S'more Brands

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Japan Remotely

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We advise clients on how to move to Japan.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire S'more Brands to accomplish?

• Build a website
• Create a brand
• Hone product strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find S'more Brands?

Online Search

Why did you select S'more Brands over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from S'more Brands were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Create a brand strategy and website for my company:

• Target market identification
• Product creation
• Value proposition and mission
• Branding kit: logo, colors, fonts etc
• Web design
• Web development (WordPress Oxygen)
• Funnel development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before S'more Brands help, my company was just an idea. In my first year, I hit my revenue targets and easily broke even on this projecct. In my second year, I am well on track to doubling my revenue from year 1. The branding and website makes it easier for my customers to trust me with life changing advice.

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

The project did take a little longer than either of us anticipated. That was due to the newness of my business as well as running into summer holidays. S'More Brands was very responsive, though, and the results were worth the wait.

What was your primary form of communication with S'more Brands?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The brand-first approach to web design was great. I talked to other companies who basically wanted me to have all the strategy and copy ready to go for them to implement. I needed someone who could start from zero.

Are there any areas for improvement or something S'more Brands could have done differently?

The CMS we ended up using, Oxygen on Wordpress, is not really great for beginners to manage. It made a beautiful website, but now I need help to make any changes. S'more brands has been very giving with their time whenever I have questions though.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a company that produces and markets a unique garment for women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S'more Brands, and what were your goals?

Our company is relatively new, and we hired S'mores Brands to help us develop a brand strategy and also a website. Our goal was to define the characteristics of our target market and then use these findings to develop a marketing strategy that would resonate with this market.

SOLUTION

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

After researching several brand marketing specialists, we selected our vendor based on the quality of their work. One of the factors that we considered in our review was the relevance of their previous work to our needs.

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

The scope of work was clearly outlined up front. We held a kick-off meeting so that the vendor would get a good understanding of who we were and of our business. The next step was the development of a strategy that would serve as our guideline going forward. Our vendor was very familiar with consumer product, so they were able to key in on the areas that we needed to address in our marketing plan. Our vendor than provided us with wireframes which addressed the direction of our website and how customers would be able to navigate it. We then moved on to the design stage. Our vendor worked with us to get the look and feel of we wanted. During the development stage our vendor worked with us on the functionality of our site along with the front-end look. We then moved on testing the site on computers, phones and tablets to make sure that our site was bug-free before we launched.

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

We primarily worked with the project manager. The project manager brought in other staff to assist with visuals and editing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The vendor exceeded our expectations regarding the deliverables. They took the time to meet with us to keep us abreast of their progress and also sought our input on the deliverables. The branding strategy that they developed for us and helped us implement was extremely effective and we have received excellent feedback from potential customers about its effectiveness.

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

The project management style made it very easy for our team to communicate with them. They brought up several issues that we had not considered in the past. The end result was that we were able to engage in open and honest dialogue which made for a better end product.

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

We were most impressed by their creativity and ability to make recommendations that improve our marketability.

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

We were extremely pleased in the way that our vendor managed our project. We do have not have any ideas about how things could have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing Manager for Langer's Entertainment Center in Sherwood Oregon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S'more Brands, and what were your goals?

Our old website and branding was a disaster that was developed in a rush to get our business open. We hired S'more Brands for a refresh of our brand and to re-design our website to better communicate to our customers and address our new business needs coming out of the pandemic.

SOLUTION

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

Our brand required someone who understood the pacific northwest, so we wanted to stay local. After reviewing several other local web developers, S'more's previous work was significantly more polished then others we had looked at.

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

We started with a meeting to determine our establish our goals for the project. From there S'more started with wireframes and kept us informed and listened to our input at every stage. Partway through the project we determined we needed to rebrand, and they were able to pivot and provide that as well while still keeping the project on schedule. They delivered an amazing new logo, brand documentation, a brand new website in WordPress, with custom widgets to fit the exact needs of our business, along with step-by-step video documentation showing how to update various aspects of the website.

I'm currently attending a UX/UI course while we were working on this project, and every step of the way S'more applied the most current standards in usability and aesthetics in their work.

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

S'more handled communications with their team, I worked with Erik, and the graphic designer he had hired for our re-branding project. Erik handled the rest.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new website and branding has been a huge upgrade, and the clear design guide has allowed me to align our entire company to a very clean and fun design standard. We went from looking very amateurish to an industry leader. We're excited to work with S'more Brands again to address our future business needs.

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

S'more was constantly communicating throughout the entire process and responded to emails within a couple hours at most. Early on they utilized Miro to plan and organize our needs, which was a great tool to let us work together. We had weekly or bi-weekly meetings over zoom throughout the whole process.

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

S'more's design work is anything but cookie cutter, rather than just taking a template and slapping our branding on it, every page is thought out from our customer's perspective for usability. The custom WordPress widgets to update the site were a welcome surprise that makes updating our frequently changing business information so much easier than previously. Making our website something usable for us and our customers.

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

I would love to add some criticisms but I seriously don't have any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’ve worked with the company for nearly 10 years now. We help politicians and government agencies analyze and present census and political data. I was put in charge of finding a service to rebrand our company to include a new identity and website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S'more Brands?

We had never put any effort into building a brand and relied on existing relationships. But with increased competition, we needed to start presenting ourselves in a way that would help attract new clients. That included the need for modern branding, identity materials, and a refreshed website.

What were your goals for this project?

