Materiell

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We’re a Washington-area firm working primarily with trade associations. We focus on accelerating capacity to strengthen their competitive position, motivate additional member participation, and drive sustained revenue growth. We have been operating for three years, and we work with associations in the greater Washington area as well as around the country. We also work with professional societies.

The focus of our practice includes strategic member engagement as well as competitive and growth positioning. We attack all of these issues through research, strategy, and marketing. We have products and services within each of those specializations to drive the outcomes of increased member engagement, participation, competitive positioning, and revenue growth.

What is your position?

I’m the founder, president, and chief executive officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address when you first approached CMS Advertising Group?

We needed to build a relationship with quite a number of association consultants, many of which are highly experienced and bring lots of talent and strong reputations to their associations. Our having solid research was important in identifying the uniqueness of each association and building those relationships. We needed to identify the right positioning that would call the right attention, create the right considerations, and allow us to have the right conversations with CEOs, consultants, and senior-level managers at these associations. We needed to show how we might work with them and accelerate their competitive position and member engagement. This was a huge challenge three years ago, especially in the cases where there were long-standing relationships, and we were still coming out of the recession. The first introduction that prospective clients, especially in the association community, have to us is our website. They’re looking for new solutions, and they have to have it done in a way that engages their thinking, a way that doesn’t look like the same old thing they’ve been seeing from our competitors.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the actual scope of work assigned to them?

Our concern was not only the technical design of our website, but it was about communicating a clear business strategy. This is clearly a cherished partner relationship. In addition to having the CMS Ad Group work on our website, I included them in my strategy on my email campaign development, promotional marketing, and material development strategy.

Can you provide a ballpark estimate for the size of this engagement?

I’m sorry, that information is confidential. What I can say is that this was a strategic, important, and necessary investment. It’s definitely not an inconsiderable amount.

What is the status of the project?

Our relationship started two years ago and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

In 2014, my business literally doubled during the prior two years and, in 2015, I’m expecting it to double again. My Web traffic is increasing, and I’m getting inbound conversations from outside the Washington area, including the New York area. Now that there is a clear call to action on the site, it’s a lot easier to navigate. People are finding it more intuitive. They’re finding the background on my firm insightful, and they clearly want to know more about what we do.

From a project management perspective, they delivered a creative design and an implementation that was just remarkable. The site is now impressive, distinct, and unique. They delivered on time and on budget.

When working with CMS Advertising Group, is there anything that you would consider unique about their strategic approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

They work hard at understanding your business, your market, and your competitive challenges. They want to know about your uniqueness, your strengths, and even what your potential weaknesses are. You get an extensive document on the front-end that begins the relationship, and then they do research on their own to understand your current positioning. Their work is impressive. They went beyond the call of duty to make sure that we were happy with the work product. They not only met, but also far exceeded our expectations.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

Be enthusiastic about engaging in a dialogue with these professionals because they really know their business, and they’re invested in you fully. Let it take the time it needs to take. Don’t try to hurry them along, because their creativeness, research, and business savvy are going to get you where you want and need to go. Don’t be looking at it as a website. Be looking at it as an extension of your firm, as your window to the world. They are your partners who will give you the best shot to achieve the success you want.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I was the lead for Teaching Strategies during this project.  Teaching Strategies provides print and online resources for early childhood educators. CMS Ad Group did three projects for Teaching Strategies: 2014 migration of website to WordPress and implement new site design; 2014 build out of an ecommerce solution (this has not been implemented due to issues internal to the company); and a 2015 build out of a Parralax page builder and new home page and navigation.

What was your position?

I was formerly the online marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were attempting to address when you first approached CMS Advertising Group?

The original goal was to migrate our website over to WordPress. We wanted to get out of our older proprietary content management system because it was becoming too expensive to maintain and support.  Our secondary goal was to move our bookshop out of a proprietary backend and onto WooCommerce. That part is still in process. Internal issues delayed us, but they are working on it now.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

Our own staff did all the design work in-house. CMS Ad Group created the websites based on designs that they were given. They basically implemented the frontend for us (and in the case of the 2015 Parallax tour homepage, they built a back-end tool).  On all projects, they advised us on what the mobile experience should look like. They also trained us how to use WordPress effectively.

