Workhorse Marketing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Creative Specialist of ARA Diagnostic Imaging

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

ARA Diagnostic Imaging provides imaging services at 17 Central Texas locations and 24 hospitals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Workhorse Marketing to accomplish?

• Develop and maintain digital presence
• Develop and maintain website

SOLUTION

How did you find Workhorse Marketing?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Workhorse Marketing over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Workhorse Marketing were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

I have collaborated with Workhorse on many projects through two long-term jobs. I took them with me when I changed jobs because they were so wonderful at developing the website for my previous group. So I have been through about 4 major website projects, including one where they saved our site from malicious attack, a complex magazine site, and two sites for a major medical group in Austin with some 350 pages and many extra features.

I'm currently working with them on a subsite that should be launched soon. They also have done excellent SEO and backend developmental work for us, as well as running our digital ad program, regular reporting, emergency assistance with any web problems, and just basically solving all our digital problems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

From having an elderly and outdated website to having Workhorse's beautiful and sophisticated site, the difference was huge - we were able to go on to add many site features like online scheduling, contacts, videos, marketing surveys leading to internal spreadsheets, and more. The digital ad support has been superior and we consistently see they are working behind the scenes to support and improve our already very good SEO and organic search status.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

When we started collaborating with Workhorse years ago, they were a smaller team and we worked with certain people in the group who were smart, highly capable and delivered on time. As they grew, we began working with others who were joining and I must say they have good hiring practices because we would be concerned about the changing team but everyone has always been responsive and totally dependable. They quickly understand your needs and have someone there who can do the job.

Timely delivery, high quality deliverables, lots of support after delivery, plus their ongoing support service is really exceptional. They pay attention to the details, keep up with search engine insanity, and they are all very pleasant to work with as well. Highest recommendation.

What was your primary form of communication with Workhorse Marketing?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Workhorse projects a sense of intelligence and curiosity about their work that makes clients feel they are in good hands - that this group will always be analyzing the digital world and making responsive recommendations that keep our site fresh and healthy. They manage clients well, are fun to work with, and deliver a great product. Also for anyone in the medical field needing the attention to detail needed to make a site that has PHI secure, these guys have the experience.

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

Since I've worked with them for literally over 20 years I can't think of a thing that they have had a serious issue with. If they had issues internally, as a client I did not see it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a thermal technology company. We’re focused on enterprise electronics along with gaming PC systems. We cool the semiconductor, which is usually the processor that's inside the machine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Workhorse Marketing? 

There's a couple of different challenges. The most immediate item is that we’re launching a brand in the video game space. We needed help with branding and messaging, including logo design and a website. We basically needed a complete marketing package to help us launch our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Workhorse Marketing completely built our website from the ground up. They host our site as well. They continue to do all of our marketing materials. That includes business cards, stickers, and any promotional items. 

What is the team composition? 

We mostly work with a team of six people. That could grow to as large as 10 or shrink down to as few as two, depending on the actual task and deliverables. 

How did you come to work with Workhorse Marketing? 

I met them through a friend a while back but never had an opportunity to use them. Once I did, the experience was top notch. They were our first choice when we needed someone to help us in the gaming space. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in July 2015 and the engagement is ongoing. We plan to use them quite heavily for all of our marketing going forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from clients on their initial branding. We won’t have any actual tracking metrics until we launch our gaming product. However, my internal marketing lead was pleasantly surprised at the good quality deliverables produced by Workhorse Marketing. 

How did Workhorse Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is quite crisp. There's not a lot of wasted time or effort. Everything is streamlined. Workhorse Marketing has a process, and they stick to it because it works. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

The quality of their talent is strong. Workhorse Marketing hires good people with a lot of creativity. Additionally, their process helps them take care of all the details, which we really appreciate. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

At times, their work overlaps a bit with our internal marketing efforts. That's probably not unusual when seeking outside help. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

I highly recommend using Workhorse Marketing if you’re in need of top-notch capabilities for social media, digital advertising, or a web presence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and co-founder of a healthcare software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Workhorse Marketing?

