Yellow Box

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the president of HausMKR.com. We’re an e-commerce retailer that sells home furniture, home furnishings, and outdoor furniture.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow Box?
We wanted to grow our business, as we’re a startup. Our team brought them on to build our website, which included placing and organizing all of our products in an easy-to-read and desirable format for our customers. They were also tasked to handle our marketing efforts comprising Facebook advertising, Google Ads, and SEO services. 

What was the scope of their involvement?
They built our website on Shopify. At the beginning of the engagement, we discussed how I wanted the site to look like and looked at competitors’ websites. Then, we went through key elements of the website build. I deal with about 15 manufacturers and each one has a different format so it was complicated and time-consuming for Yellow Box to put those assets on.

After we built the site, they showed me various layouts for social media platforms. We discussed our ads for both Facebook and Google as well as all the aspects of SEO. Those efforts involved blog writing and link building as well as optimizing the site for speed and ranking on Google. Yellow Box handled the keyword research, with some input from me. 

What is the team composition?
We work with Nate (CEO & Digital Strategist).

How did you come to work with Yellow Box?
Yellow Box was a referral from a respected colleague. They both happened to be in the Chicago area.

How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?
Our ongoing engagement started around June 2020. However, I’ve worked with Yellow Box in the past at a different company.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 
Our Google Analytics showed that all of our metrics were immediate. We saw an explosion of leads and our cost per lead went down. This shows that Yellow Box works diligently and knows what they’re doing. Ever since then, I haven’t and wouldn’t work with another agency.

How did Yellow Box perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management is excellent. We typically communicate through Zoom, utilizing the screen sharing feature to go over metrics. Nate joins our regular weekly meetings. If there are issues, I email him and he emails back. It’s an open relationship, and he makes it feel like we’re their only client. That really showcases how great their customer service is. Many companies can do SEO, but what separates them is the ones who care and those that don’t. Yellow Box responds to us and makes us feel like we’re an important client. 

What did you find most impressive about them?
Yellow Box is results-driven. Also, their customer service and the ability to deal directly with their owner are excellent. 

Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I’m happy with them and have nothing negative to say.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Give them a shot, and you’ll be happy with them. Yellow Box is well-diversified and can handle just about any industry.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of SchoolSparrow, a tech startup. We have our own ranking of schools nationwide, and our ranking system is more equitable. It combats the problems present with other ranking systems that favor the wealthy and privileged neighborhoods and schools in those neighborhoods.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow Box?

We needed to get the word out about our organization. We had a great idea and the question was how we were going to get it out there on a shoestring budget. We were looking at a PR release, but that costs money, so we had an idea that there could be a social media play here.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yellow Box came up with a content strategy that uses a power ranking system to identify hidden gems in a market. Right now, we are in 24 major markets. We have ranked about 30,000 schools in those 24 markets. 

For each market, we went in and identified hidden gems. These are schools that rank low on other ranking sites but rank high on our system. Yellow Box helped us to develop that strategy and then I brought on some interns to execute on that.

They are also handling the social aspect of it. We set my interns up on Sprout Social and helped them with content linked to our blog. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Nate (CEO & Digital Strategist), and most of my conversations have been with him. There are others on his team that worked on this, but my primary contact is Nate.

How did you come to work with Yellow Box?

We came to know about Nate through a coworking space that has mentors. Nate mentors there and after we had a conversation, it seemed like he really knew what he was talking about. We ended up working out an arrangement.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we started conversations with them in January 2020, and they started in late February or early March 2020.

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

The social media part of it has really taken off. For example, based on our Facebook post on Chicago Hidden Gems, we had 20,000 views on our blog post. Registrations went way up and it has been really successful. 

We have done 20 out of 24 pieces and each of them has had an average of 1,000 views, and a lot of retweets. We have a superintendent in Atlanta who copied and pasted and retweeted a link to our blog post.

I would rank Yellow Box very highly for the level of engagement and awareness we have received for the price we paid. It’s been awesome.

How did Yellow Box perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very deadline-focused. There is a timeline and we have a set schedule of blog posts. Some of it is on my team to execute a portion of it, so not all deadlines have been hit, but some of that lies on my shoulders.

All in all, there is a lot of communication. We have a Slack channel set up where everyone communicates, which has been great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing has been the strategy behind it and the idea of what we are going to communicate and how we are going to communicate it. There are a lot of different directions we could have taken, and they hit the nail on the head with their ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. It has been so successful. If anything, though their response time is great, it could be faster at times. Sometimes it is 24 hours and it can feel a little long, but it doesn’t ever go beyond that. It’s usually within minutes or hours that we get an answer to a question.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t lead them down a path. Give them the information that you are trying to communicate at just a basic level, and then let them run with it and see what they come up with.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing communications manager of a medical device company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow Box?