How did you come to choose CMS Ad Group as your partner?

We bid the first project out and got three different bids. They were lower than anyone else with the highest quality proposal, so it made sense to go with them.

Would you provide a general cost estimate for this engagement?

It was around $30,000 to $50,000 for each of the three projects.

When was the work completed?

In January 2014, they delivered a WordPress site redesigned and then, in March 2014, delivered a WooCommerce back-end for the online e-commerce bookshop. Then, in January 2015, they delivered a custom built online Parallax tour generator.  They also have a retainer to do work on ongoing site improvements. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

Switching to WordPress allowed Teaching Strategies to shift what had been a manager and associate job into two associates and eliminate a full-time management position.  So it increased efficiency by a huge margin. Design changes resulted in average visits to key product pages improving by 40%. Having control of the backend by the migration to WordPress increased organic traffic by a factor of three.  That was the 2014 design.  And then in 2015 they did a really cool e-mail sign up in the footer that integrated it with Marketo. That garnered about five times an increase in signups for email for the company. Overall, we have been very impressed with their performance.

Are you satisfied with their performance from a project management perspective?

Yes! They’re great. We had zero issues with deadlines, budget or defects in the code the delivered.

When working with CMS Ad Group, is there anything that you would consider unique about their strategic approach and/or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

Teaching Strategies is incredibly fussy about their visual design. In some ways, we were not easy clients because of our incredible attention to detail. CMS Ad Group was fantastic. They delivered everything on time. In one instance, we delivered our designs very late and they worked over the Christmas holiday to deliver on time.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

The only criticism I would have is that they really want to please their clients. They’re very customer service focused and sometimes they might not be bold enough with their opinions.  But, everything they’ve done they’ve delivered on time and has been great.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a nonprofit organization. We work with news organizations and journalists on journalism innovation issues. We help them find more sustainable business models, better ways of telling stories, and sort of solving problems at a consultative way.

What is your position?

I’m the deputy director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with CMS Advertising Group?

We had a very old, unmaintained, and poorly designed website that we’d inherited from an older organization. We were looking to do a complete rebuild. We needed a fresh design and new platform for our company website. We needed something that was dynamic yet simple on the backend, so that way our staff could make changes and updates when necessary, without needing to go through IT.  

SOLUTION

How did you select CMS Advertising Group as your solution partner for this endeavor?

We worked with some referrals and searched online for vendors that had built sites that we liked and were familiar with. We crafted a short list from that and held some interviews with some local vendors. One of the things that we liked about CMS Ad Group was that they’re here in our immediate area. They’re in Northern Virginia where we are. That was a big contributing factor because we knew the project was going to be extensive, and having their developers able to work onsite with us was going to be key.  

Had you selected WordPress as your preferred platform before approaching CMS Advertising Group?

I would say we were 90 percent sure that WordPress was going to be the best solution for us, but we did sort of talk through different possibilities with each vendor to see if they suggested another CMS. When we discussed our requirements and goals for the project, CMS Ad Group agreed that WordPress would likely be the best platform for us. It was also their forte, so we had a feeling we’d be in good hands going with them as our implementation partner.

Could you describe the scope of the project?

The scope was pretty extensive. We did a completely new design, which included a new logo, sort of brand and color scheme, and an overall design of the website layout and navigation. All of that was designed from scratch. We didn’t bring anything over from the previous site. Once we had an agreed concept, they began to develop the WordPress site. We went through testing and enhancement phases, and conducted usability studies before we launched. The still provide ongoing support, and we give them items of work for customizations and things of that nature, too.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

The original implementation cost about $30,000. Now, they charge us on a monthly basis for a support retainer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback you’ve received that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

We’ve gotten very good praise from our readership. We have a pretty public website that we publish a lot of blog posts and content that people in journalism come to read. They’re a fairly critical bunch who publish their own things online. We had very good reaction from our audience. They’re very pleased with the design and the clean overall approach. We took a lot of extra steps in the design and in the building to make sure that everything was responsibly designed; that it was going to work well across all devices.