We noticed that there are significant technological advancements in our industry. We started looking for a vendor to develop a new system to help us make our processes more efficient.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to make a genuine contribution to patient safety through technology in the GI space. The problem we're having within endoscopy is that everything is being captured manually, so we wanted to develop a more efficient way to handle that process. First, we explained our situation to Workhorse Marketing, and they helped us come up with a solution. Then, they did market research, created the architecture, and developed a system that is much better than anything we could think of.

What is the team composition? 

We've worked with their CEO, a development team, and a sales specialist.

How did you come to work with Workhorse Marketing?

We heard about Workhorse Marketing from our friends. We interviewed four different development companies and decided Workhorse Marketing was the best fit for us.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in November 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a bug-free product that we can introduce to the market. The product will revolutionize the healthcare industry, and we already have some customers who want to use it. We're also planning to look for a large acquisition partner. 

How did Workhorse Marketing perform from a project management standpoint? 

We were trying to solve a very clinical problem, so some delays were inevitable. Overall, they're excellent in meeting their timelines. They're great communicators and always let us know if there is going to be a delay.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a highly-skilled team that genuinely cares. Everyone we met from their team was very professional and understood our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Everything has been perfect.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Workhorse Marketing can help you build out your concept and develop a product you're looking for. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CMO of a company that owns and operates data centers and interconnected network properties, primarily in the southeast United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Workhorse Marketing?

We hired Workhorse Marketing to help us through a rebranding effort following a change in executive leadership.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Workhorse Marketing has provided a full suite of branding services, ranging from website content to print materials. We’ve relied on them to write articles and blogs, devise a new brand message, and introduce new colors and logos. They’ve also incorporated their work into our digital marketing efforts through emails and ad servings.  

What is the team composition?

Our day-to-day operations run through Jen (Account Director, Workhorse Marketing), but we also work closely with Grant (Founder/CEO, Workhorse Marketing) and Guy (Chief Strategy Officer, Workhorse Marketing).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2017, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has been well-received by our company. They’re part of a larger team that we’ve engaged with to help us in our marketing efforts. If we weren't happy with the quality of their work or their responsiveness, we wouldn't be with them anymore.

How did Workhorse Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve improved in this regard over the last two years. They see the need to have a central point of contact for their customers, and they’ve rolled out Basecamp so that we can get in touch with them even easier.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When I go to them with a request for a digital ad, for example, they’ll ask about the ad’s audience and intention. They don’t just take orders. Workhorse Marketing asks questions about what you’re trying to do and tries to help you reach your goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think we sometimes get caught in the pace of their business. By that, I mean that there are some cycles we’re doing great and hitting our deadlines and then all of a sudden things get slow, but then we’re shortly back to normal. The cycle of any business has ups and downs and surges, and I think they work through those just like everybody else has to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want somebody that’s really interested in helping you with your strategy, they’re the right fit. If you want somebody to follow directions, you can probably go somewhere cheaper.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of the Austin Technology Council (ATC). We’re a nonprofit business association that promotes and supports the growth of tech companies in Austin, Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Workhorse Marketing?

Before I came on as the CEO, Workhorse Marketing helped us completely redo our website along with our branding strategy. We’ve continued to work with them since then for various site- and branding-related projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We initially engaged Workhorse Marketing to help us through a transition period. Together, we came up with the basic structure of our site before they rebuilt it. They then helped reposition our organization, working with us to better understand how we should reach out to our community. 

We still work with them on various projects. They’ve modified our website based on our needs and regularly develop branding assets for our various programs. This includes all of our graphic design work (e.g., logos, banners, posters) as well as our marketing strategy.

What is the team composition? 

I work with about four resources, but my director of marketing works with another 5–6 people on top of that.

How did you come to work with Workhorse Marketing?

