XEN Systems

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the managing directors at Costhetics, an agency specialized in medical marketing. We also run one of Australia’s largest informational websites for cosmetic medicine. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with XEN Systems?

We initially engaged them because we wanted some very experienced SEO advice, in terms of both strategy and implementation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope had changed over the years. XEN Systems delivered incredibly well on the initial SEO project and our goals have become more complex over time, involving marketing strategy and automation systems. We’ve touched on all kinds of areas with XEN Systems, from SEO to Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and creating funnels for HubSpot. 

What is the team composition?

It’s possible that there are more people involved than I'm aware of. I’ve only engaged with 3–4 members. 

How did you come to work with XEN Systems?

They came as a referral from a client I had at a software development company I used to own. I needed really good SEO and he recommended XEN Systems. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost across our collaboration has been $250,000–$500,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with XEN Systems around 2012 and we’re still collaborating with them. Things have changed a lot over the years, both in our business and with the engagement. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

XEN Systems has driven a lot of traffic to our website and we have 700 page-one rankings. We’re getting high-quality traffic and conversion optimizations. We also have a good cost per click on Google Ads relative to actual conversions. Their team has also helped us solve issues like our Google My Business page getting deactivated. Their effort always amazes me.

On one occasion, we had an off-the-wall request from a client. Someone had created an amateur website about them with completely false information. There was nothing we could really do about it even though there are defamation laws in Australia. There was a tribunal ruling that cleared the website author of doing anything wrong. XEN Systems did a lot of research and actually got in touch with someone at Google, getting them to block the listing of that website.

I wasn’t expecting them to come up with a solution like that, and I was surprised by just how much effort they put into it. Other agencies would’ve considered that it wasn’t worth their time or that it was impossible to do. XEN Systems brought an intelligent solution to the table, which only comes from having deep knowledge of the space. 

How did XEN Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

The email communication is very thorough, and they’re very proactive, so we don’t have to send any reminders for things. XEN Systems’ team is very generous with their time and meetings with them never feel rushed. We used to be in the same city, but we’ve moved, so we have videoconferences with them now. They offer high-quality communication that’s almost as good as being in the same room. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

XEN Systems is really fun to work with. Their team is inspiring and makes everything feel possible. Anyone looking for marketing advice on strategy or implementation should start with XEN Systems. They’re the benchmark I compare other agencies to.

Compared to other specialists I’ve worked with, XEN Systems has a very deep understanding of Google Ads, especially its founder. From a business perspective, he understands what we’re trying to achieve, what our product is, and how we’re positioning it. They can get that strategy right and implement it, whereas other agencies have more of a menu approach. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. We’ve had some issues—such as Google changing its algorithms—that can negatively impact what we’re doing, but it’s just part of our changing business environment. ZEN Systems is the only team I want for navigating those periods of uncertainty. I can’t think of anything I’d criticize them for. 

Something I would like for them to implement is to hire more resources for onboarding. They’re a mid-size agency, not enormous but not small. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I highly recommend XEN Systems and anyone thinking about working with them should just give it a go. Clients can start off with a small project if they’re unsure, and see if there’s a good fit from there. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing manager at an IT consulting company that’s headquartered in Brisbane. Our company has approximately 70 employees, and we work with organizations across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. I am responsible for our marketing strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire XEN Systems?

We partnered with XEN to extend our marketing capabilities and capacity beyond the limitations of a single, in-house marketing employee. We needed both strategic and tactical advice for activities, including website management, design, SEO, online advertising, and HubSpot.

What were your goals for this project?

Our relationship with XEN is ongoing, and our goals differ depending on the campaign. Some of the high-level goals we have include optimizing our advertising campaigns to reduce cost and increase success, improving the visit-to-lead ratio for our website, establishing a presence on social media, and maximizing our investment in HubSpot.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

WARDY IT Solutions already had an existing relationship with XEN when I started at the company in August 2016. After meeting with the team, I soon realized that WARDY hadn't been making the most of our partnership. For me, I was relieved to hear that they had the experience of working with organizations in our industry and understood the lingo.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The scope varies from project to project but typically entails strategy planning, building HubSpot pages, creating email templates and lead lists, sourcing images, formatting blog posts, building HubSpot reports, managing social accounts, creating content, and implementing advertising campaigns.

What was the team composition?

I work very closely with a digital specialist who then coordinates the work required with the wider team. For more strategic projects or work outside of our monthly retainer, we will typically work with the digital specialist and XEN’s technical director.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we’ve started working with XEN, we’ve almost doubled our recurring revenue customer base. Visits to the site are up and so are leads. Clients and partners have commented on the quality of our site and enjoy our monthly newsletters. We now make use of HubSpot in ways that we didn't think possible following our initial investment.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We use Slack for 80% of our communication with XEN. This informal approach helps us communicate more and stay on top of projects. We use email or Zoom for in-depth communication and rarely feel the need to meet face-to-face.

The team from XEN is always timely in their responses, and I certainly feel like a valued client. We have a combination of strategy planning sessions and regular catch ups with XEN to discuss the progress of projects.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by their knowledge of HubSpot. HubSpot has become the backbone of our sales and marketing activities. Without XEN, I don't think we would be at the point we are today. They’ve taught us how to maximize our investment and shown us alternative ways to use HubSpot that we didn't know possible.

Secondly, I’m very impressed with the team members. Tara (Digital Specialist, XEN Systems) is both proactive and intelligent. She often knows what we are trying to achieve before we do and preemptively addresses problems before they occur.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Going forward, I see our relationship with XEN continuing to positively evolve. I would like to focus on building a stronger brand, with brand guidelines and standardized processes. Overall, we are happy with our partnership and highly recommend XEN to other organizations.