Ernst Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing director for a veterinary group that acquires and merges veterinary practices. We also do startup veterinary practices, and we co-own these practices with other doctors. I oversee all marketing and budgeting for our more than 45 hospitals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

We needed help with our social media marketing and ads accounts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ernst Media is responsible for setting up our Meta Ads accounts, budgets, and ads for our various hospitals to perform on Facebook and Instagram. We set up most of our campaigns for our startup veterinary practices. We have a few different ads that Ernst Media manages to inform potential clients of one of our new practices.

The first campaign is to let people know that our veterinary practice is coming soon and for people to subscribe to our VIP list for more information. The second ad promotes our open house and invites the community to check out the practice and meet the doctors. The third asset highlights that we're open, shows our promos, and offers to push people into the door for appointments.

We get great awareness out of all three campaigns. Typically, when we start our coming soon campaign, we have about 50 people on our VIP list. Then, when we do our Facebook advertising, it grows by three times. We usually end up with 150–200 people on that list just from the Facebook and Instagram ads that Ernst Media sets up.

Our in-house design team creates the ads for us based on our branding. Then, we work with Ernst Media to set up the ads. They help with the copy, targeting, and ad accounts.

What is the team composition?

I've only worked with two people from their team. I work with Nick, the owner, and Jennifer, who works as a strategist and is our project manager. I primarily work with Jennifer to set up all the ads.

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

I found them through a Google search.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $125,000 with them, including ad spend and maintenance.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2023, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People have responded positively to the ads. Our customers are engaging with the ads and asking questions. One typical campaign we run for a lot of our hospitals is a promo campaign of 50% off the first exam. We've run this campaign for a year, with over 150,000 impressions and 3,262 clicks. Our conversion rate has been about 6%.

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Ernst Media's project management has been exceptional. I can always count on them to assist. They've set up an entire reporting and command central for us, so we can always look at how the ads are doing, what is happening, and all the insights. They let us know when we should switch out an ad. However, our promotional campaign calendar dictates when we do ads and what they focus on.

We use email and Zoom for regular communication. Additionally, on our command central, a Google Doc, Jennifer updates all the actions that are happening.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to give kudos to Jennifer. She's been absolutely fantastic and helpful. She's been the person who has been solely helping us and getting everything done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're small and lean but know a lot about the industry. We get a boutique feel: we can get something done quickly within 24 hours instead of waiting a couple of weeks like we would with big digital agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they can improve on. They've been doing great for us, and it's been working out. I could ask for more ad insights, but we get all the necessary information from the report and Jennifer's weekly comments.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set up a weekly or biweekly call with the team to get updates. Ensure you have a complete and updated command central form; we always reference that document. Set up a successful business account with all your ad accounts. Having that organized is really helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of KDRO Consulting, a boutique marketing company that also provides digital marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

We needed help with lead generation for one of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I work with Ernst Media to generate leads for an assisted living community. As a strategist, I originally developed the overall strategy, so they now help me implement it. Their scope includes running recruitment and advertising campaigns on Google and social media, including Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, they help me with social media management tasks, such as responding to comments.

What is the team composition?

I work with three people from Ernst Media, including Evan (CEO) and Nick (COO), who are my main points of contact.

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

I reached out to Evan after reading the reviews Ernst Media had online.

How much have you invested in them?

It is in the range of $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around November 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My clients have been extremely happy with Ernst Media’s work, which is why we’ve continued working together. From a lead generation standpoint, we’ve been able to reduce the cost per lead for our client by around 80% throughout our engagement. Additionally, we’ve been able to help the client understand the quality and value of the leads they generate. Ernst Media has also helped our client identify problematic reviews, allowing them to address them immediately.

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Ernst Media is excellent at hitting deadlines. We communicate via email and have regular meetings, and they also use a master dashboard to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ernst Media is very honest and very good at what they do. They are among the best companies I’ve worked with during the last 25 years. They care about providing their clients with the best results, and they constantly go out of their way to ensure we have a great experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if Ernst Media were more proactive in offering other services they could provide for their clients. For example, they could offer potential solutions to improve the client experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The team at Ernst Media is excellent, so you’ll be in good hands working with them. Make sure to identify your expectations and have a lot of communication with them to review your goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a lawn care business. We focus on landscaping, doing mowing, pruning, and small landscaping projects. We’ve been working to get bigger projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

We needed help with our advertising and marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Ernst Media had to log into all of our accounts so they could run them. Since then, we’ve only had to fill out a few forms whenever they send them our way. The team typically takes care of everything; they create the ads, send them to us, and run them if we’re happy with them.