When working with CMS Advertising Group, is there anything you’d consider unique or special about their development methodology that distinguishes them from the vendors?

I don’t know if there’s anything too different. I would say that it’s pretty easy to get a hold of them, which isn’t always the case with some vendors. Being consistently responsive tends to be the downfall of many technology partners. As things arise, as problems progress, the vendor thinks it’s a better idea to keep the client in the dark, rather than admit to issues or errors. That kind of mentality makes the situation worse. CMS Ad Group doesn’t approach their client relationships like that. When we have questions about a project that we’re going to launch, they’re always quite prompt with responses and information.

In retrospect, are there areas you think they could improve on as a service provider?

I don’t know if there’s too much that I could recommend from my limited perspective. We’ve had a little bit of turnover in the early buildout stages, but it wasn’t a huge issue because the overall budget and timeline wasn’t affected.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a small, local government. I work in the communications office. I’m the team lead for Web and design services, so we deal with public-facing websites, third-party tools, social media, and we have print products as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Can you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you began the relationship with CMS Advertising Group?

We had, for many years, a proprietary CMS [content management system] that no longer was meeting our business needs. Our internal clients really wanted the ability to integrate more with social media, and add functionality that didn’t exist in the old system. The old system was very expensive to update, and they were not rolling out any updates. As a result, we knew we needed to transition to a new CMS.  

We had played with some WordPress sites before. Most of them were micro-sites for different programs the county was working on, and we found it very easy to use, very easy to support, and our internal clients found it much easier to use than our pre-existing proprietary system. We had to lobby hard because most folks, internally, thought of WordPress as a blog and not something that could potentially be used as a CMS. We did finally get approval to pursue the implementation of WordPress at the enterprise level. We have it implemented as a network.

We knew we needed some help with some custom applications, custom plugin development and fine-tuning the theme. That’s when we pursued an outside contractor and selected CMS Ad Group.

SOLUTION

Had you made the decision to transition to WordPress prior to that relationship?

Correct. We specifically knew we wanted WordPress. We do have internal knowledge of it, but we didn’t have a master developer at the time. What we wanted to do was beyond our existing skill set. Most of the folks in my team can stand up and customize a WordPress theme, but we wanted to go well beyond basic theming. We needed to implement some complex code on the backend.

Had you considered other CMS solutions prior to WordPress?

Yes. We knew we wanted an open source solution, so we did consider Drupal and Joomla. We had some bad experiences with a Drupal site that one of our internal clients had built. We had a lack of experienced developers to deal with it, and the ones that we could find were very expensive. It seemed like the ease of figuring out WordPress and the cost for WordPress developers was much lower than Drupal. We really didn’t look too much into Joomla because by the time we evaluated WordPress, we had a pretty good sense that it would satisfy our needs. We didn’t have any internal knowledge of Joomla or Drupal, but since we did have some internal WordPress, that is really what drove our decision to go with WordPress.

How did you select CMS Advertising Group as your solution partner for this endeavor?

We created our statement of work and distributed it to several potential vendors. We received a number of proposals and evaluated them based on relevant capabilities, previous experience working with public sector clients, and price point. CMS Advertising Group rose to the top of our candidate list. By the time we interviewed them, we were relatively confident that they’d be able to deliver. Susan [Daniero, CMS Advertising Group’s founder and president] made a very compelling case for both WordPress and their services, and we felt comfortable with their approach. That’s how they won the project.

Could you describe the scope of this project? Did it involve custom visual design, backend development, training, or support?

Their responsibility was relegated strictly to the implementation, and we already had mockups ready to go. They did make some suggestions and enhancements to the design, but it’s not their design. We’d already gone through lengthy scoping and research process before we awarded them our work. They dealt with the technical aspects of the project.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

I would say in the range of about $100,000.

When was the site launched?