I wasn’t a part of the organization at that time, so I’m not sure how we found them. However, they’re still a partner to us and are actively engaged in what we do.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them back in June 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Prior to redoing our website and branding strategy, we’d had less than a 1% conversion rate for visitors who joined our website. But, now, we’re over 10%. The average time that visitors spent on a page per click also increased from 10–25 seconds to about 30–90 seconds.

How did Workhorse Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

While I don’t work with them that much from a project management standpoint, I know that they’re very attentive to what they need to do. There have been several times when our team has met with them to discuss a specific strategy, and they’ve come prepared to find new ways to look at our processes. It’s a very involved and collaborative process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s really their attention to detail and consistent follow-up on our different projects that makes them so impressive. Compared to our previous PR firm, Workhorse Marketing is communicative and takes more of a collaborative angle. They work with us to position our ideas rather than just telling us what to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can see. The team is constantly looking for ways to improve themselves, and they address issues immediately whenever we have a problem. So, by the time we’ve notified them about something, they’ve already started taking the necessary steps to correct it. Everyone makes mistakes, ourselves included, but it’s the way you handle mistakes that matter most. They fix any glitches in under 24 hours, which is fantastic. That’s all I can ask for. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking for a company to help you transition and grow, Workhorse Marketing is great. They stick to their clients’ budgets and are very transparent about how they operate. Because they have a smaller team, you have to understand that they might occasionally need to prioritize other deadlines in front of yours. However, they’re extremely responsive if you tell them that you have a time-sensitive issue. Adding on to that, they’re flexible enough to work outside of their immediate area. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former VP of marketing at Civitas Learning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Workhorse Marketing?

My predecessor in my role contracted an outside vendor to manage our website—anything from content creation to development projects to general maintenance. That vendor, however, was an expensive one-person team, so I engaged Workhorse Marketing to take on those same duties.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Civitas Learning launched a new WordPress website right before I joined the company, but it was challenging to edit and work with. We relied on Workhorse Marketing over the years to make changes, generate new components, and create custom pages using designs made by our in-house team. Most of all, we were thankful to have a partner with more bandwidth that could contract or expand based on our needs.

In addition to their work with the website, Workhorse Marketing conducted an SEO analysis and consolidated three Google Analytics accounts into one. That process helped validate that our tagging was set up correctly. We previously were only tracking pages on our primary domain, not those served by our marketing automation tool, so Workhorse Marketing made an effort to ensure our methods were more thorough.

What is the team composition?

Their team evolved based on our needs at any given moment, but we primarily worked with an account manager, a lead developer, an analytics specialist, and a few designers.

How did you come to work with Workhorse Marketing?

I learned of Workhorse Marketing through a colleague once we started our own web design and development company. My business partner had a relationship with Grant (Founder/CEO, Workhorse Marketing), and we’d call on his team to help with CMS development projects for some of our clients. Through that interaction, I quickly learned that the team was reliable and reasonably priced, so I continued to work with them at each of my next professional stops. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in January 2016 and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Much of their work with us centered on support, so we didn’t rely on them to drive specific parts of the business. That said, following their changes to the website, our percentage of inbound leads from the website tripled, which was very encouraging.

How did Workhorse Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We held weekly meetings and communicated otherwise through Basecamp, which was useful. Their team came prepared with updates on our hours and progress. We always had assurances that their work would be completed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always felt like an extension of our team. For example, we once had a new employee accidentally delete about a quarter of the site before a holiday weekend. We couldn't rectify the problem ourselves, but Workhorse Marketing spent a good part of their weekend helping us pull it back together. Once we resumed business the following week, we had everything running normally. It's not in their contract to do that, but they showcased just how much they care about our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re one of the few vendors that I can’t find a flaw in. I never found myself wishing that Workhorse Marketing were better in a specific area.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chair for a legal not-for-profit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Workhorse Marketing?