We want to make sure we’re taken seriously by potential clients around the country who may not know us by our D.C reputation. And we felt that the first step was to present ourselves in the best light online.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had a strict budget for this project and were turned down by a couple agencies who were not able to work within that budget. I actually found S’more Brands through an ad on Facebook. After reviewing their previous work and learning some about their process I ended up setting an appointment to speak with the owner. We discussed the project and I received a step by step outline of how it would all come together. Once we learned they would be able to work within our budget, it was an easy decision.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The company offers a service called Brand Camp that we ended up going with because it fit within our desired timeline and budget. Everything was scheduled out in advance and required us to join them for two meetings. The first one was a video conference where we discussed the business, our clients, and what we were trying to accomplish. We also discussed our design preferences, which I don’t think we were very helpful with! Regardless, they were able to extract what they needed to get the design work started. The next meeting was scheduled for two weeks later and was expected to last a full day. During that meeting we reviewed a number of logos and were very happy to select one of them. From there they started building all the items we agreed on, including letterhead, business cards, signatures for our email, and the design for the website. We were done late afternoon and were very pleased with what we all came up with. About a week later we were able to review the coded website, which ended up looking exactly like the designs we approved during the last meeting.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Erik, the owner, during the first call where we developed the strategy. His head designer was also present and gathered the information she needed at the end of the call. During the full day session I worked with the head designer, her assistant, as well as Erik who popped in regularly to check on the progress and to help us make decisions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After seeing the new branding and all the items we received, I don't know how we survived for so long looking so bad! Everything has a polished feel that immediately makes us look competent and professional. We run our own server so our I.T. guy will be launching the website soon and we are very much looking forward to seeing how people respond to it. We've shared our logo and business cards with some select clients and have received extremely positive feedback.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

This was a painless process with excellent communication the entire way. They have a strict process that they adhered to the entire way. We always understood what was going on and what was next. It was very confidence inspiring for someone who isn't experienced managing design projects.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I understand that they used a lot of complex strategies to plan and then build out our project. But none of it felt complex to us. We simply had to show up, answer questions, give feedback, and give approvals for each item. That's exactly what we try to do for our own clients – simplify the complicated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Spending a full day working on the design was tricky. When our clients need us, we need to be available. So breaking up the full design day into two or three parts could have made this even easier for us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the president of a consumer goods manufacturer in the sporting goods space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S'more Brands?

We're a startup without an internal marketing team, so we contracted with S'more Brands to help us come up with a marketing plan to launch our business. We originally wanted them to work on our e-commerce website, but they explained marketing was important, so we’ll work on the website later with them.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a team that could show us what we needed to focus on. Since we're a startup with limited funding, we need to make sure our efforts are put into doing the right things.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We wanted to work with a company that has a local presence, so after contacting a number of agencies in the Portland area, we landed on S'more Brands. Their owner freely shared advice that we really appreciated, particularly the recommendation that our first project should be our marketing plan rather than the website.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We started off with a call that lasted a couple of hours to discuss what our goals were, spending a lot of time figuring out what our target market looks like and discussing ideas about how we could best achieve them. They did their research and came back with an outline of the strategy, which we provided our input on.

It covered our target market, a strategy for the website and its SEO, advertising opportunities, ideas about how to communicate our message, a social media strategy, and a plan to create content for the blog and YouTube. The plan included a recommended timeline with everything prioritized into phases.

What was the team composition?

I worked with their owner directly who handles all the high-level strategy. The rest of the small team does the work. For the website project, we'll be collaborating with both the owner and their in-house designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're still in the early stages of implementing the marketing plan. The outcome so far is that we're confident in the direction we're heading, and we know what needs to be done.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was very quick and efficient; meetings always started on time and we received the final plan by the date they estimated.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to breakdown all the complicated parts into a system that makes sense was much appreciated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The pricing was a little difficult for us, but I can see how much work went into the plan we received. For more established businesses I'm sure it's easier, but a condensed plan option for startups would be good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a photographer specializing in weddings & portraits and have been in business for more than 25 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire S'more Brands?

I hired S'More Brands to revive my web presence, update my logo and help with my overall approach to branding.

What were your goals for this project?

My goals going into the project were to have a new web site and logo. What I got was so much more!

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After a few weeks of searching similar companies, reading reviews and having phone conferences I settled on S'More Brands because of their customer service & dedication to working intimately with my small business to truly understand my brand and how they could help me succeed.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We started off with a phone call where they tried to dig into my current brand & vision for the future then scheduled what they call a Brand Camp Counseling session where we took the deep dive into color schemes, logo designs, verbiage and over all brand goals. They used this meeting to work up some sample graphics and more. Our next meeting was about two weeks later and we were all in starting with logo design approval then into site design, color schemes, downloadables, verbiage, thank you cards and so on. By the time we were done with that meeting they had everything they needed to build my site and all of the peripherals for branding.

What was the team composition?

The S'More team is composed of 2 people, Erik & Lalena. Erik took lead with the technical aspects of the web design while Lalena was the master graphic designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the creation of my new branding & web site my traffic has increased due to the overall professional look & feel you get when visiting my web site. Beyond the site, I'm using the tools they helped train me on to engage with my clients to capture more successful leads that are resulting in more bookings.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was fantastic, engaging, and personally styled to fit my needs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive thing I found about this company was their level of professionalism while maintaining a personal touch and getting tasks managed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I really love their approach but you will need at least one full work day to go through the Brand Camp together.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner and Manager of Sam Woolsey Residential Rentals

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Residential and Commercial Rentals

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire S'more Brands to accomplish?

• Create New Website
• Produce Advertising Cards
• Increase foot traffic

SOLUTION

How did you find S'more Brands?

Referral

Why did you select S'more Brands over others?

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

How many teammates from S'more Brands were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Redesigned our website and made it much more user friendly. Also, produced cards and QR codes for local advertising racks

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

New website functions well.

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

Very congenial and responsive! Nees were met on demand.

What was your primary form of communication with S'more Brands?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were very friendly and eager to work with us. Quick and competent.

Are there any areas for improvement or something S'more Brands could have done differently?

I could not have asked for better results.