We’ve been doing a rolling migration, so we launched our first site around Thanksgiving [of 2013]. We’re just finishing up now. We’ve got a small internal team, so we really couldn’t do a full implementation in one fell swoop. It also has to do with how we built our enterprise. It’s a family of little sites. It isn’t one consolidated website with one master navigation, so we were forced to have a rolling migration. We should be finished with everything by the end of the month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

We don’t have any statistics at the moment because we’re still so new and some stuff is from the old system. In another six months, we’ll be able to look at things retrospectively. I can say that, as a result, of the migration, we’ve cut our content probably in half, which has really streamlined our process.

In terms of positive feedback, we’ve got a ton of positive feedback from our internal clients using the system. They consistently tell us about the ease of use. We’ve also received positive feedback from external users. We hadn’t realized how difficult and frustrating our old site really was until we implemented this new site.  

When working with CMS Advertising Group, is there anything you’d consider special or unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

I wouldn’t say there’s anything really special or unique, but they’re really great to work with. I’ve worked with lots of developers throughout my career, and I found them to be very understanding of our business and operations. They’ve been very responsive to our needs. They’ve even delivered early in a few cases, which is almost unheard of in these kinds of projects.  

BACKGROUND

Could you describe your organization?

We’re a boutique intellectual property law firm.

What is your position?

I’m a publications specialist.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with CMS Advertising Group?

We wanted to enhance our brand image and become more visible in the commerce space. Our previous website was obsolete and static. It didn’t offer a lot in terms of valuable content, and we wanted to leverage our digital presence in more holistic way.

SOLUTION

How did you select WordPress as your preferred content management system solution?

We were exploring several different options for our Web page. We have been using front page in the past, but it had a lot of limitations that we had to move past. We wanted to branch out and get a fresh new look, too. Susan [Daniero, founder and president of CMS Advertising Group] approached us and recommended WordPress because it’s so flexible, and it offers a wide range of customization. She highlighted the functionalities we’d be able to take advantage of and demonstrated how simple the platform was to utilize by non-technical staff. We felt confident that WordPress would be able to satisfy our project criteria.

How did you select CMS Advertising Group as your solution partner for this endeavor?

We interviewed several different vendors in the area. We also went to out of state for some interviews. We wanted to compare capabilities, experience, and price across different locations to ensure we’d get the best possible deal.

Could you describe the scope of the project? For instance, did it involve custom visual design, backend development, training, or support?

It involved all of those things. There was frontend design and backend development. We had a basic website that was built by another vendor, but it ultimately fell short of our expectations. It was very unstable. CMS Ad Group came to the rescue: Shored that up temporarily, built us a brand new site, trained us on it, and deployed it. At this point, they’re providing ongoing support and case-by-case enhancements and modifications.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

I’d rather not get into the exact dollar amount.

When was the site launched?

We went live January 1, [2014,] with our new site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

Clients all around the world have weighed in on the new site, and they’ve said that they liked the new website. They claim it’s far easier to use. It’s user friendlier. That was important to us because our previous site was extremely difficult to use. Our foreign clients use it quite a bit for uploading templates and forms, so it was imperative that they be able to do so without getting frustrated. The transition has been very beneficial. We found that our search engine optimization has been boosted by it. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback.

When working with CMS Advertising Group, is there anything you’d consider special or unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

They’re very personable. They’re 100 percent available to us around the clock. I can call and email them any time, night or day, and I will get a response. They’re also currently hosting our site. We were going to do that in-house and decided that we were going to go with them. They’ve been very reliable. Our website hasn’t malfunctioned or gone down one time since we relaunched it with them, which is a testament to their level of service.

In retrospect, are there areas you think that they could improve upon as a service provider, or are there things that you’d do differently as the client before initiating this type of project?

No, I really like the path that it’s taken. We’re not Web developers or designers. We need input from external experts as to how we can improve our site, both strategically and functionally. They’re always offering us new insights. Their recommendations are always welcome. I attribute the success of our online presence to their capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Development Officer of San Francisco Education Fund

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The San Francisco Education Fund advances equitable education by providing quality learning programs, community support, and transformative financial resources to teachers, students, and schools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Materiell to accomplish?

