Creatives inherently go against the grain; it’s what fuels the value they deliver to their customers. But what about when it’s time to bring in business, support customers and nurture leads?
This is where many creative businesses struggle. In a recent survey of nearly 400 creative professionals and business owners in marketing, communication, design, advertising, media and creative agencies, Insightly identified the specific challenges agencies most often face when it comes to project management and sales. Organization and client management rose to the top of the list.
Among the survey respondents was Chase Clymer, CEO of digital marketing agency two70. We spoke with him recently about how CRM has helped him to overcome project management challenges and improved the way he runs his creative business.
Insightly: Describe two70 and the services you provide.
Clymer: two70 is a digital marketing agency based out of Columbus, Ohio. We enhance our clients’ work by creating visually appealing materials, and we specialize in web development, content marketing, and social media management.
Insightly: What made you want to start your own business?
Clymer: I’ve been doing freelance photography since college. I was also in a band, and after graduation, we toured across the country. During that time, I still needed to make money, so I continued to freelance while also using my digital marketing skills to promote the band. After the band broke up, I took a job as creative director for a music festival and further honed in on my marketing chops. Three years ago, I decided to go out on my own and that’s when two70 was born.
Insightly: On average, how many projects do you have at any one time?
Clymer: I work on between 6 and 12 projects at one time. Our clients are in a variety of industries, including insurance, real estate and fashion.
Insightly: Why did you look for a new solution, and were you looking for a CRM specifically?
Clymer: I knew I needed a better way to keep track of contacts and project details. I’ve used CRMs before, but I never found one that really met all my needs. I heard about Insightly, and after reading reviews from other users about how easy it is to use and its solid integration with Google Apps, I decided to try it out. The scalability of Insightly’s Freemium option was also a huge draw. two70 is growing, so I needed a tool that could grow with it. Now, when we need to add more functionality, it’s there, and we don’t need to search for another tool.
Insightly: What were you using to manage contacts, leads and projects before Insightly?
Clymer: For a long time I used a simple notebook to keep track of to-dos, client phone numbers and emails, and notes from client calls. Once I found Evernote, a digital notebook, I started to use that, and it worked for a while, but things were still falling off my radar. I knew it wasn’t a good way to keep a growing business organized, manage simultaneous projects, or keep up with prospects. Once I started to use Insightly, it was like night and day. I was able to quickly reference notes, see the progress of each project, and stay on top of daily tasks.
Insightly: What is your biggest sales challenge?
Clymer: It’s been a challenge to move customers through the sales funnel, so this is an area of the business that Insightly has really helped to improve. When a new lead comes in, I add it into Insightly and immediately start to assign myself tasks and reminders. This can be anything from a task to schedule a consultation, to setting a reminder to follow up with a lead in a few weeks to see if they’re ready to move forward
Insightly keeps us on track with our project deliverables. Now we can automate the tasks for putting together a proposal and assign deadlines, so we can get material to the client quickly. The ability to turn around proposals and projects is what sets us apart from other agencies. Once the contract is signed and we’ve officially won the business, we get the project moving, assigning tasks and deadlines for both two70 and the client. Our clients have a million things to do, and Insightly makes working with two70 a seamless process.
Insightly: How does Insightly help you deliver excellent client service?
Clymer: We’re very personable and take pride in our ability to respond quickly to inquiries – we never let emails sit for too long. The integration with Gmail makes it easy to add a task from within an email, so I don’t have to remember to add it to Insightly later. We also automate tasks and add reminders, so nothing falls through the cracks, which helps us to provide clients with excellent customer service. Because we take such good care of our clients, we have a very high retention rate, and referrals make up a large part of new business. Insightly also helps us to keep track of who is referring us to new business.
Insightly: What does Insightly mean to you as a business owner?
Clymer: I don’t know how I ran my business before Insightly – it’s my favorite tool. I love that it’s an all-inclusive platform, so I only need to remember one password. I can keep track of almost every aspect of the business, and the fact that it’s so tightly integrated with Google Apps means my Gmail, Google Docs, and calendar are easily accessible, which makes my life just that much easier.
Insightly: Describe one of your favorite client projects. Why is it your favorite?
Clymer: During this year’s NBA finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, two70 worked with Ohio Against The World, an apparel company based in Cincinnati. During the series, the T-shirts were flying off the shelves, and we executed a Facebook advertising campaign promoting the brand. It was cool to be part of a viral campaign connected to a moment in sports history.
Insightly helped to manage what needed to get done and when. This was a fast-moving project, given the pace of the series, so we had to stay on top of everything. I set reminders for game days, and would immediately check the stats post game so I could update the wording of our ads. This happened all the way up to the final game. Once the Cavaliers won, I immediately updated all the messaging to promote the champions t-shirt. It was much more intense than the usual social campaign, so it was vital that I had Insightly there to keep me on track and on pace.
Insightly: How will Insightly help in the continued growth of two70?
Clymer: I just hired a new assistant and the first thing I told her was that she needed to watch the Insightly University videos so she’s up to speed with how to use the platform. Insightly is at the core of my business, so any new team member needs to be able to dive in and use it efficiently. As the business continues to grow, I know Insightly is going to be the best way to manage my team and projects so there’s no confusion about where things stands and what needs to get done.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a huge variety of verticals. Learn about Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