When I started working at my company, they had very little marketing collateral. There were manuals, brochures, and flyers but very little of anything else. It was clear that we had a mountain to overcome in trying to get marketing out to our current and potential customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we brought on Yellow Box for their videography services. Our company wanted to do a video about safe suctioning. We sell respiratory products and specifically wanted to focus on this. At first, we had great ideas, but then we got sidetracked and started talking about email marketing and landing pages, so that was the first thing they worked on for us. They helped us build our email program from the ground up.

Since then, the scope of the work has grown. After emails and landing pages, they produced the video. After that, they started doing PPC and AdWords as well as implemented a marketing animation tool. Now, we’re discussing the potential focus on redoing our website. Our team uses them for a variety of different things.

Our main product is vacuum regulators, but we also do medical gas and have a surgery center. The objective is to find the right mix and drive more traffic to all those aspects of our business.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Nate (CEO & Digital Strategist) at the start of the engagement. Now, we work with 5­–6 different people on varying projects.

How did you come to work with Yellow Box?

The president of our company at the time sent out a request on LinkedIn asking for videography providers and quotes. He got 6–7 bidders, and we narrowed them down based on what they said they could provide. In the end, we selected Yellow Box.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in October 2017.

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

Our traffic has increased by about 5%–10% from what we were receiving before. This is due to the keywords Yellow Box has helped us focus on. The words we’ve selected are perfect, and we don’t have to tweak them anymore. The beautiful thing about working with Yellow Box is their flexibility. Even though we made a complete right turn at the beginning of the engagement, they went with us.

I’ve been in marketing for a long time, when I find somebody who provides a good relationship, product, and is very customer-service-oriented. I work with them very well. There are times when we need things turned around very quickly so we need a partner who can step up to the plate – that’s exactly what Yellow Box has been for us.

How did Yellow Box perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great with project management. Usually, when there are delays it’s because of us not being able to make a final decision. For the most part, they meet the deadlines. Our communication is fluid. Our teams talk via email and make sure we hit different touchpoints to ensure each project is moving along the timeline.

I can call Nate or any of his teammates to talk about something, and they’re always willing to help out. We’re a small team of just two people. We’re trying to build and learn all these new things, and they’ve held our hand the entire way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service is impressive. Although they charge us a set amount, I’ve found they deliver above and beyond what that price encompasses. They’ve helped us grow our marketing from the ground up, and that’s invaluable. Their team asks good questions about what we need to obtain our goals and often gives us more than what we thought we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could help us get our act together through a more formal project or action plan. We’ve never asked them for that, so they may do it for other clients and we just don’t know. Our collaboration is so fluid that maybe they don’t need to provide that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’ve found a company that’s nimble and can pivot well when you throw things at them. If you need extra advice or handholding Yellow Box is a great company for that. They’re perfect for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the social media and marketing executive for Aristocrat Plastic Surgery and MedAesthetics. I handle all marketing here, including digital marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow Box?

We wanted someone who could think outside the box to come up with new, creative ideas to build our business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started off by creating a new website for us. Their team helps upload content, improve the UX/UI, and work on the backend. More recently, during the COVID-19 remote environment, they created a virtual consultation experience on our site, working with us to build it out. 

A major part of their job is working on our SEO to get more patients in the door for us. They’ve come up with a 360-degree SEO approach, involving keyword research, writing monthly blogs, building links to 100 external sites per month, and managing our Google Ads account. 

What is the team composition?

Nate (CEO & Digital Strategist) is who we work directly with, which is what we wanted because he knows the most and we trust him. I work pretty regularly with the team under him, as well. Matt (Director of Operations) works with us, and they have a teammate that works directly on our Google Ads. 

How did you come to work with Yellow Box?

We were looking for someone who was knowledgeable in the field of digital marketing and could keep up with our demand for new requests. We’d worked with another company a few years ago who put us in touch with Yellow Box, so it was a referral. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since August 2018 — the engagement started before I started working for this company.

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

The main way we get patients is through Google and that is a result of working with Yellow Box. Month-over-month, we’re seeing at least 20%–30% growth in organic traffic, so that’s been really amazing. We weren’t expecting to see that much growth during the COVID-19 environment, so it’s been a pleasant surprise. 

The new site also has the aesthetics that we were looking for and what the doctor who owns the practice wanted. In terms of functionality and UX, we’ve never had a problem and have been happy with it. 

How did Yellow Box perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very organized and on top of things within the project. They have good time management with the number of tasks we give them. They meet our deadlines, too. Their team is there whenever we need assistance, even on their days off. Even during the shutdown period from COVID-19, they’ve been available and great to work with. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of education in the digital marketing field sets them apart. It’s such a niche space, so having someone who knows their stuff and is continuously educating themselves is great and I get that sense from their team. More people can learn from them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they should just keep growing their team because what they’re doing is great. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have trust in their team. Because digital marketing is such a niche area, sometimes companies don’t put all their trust in someone when they don’t necessarily understand the work. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a health products company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow Box?