• Clearly explain who we are and what we do
• Donor Acquisition
• Volunteer Acquisition

SOLUTION

How did you find Materiell?

Referral

Why did you select Materiell over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Materiell were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The Materiell team designed and developed our new San Francisco Education Fund website. From start to finish, Materiell:

• Provided advice on the content and page flow
• Created the design for each page, ensuring brand voice and visibility were prominent
• Incorporated feedback quickly and efficiently
• Developed and published the entire site

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Timeliness: Each deliverable was completed on time
• Design: Design flawlessly incorporated our brand

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

Materiell was responsive within less than one business day to every request, and they hit every milestone.

What was your primary form of communication with Materiell?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The one-on-one support and responsiveness Materiell provides are outstanding, and I also love that they have a designer who can also implement changes to the site.

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

No! They were timely, communicative, and produced a fantastic result!

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on February 6, 2023.

Rebecca Kroll
Talent & Operations Director, San Francisco Education FundNonprofit

San Francisco, California

11-50

Oct 2022 - Jan 2023

$50,000 to $199,999

Verified

Project summary
Materiell revamped a nonprofit organization's website in WordPress. After a discovery phase, they improved the site's accessibility, design, and functionality.

Feedback summary
The client was delighted with Materiell's work. They delivered a newly-engineered website that allowed easier updating. Using InVision as a feedback tool to approve final drafts made the project management smoother. Customers can expect a talented and prompt team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Senior Director of Talent and Operations at the San Francisco Education Fund

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our previous website design/engineering firm had given us a sub-par website with little ability to edit the content ourselves. We were in a terrible spot of having paid them a lot of money to deliver something so un-useful. We hired Materiell to re-engineer the website in WordPress and make some design and accessibility improvements along the way.

SOLUTION

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

Over the summer of 2022 we worked with a few friends who volunteered their time to help us make small, time sensitive hard-code updates to the website. One of them knew of Materiell's work and suggested we reach out to see if they could help us overhaul the website entirely. We had an initial conversation, made some reference calls, and were SOLD on Materiell.

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

Materiell's expert and friendly staff provided a full project plan and timeline then met with us weekly to answer questions, propose solutions, and report on progress. They used InVision as a feedback tool and a staging site for us to approve final drafts of pages before the site went live. On January 25th they launched our entirely newly engineered website with full edit functionality in WordPress.

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

Each week we met with a Materiell team of 3:

• Laura, the Project Manager;
• Deven, the web designer;
• John, the engineer.

Susan, the founder, met with us for our initial conversation and to follow up with the firm's proposal for work. All of these people were professional, friendly, responsive and great at their jobs!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The ease with which we can now update our website in WordPress is astounding compared to what we were left with from the previous company. Along the way, Materiell suggested accessibility improvements that have made the website cleaner and easier to read.

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

Laura's project management style was wonderful. She laid out a clear plan and timeline, kept us updated if there were changes to milestones and always was on time and prepared for meetings.

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

They are so good at what they do and are SO KIND while doing it! It felt like working with a team of talented friends who all cared about creating a wonderful outcome.

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

Nothing I can think of!

STAR RATINGS:
Overall rating: 5
Quality: 5
Cost: 5
Schedule: 5
Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-owner of wine producer operating in a dozen U.S. states and 7 countries. Sell to high-end restaurants, retailers, clubs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Materiell?

Needed to update our website for our two wines.

What were your goals for this project?

Have a high-quality representation of our high-end product. Wanted the public and retailers to easily locate our products at retailers or order them online.

SOLUTION

How did you select Materiell?

Saw they had done good work for top organizations.

Describe the project in detail.

We were offered a variety of overall designs to choose from. I provided some photos, the text, and general organization. Together we found more images and made various stylistic choices and updates over the course of the project.

What was the team composition?

We liaised with the head of the company and another top designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Website is visually appealing and I'm regularly contacted through the site.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

No problems at all.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They simply did what I needed and created a quality site without taking more time than required.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.