Before engaging Workhorse Marketing, we had an insufficient website with limited functionality. It was outdated, and we had a hard time making edits.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Workhouse Marketing developed a completely new WordPress website from scratch, handling the design and development. It was a pretty straightforward site that didn’t need much branding or marketing. The core function allowed users to register for conferences and submit payments. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with four individuals: an initial account manager, a developer, and two project managers. Morgan (Account Manager, Workhorse Marketing) acted as our main point of contact. We would relay all design needs to her, and she also helped out with any bugs.

How did you come to work with Workhorse Marketing?

I knew Grant (Founder & CEO, Workhorse Marketing) personally, so I considered his company along with about three other developers. Workhorse Marketing had the best combination of pricing and services.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work lasted from September 2018–May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the biggest issues we’ve had with the previous website was its inability to handle conference registrations. Now that we’re going through the registration process with the new site, we’re finding the process to be a lot smoother.

How did Workhorse Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Morgan was an excellent project manager—I can’t say enough good things about her. She was very responsive, calm, and personable. I also liked how solution-oriented she was. If we wanted to have a quick meeting, she was flexible enough to work with our calendar.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This isn’t necessarily a criticism, but it surprised me that they came to the project almost automatically knowing that they would use WordPress. I thought there were other platforms that we could consider to make the site, so I was expecting to see more of a menu of options. But, maybe they didn’t explore other platforms because our project was pretty straightforward.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing director of ABACI, a NetSuite solution provider and Adaptive Insights partner. We specialize in cloud-based ERP and EPM services to help growing companies move off old, antiquated systems to the cloud.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Workhorse Marketing?

We initially hired Workhorse Marketing to build us a website as we rebranded the company. What we quickly realized was that their team was much more than just a web design company. They are capable of marketing, advertising, and branding, as well, so we engaged them to also manage our content, logo design, branding, and marketing strategy.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create a unique brand that stood out from other NetSuite consulting practices. We wanted to cut through the noise of all other solution providers and stand out as a leader in cloud architecture, business strategy, and financial expertise.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected Workhorse Marketing based on the leadership team and the strength of their portfolio. We felt that their style and approach was most closely aligned with our project goals and needs.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We began our engagement with several discovery sessions so that Workhorse Marketing’s members could familiarize themselves with our business model, growth strategy, and goals. Those meetings also included questions regarding NetSuite as a technology and developing an understanding of the cloud ERP ecosystem. We also presented them with an overview of how we envisioned our brand.

Once their team had enough of a foundation to work from, Workhorse Marketing mocked up several logo designs, color schemes, and web designs for us to choose from. We were impressed by the organization of that entire process. With the design in place, their content team provided critical guidance on marketing strategy, SEO, and website copy, all of which played a significant part in our company branding.

What was the team composition?

We initially met with their leadership team to discuss our overall strategy and project scope. Once the work began, we interacted with an account producer, who served as a liaison between the creative group and me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website has over 4,000 monthly visitors and continues to grow. The site is now a valuable resource for potential clients and an excellent way for users to have a positive introduction to our company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Working with a single point of contact made it easy for us to communicate with the Workhorse Marketing team. Our account producer did a great job of following up with us regularly and keeping us updated on weekly progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am most impressed with the expertise Workhorse Marketing provides along the entire spectrum of branding, marketing, and advertising. We truly value their input and attribute much of our success to their staff of creative directors.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of 323 Developers, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Developed a mobile app for families that share recreational property.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Workhorse Marketing to accomplish?

Promote the app that my company created

SOLUTION

How did you find Workhorse Marketing?

Referral

Why did you select Workhorse Marketing over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Workhorse Marketing were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Workhorse was hired to develop a brand, website, digital marketing campaign, physical marketing campaign and design elements to further the goals of the backporch app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Downloads of the app increased as well as views and impressions across platforms from marketing campaigns.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Workhorse set and delivered on projects. They were responsive to my timeline both when there were pushes to develop quickly and patient when they were waiting on me to make decisions.

What was your primary form of communication with Workhorse Marketing?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They've understood the brand from the very beginning.

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

At times some members of Workhorse's team did not put in the time to understand what the app could really do or its intended purpose.