In summary, they create the ads and run them on Google and Facebook. Additionally, they send a detailed weekly report.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with Evan (CEO), Nick (COO), and Mike (Digital Strategist). Additionally, Mo (Director of Client Services) helps out, but we haven’t been in contact with him.

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

We worked for Evan; we took care of his yard, and he offered to help us with our advertising. It was a great deal.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay about $1,800 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2022, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We try to pinpoint where we run our ads based on area sales. We target the areas where we want to perform better, so if people in those zip codes search for something we offer, we pop up high on the Google results page. We’ve also cut out services we don’t perform much or don’t want to perform anymore.

Overall, Ernst Media has done a great job; we’ve gotten a lot more phone calls throughout the day. Also, more phone calls are geared toward what we actually do instead of having somebody calling us for services we don’t provide. We’ve been very busy since we switched to them.

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

If we have anything we want to chip in, they always do what we want. We mostly communicate via emails and sometimes through texts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re more on top of our ads than us, and the team is super helpful and kind. If we have any questions, they’re very informative. Overall, they help us figure out what we need to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any negative feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to go with it. They’ve done a great job for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Esmerelda’s 2.0, a Mexican restaurant. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

We hired them for marketing and SEO talents. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ernst Media works closely with us on keyword research for our SEO. They also run our Google Ads campaigns. 

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

I looked extensively on Google for the top 10 most reputable companies in the US. After all my research, Ernst Media came up as number four. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Ernst Media began in May 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results have been very inspiring. We've been keeping track of ROI through conversion tracking, and even in areas we weren't tracking, we've seen increases in sales. 

Before working with Ernst Media, I worked with another company on SEO, and my sales metrics didn't change. In contrast, within the first 30 days of working with Ernst Media, my total gross sales increased by 35%. 

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Over the last 6–7 years, I've spent $250,000 on various marketing services with different companies. Of all the companies I've worked with, Ernst Media is the most transparent and the best at communication and organization. Ernst Media is exceptionally diligent. 

The project is extremely well documented, and we communicate through emails to ensure everyone is on the same page. Ernst Media is very responsive, and I usually get a response to my email within five minutes. I regularly meet with Ernst Media's team through Google Meet to discuss every aspect of the project. Outside of that, we also communicate through phone calls and texts. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It is easy to see the value in the services that Ernst Media offers. They provide genuine results and don't waste our time, effort, or money. Ernst Media has been great at guiding me through all the processes and has been extremely receptive to time-sensitive schedules. I'm very fortunate to work with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any constructive criticism. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As a business owner, you always want to try and bring in new customers. In this case, it's best to let the experts at Ernst Media do what they do best. Hiring a company of Ernst Media's caliber means you have to allow them to do what they're good at. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Mind Share Partners is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is changing the culture of workplace mental health so that both employees and organizations can thrive. I lead marketing and communications for Mind Share Partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ernst Media?

We hired Ernst Media to get launch and maintain our Ad Grant account.

What were your goals for this project?

We had previously hired another team to launch this and had very poor results. We hired Ernst Media to continuously grow our ad reach, build out our account, and drive qualified leads to our services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found this vendor via Upwork, and I selected Evan and his team after his ability to speak to previous work and success in this space.

Describe the project in detail.

They launched our Ad Grant account from the ground up, helping us create viable ad groups, focus our targeting, and make sure our account maintained over Google's required CTR to ensure our account remains in good favor. They have steadily built our account, and are now adding in our new keyword strategy to continue driving more qualified leads.

What was the team composition?