We hadn’t updated our website in quite a few years, so we brought a partner in to assist us. The partnership didn’t work out as well as we’d thought it would, so we brought in Yellow Box to complete the job.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The previous company we engaged had built the site on WordPress, and Yellow Box came in and enhanced it. They finished the parts of the project that hadn’t been completed. 

The team implemented several features, including an interactive body map, where users can navigate to various parts of the body on the map and find products related to that area. They worked on a founder’s page and a product classification option. Additionally, the team incorporated some videos and other content. 

Apart from the website, Yellow Box helped us integrate an e-commerce solution and improve our SEO, keyword research, and marketing efforts. We do a combination of organic and paid advertising and increased our social media presence. 

What is the team composition?

They have a team of about 20–30 people, but we mostly work with Nate (CEO & Digital Strategist) and Matt (Director of Operations).

How did you come to work with Yellow Box?

They come through a recommendation from a contact who was doing some consulting for us. We’d previously interviewed a lot of digital marketing agencies, but when the project stalled, we were really looking for someone to reboot it and get it completed as quickly as possible.

Yellow Box ended up being the company that could not only do the nuts and bolts, but also give us a strategic initiative going forward.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2019.

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

Our revenue has grown significantly since we’ve started working with Yellow Box. We’ve seen a great amount of growth in site visitors, and our conversion rate that’s grown threefold and is now above industry standard. In terms of social media, we went from having very few Instagram followers to having somewhere between 10,000–11,000.

How did Yellow Box perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent. We’re pretty demanding as a company, but they’re very responsive and professional. To stay in touch, we use Slack and SproutSocial.

Whenever a new project comes up and I decide what I’d like to do, Yellow Box scopes the project out, determines how long will it take, and we’ll agree to a timeframe. 99% of the time, they hit that target date.

Each week, we review the previous week’s metrics. Based on what’s transpired, we set the strategy for the next week, next month, and the next three months. It’s very hands-on and interactive; we consider them part of our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to work with our team in helping us figure out the best approach to take depending on the strategy we’re trying to go forward with is excellent. They’re not afraid to tell us if they think we’re going down the right path or to make suggestions. Yellow Box challenges us to do the best we can be as a company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If anything, they could say no to us more when we become demanding and try to put too many projects on the table at once.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to interview at least four of five agencies and check that the work they claim they can do is delivered in a timely manner. Then, in the process, make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former owner of Lobster Grams — a seller of live lobsters — and the founder of THE 4 MORES — a business consulting agency.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow Box?

I tried to handle our digital marketing, email marketing, SEO, and PPC in-house, and it didn’t work out. We needed someone to come in and handle that for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yellow Box has been like a part of my company ever since we started working together. We hire them to write our emails and make sure we had the best template possible. They helped us with our website and made sure everything was set up right, setting up a heat map so that we could see where people were going to. That gave us data that we didn’t even know we needed. 

We also worked together to develop videos on how to cook live lobsters. We filmed each in my house — which, in retrospect, was a mistake — and put the videos together alongside Yellow Box.

When I started my second company, I needed a website, I called Yellow Box. They also helped me create my logo and tagline, do site best practices, and make more videos. Yellow Box is very good at writing as well; they’ve helped us with blog posts and press releases from time to time. I’m also using them as a referral for my clients who could use any of their services.

What is the team composition?

I work a lot with Nate (CEO) because we go way back. I also work with Matt (Director of Operations) because Nate is pulled in a lot of different directions.

How did you come to work with Yellow Box?

We weren’t happy with our previous vendor, so I sent my marketing person to go find someone local. My marketing person met Nate, and Yellow Box came in and did a great presentation. We liked their style; they were very hands-on and met our needs better than the other companies we considered. One thing they offered was a weekly status meeting to go over all the results — something we’d have to beg other companies to do.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Yellow Box in 2008, and our partnership is ongoing.

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

Our clients and I are breaking even from working with Yellow Box. I give them one dollar, and three will come out of their services. Sometimes, we even get a 1-to-8 ratio on certain longtail keywords, which is amazing to see. The new owners of Lobsters Grams still use the videos we created, even though they’re 7–8 years old now. I’ve even referred Yellow Box to one or two of my clients, which is not something I do lightly.

How did Yellow Box perform from a project management standpoint?

I can’t remember a time where they’ve not been on time for meetings. Usually, it’s our side that’s late! 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Yellow Box is a company that makes us feel important. I feel like they really care about us as a client. They feel more like friends than business people. They do what they say they’ll do, and they treat our clients well. That’s a hard thing to find in business these days.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. If there’s ever a problem, it’s usually something we did, like using the wrong template. It’s almost unheard of to work with a marketing company for over 10 years, so any issues that may have occurred were minor. 

Any advice for potential customers?

One thing I’ve learned about working with them is that I don’t have to give them guidance. They always come up with better ideas than I could ever think of. Having seen Yellow Box in action on my business, I can highly recommend their team. I trust their team and know they’ll do a good job for any client of mine.