nor central repository for any information – contact or prospect information, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Having it all individualized made it more time-consuming for other people in the organization to find out what was going on.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Windmill Strategy redesigned our website. We had a lot of material specification sheets that we put on the site to minimize some of the calls that we were getting on certain types of material. They also did SEO and PPC, helping to optimize the site for SEM and working with us to refine keywords and keyword phrases. They constantly measured all of those so that we could get better-qualified leads. They helped us with social and building some following campaigns.

We hired them to help us with all of those aspects, and from there, it morphed into a few other things. We refreshed our logo, and with that came new business cards that Windmill Strategy helped us design. They also helped us design new PowerPoint templates and gave us different ideas.

We looked at a few CRMs and ultimately selected HubSpot. Windmill Strategy did some basics to help us with that. Then, they took it upon themselves to really dive in and understand it better. Now, they’re HubSpot partners due to our push and them wanting to support us and work with us.

What is the team composition?

It varied, but I’d say on a routine basis, 3–4 people. There were occasionally 6–7 depending on the different projects we had. In the beginning, we worked with designers to come up with the look and feel of the website. After that, other people took over, and then we brought the designers back in for logo redesign. We frequently worked with Kathy (Principal) as well as different members from her organization.

How did you come to work with Windmill Strategy?

We did a gathering session of different web design and SEO companies. We made a list, which we internally graded. We narrowed the list down to two companies, and we had them come in and pitch what they could offer us and their approach. It came down to reevaluating and rescoring those two presentations, and we just felt far more comfortable with Windmill Strategy.

How much have you invested with them?

I’d say the first year was on the higher side, and then continuing with the strategy and SEO was probably around $25,000–$30,000 a year from there.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work spanned March 2018–February 2020. We still do some things with them. Developing the strategy and taking inventory of our digital assets took place in March–May 2018, and then we built out the site in phases. I’d say the full strategy was done by January, and then came the marketing aspects, continuing to do research, re-optimizing the site, and tweaking some design aspects to be more in line with what Google Analytics was showing us.

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

Our traffic increased. We were previously getting about 1,000 visitors a month, and that boosted to anywhere between 2,000–2,200 unique new visitors. That was huge for us. With the SEO and better exposure, leads started to come in. 

That’s really where phase two of the relationship started. We were constantly redefining our keywords and working with their sales and SEO teams. We got a lot of unqualified consumer-based leads, and we kept on refining until we got rid of the consumer base and got more of the qualified B2B leads. Our biggest ROI was probably that aspect. We knew it was a waiting game, so it took us a little bit of time to figure out the search engines. We changed our RFQ form as well to refine our leads. The quality of the leads just kept getting better. 

How did Windmill Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

We thought they did a great job. We had some hiccups along the way; we changed our minds on some things and had other things come up within our organization, which added a little bit more to the process and the calendar. They had to juggle a bit more, but they helped us stay on track. They were in constant communication with us and sent reminders. If we asked them to give us until Monday, they’d follow up on Monday if they didn’t hear from us. Nothing was ever really their fault in terms of poor delivery or performance. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience in the industrial marketplace sets them apart. In working with and interviewing other companies, not many of them had a lot of great experience in that area. Windmill Strategy’s initial presentation referenced some of that and showed us some great examples of what they’d done, so we knew that they got it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re pleased with everything. We went through a few account managers and experienced some little issues, but we just talked to Kathy and the project manager about it, and she resolved it right away. Kathy was very proactive about asking for feedback.

Any advice for potential customers?

Analyze your budget and see what you can maximize in terms of building credibility for your design with a good balance for SEO. You can’t do one without the other.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a contract manager for a company that engineers and manufactures flow measurement equipment.

What challenge were you trying to address with Windmill Strategy?

We hadn’t put much effort into marketing our company. Our website looked like it was made in The Jurassic. There wasn’t any information available, which meant that no one understood what we did. We have an impressive staff and our company has all of the bells and whistles, but our online presence didn’t match our capabilities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Windmill Strategy developed an initial strategy and plan for our two company websites. We didn’t have sketches beforehand, so we collaborated with their team throughout the process.

The first WordPress website that Windmill Strategy completed was educational. We communicated frequently to ensure that they understood our business because we’re in a specialized industry. We created case studies and gathered content that their team then put their own spin on. Then, we reviewed the content and either made tweaks or approve it for them to load onto the site.

Windmill Strategy’s currently working on a Shopify Lite website to generate sales. Their team’s also implementing PPC campaigns via Google Ads and Google Analytics.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about 6–8 people from Windmill Strategy who had different roles such as copywriter, analytics, and SEO specialists.

How did you come to work with Windmill Strategy?

Once I started learning about content marketing, I started to search for companies online. I quickly realized that I wasn’t too pleased with our local options. I took a leap of faith and went outside of the state. I found Windmill Strategy and then met with their team. The initial interaction went phenomenally, so we signed up with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,00–$100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2018 and it’s ongoing.

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

We’ve gone from receiving 4–5 inquiries a month to 50–60 inquiries a month. We launched our website in December 2019, so it’s absolutely incredible to see that jump in such a short time. We’re receiving positive feedback internally from our engineers who want to understand our products better. It’s much easier for them to find technical information on the website, which is the proof in the pudding.

How did Windmill Strategy perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager’s phenomenal. He coordinates meetings, sends us our to-do list, and shows us examples of their ideas. He’s always on point and sending us reminders. He involves their team, so people who specialize in certain tasks can explain their ideas to us. They took everything that we dumped on them during meetings and put it together in a pretty package. When we did fall behind because we were busy, our project manager helped us to navigate tasks and keep the project moving.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Windmill Strategy went above and beyond, even in the initial stages of the project. During the proposal process, they looked into how the keywords in our industry ranked and discussed how they wanted to use them to help us. Before we talked, they were able to show that they understood our industry, which gave me confidence in the partnership.

Their expertise is impressive too. They’re proactive in giving us their honest feedback. Their team took us from not being able to communicate ourselves to showing the world what we do and how well we do it. Their ability to brand our company overall impressed us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn’t change what they do. They have a good foundation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s advantageous to have an understanding of your end result before you contact them.