I am the main point of contact for Ernst Media, and they suggested a Google doc to house all of our biweekly ad updates and for suggesting new campaigns. I was initially in contact with Evan the owner, but have transitioned to being in touch with our account manager Mike, who is very responsive.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our impressions and clicks continue to grow each week. Our site traffic has grown steadily as ads have continued to evolve.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team is very easy and pleasant to work with. The Google doc strategy they suggested for both documentation and communication has worked well. They are always willing to hop on the phone to answer a question or hear new ad strategy ideas. They are very good at reporting back results and aren't afraid to push back if an idea isn't working or needs to be adjusted.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The company's transparent communication, and ability to execute has been most impressive. They do not over promise on results, and are great at explaining how Google Ads work and what needs to happen to continue growing the ad clicks and reach as the account evolves. We also are very impressed by how self-sufficient they are, yet they are still collaborative and open to feedback.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would say the one area of improvement would be to run all new ads past me first for approval or copy suggestions, as some of the ads have not had the most effective wording. This is something that was easily fixed with our Google Doc communications.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of marketing at Managed Methods, a cloud application security platform for K–12 school districts. We help IT teams at school districts throughout the US and Canada secure the information that they store in Google Cloud (GC) and Office 365.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

When I came on board, my company had been working with a marketing agency for three years. The partnership had started off pretty well, but we came to find that they weren’t managing our Google Ads the way we expected them to. We didn't see the activity or conversion levels we wanted.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ernst Media helps us with PPC advertising. They mainly help us with our Google Ads by managing our account. They do all of our search, display, and remarketing ads, and then they also do retargeting video ads on YouTube.

They were doing a little bit of social advertising for us, but we brought on an in-house social media manager to do that. Ernst Media didn’t do anything wrong; we just wanted them to focus on Google Ads. 

What is the team composition?

I interact with Mike (Digital Strategist, Ernst Media). He’s our main account rep.

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

I found them on Upwork. At the time, I was pretty agnostic whether we’d work with a freelancer or an agency; I was just looking for the right fit. I can’t remember specifically why I chose Ernst Media over the others, but I believe it had to do with the right balance of the hourly rate they quoted us and the customer reviews that I read.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,300–$1,400 each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re in the B2B space. We haven’t seen a huge ROI; our ad strategy has definitely been more for generating impressions and awareness rather than generating revenue.

In terms of better results, I can see that they’re actually doing work on the account and continually improving. Previously, I’d check on the account’s activity history and see that no one had logged in in a while. Ernst Media is continually putting in keywords, adjusting the budget, and testing out new things, which has helped us a lot. Before they got started, our average cost-per-click was very high, and that has definitely evened out to be more what we expect it to be.

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email. When we were first onboarding, we did more phone calls and check-ins, but once we hit a cadence, we began emailing to cut down on hourly costs. They have a nice update template in the form of a running Google Doc that Mike updates and sends over on a weekly basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ernst Media has the ability to adjust to what we need to do. We’re a pretty early-stage startup, and we’re starting to scale. I’ve gone back and told them I need them to switch and do something else, and they get right in and do it.

They require very little direction and do excellent work. I’ll tell them generally what market we need to target, and they will set it up and do the ad copy in a way that I’m pleased with. It’s like having somebody on staff without really having to manage them much at all.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could potentially communicate why they do certain things a little bit better. That might be helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them. They’re very easy to work with. Knowing what you’re looking for and having at least general knowledge of PPC and Google Ads, and how to navigate those areas, is important. That’s true of working with any vendor; don’t go into it blindly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup. We create electronic pens and sensors that allow customers to sync text from one touch screen to another as they’re using our drawing software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

I’m the only employee right now, and I needed help developing a go-to-market strategy and figuring out some financial projections, vis-à-vis cost of acquisition per customer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evan (Strategist, Ernst Media) helped me with our go-to-market strategy. He wrote up the different things Ernst Media could do for us, which allowed me to see exactly what I’d pay to have a strong web presence through Google’s search services and Facebook Ads. He showed me the different analytics that his company can provide so that I’m clear on the customers we’d be targeting using their services. The final deliverable was a written document that he sent me.

I haven’t used Ernst Media for SEO or PPC yet; for this project, they just provided some mentoring market research and financial projections. 

What is the team composition?

I just worked with Evan.

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

I found them through Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent roughly $500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November–December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Evan provided a very professional workup. I haven’t had much time to look it over carefully yet, but I’m hiring a CMO and showed it to him.

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicated through video conferencing, but we also used the instant messaging feature on Upwork. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Evan was very professional and accommodating. He had a customer-centric vibe, which was very much appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d say have video conferences with Evan, because his advice is terrific.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of BELDT Labs. We manufacture and sell sports nutritional products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

We had an ad team that wasn’t performing well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ernst Media came on and retooled our existing ad campaigns, figuring out better ways to optimize them and get more traffic. They began with Google Ads and have since helped with SEO, SMM, and Facebook ads. They’ve worked on eliminating non-performing ads, which our previous ads team didn’t do, and building out split tests to further optimize. 

We stopped having them do SEO, but not because of their work; we reallocated their services to Facebook. 

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with Evan (Strategist, Ernst Media). Chase (Strategist, Ernst Media) handles our ads, and Tara (Social Strategist, Ernst Media) manages our social media. Channy (SEO Specialist, Ernst Media) did SEO. 

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

I found Ernst Media on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000–$120,000. The ad spend is commission based.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with Ernst Media began in April 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re lowering our overall CPA. Our biggest traffic push is Google Ads, and Ernst Media has improved its performance.

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly use Slack to communicate, but we speak on the phone every so often when I want to talk to them directly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is impressive, as is the fact that they’re a part of our team. The last ads team we worked with acted more like a firm that was contracted out; they did things when they got to them, and it wasn’t really a collaboration. With Ernst Media, there’s no standoff. If they disagree with something, we’ll talk it out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t really think of anything.

Any advice for potential customers?

If someone’s looking for ad management, I’d pass it on to Ernst Media. They have a wide scope of skills, so any ad channel you need help with, they can handle it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an online sports website for participants in sports betting and daily fantasy sports.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

We were looking for a marketing partner to run our ad campaigns across Facebook and Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were mainly focused on testing the copy for upcoming ad campaigns, running all the split tests, monitoring audience management, and making tweaks as needed. We’re a seasonal website based around the NFL, NBA, and MLB. It took a decent bit of management to refocus those audiences. That’s where they allocated most of their time. They optimized the content for both Facebook and Google ads. 

What is the team composition?

Evan (Strategist, Ernst Media) was in charge of Google Ads, and Mike (Strategist, Ernst Media) handled Facebook. They worked together for a unified marketing approach. 

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

I found them online and was immediately impressed with their communication. We chose them after reviewing and interviewing 20–30 applicants. They seemed the most trustworthy and honest of the bunch.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $7,500 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in March 2019, and we still work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before, we were gaining anywhere from 1–3 new users each day. After we engaged their team, we get up to 5–6 new users every day. They made this possible with less ad spend then we were previously using. In short, they got us more conversions. 

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We had shared documents between my team and theirs. These included weekly reports and an ongoing stream of communications surrounding print media. Mike also provided us with a weekly video rundown, breaking down the week’s progress and upcoming changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

More than anything, we valued their communication and trustworthiness. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did a great job getting us conversions, but we’ve struggled a bit with retention. It would be nice if they could work their magic to optimize our retention and conversion funnel. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Royal Cheese Digital, a digital marketing agency based in LA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ernst Media?

We had signed a client and needed help managing their listings on Google Shopping—an area in which we lacked expertise. Our client wanted their merchandise to be easily findable on Google Shopping.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ernst Media took over everything related to our client’s Google Shopping experience. We gave their team access to our Google Ads and Shopify administration accounts. We had a brief over the phone, and the team then started putting all items directly on Google Shopping. Ernst Media began to optimize areas and test different ideas. Their weekly reports go into a shared Google Doc, allowing us to collaborate in real time.

What is the team composition?

Evan (Strategist, Ernst Media) is my only point of contact, which makes communication easy.

How did you come to work with Ernst Media?

We found them directly on Upwork after posting a job on the platform. We had several proposals from different people, and Ernst Media’s was the most compelling to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $500 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2019 for a three-month trial period. We’re happy with their work, so our collaboration is now ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tried various platforms with little success before turning to Ernst Media. Now our ROI is much improved, and since the first of this month, we’ve reallocated our Google Shopping resources entirely into Ernst Media. Their expertise allows us to stick to our specializations—Google Ads and social media ads.

How did Ernst Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Our shared Google Doc has a working list of weekly ads spent and results. It allows Ernst Media to quickly determine what’s working and what’s not, letting them test multiple areas of optimization and efficiency. Their team takes care of everything, which we appreciate as a small company—we don’t have time to micromanage their work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As I said before, it's great not having to micromanage Ernst Media’s work. They know what they're doing, and they test multiple techniques without us having to prompt them. We appreciate their proactiveness and creative independence.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. Ernst Media does well with our small ad budget.

Any advice for potential customers?

Ernst Media is highly knowledgeable and creative. Let them test multiple things and be patient with results. You will have better results more quickly if you give the team freedom of direction.